A metal heat exchange tube assembly for a fryer cooking channel of a hot oil fryer for food-process lines has a plurality of elongate, rectangular, longitudinally-extending heat exchange tubes with open inflow and outflow ends; a laterally-extending abbreviated rectangular inflow-manifold tube with a plurality of apertures in a sidewall; and a laterally-extending abbreviated rectangular outflow-manifold tube with the same. The plurality of heat exchange tubes are joined to the inflow-manifold and outflow-manifold tubes with respective alignment among the open ends of the heat exchange tubes and the apertures in the sidewalls of the manifold tubes. The heat exchange tubes comprise a composite construction of an elongate, square-U shaped channel having a web bottom wall and flange sidewalls of a given uniform thickness, and an elongate closure strip welded along spaced seams to the exposed upper edges of the flanges of the channel, thereby forming a thermal oil conduit.

A fryer with a vessel, that contains a hot fluid-bath with a fluid level, and which includes one or more belts which transport products to be fried through the hot fluid-bath; a submerge belt that hinders the products from floating to the fluid level, and a floating particles removing device. A surface of the belts on which the products are located during transportation in the fryer has a submerged section being submerged in the hot fluid-bath. The submerge belt has a submerged section being submerged in the hot fluid-bath. The floating particle removing device is located vertically above the submerged section of the submerge belt and/or of the submerge section of the surface of the belts.

A fryer includes a cooking chamber for holding a cooking medium, at least one heating element positioned within the cooking chamber, and a chain conveyor for selectively advancing food product through the cooking chamber along a movement path. The chain conveyor includes first and second chains coupled together by a plurality of baskets extending therebetween. The movement path includes a series of legs, including a first leg wherein the food product moves substantially vertically from above the cooking medium to a greatest depth within the cooking medium and including a second leg subsequent to the first leg wherein the food product moves substantially horizontally at the greatest depth within the cooking medium. Automated filtering systems and methods for removing debris from cooking medium are also provided.

A flying system for flying a food product is disclosed having an endless conveyor system for cooking product in a bath of hot cooking oil. An upper conveyor belt of the conveyor system includes a plurality of protrusions on the surface that retains the food items with a lower conveyor belt. The protrusions may be formed by bars or rods that may be integrally formed with a fluid pervious surface forming the belt. Also, a process of cooking food items with an endless conveyor system.

Food preparation includes utilizing food immersion into low temperature cooking fluids, high temperature cooking fluids, or a combination of applications thereof. Foods are generally closely wrapped in vented, pliable, formidable outer skins. An example construction of such an outer skin is provided, as are examples of food preparation processes.

An apparatus for preparing food is provided, and includes a food chamber sized to receive at least one food item, a cutting structure configured to cut the at least one food item when pressed into contact therewith, an impeller for impelling the at least one food item into contact with the cutting structure, a liquid chamber for storing a liquid, a heating system for heating the liquid, and a liquid introduction system in communication with the liquid chamber, the liquid introduction system being operable to introduce at least one of a liquid mist and a liquid spray in the food chamber.

An apparatus for preparing food is provided, and includes a food-receiving chamber sized to receive at least one food item, a cutting structure configured to cut the at least one food item when pressed into contact therewith, an impeller for impelling the at least one food item into contact with the cutting structure, an oil chamber for storing oil, a heating system for heating the oil, and an oil introduction system in communication with the oil chamber, the oil introduction system being operable to introduce at least one of an oil mist and an oil spray in the frying chamber.

A food processing apparatus includes a pressure vessel defining a compartment having an inlet end for receiving food product and an outlet end for discharging food product, an open-top screen mounted within the compartment and movable relative to the compartment between a first position, for food processing, and a second position, to facilitate cleaning, a rotatable auger mounted such that at least a portion of the auger is within the screen, the auger being operable to advance food product within the compartment from the inlet end of the pressure vessel toward the outlet end, and a transfer mechanism including a conduit in communication with the compartment, a fluid discharge positioned substantially within the conduit, and a pressurized fluid source in communication with the fluid discharge and operable to propel a fluid through the fluid discharge to move food product through the conduit.

A batch fryer for kettle manufacturing of deep fried food stuff comprising: an elongated cooking trough for holding a volume of cooking oil; an infeed provided at an infeed end of the elongated cooking trough for receiving food stuff; an oil circulation system comprising an oil inlet circuit and an oil outlet circuit connected to the trough for recirculation of the cooking oil in the trough; a circulation pump configured to pump oil through the oil circulation system; a heat exchanger connected to the circulation system configured to heat the cooking oil flowing through the heat exchanger from the oil outlet circuit to provide heated cooking oil to the trough via the oil inlet circuit; a booster oil inlet circuit connected to a booster pump configured to pump heated cooking oil into the trough through a booster oil inlet arranged in a wall at the proximal end of the trough at the beginning of a batch deep-frying process of food stuff.

A fryer includes a cooking chamber for holding a cooking medium at least one heating element positioned within the cooking chamber, and a chain conveyor for selectively advancing food product through the cooking chamber along a movement path. The chain conveyor includes first and second chains coupled together by a plurality of baskets extending therebetween. The movement path includes a series of legs, including a first leg wherein the food product moves substantially vertically from above the cooking medium to a greatest depth within the cooking medium and including a second leg subsequent to the first leg wherein the food product moves substantially horizontally at the greatest depth within the cooking medium. Automated filtering systems and methods for removing debris from cooking medium are also provided.