EP0751717A1

EP0751717A1 - Method for making french fries and automatic dispenser provided therewith

Info

Publication number: EP0751717A1
Application number: EP96900237A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Bruno Saint-Martin
Original assignee: Helverep SA
Current assignee: Helverep SA
Priority date: 1995-01-19
Filing date: 1996-01-17
Publication date: 1997-01-08
Also published as: FR2729542A1; FR2729542B1; CA2185881A1; AU4383096A; WO1996022029A1; JPH09510626A

Abstract

A device (10) for making foodstuffs such as French fries, comprising a tank (11), e.g. for dehydrated potato flakes, a water and/or steam tank (19) for rehydrating the flakes, and an oil tank (22). Metered amounts of flakes, water and oil may be mixed in a chamber (20) to form a dough which is then fed into a cylinder (23) and driven by a plunger (24) into a mould (30) containing a cavity (31) in the shape of a French fry. Each French fry is cooked in the mould by means of a heating element, whereafter it is cut off by a cutting tool (26) and dropped into a container (27). In an alternative embodiment, the oil may be fed into the mould to form a coating on the dough shaped into a French fry.

Description

METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING FRIES AND AUTOMATIC DISPENSER PROVIDED WITH SUCH A DEVICE

The present invention relates to a process for the manufacture of food products, in particular chips based on dehydrated particles such as flour, flakes or granules of potatoes or the like, process in which the said dehydrated particles are measured, they are rehydrated to form a dough, this dough is compressed, it is shaped into French fries which are cooked and fried by peripheral heating in the presence of a fatty material

It also relates to a device for the manufacture of food products, in particular French fries, based on dehydrated particles such as flour, flakes or granules of potatoes or the like, comprising a reservoir for said dehydrated particles, means for dosage, means for rehydrating these particles to form a dough, means for compressing said dough, means for shaping said dough into the form of French fries and means for cooking and frying said pre-shaped fries on the periphery, by heating in the presence of a fat.

Finally, it relates to an automatic fries distributor equipped with at least one device as defined above.

There are currently various methods for automatically making fried foods, in particular fries from dehydrated particles. These processes and the corresponding apparatuses are described in American patents US-A-4,438,683, US-A-4,540,588 and US-A-4,464,627.

Each of these devices includes a reservoir containing flour or dehydrated potato flakes, a water reservoir, a device for preparing a dough based on said potato flour and water, means to reconstitute products resembling fries before cooking and a cooking tray. In practice, the flakes are first mixed with water so as to obtain a paste, then the paste is introduced into a compression device to form a product. compact This product is then pushed into a mold, then the extruded elements are cut and introduced into the cooking container which contains oil at high temperature. The immersion of the dough in the oil results in a significant absorption of oil, so that the fries obtained are fatty and do not correspond to the taste of the users

On the other hand, keeping an oil tank at a high temperature causes this oil to degrade rapidly and generates significant energy expenditure.

French publication FR-A-2 226 936 describes a process and an apparatus for making food products in portions, and more particularly potato-based chips. The process described consists in preparing a dough from granules and / or dehydrated potato flakes to which water is added After kneading, the dough is spread out in a sheet and a cut is made to obtain a ribbon of chips This ribbon is passed through a fryer comprising a bath of hot oil Ce The hot oil bath is supplied by a hot oil supply pipe coming from an external source, the oil being continuously recycled at the exit of the bath.

This process can be applied to industrial production of this type of product, but cannot be used in an automatic distributor of French fries prepared on demand.

The present invention proposes to overcome these drawbacks by providing a simple and economical device using a fast and efficient process, the foods obtained being dietetic and meeting the taste requirements of users.

This object is achieved by a process as defined in the preamble and characterized in that the said fries are shaped by extrusion through at least one mold and the said dough is baked and fried during the shaping fries, during their extrusion, and during their passage in said mold

According to a first embodiment, the dehydrated particles are rehydrated by adding to them and / or by injecting water and / or water vapor into their mass.

