MXPA01001791A - Method and apparatus for making bowl-shaped snack food products - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and apparatus for making bowl-shaped snack food products, e.g. tortilla chips. The method features placing chip preforms in open bowl-shaped cavities and partially frying the chip preforms by filling them with hot oil from above. Additionally, the preforms are partially fried from below by immersing the lower portions of the preforms in a vat of hot oil and transporting them through the hot oil. After cooking the preforms to a desired moisture content, at which point the preforms retain their bowl shapes outside of or independent of the mold cavities, the preforms are removed from the mold cavities and subsequently cooked to completion in a secondary frying operation. The invention also features an apparatus to carry out the method.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING BOTANICAL PRODUCTS IN THE FORM OF BOWL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION TECHNICAL FIELD The invention relates in general to a method and apparatus for food production and, more specifically, to a method and apparatus for making snack chips, bowl-shaped chips or other hollow form.

DESCRIPTION OF THE BACKGROUND TECHNIQUE In general, there are a number of food products that are formed to help the product fulfill a particular function. For example, taco shells are often made by frying a corn dough in a bent configuration to provide a U-shaped "channel" which is filled with taco ingredients. With respect to snack products, consumers often prefer a bowl-shaped or spoon-shaped frying (corn fry, tortilla frying, potato frying, etc.) when they eat fritters with dressing (salsa, bean dressing) , cheese dressing, etc.) because the bowl-shaped or spoon-shaped configuration gives resistance to frying, thus avoiding frying breakage while spooning dressing, and allowing the consumer to spoon a larger portion, more satisfying, of the dressing. In the past, the methods and apparatus used to manufacture such shaped products have been somewhat complex. In particular, they have tended to use closed molds in which the product remains fixed while it is cooked. Such configurations, although successful in the sense that they perform the desired function, are difficult to manufacture and prone to breakage. Accordingly, there has been a need for a method and apparatus for making formed fried food products (in particular bowl-shaped snacks) that is less complex and easier to operate than has been the case in the past. last.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The method and apparatus according to the invention satisfies this need. In particular, the invention is characterized by frying preforms of fried frits in the shape of a bowl or spoon by placing the preforms in mold cavities in the shape of a bowl to give the preforms a bowl shape, and filling the bowls of the preforms with oil hot for cooking the frying preforms "from the inside". Preferably, the preforms are only partially cooked while in the mold cavities, ie, at a moisture content in which they are capable of retaining their bowl shape independently of the cavities. In this point, the preforms are removed from the cavities and cooked to completion in a second cooking step. Thus, in a first aspect, the invention is characterized by a method for manufacturing a bowl-shaped snack product. The method includes placing frying preforms made from uncooked dough into mold cavities formed in an upwardly concave bowl so that the frying preforms are formed into a bowl shape. The bowl-shaped preforms are then at least partially filled with oil that is hot enough to fry the dough so that the preforms are partially cooked by means of hot oil. The partially cooked preforms are then removed from the mold cavities and cooked for completion in a second cooking step. In preferred embodiments, the preforms are fried in the first cooking step only until they are able to retain their bowl shape when they are removed from the mold cavities, i.e., when they have reached a predetermined moisture content. Additionally, lower portions of the frying preforms can be arranged in hot oil so that the preforms are baked "from the outside" of the bowl. This can be achieved by having the mold cavities perforated and submerging the bottom portions of the mold cavities in hot oil. Frying preforms can be removed from the mold cavities by inverting the mold cavities, preferably while the preforms are pushed simultaneously out of the cavities by means of ejection members extending into the mold cavities. Preferably, the preforms are fired for completion in a second hot oil pan. They can be removed from the hot oil pan via a conveyor that extends out of the tundish. Preferably, the preforms are given a desired open-ended configuration downward by immersing them deeper into the oil and then allowing them to float back to the oil surface, with hydrodynamic drag forces causing the bowl-shaped preforms to become inverted as they float up. In another aspect, the invention features a method for manufacturing a bowl-shaped snack product, in which method the frying preforms made of uncooked dough are arranged in concave mold cavities upwards, in the shape of a bowl, so that they are formed in a bowl shape, and the bowl-shaped preforms are not restricted within the cavities. The unrestrained preforms are then at least partially fried while in mold cavities, for example, being filled with hot oil. Preferably, the preforms are fired simultaneously having their lower portions partially submerged in a hot oil pan. In still another aspect, the invention is characterized by a method for manufacturing a bowl-shaped snack product, in which the bowl-shaped frying preforms, which are capable of retaining their shape* fa * »¿> y.í > 6 &flush of bowl regardless of any means of formation, are placed in a hot oil pan to fry the dough and fried until fully cooked. In a further aspect, the invention features a method for removing pieces of cooked food product from a tundish of a cooking medium, for example hot oil, with a desired orientation to facilitate draining of the pieces. The food product pieces are dipped deeper into the cooking medium as they float downstream in the medium, and hydrodynamic drag forces cause that the pieces of food product assume a desired orientation as they float to the surface. In another aspect, the invention is characterized by an apparatus for manufacturing a bowl-shaped food product. The apparatus includes a housing and a plurality of mold bodies disposed within the accommodation. The mold bodies have one or more bowl-shaped cavities with upward openings toward which the frying preforms made from uncooked dough are placed to give the frying preforms a bowl shape. The apparatus includes a system for distributing cooking medium, for example a nozzle tube arrangement, located above the mold bodies to fill the bowl-shaped preforms with a first cooking means, for example hot oil, thereby firing the preforms from the interiors thereof.

