A system to store food products within a heated compartment is provided. The system includes an enclosure that receives stacked trays, and an elevator to lift trays to a position to receive a plurality of food products from a conveyor or another source. A fork may be provided that receives a cooked food product thereon and rotates to allow the cooked food product to fall into the positioned tray while being maintained in a horizontal manner. A shuttle moves a full tray into a heated compartment, which moves trays therewithin to organize them for future use within a restaurant operation.

The present application discloses an automated kitchen system comprising: a plurality of ingredient containers configured to contain or otherwise hold food ingredients; storage apparatuses comprising compartments configured to store ingredient containers; cap opening apparatuses configured to remove a cap from a container; transfer apparatuses configured to move a capped ingredient container from a storage apparatus to the cap opening apparatus; cooking systems configured to make cooked foods; a transport system comprising rail tracks and vehicles moving on the rail tracks configured to move ingredient containers, stopping mechanisms, charging mechanisms, and track switch mechanisms. The above mechanisms and apparatuses comprise electrical or electronic devices and sensors, which are configured to be connected to a computer system. The automated kitchen system saves labor cost and make cooked foods of consistent quality.

A system and method for manufacturing a cooked egg product includes an automated egg cracker that receives the raw, shelled eggs from the infeed conveyor and removes the shells from the eggs; a cooking conveyor having a plurality of cooking pans that receives the whole eggs and induction heats the cooking pans sufficiently to completely cook the eggs contained in the cooking pans, resulting in cooked eggs; a pasteurization tunnel that receives the cooked eggs in the cooking pans from the induction heater; and a control that actuates the pasteurization tunnel to heat the surfaces of the eggs to a pasteurization temperature. A freezer freezes the cooked and pasteurized eggs, and a packaging machine packages the frozen, cooked and pasteurized eggs. Alternatively, the induction cooked eggs are frozen after cooking and individually vacuum packaged, sous vide heated to a pasteurization temperature, then chilled or frozen for storage or shipment.

A belted food warmer assembly is disclosed that includes a housing containing a heated rotating drum, a belt roller, and a belt. The belt is draped over a portion of the heated rotating drum and is configured to hold a flexible food product against the heated drum as the food product rotates with the heated drum.

Food service equipment comprises a multiple-pass feeder conveyor and toaster which comprises an upper inclined food product infeed conveyor ramp for causing the food products to proceed in a first direction extending from the rear of the appliance toward the front of the appliance and onto the upper run of a first upper endless conveyor. The upper run of the first upper endless conveyor conveys the food products into a semi-circular return product feeder which causes the food products to be conveyed in a second opposite direction extending from the front of the appliance toward the rear of the appliance and into an entry space defined by means of the lower run of the first upper endless conveyor and the upper run of a second lower endless conveyor, the two conveyors being synchronized together. The pair of conveyors convey the food products between heated platens respectively associated with the two conveyors whereby the food products are cooked or toasted. Additional pairs of conveyors can also be incorporated within the system, in a vertically stacked array, so as to effectively increase the length of travel experienced by the multiple food products without increasing the footprint of the equipment. In addition, upper and lower heated platens are operatively associated with the first and second upper and lower endless conveyors, and the upper heated platen is movably mounted within the food service equipment so as to move upwardly and downwardly and thereby permit different food products, having different thickness dimensions, to be conveyed through the food service equipment.

In one aspect, a cooking device includes independently controllable cooking zones. In one aspect, a cooking device includes a first cooking zone with heated air configured to move horizontally there through in a first direction and a second cooking zone with heated air configured to move horizontally there through in a second direction different than the first direction. In one aspect, the first and second directions are opposite directions. In one aspect, the heated air flows from one side of the cooking device.

In one aspect, a spiral cooking device includes a first cooking zone with air configured to move horizontally therethrough in a first direction, a second cooking zone with air configured to move horizontally therethrough in a second direction different than the first direction, and a spiral conveyor belt at least partially positioned in the first and second cooking zones and configured to transport food product thereon through the first and second cooking zones. In one aspect, a spiral cooking device includes a spiral conveyor belt providing a central opening inside the belt and a conveyor belt drive member positioned externally of the central opening. In one aspect, a conveyor belt cleaning device is provided. In one aspect, a cooking device includes a frame including a plurality of coupled pipes for providing structural support to the device and at least one of the pipes is configured to have liquid pass therethrough.

Systems and methods of bun holding and toasting use a bun dispenser and a toaster. The bun dispenser includes a bun holding cabinet in which a plurality of buns are held on shelves and each of the shelves include conveyors. A shuttle of the bun dispenser translates within at least one axis to align the shuttle with a shelf to receive a bun. A dispensing shelf of the bun dispenser receives the bun from the shuttle. A toaster receives the bun from the dispensing shelf and operates to toast the bun and dispense the toasted bun at a predetermined location.

An apparatus (1) for the preparation and dispensing of bakery food products, in particular pizzas, comprising: a magazine (2) containing a plurality of food products (P) having a storage compartment (3) for storing said products (P) in a respective semi-cooked condition; cooling means (4) arranged inside the magazine (2) to keep the compartment (3) of said food products (P) at a predetermined freezing temperature; a supply line (15) for supplying said food products (P) extending between a product loading station arranged in the area of the magazine (2) and a dispensing station for dispensing the food products (P), packaging means (21), located in the area of said dispensing station to arrange each product (P) leaving the supply line (15) inside a respective package (C); said supply line comprising: a first oven (16) arranged downstream of the loading station and configured to thaw the food products (P) leaving the magazine (2); and a second oven (17) interposed between said first oven and said dispensing station and configured to cook the thawed food product at a given temperature depending on the type of the product (P) itself.

An automatic sandwich machine is provided. The machine receives customer selections for a number of sandwiches and combinations of toppings and sauces, and allows the customer to make a payment for the sandwiches. The machine places a bread piece into a bread heater, and while the bread heater is heating the bread piece, sprays sauces according to the customer selection and prepares a pre-determined amount of toppings according to a customer selection, a pre-determined amount of sliced meat from a grilled sandwich cone, and a pre-determined amount of cheese. The machine places toppings, sliced meat, and cheese onto the bread piece. The machine then wraps the bread piece to obtain a sandwich. Thereafter, the machine roasts the sandwich and places it into a packet. Finally, the machine delivers the packet with the sandwich to the customer via an outlet.