A food processing device configured to process a food product stored in a pod is disclosed. The food processing device may further include a drive assembly. The drive assembly may include a drive motor configured to move linearly in the vertical direction, and a linear actuator coupled to the drive motor. The linear actuator may cause the drive motor to move linearly in the vertical direction. The drive assembly may further include a drive shaft coupled to the drive motor. The drive shaft may be configured to engage or disengage with the top shaft of the pod owing to the linear movement of the drive motor in vertical direction. Upon engaging with the tops shaft of the pod, the drive shaft may be further configured to impart rotary motion to the top shaft.

A module includes a housing, a sealing feature, a locking feature, and an agitator. The housing has an opening separating inner and outer surfaces and a boss that extends through the housing such that part of the outer surface forms an inner bore of the boss having a terminus pointing toward the opening. The agitator has a base, a shaft, and a mixing element coupled to the base such that the base, in cooperation with the sealing feature, circumferentially seals the opening of the housing to form a cavity defined by the inner surface. The shaft passes through the inner bore. The locking feature when engaged permits independent or simultaneous translational and rotational movement of the shaft while an area between the terminus of the boss and the shaft remains mechanically sealed during the movement against liquid or powder encroachment into a clean area of the inner bore.

A stand-alone automated machine for the automatic blending of drinks. The machine will generally puree materials including fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables provided in large particulate sections or chunks within a cup which is available from a neighboring refrigerator or freezer unit. The blending machine can handle all aspects of drink blending as well as automatic cleaning, sanitization, and/or sterilization cycles.

An appliance for making a drink individually. The appliance includes a storage rack defining a plurality of housings configured to each receive a container containing an ingredient of the drink, and being provided with a housing outlet. The appliance includes a funnel including an outlet orifice. The appliance includes structure for transferring, into the funnel, through the housing outlets of the housings, ingredients contained in the containers. The appliance includes an emulsifier including an emulsifier shaft that is movable between positions in which it closes and leaves free the outlet orifice of the funnel.

The present disclosure relates to a stirrer blade 100 for an automated food processing machine. The stirrer blade 100 is movably configured with said automated food processing machine. The stirrer blade 100 includes a member 101, a first arm 102 connected to a first end of said member 101 and extends in a first direction. The first arm 102 has a curved distal end 102a. A second arm 103 connected to a second end of said member 101 and extends in a second direction. The second arm 103 comprises plurality of spikes (103a, 103b).

There is disclosed herein a frothing assembly (21) to froth milk in a container (11). The assembly (21) includes: a body (25); a motor (33) fixed to the body and having an output shaft (34) that is rotatably driven about a longitudinal axis (35) of the shaft (34); a frothing device (36) rotatably driven by the shaft (34) and to be submerged in the milk in the container (11); and a perforated member (43) at least partly surrounding the frothing device (36) and spaced from the frothing device (36) by a clearance (44), wherein rotation of the frothing device (36) causes movement of milk in the clearance (44) and movement of milk through the perforated member (43) to be circulated back through the container (11) and the clearance (44) to cause frothing of the milk.

A food processing system includes a base and an actuator that is releasably mounted to the base. The actuator may have an unactuated position and an actuated position. Numerous accessories each may be individually and interchangeably mountable to and releasable from at least one of the base and the actuator. Each attachment may perform a food processing function when the actuator is moved from the unactuated position to the actuated position.

A stand mixer includes: a lower assembly comprising a base and a lower support arm extending upwardly from the base; an upper assembly comprising a generally horizontal head positioned above the base and an upper support arm extending downwardly from the head, the lower and upper support arm assemblies forming a generally vertical support arm, the head configured to provide a mounting location for a beater; and a head-raising mechanism that moves the head relative to the base between raised and lowered positions, the head remaining generally horizontal in the raised position.

A micro puree machine has a mixing shaft attachable to a blade that is subject to both linear and rotational movement. A drive motor is contained within a lower portion of the machine housing and operatively couples to a first gear that engages a second gear on the mixing shaft for rotation of the mixing blade. A position motor within the upper housing operates to move the mixing blade linearly to engage the ingredients in the bowl. During both axial and rotational movement of the mixing shaft, the drive motor and the position motor remain stationary within their respective positions in the housing.

A bowl assembly for a micro puree machine including an inner beaker and an outer bowl. The inner beaker is configured to receive ingredients and has an exterior bottom surface that includes a beaker alignment feature. The outer bowl is configured to receive the inner beaker therein. The outer bowl includes an interior bottom surface that includes a bowl alignment feature and an exterior bottom surface that includes a bowl securing element. The beaker alignment feature of the inner beaker exterior bottom surface is complementary to the bowl alignment feature of the outer bowl interior bottom surface such that, at times the inner beaker is positioned in the outer bowl, the complementary bowl alignment feature and inner beaker alignment feature prevent rotation of the inner beaker relative to the outer bowl. The bowl securing element is configured to receive and attach to a platform of a micro puree machine.