Preferably, the mold bodies are configured to move through the housing, for example, by having several mold bodies linked together in an endless band that is disposed within the housing. Preferably, the apparatus is configured so that the lower portions of the mold cavities are immersed in a trough or source of hot oil and the mold cavities have perforated walls which allow the hot oil to flow into the cavities. from below, therefore cooking the frying preforms from below, that is, from the outside of the bowls. Preferably, the apparatus 10 is configured so that the preforms are filled with the cooking medium from above before the preforms are partially immersed in the medium below. In preferred embodiments, the mold bodies are connected in an endless band which is directed around one or more ejector wheels. The ejector wheels extend partially up towards the cavities through slots in the bottoms of the cavities to help eject the partially cooked preforms from the cavities. The apparatus may include a conveyor assembly that transports the preforms to the mold bodies, and a transfer chute with air cushion that transfers the fry or preforms from the transformer assembly to the mold cavities. The apparatus can also include a secondary cooking station where the cooking of the frying preforms is completed, by * AS &? , __ Ü For example, a trough to form a source or a bath of a second cooking means such as hot oil. These frying preforms can be removed from the trough by means of a conveyor extending out of the tundish, and preferably the trough has a frying orientation means 5 which gives the chips a desired orientation before they are carried out. of the hot oil, for example, a reciprocating plunger which submerges the pieces of sandwich product and allows them to float back to the surface with hydrodynamic forces (drag) causing the product pieces of sandwiches to assume the desired orientation. 10 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of an apparatus for making bowl-shaped snack products according to the invention. Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the sheet forming and cutting portion by data of the apparatus shown in Figure 1. Figures 2A and 2B are a side elevation view and a flat pattern view, respectively, of the cutting roller shown in figure 2. -s-t¡j «- | ^^) S ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? transported of air sheet according to the invention. Figures 3A and 3B are a sectional view and a detailed view, respectively, of the air sheet taken along the lines 3A-3A and 3B-3B, respectively, in Figure 3. Figures 4A, 4B , and 4C are side elevational, planar and end elevational views, respectively, of the partial fryer shown in Figure 1. Figure 5 is a schematic perspective view showing three mold plate links in a continuous band of mold plates in which the bowl-shaped snack products are manufactured in accordance with the invention. Fig. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a conformal tray for oil in the partial fryer shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a schematic view showing the filling of hot oil and the cooking of frying preforms in bowl shape with oil according to the invention. Figure 8 is a schematic detail view showing a diverter or flow diverter used to reduce the impact force of the oil filling the bowl-shaped preforms in Figure 7. &jb ^^ s ^^^ ^ áíi ^ á? ^^ i ^^^ - £ ii ^^ Js' i¿ = í > Figure 9 is a schematic perspective view showing drive pulses and ejector wheels that are used in the partial fryer shown in Figure 1. Figure 10 is a schematic sectional view, taken along the lines 10-10 in Figure 1, showing the operation of the ejector wheels of Figure 9. Figures 11A and 11B are a schematic side elevational view and a plan view, respectively, of the fryer that is shown in Figure 1. 10 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITIES In Figure 1 a schematic plan view of a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown. Apparatus 10 includes a portion of blade formation and cut by die 12; a sheet of air 14; a partial fryer 16, a conveyor belt 18; a secondary fryer 20; and a final product take-up conveyor 22. As shown in FIG. 2, the die-forming portion and cut by die 12 includes at least one pair of rolls of sheeting 24, 26 and a cutting roller 28, which are shown in greater detail in figures a, b, and 2C. The mass of corn, which has been fed to a hopper or "glutton" of dough from a group of crushing stones together with a secondary stream of water to achieve a moisture content of about 49.5% and an average grain size of about 0.06 centimeters is fed between the sheet forming rolls 24, 26 as is known in the art. The sheet forming rollers 24, 26 which rotate in the directions indicated by the arrows 28, 30, are separated by a vacuum 32 on the order of 0.08 centimeters to form a sheet of dough which is preferably in the order of 0.08 cm thick. Preferably, the width of the vacuum 32 is adjustable. The cutting roller 28, which rotates in the direction shown by the arrow 34, has erect, cut-off projections 36, 10 preferably circular, as shown in Figures 2A and 2B (but not in Figure 2) . The cutting roller 28 is positioned so that the die cutting projections 36 make contact with the surface of the sheet forming roller 26. In this way, according to the mass of corn (or any other mass that could be used with the invention) is formed in 15 sheets between the rolls 24, 26 and wrapped around the lower portion of the roll 26, cut into circular dough preforms 40 (figure 1) in a manner similar to cutting dough with a cookie cutter and as it is generally known in the art. As shown further in Figure 2, the portion 20 for sheet forming and die cutting includes a preform removal assembly 42 (not shown in Figure 1). The preform removal assembly 42 consists of a support bar 44 or equivalent support member that is adhered in front of the forming roller.

