A cooking system in the form of a fryer is provided to reduce and/or optimize the amount of cooking medium required to operate the fryer, while improving the reliability of movement of food product through the cooking system during a cooking process. To this end, the cooking vat of the system is designed with one or more heating elements positioned to avoid generation of turbulent flow in the cooking medium. Moreover, the movement of food product along the cooking vat and/or out of the cooking vat is done reliably and in such a manner to avoid turbulent flow in the cooking medium. The automatic cooking system provides improved cooking medium life span as well as reduced overall oil volume use.

A shell form and a method of using the shell form requires a wire form and a wire clip, a tortilla placed therebetween during the time that the tortilla is cooked in hot oil forming a taco shell.

A fryer includes a cooking chamber for holding a cooking medium and at least one heating element positioned within the cooking chamber. The fryer further includes a conveyor belt for selectively advancing food product through the cooking chamber. The conveyor belt includes first and second chains coupled together by a plurality of elongate members extending therebetween. The conveyor belt further includes a plurality of paddles coupled to the first and second chains and extending therebetween to define a plurality of compartments. Each of the plurality of paddles includes a screen, and each compartment is sized to receive at least a portion of the food product. The conveyor belt defines a continuous loop.

A food frying and distribution device is used to pre-cook frozen food for storage and subsequent dispensing. The apparatus is configured to fry food to near completion, to store that food, and to then finish cooking upon consumer request, thereby reducing cooking time. The apparatus includes a housing, a frozen-foods inlet, a fried-foods outlet, at least one fryer basin, a first frying basket, a second frying basket, a first conveyor, a second conveyor, a vending mechanism, and a control unit. The housing is the protective shell that allows for arrangement of components. The frozen-foods inlet is an opening through which a user may insert frozen foods for preparation and storage within the apparatus. Conversely, the fried-foods outlet is an opening through which fried foods may be obtained by a consumer. The general configuration of the aforementioned components allows the apparatus to efficiently and effectively generate fried food relatively quickly.

A robot system includes a robot arm configured to tilt a fry basket in a first direction or in a second direction different from the first direction or lift up or lower the fry basket and a controller configured to perform a residue removal mode in which the robot arm rotates and moves the fry basket to a set residue removal path in which residue in a fryer is sifted out.

A potato chip that has more oil near its outer surfaces than in its interior and a unique RVA profile is disclosed. The organoleptic properties of the inventive potato chips compare favorably to known and commercially available potato chips.

A method and system for producing fried food pieces with reduced oil content is disclosed. The food pieces are immersion fried in hot oil at a first temperature to an intermediate moisture content, and finish fried at a second, higher oil temperature to a final moisture content.

An apparatus for frying snack foods, the apparatus including a fryer having a tubular frying section with inlet and outlet ends, the outlet end downstream relative to the inlet end. An oil supply system for supplying oil to the inlet end. A food input at the inlet end adapted to introduce pre-fried snack food pieces into a flow of oil at the inlet end. A food output at, or downstream of, the outlet end adapted to separate fried snack food pieces from the flow of oil. An oil flow accelerator accelerating oil flow from the inlet end to the outlet end thereby conveying the snack food pieces, immersed in the oil, from the inlet end to the outlet end during a frying process. Also disclosed is a method of frying snack foods.

An apparatus is disclosed for preparing a food article (300) such as a corn dog. The apparatus includes a frame (10) mounting a loading station (50), a dipping station (162), a frying station (190) and an unloading station (220). The loading station (50) inserts one end (306) of a stick (302) into the food article (300) and the other end (304) into an aperture (40) in a stick bar (38). The stick (302) and food article (300) are held in the aperture (40) by a spring loaded plunger (310) extending into the aperture (40). The spring loaded plunger (310) holds the stick (302) and food article (300) on the stick bar (38) while the food article (300) is dipped in batter at the dipping station (162) and fried at the frying station (190). The cooked food article (300) and stick (302) are removed from the stick bar (38) at the unloading station (220) for shipment to the customer.

A machine for cooking a food item having at least a first portion and a second portion can include a vessel sized and shaped to receive a frying medium, the vessel having an entrance region and an exit region, a frame that coupleably receives the vessel, and a submerger system that submerges the food item to cook at least the first and the second portions. Related apparatuses, systems, and methods are also provided.