According to a second embodiment, said dehydrated particles are rehydrated during the dough compression phase According to an advantageous embodiment, a fat is incorporated into said paste.

According to a first embodiment, the interior cavity of the mold is coated and / or the said dough is coated with a film of fatty material during and / or after its shaping by extruding the fries in the said mold.

According to a first embodiment, the compression of said dough, its shaping of the fries, as well as the cooking and frying of these fries is carried out continuously.

According to a second embodiment, the dough is compressed, its fries are shaped, as well as the cooking and frying of these fries sequentially.

Advantageously, the fries are cut irregularly after they have been cooked and fried when they leave the mold.

According to an advantageous embodiment, said dehydrated particles are precooked.

The set goal is also achieved by a device as defined in the preamble and characterized in that the means for baking and frying said fries are associated with the means for putting said dough in the form of fries, and comprise at least one extrusion mold equipped heating means and means for coating the cavity of this mold and / or the periphery of said fries with a fatty substance.

The means for shaping said paste advantageously comprises a mold comprising at least one elongated housing, one end of which, called the inlet orifice, communicates with the said means for compressing the said paste, and the other end of which, called the discharge orifice, is fitted with a controlled mobile shutter.

According to an advantageous embodiment, said mold comprises several housings. Each housing is preferably delimited by walls which define a cylindrical cavity with a square cross section, this section corresponding to the section of a fry.

According to a first embodiment, said rehydration means comprise a water and / or steam supply circuit which opens into a chamber arranged to receive said dehydrated particles

According to a second embodiment, said rehydration means comprise a circuit for supplying water and / or steam and at least one nozzle formed in the wall of a jack constituting said compression means, this circuit being arranged to inject this water and / or this steam into the mass of said dehydrated particles.

According to a first embodiment, said cylinder comprises a piston sliding axially, this cylinder being equipped with at least one ejector arranged to push the fries out of the mold after cooking and peripheral frying, said ejector being carried by the piston and moving coaxially to the latter.

According to a second embodiment, said cylinder comprises an endless screw.

The device advantageously includes means for introducing a fatty substance comprising an oil supply pipe provided with nozzles distributed around the shaping means and opening into said housing of said mold.

According to a third embodiment, the means for introducing a fatty substance comprise an oil supply duct provided with nozzles distributed around the compression means, and opening into a zone situated at the outlet of said jack and at the inlet of said mold.

The automatic fries distributor according to the invention is characterized in that it is provided with at least one device as defined above and with equipment for controlling this device controlled by an interlocking device.

The present invention and its advantages will appear more clearly in the following description of an exemplary embodiment and with reference to the appended drawings, in which: - Figure 1 is a schematic view of a first embodiment of the device according to the present invention;

FIGS. 2 to 5 illustrate alternative embodiments of different elements of the device according to the invention, and

- Figure 6 shows an automatic fries distributor.

Referring to Figure 1, the device 10 essentially comprises a reservoir 11 of dehydrated particles, such as for example flour, flakes or granules of potatoes, means 12 for rehydrating the particles and forming a paste, means 13 for adding fat, compression means 14 for compressing the dough, means 15 for putting the dough into the form of fries, means 16 for cooking them and for frying the fries and packaging means 17.

According to a preferred embodiment, the dehydrated flakes contained in the tank 11 are essentially made from potatoes, these flakes being preferably precooked. They may also contain vitamins, sugar, salt, yeast, preservatives and / or colorings. The reservoir 11 is connected to metering means 18 making it possible to distribute a predefined quantity of flakes, as a function of the quantity of fries to be produced. The metering means are connected to a chamber 20 for preparing the dough.

The rehydration means 12 are formed by a water reservoir 19 containing pure water or an aqueous solution containing various ingredients in solution, this reservoir being connected to the chamber 20 placed below the metering means 18. This chamber has an opening 21 opening into the compression means 14 arranged to compress the dough. The reservoir 19 is either connected by a conduit 19a to the chamber 20 or connected by a conduit 19b to the compression means 14.