¿? T **** u «'A ^ ***** ***** ^ - ^, ._," ^ ^^^^,. ^ .. í. _ ^ fea ^^^ ¿^ ^ ^ ^ ^ - ^ sheet 26, preferably to the structure (not shown) that supports the sheet forming and cutting rolls by die. A group of wing blades 46 is secured to the support bar 44, with a wing blade 46 for each "column" of frying preforms formed by the cutting roller 28. The wing blades 46 are tapered widthwise from the support bar 44 to its tips 48, which are disposed against the surface of the sheet forming roller 26. As the sheet forming roller 26 rotates with the corn masa sheet adhered thereto, the wing blades 46 they lift the circular frying preforms 40 0 from the surface of the sheet forming roller 26, and the preform falls on the conveyor belt 50. The "ribbon" of dough, that is, the part of the sheet of dough surrounding the Frying preforms rotates back into vacuum 32 and is mixed with additional dough that is being fed between the sheet forming rollers. Preferably, the cutting roller 28 is configured so that the frying preforms formed by the cutting projections 36 are laterally spaced uniformly, ie, along the length of the sheet forming rolls or, in other words, transverse to the direction of travel of the conveyor belt 50 as shown in Fig. 1. Additionally, it is essential that the cutting roller 28 be configured so that the frying preforms in each of the columns are aligned in rows that extend transversely through the conveyor 50, as also shown in Figure 1. ^^^^^^ ^^^ ¡¡¡^ ^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ of frying 40 to the partial fryer 16. As described in greater detail below, the partial fryer 16 has a continuous band of perforated mold plates having mold cavities formed therein, one of whose mold plates is shown in FIG. Figure 3. As shown further in Figure 3, the air sheet 14 is positioned at the downstream end of the conveyor 50 and is located just above the mold plates, at the left most end of the partial fryer 16 as shown in FIG. shown in Figure 1. As illustrated in Figure 3A, the air sheet 14 is formed to starting from sheet metal defining a plenum or chamber 56. The plenum 56 is bounded by a rear wall 58 and a perforated front or sliding wall 60. The ends of plenum 56 are limited by end plates 62 (Fig. 3) and guide rails 64 are adhered to the front part of the sliding wall 60, for example, by welding. The plates The end portions 62 extend slightly above the sliding wall 60 so that they, together with the guide rails 64, help to guide the frying preforms to the mold cavities. The air inlet tubes 66 and 68 extend to the plenum 56 through openings in the respective end plates 62 and are insured in it, for example, by welding. The pressurized air is pumped into plenum 56 through the air inlet tubes and, as shown in Figure 3A, flows out of plenum 56 through perforations 70 in the front or sliding wall 60. This creates a light air damping above the surface of the air sheet 14 which helps the frying preforms 40 slide smoothly and cleanly into the mold cavities, much like a sliding "air hockey" disk on an "air hockey" table. As shown in Figure 3B, the perforations 70 are perforated, for example by laser, so that they generally have an inverted drop profile. This helps to direct the flow of air out from the plenum downward along the surface of the front or sliding wall 60, as opposed to directly or perpendicular to the wall. This feature is important (as in general, it is the air cushion provided by the air sheet) in order to ensure that the frying preforms 40 smoothly slide into their respective mold cavities. This prevents them from blowing up or being dragged along with the air sheet 14, any of which would cause the preforms to bend over the mold cavities, thereby leading to deformed, wasted product. The centerpiece of the apparatus according to the invention is the partial fryer 16 which is shown in detail in Figures 4A, 4B, and 4C. As noted above, the partial fryer 16 includes a continuous band of perforated mold plates with mold cavities formed therein, as shown in greater detail in Figure 5. The "links" of the continuous web 72 are composite each of a perforated mole plate 74. The mold plates 74 are formed, for example, of Aluminum on the order of 0.15 cm in thickness and have a multitude of perforations 76 that extend through the material. Each of the mold plates 74 has a number of mold cavities 78, for example 3, formed as circular depressions in the plate. Each mold plate 74 is adhered to (for example by screws or rivets not shown) and supported by a pair of support members 80. A pair of pins or shafts (not visible in Figure 5) extend laterally from each support member 80. A spacer plate 82 fits over the two pins or shafts and against each of the support members 80. The link members 84 are then fitted onto the adjacent pins or shafts of the adjacent support members so as to "assemble" the two adjacent support members and link them together. The roller bearing spacers 86 are then placed on the pins or shafts, followed by the members of link 88 which, like the link members 84, fit over adjacent pins or shafts extending from adjacent support members to be mounted, and thus link, to the adjacent support members. Finally, the retaining links 90 fit over the ends of each pair of pins or shafts and are secured to the same, for example, by flattening the ends 92 of the pins or shafts. In this way, the chain or continuous band of molded plates is assembled, with each link of the chain constituting a mold plate with mold cavities 78.

