Rotary drum blancher for cooking food

Details Rotary drum blancher for cooking food Rotary drum blancher for cooking food

2000-02-14

2001-03-27

Simone, Timothy F. (Department: 1761)

Foods and beverages: apparatus

Cooking

With stirring

C099S355000, C099S404000, C099S409000, C099S44300R, C099S470000, C099S517000, C134S065000, C134S132000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06205913

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to rotary blanchers for processing food products. More particularly, the invention relates to such a food blancher which can operate in the conventional mode with water or with steam only to thereby more efficiently and uniformly and quickly heat the food product in the blancher.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various prior art blanchers have been proposed such as shown in several U.S. patents: U.S. Pat. No. 4,942,810, issued Jul. 24, 1990; U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,249, issued Jul. 28, 1992; U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,041, issued Jul. 4, 1995; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,869, issued Jan. 14, 1997.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides blancher for cooking food having novel means for introducing the food product into the blancher and also having novel means for removing the finished product from the blancher, both of which are open to atmosphere but act to contain the steam. The inlet feed arrangement utilizes a trough-like flume and water nozzles direct water into the trough to thereby wet its interior and prevents sticking and facilitates movement of the food, such as pasta through the flume and into the housing. The steam is contained at the entry end by condensing it with the flume water. The water used in such a flume is taken from a water supply located in the interior of the housing, is then directed through the flume where it then enters the housing at a slight pressure above atmospheric, and returns the steam to the water supply in the bottom of the housing.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to an improved exit or discharge chute for the finished product and which has a vacuum pump connected to the chute for capturing and drawing off most of the steam from the chute and passing the steam back into a water supply in the bottom of the housing, thus forming a substantially closed circuit in which the steam is taken from the discharge chute and then passing the removed steam directly into the water supply in the bottom of the housing.
Another aspect of the invention relates to delivering live steam into the housing at a location just above the water supply in the housing and adjacent the lower side of a rotatable drum for heating the interior of the housing and drum in an efficient manner for cooking food passing therethrough.
Another aspect of the invention relates to a very effective seal labyrinth between the adjacent ends of said housing and drum to prevent steam loss from the interior of the housing.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear as this disclosure progresses.


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