The means 13 for introducing a fatty substance comprise an oil reservoir 22, which can be connected to the chamber 20 by a conduit 20a in such a way that the flakes, the water and the oil are mixed before the shaping of the fries. They can also be connected by a conduit 20b to said compression means 14 or by a conduit 20c to said means 15 for putting the dough into the form of French fries. The means 14 for compressing the dough preferably comprise a cylindrical cylinder 23, the base of which has any shape, for example square or circular, and a piston 24 of a shape adapted to the cylinder. This piston is arranged to push the dough into the means 15 to shape it into fries. These means 15 which are illustrated in more detail in FIGS. 2 and 5 are essentially constituted by at least one extrusion mold.

The means 16 for baking and frying the fries comprise at least one electrical resistance 25 wound around the means 15 for shaping the dough and maintaining the latter at a predefined constant temperature, which corresponds to the temperature for cooking the dough and for frying. fries.

The means 15 for shaping the dough are arranged in the extension of the compression means 14 and communicate with the latter by one of their ends, called the discharge orifice, equipped with a cutting tool 26 arranged to cut the fries which then fall into a container 27 in the form of a tray. The cut is made irregularly so as to reproduce the shapes and dimensions of conventional fries. The packaging means 17 are formed by a magazine 17 ′ containing a number of stacked trays 27.

FIG. 2 illustrates in more detail the means 14 for compressing the dough, the means 15 for shaping it, the means 16 for baking and frying the fries and the cutting tool 26.

The means 14 for compressing the dough are constituted by the cylinder 23 in which the piston 24 moves. This piston is moved by a hollow piston rod 28 in which slides an ejector 29 whose function is explained in more detail below.

The means 15 for shaping the dough comprise at least one mold 30 in which is formed a housing 31 consisting of a cavity having the shape of a cylinder with a square section. This housing has an opening 32 at its end opposite to the jack, this opening being able to be closed by a controlled shutter 33. The shutter may be necessary to allow the dough to be compacted inside the mold. The mold 30 also has through holes 34 distributed substantially uniformly over its surface. These holes have a diameter between 1/10 and 5/10 of mm and connect the inside of the housing to the outside of the mold. They allow the evacuation of gases and fumes produced during the cooking of fries. In addition, the mold may, if necessary, have a coating of a non-stick material or its walls may have undergone an appropriate surface treatment to avoid any adhesion of the dough inside the mold.

The ejector 29 has a cross section less than or at most equal to that of the housing 31. It is arranged to be introduced into the housing 31 in order to eject the fries out of this housing, when the piston 24 is sufficiently close to the mold 30 and that the controlled shutter 33 does not close the opening 32.

In this embodiment, the water tank 19 of FIG. 1 is connected to a circuit 35 for supplying water and / or steam. This comprises a conduit 36 surrounding the cylindrical cylinder 23 provided with nozzles 37 allowing water vapor to be injected into the cylinder 23. This water vapor is introduced under a pressure of between 1 and 2 bars and at a temperature of around 120 ° C, which simultaneously ensures preheating of the dough which accelerates cooking and effective rehydration without kneading the dough.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment in which the means for compressing the dough comprise an endless screw 40 which pushes the dough continuously into the mold 15. This embodiment allows continuous operation, while the cylinder with alternative operation of the embodiment of Figure 2 allows only sequential operation.

In addition, the use of a worm simultaneously ensures the mixing of the dough and the rehydration of the particles. In this case, nozzles for supplying water or steam can be placed on the walls of the jack to ensure the rehydration of the particles inside this jack. This solution eliminates the mixer upstream of the cylinder, the rehydration, mixing and compression functions being performed simultaneously in this cylinder. Channels 41 can be made through the walls of the mold to ensure a supply of fat at the periphery of the fries reconstituted from the compacted dough.