As shown in Figures 4A and 4C, the belt 72 is driven around and driven by impulse drive wheels 96, 98 at either end of the partial fryer 16 (Figure 4A) and travels through a fryer chamber 100 which is extends through the middle of and substantially along the length of the partial fryer 16 (Fig. 4C). The pins or shafts extending from the support members 80 must be spaced in relation to one another so that the roller bearing spacers 86 are all evenly spaced, as illustrated in FIG. 4A, and the spacers 86 The roller bearing should have a sufficiently large diameter so as to support the band 72 on the upper and lower guide rails 102 and 104 that extend along the walls of the fryer chamber 100. In addition to the plate strip 72 of mold, another main component of the partial fryer 16 is a multiple system 110 of oil distribution. The multiple oil distribution system includes a central distribution conduit 112 with oil nozzle tubes 114 branching from and extending into the central distribution conduit 112. The oil nozzle tubes are disposed in an arrangement on the belt 72, with the same number of "columns" of tubes in the arrangement as there are mold cavities 78 in each plate 72. The partial fryer 16 also includes heaters (not shown) that heat the frying oil to the desired temperature, and the required tubing , for example, the pump system 116 and the conduit 118 which leads from the pump 116 to the central oil distribution conduit 112. In this way, the hot oil is circulated through the partial fryer being pumped through the conduit 118 to the central distribution conduit 112, and then flows freely through and out of the oil nozzle tubes 114 according to the belt. 72 travels under the exits of the tubes. The hot oil is collected by an oil return tray 120 and returned to the pumping system 116 by the appropriate drainage means (not shown). As explained in more detail below, the preforms of The frying is carried through the partial fryer 16 in the mold cavities 78 and is partially flushed by the rain of hot oil falling from the oil nozzle tubes 114. Additionally, the frying preforms are preferably cooked from the bottom to the bottom. be carried through a bath of hot oil, which is able to flow up and around the preforms in the bowl-shaped mold cavities 78 through the openings 76 in the mold plates and through the release slots 122 in the bottom part of the mold cavities 78 (Fig. 4), the purpose main of which will be described immediately. The hot oil bath is formed by controlling the flow rate of the oil through the system Thus, the oil meets below the preforms contained within the open mold cavities. To reduce the volume of oil to be collected, it is preferable to use an oil pan orthomorphic 124 positioned below the upper flight of the conveyor belt 72.

