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Apparatus and method for preparing hot food products in portions of predetermined size by rehydrating a dehydrated food product to provide a dough that can be shaped and heated. The apparatus includes means for storing bags of dehydrated product and for opening individual bags as needed to maintain

Apparatus and method for preparing hot food products in portions of predetermined size by rehydrating a dehydrated food product to provide a dough that can be shaped and heated. The apparatus includes means for storing bags of dehydrated product and for opening individual bags as needed to maintain a desired level of dehydrated product in a hopper. Rehydration means are provided, including a metering chamber to meter a portion of the dehydrated food product, and a rehydration head to uniformly wet the dehydrated food product to form a coherent dough. The dough is passed through a forming means to form it into predetermined pieces that are extruded from a forming chamber, and a wire knife passes linearly across the forming chamber to separate the extruded product therefrom. A product transfer conveyor is provided to convey the shaped dough pieces to a fryer vessel in which heated frying oil is provided. The fryer vessel is evacuated when the fryer is not in use, and a recirculation system is provided to periodically recirculate heated frying oil to the frying vessel to maintain it at an elevated temperature and ready for use. The resulting product has a desirable texture, taste, and appearance.

대표청구항 ▼

Apparatus for preparing hot food products in portions of predetermined size by rehydrating a dehydrated food product to provide a dough that can be shaped and heated, said apparatus comprising: (a) dehydrated food product hopper means for storing a predetermined quantity of dehydrated food product,

Apparatus for preparing hot food products in portions of predetermined size by rehydrating a dehydrated food product to provide a dough that can be shaped and heated, said apparatus comprising: (a) dehydrated food product hopper means for storing a predetermined quantity of dehydrated food product, said hopper means having an inlet and an outlet; (b) raw material storage and transfer means for storing a plurality of prepackaged quantities of a dehydrated food product and for transferring individual packages of the food product to said product hopper means as needed to maintain a part of the stored dehydrated food product ready for immediate use; (c) rehydration means for receiving a measured quantity of dehydrated food product from said raw material storage and transfer means and for rehydrating the measured quantity of dehydrated food product without agitation of a mixture of the dehydrated food product and water to provide a coherent dough; (d) forming means for forming the dough into predetermined shaped dough pieces, said forming means including a dough-receiving chamber having an open top and an open bottom, said open bottom including a plurality of parallel, substantially equally spaced members, and piston means movable within said dough-receiving chamber to urge the contents thereof through said open bottom to cause said product to extrude vertically downwardly from said chamber into separate pieces defined by said divider members, said piston means including a slotted face having slots corresponding in size and orientation to the size and orientation of said divider members to prevent retention of dough between said divider members when said piston slots contact and engage with said divider members; and (e) heating means to heat the formed dough pieces to provide a heated food product having a desirable texture, taste, and appearance.