Figure 4 is a schematic sectional view illustrating an embodiment in which the means 13 for introducing a fatty material comprise a conduit 50 of oil supply provided with nozzles 51 opening into the jack 23, near the mold entry orifice 30. This oil is introduced by the nozzles so that when the dough is pushed by the piston of the jack in the mold, it is coated with a thin film of oil. This embodiment is particularly interesting by the fact that the oil necessary for cooking does not permeate the entire mass of the fried apple, but is distributed only over its surface, which gives foods of eminently character dietetic.

FIG. 5 illustrates an alternative embodiment in which the mold 30 comprises several housings 31, which makes it possible to produce, in a single operation, a large quantity of fries and thus to reduce the production time.

The method according to the present invention is described below as it is implemented by the use of the device illustrated in FIG. 1 and means for compressing the dough as illustrated in FIG. 2.

A certain volume or a certain weight of flakes is measured by the metering means 18 and introduced into the chamber 20. According to a first embodiment, water and / or water vapor and oil are withdrawn from the respective reservoirs 19 and 22 and are introduced into this chamber 20. The rehydration takes place at the time of compaction in the means 14 for compressing the dough, that is to say in the jack 23. The piston 24 pushes the dough towards the mold, the opening 32 of the housing 31 being closed by the controlled shutter 33. When the dough fills the housing 31, the movement of the piston is stopped. The mold is maintained at a constant and uniform temperature of approximately 180 ° C. by the means 16 for internally baking and frying the fries thus reconstituted on the periphery. The shutter is kept in the closed position for about thirty seconds, then it is open. The ejector 29 is advanced towards the mold so that the fries contained in the housing are extracted from the mold. During their extraction, these chips are sectioned by the cutting tool 26 into sections of different lengths. The piston is then moved back and a new manufacturing cycle is restarted.

According to a second embodiment, the water or the steam is not introduced into the chamber 20, but into the jack 23. This method allows a homogeneous and rapid mixing of the flakes and the water without kneading and preheats the dough, which reduces the baking time in the mold The means 14 for compressing the dough, illustrated in FIG. 3, allow a continuous process. While a portion of fries is baking in the mold, the dough used to prepare the next portion is compressed by the worm screw 40. This compression makes it possible to extract the fries from the mold without using an ejector, which simplifies construction. of the device.

According to a third embodiment, the fat is not mixed with the flakes to impregnate the dough, but injected into the mold to coat the dough on the surface, after it has been shaped and compacted. In particular, the device as partially illustrated in FIG. 4 allows the oil coming from the reservoir 22 to pass through the nozzles 51 and to deposit itself in the form of a film around the dough. The oil is therefore not incorporated into the dough, which makes it possible to obtain a fried food with a low fat content, and corresponds to a dietary criterion generally sought by consumers.

The device partially illustrated in Figure 5 allows for several fries simultaneously. The manufacturing process using this device saves appreciable time when the device is used in a vending machine.

FIG. 6 represents a vending machine for french fries deposited in a tray 27 which appears in a window 51. The dispenser 50 comprises a box which contains the device 10 as well as a coin acceptor 52 or similar provided with a slot 53 for introducing change.

This dispenser is fully automatic, but it could also be manual or semi-automatic. The vending machine is possible for general public use. The semi-automatic distributor where the coin mechanism is replaced by a simple electric control handle is possible for use by restaurateurs. Finally, a completely manual version could be considered for home use. In all cases, the device for manufacturing French fries remains the same. Only the distribution of these fries changes.

The production of fries is triggered on demand by activation of the device 10 requested by the coin acceptor. According to a variant of the process, it is also possible to use flakes in which the oil is incorporated. In this case, no oil is added during the manufacturing process.

The device of the present invention makes it possible to obtain a fried food containing little fat, using a simple and economical device.

According to an alternative embodiment, the means 12 for rehydrating the particles may contain water as well as other products in solution, such as for example sugar or salt in order to adapt the taste of the food to the taste of consumers in the country in which this device is used. The fat intake can also be made directly in the mold. The latter then has orifices which open onto the walls of the cavities which define the dough shaping housings.