. Refer to 4C, Figures 6 and 7. Advantageously, a minimum amount of oil remains inside the fryer maximizing therefore the "oil return" and helping to prevent oil degradation. Oil spilling over the edges or ends of the tray to orthomorphic oil 5124 is trapped by collecting tray 120 and recirculated through the system. In this way, it will be understood that the frying preforms are transferred from the conveyor 50 to the open mold cavities 78 by sliding along the air sheet 14 towards the cavities of the mold. mold as shown in Figures 1 and 3, and then partially cooked in the partial fryer 16 as they are transported under a cascade of hot oil which fills the frying preforms from above to cook the bowl-shaped preforms from the inside. Additionally, the frying preforms are lowered to an oil source hot so that the hot oil flows up and around the preforms from below to cook the bowl-shaped preforms from the outside. This method of cooking the frying preforms -cooking them with oil both inside the bowl and out of the bowl- is preferred as to avoid differential cooking, that is, cooking from one side only, which may cause the final bowl-shaped chips to crack. Preferably, the partial fryer 16 is constructed with the downstream end of the orthomorphic tray 24 at a lower elevation than the upstream end. Additionally, the flow velocity ^^^^^^^^ A ^^^ A ^^^^^^^^^ yj ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ oil is preferably controlled so that the oil source hot does not extend as much to the left (figure 4A) as the arrangement of oil nozzle tubes 114 does. As a result, the preforms frying bowl-shaped begin to be filled with oil from above before they are partially immersed in the source of hot oil below. This prevents the preforms from floating in the mold cavities through the oil bath below, which would ruin your bowl shape. As shown in Figure 8, it is preferable to adhere a small diverter or flow diverter 130, for example a small blade, to the end of the nozzle tubes 114 (at least in the row of most upstream of oil nozzle tubes. ) so that the diverter or diverter 130 deflects or breaks the flow of oil leaving the tubes 114. This prevents the oil from impacting the uncooked frying preforms so hard that it breaks them, particularly on the edges of the release slots 122 in the bottom part of the mold cavities and more particularly before the preforms are partially submerged in oil from below. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 7, it is preferably that only about the lower third of the frying preforms are immersed in the hot oil bath. This is because the preforms receive sufficient oil frying from above (ie inside the bowl) to be fried sufficiently from the bowl side, and immersing Jj ^ £ i ^ i ^ «fci * É ^ ¿¿¿? Mold cavities deeper into the oil tends to cause the preforms to float up and out of the mold cavities. The frying preforms are only partially cooked in the partial fryer 16. In particular, they are cooked only until they are sufficiently rigid to retain their bowl shape independent of the mold cavities 78. Thus, in a preferred embodiment of the invention it uses maize dough with an unbaked moisture content of 49.5% , an oil temperature of 182.2 ° C, and an oil flow rate through the system from 22.7 to 30.2 liters per minute with the speed kept as low as possible to avoid breaking of the preforms, the frying preforms are fried to the desired state, partially cooked, within about 10 to 15 seconds of residence time in the hot oil. It should be noted, for example, in FIG. 4A, that the hot oil falls from the oil nozzle tubes 114 toward the bowl-shaped preforms along most of the length of the partial fryer 16. This keeps the preforms filled with hot oil as they travel through the fryer and the oil boils, thus ensuring that the oil temperature inside of the bowls is elevated. The length of the partial fryer 16, or more easily, the speed linear of the band 72 can be adjusted to control the residence time of the frying preforms in the oil. The rotation speeds of the sheet forming and cutting rolls and the linear speed of the conveyor belt 50 used to transport the frying preforms from the sheet forming / cutting rolls by die to the air sheet 14 and towards the mold cavities are also adjusted as the speed of the band 72 is adjusted so that all of the aforementioned units are synchronized. This is so that the frying preforms 5 are centered when they slide into the mold cavities. Once the preforms are partially cooked to the desired state, for example, at a moisture content in the order of 15% -20%, they are "rampaged" out of the oil to the downstream end of the partial fryer 16 according to the band 72 rises along the lane guide 102. According to the mold plate 74 it rotates around the drive wheels by means of drag 98, the mold cavities are inverted and the partially cooked frying preforms are poured onto the conveyor 18 (figure 1). As shown in Figure 9, the driving wheels by drag (shown schematically without teeth) are mounted on the shaft 140 coaxially with a group (for example, three, corresponding to the number of mold cavities 78 in each mold plate 74) of ejector discs 142. As shown in Fig. 10, the ejector discs 142 extend slightly into the cavities of mold 78 through the release grooves 122 and the bottoms of the cavities 78 as the mold plates 74 move in engagement with and revolve around the drive wheels by drive 98. This helps to undo any fry that can get stuck in the mold cavities. As the mold cavities are reversed and the ejector discs extend through the release slots towards the mold cavities, the partially fried fritters 146 (FIG. 1) are poured onto the transfer belt 18. At this point of time the fritters 146 are cooked sufficiently to maintain their bowl shape out of or independent of the mold cavities. The transfer belt 18 transports the partially cooked cup-shaped fritters 146 to the second fryer 20, where the partially fried frits are dropped into another fryer 148. Preferably, the transfer band 18 is a band of woven wire or chain link, which allows the oil to drain from the chips. As shown in Figures 11A and 11B, the secondary fryer 15 comprises an elongated hot oil trough 148. A pair of dips 152, 154 are provided to submerge the fry and keep them submerged in the hot oil 148, as is known generally in the art. The nmersers rotate in the direction indicated by arrows 156, 158, respectively, thus moving the right-hand to left-hand chips as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B. Other means (not shown) can also be provided to circulate the oil in that direction. A frying orientation device 156 is located downstream of the immersors. The frying orientation device is > »» & »'»? - * & amp; ^^^^^^ gs ^^^ ¡¿¿¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡? oil 148 through the pickup band 22 with the bowl side down. By having the frits oriented in this way, the oil is drained from the fritters more deeply and does not settle or accumulate in the bowl of the chips, which can lead to overcooking of the fried food and / or fried in oil. The frying orientation device 156 consists of a basket 160 which is made of perforated metal wire or sheet. The basket 160 is supported in the oil by the piston shaft 162 which, in turn, is supported by the plunger driver 164. The plunger driver swings the basket 160 up and down, in and out of the oil bath. As the basket 160 is submerged, it pushes the bowl-shaped fried foods deeper into the oil. Then, as the basket moves upward, the frits float towards the surface of the oil. As they do so, the hydrodynamic forces on the frits automatically cause the fritters to float to the surface with their bottoms upwards, that is, with the ends open face down. Preferably, the basket 160 retracts upward faster than the frits float upward so that the frits are allowed to return to the surface in an unobstructed manner. Additionally, the basket 160 is preferably oscillated up and down at a frequency in the order of 2 cycles per second, although the actual value will depend, for example, on the speed at which the chips move through the system; the volume of frying; the viscosity of oil, speed, and volume; the dimensions of the fryer; etc. As the fritters float to the surface, they also continue to move downstream. They are then lifted out of the oil by the pick-up conveyor 22, which carries the fritters downstream for further processing, for example, seasoning and packaging. Preferably, the final product pick-up conveyor 22 is formed of wire mesh or metal links, and can be formed from several stepped sections to facilitate draining the oil from the chips as they are tipped over the conveyor steps. In general, the oil bath 148 should be maintained at a temperature in the order of 182.2 ° C. The length of the secondary fryer 20 and / or the speed at which the fryers move through the fryer is / are made to the measure so that for tortilla chips made from corn masa, the chips reside in the secondary fryer for approximately thirty-five to forty seconds. A final moisture content of 1.1% frits is most desirable, but a final moisture content of 0.6% to 2.4% is considered acceptable. The residence time in the oil and the oil temperatures in the partial fryer 16 and in the secondary fryer 20, as well as the moisture content of the intermediate and final product will, of course, vary somewhat depending on the particular type of fried food. snacks that are being manufactured.