As regards the ejection of the products from the mold, it could also be done by opening the mold and in the form of an overall evacuation of a series of products molded together in a multi-cavity mold.

Claims

1. Process for the manufacture of food products, in particular fries based on dehydrated particles such as flour, flakes or granules of potatoes or the like, process in which the said dehydrated particles are measured, they are rehydrated to form a dough, this dough is compressed, it is shaped into French fries which are cooked and fried by peripheral heating in the presence of a fatty material, characterized in that said French fries are shaped by extrusion through at least one mold and baking and frying said dough during the forming of the fries, during their extrusion, and during their passage through said mold.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the dehydrated particles are rehydrated by adding to them and / or by injecting water and / or water vapor into their mass.

3. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that one proceeds to the rehydration of said dehydrated particles during the compression phase of the dough.

4. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that a fat is incorporated directly into said dough.

5. Method according to claim 4, characterized in that the internal cavity of the mold is coated and / or the said paste is coated with a film of fatty material during and / or after its shaping during the extrusion of fries in said mold.

6. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that one carries out the compression of said dough, its shaping of fries, as well as the cooking and frying of these fries continuously.

7. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that one carries out the compression of said dough, its shaping of fries, as well as the cooking and frying of these fries sequentially.

8. Method according to any one of claims 6 or 7, characterized in that one proceeds to an irregular cutting of the fries after their cooking and their frying at the exit of the mold.

9. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said dehydrated particles are precooked

10. Device for the manufacture of food products, in particular French fries, based on dehydrated particles such as flour, flakes or granules of potatoes or the like, this device comprising a reservoir for said dehydrated particles, means for dosage, means for rehydrating these particles to form a dough, means for compressing said dough, means for shaping said dough into the form of fries and means for baking and frying said previously shaped fries, by heating in the presence of a fatty material, characterized in that the means (16) for baking and frying said fries are associated with the means (15) for shaping said dough in the form of fries, and comprise at least one extrusion mold (30) equipped with means heating (25) and means for coating the cavity of this mold and / or the periphery of said fries with a fatty material.

11. Device according to claim 10, characterized in that the mold (30) comprises at least one elongated housing (31), one end of which, said inlet orifice, communicates with said means (14) for compressing said dough, and whose the other end, called the discharge orifice, is provided with a movable controlled shutter (33).

12. Device according to claim 11, characterized in that said mold (30) comprises several housings (31).

13. Device according to claim 12, characterized in that each housing (31) is delimited by walls which define a cylindrical cavity with square cross section, this section corresponding to the section of a fry.

14. Device according to claim 10, characterized in that said rehydration means (12) comprise a circuit for supplying water and / or water vapor which opens into a chamber (20) arranged to receive said dehydrated particles

15. Device according to claim 10, characterized in that said rehydration means (12) comprise a circuit (35) for supplying water and / or steam and at least one nozzle (37) formed in the wall of a jack (23) constituting said compression means (14), this circuit being arranged to inject this water and / or this water vapor into the mass of said dehydrated particles.

16. Device according to claim 15, characterized in that said cylinder (23) comprises a piston (24) sliding axially, this cylinder being equipped with at least one ejector (29) arranged to push the fries out of the mold (30) after cooking and peripheral frying, said ejector being carried by the piston and moving coaxially with the latter.

17. Device according to claim 15, characterized in that said cylinder (23) comprises an endless screw (40).

18. Device according to claim 10, characterized in that the means (13) for introducing a fatty substance comprise an oil supply duct (50) provided with nozzles distributed around the shaping means (15) and opening out in said housing (31) of said mold.

19. Device according to claim 10, characterized in that the means (13) for introducing a fatty substance comprise an oil supply duct (50) provided with nozzles (51) distributed around the compression means (14), and opening into a zone situated at the outlet of said jack (23) and at the inlet of said mold (30).

20. Automatic fries distributor, characterized in that it is provided with at least one device according to any one of claims 10 to 19, and with equipment for controlling this device controlled by an interlocking device.