With the apparatus and method configuration described above, bowl-shaped snack products, eg, stir-fries, can be manufactured more quickly, easily, and more efficiently. Additionally, by partially frying the frits in a partial fryer and then transferring the fry to a secondary fryer to supplement the cooking, the design of the appliance can be modified to occupy relatively little floor space in the manufacturing facility. Additionally, the configuration described above reduces the total length of the processing line, which reduces the amount of oil that is used, using less oil, it becomes easier to maintain the oil quality, which is recirculated through the use , and therefore also the quality of the final product. Other embodiments and configurations are considered to be within the scope of the following claims.

- ^ ¿Jü ****** ^ ****** ^^. ^ *** .. ^ ¡úa? AmLi A *

Claims (22)

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. A method for manufacturing a concave snack product, said method comprises: arranging preforms of snack product made from uncooked flour in cavities of concave molds upwards, said preforms of snack product are each formed by thus in a concave shape having a cavity; fill at least 10 partially the cavity of said preforms of snack product with oil that is at a temperature sufficient to fry the dough; partially cooking the snack product preforms by means of the oil inside the cavity of the preforms in a first cooking step; removing said preforms of partially cooked snack product from the cavities of 15 mold; and to complete the cooking of said preforms of the snack product in a second cooking step.

2 - The method according to claim 1, further characterized in that said preforms of snack product are fried in said first cooking step only until said preforms 20 of snack product are able to retain their concave shape when removed from the mold cavities.

3. The method according to claim 1, further characterized in that said preforms of snack product are . fry in said first cooking step only until said bottled product preforms have a predetermined moisture content.

4. The method according to claim 1, further characterized in that it additionally comprises arranging lower portions of the snack product preforms in oil that is at a temperature sufficient to fry the dough, during said first cooking step as for Boil the product preforms of snack by means of oil outside the cavity of the preforms.

5. The method according to claim 4, Further characterized in that said mold cavities have perforations that allow the oil to flow therethrough, said method comprises transporting the mold cavities through an oil pan with the lower portions of said mold cavities and said lower portions. of submerged snack product preforms 15 partially in said oil pan.

6. The method according to claim 1, further characterized in that said preforms of partially cooked snack product are removed from the mold cavities by immersion of said cavities.

7. The method according to claim 1, further characterized in that said partially cooked snack product preforms are pushed out of the mold cavities by means of ejector members extending into the mold cavities. ^ j ^ H ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

8. - The method according to claim 1, further characterized in that it further comprises frying the product preforms of snack in an oil pan at a temperature sufficient to fry the preforms, in a second cooking step and remove the preforms of snack product of the oil pan when said preforms of snack product are fully cooked.

9. The method according to claim 8, further characterized in that said fully cooked snack product preforms are removed from the oil pan by means of a conveyor device partially submerged in and extending out of said oil pan.

10. The method according to claim 9, further characterized in that it further comprises causing the snack product preforms to be oriented in a desired orientation before said snack product preforms are removed from the oil pan.

11. The method according to claim 10, further characterized in that said snack product preforms are caused to be oriented with the open portion of the concave shapes facing downwardly before said snack product preforms are removed from the oil pan.

12. The method according to claim 11, further characterized in that said preforms of snack product are it causes them to be oriented with the open portion of the concave shapes facing downward, before said snack product preforms are removed from the oil pan, by submerging said botanic product preforms more deeply into the oil pan and allowing the oil to be removed. that the snack product preforms float towards the surface of the oil pan, with hydrodynamic forces causing the preforms of the snack product to assume said open end orientation downward as they float toward the surface of the oil pan.

13. The method according to claim 1, 10 further characterized in that said uncooked snack product preforms are transported to the mold cavities on a conveyor and slide along an air cushion transfer chute towards the mold cavities.

14.- A method for manufacturing a concave snack product, The said method comprises: arranging preforms of snack product made of uncooked dough in mold cavities concave upwards, said preforms of snack product each being therefore formed in a concave shape with a cavity, said concave frying preforms they are not restricted within said mold cavities; and fry the Less partially the snack product preforms while in the mold cavities filling the cavity of the preforms with oil that is at a temperature sufficient to fry the dough.

15. - The method according to claim 14, further characterized in that said concave snack product preforms are at least partially fried when filled with hot oil.

16. The method according to claim 14, further characterized in that the mold cavities have perforations that allow the oil to flow through them, said method further comprises transporting the mold cavities through an oil pan to a temperature sufficient to fry the dough with the lower portions of said mold cavities and the lower portions of the snack product preforms partially submerged in said oil pan.

17. The method according to claim 14, further characterized in that said uncooked snack product preforms are transported to the mold cavities on a conveyor and slide along an air-cushioned transfer chute into the cavities. printed.

18. A method for manufacturing concave snack product, said method comprises: arranging partially cooked concave snack product preforms, made of dough in an oil pan that is at a temperature sufficient to fry the dough, said product preforms snack, concave, are sufficiently precooked to be able to retain their concave shape independently of any means of formation; frying the snack product preforms while they are not limited in said oil pan until the preforms are fully cooked; and removing the fully cooked snack product preforms from said oil pan.

19. The method according to claim 18, 5 further characterized in that said preforms of snack product Fully cooked are removed from the oil pan by means of a conveyor device partially submerged in and extending out of said oil pan.

20. The method according to claim 19, 10 further characterized in that it further comprises causing the snack product preforms to be oriented in a desired orientation before the snack product preforms are removed from the oil pan.

21. The method according to claim 20, 15 further characterized in that said snack product preforms are caused to be oriented with the open portion of the concave shapes facing downward before said snack product preforms are removed from the oil pan.

22. The method according to claim 20, 20 further characterized in that said snack product preforms are caused to be oriented with the open portion of the concave shapes facing downward, before said preforms of snack product are removed from the oil pan, submerging said preforms of Botana product more deeply in the oil pan and allowing the product preforms of botana to float towards the surface of the oil pan, with hydrodynamic forces causing the preforms of the snack product to assume said open end orientation downwards as they float upwards of the surface of the oil pan. * >