In order to avoid a gap on both sides of a blade exit point, if an outer radius of a product caliber is smaller than an inner radius of a product opening in a cutting frame at this point, a contour of the cutting frame in this blade exit area is given a radius of curvature as small as the smallest product caliber to be expected.

Slicers for cutting food such as sausage, cheese or meat, for example, into slices. Such slicers, and processes related thereto, may simultaneously slice at least two stick-shaped pieces of food by a cutting blade. The feeding of the food that is sliced may be further improved thereby. An exemplary feed unit (9) for feeding food (10) to a cutting blade (7) includes at least one gripper carriage (20) including a gripper receiving beam (22) and at least one movable gripper (21). This gripper (21) may be operated by a stationary drive, and the mechanical work for seizing can be transferred to the grippers (21) via guides or further drive structure.

A cutting device for spiral cutting a vegetable includes a mounting surface that engages the vegetable and is rotated using a motor, which causes rotation of the vegetable. The mounting surface may be moved toward a cutting surface using a lever arm that transmits only a portion of a manual force applied to the lever arm in a direction toward the mounting surface, facilitating precise movement of the mounting surface and a consistent size and shape of the resulting vegetable strands. Movement of the vegetable relative to the cutting surface may pass the vegetable through a slotted blade and a secondary blade. The spacing of cutters in the slotted blade determines the width of vegetable strands produced by the cutting apparatus, while the placement of the secondary blade determines the thickness of the strands. The position of the secondary blade may be adjustable to control the thickness.

A slicer is provided. The slicer comprises a body (1), a food mounting device (3), a food cutting device (4), and a cover (2). The cover (2) is removably mounted to the body (1). The food mounting device (3) is adapted for mounting food on the food cutting device (4). The food cutting device (4) is adapted for cutting the food mounted by the food mounting device (3). The body (1) comprises a first receiving portion (51) adapted for receiving the food cutting device (4) inside the body (1).

The invention described herein is directed to an inline spiral cutting food processor that includes a motor that rotates an upper positioned disc with a blade assembly by means of a belt or gear assembly or mechanism. The entrance and exit chute are fixed and positioned in-line with the axis of rotation of the blade supporting disc member. The entrance chute is positioned above the cutting disc, and the exit opening (or chute) is below. During operation a food item is pushed down the entrance chute as the blade rotates and cuts it. Cut food falls down through the opening or exit chute into a storage container or jar. The food cutting assembly is configured to generate spiral or helical food from vegetables.

A side-loading pendulum slicer for slicing short and/or oddly-shaped food products. The pendulum slicer has an aperture in the upstream side of the product holder through which food products are injected. A loading conveyor holds large numbers of food products that are sequentially and individually loaded onto an injecting conveyor that injects the food products through the aperture and into the product holder. A weight that is raised above the aperture is lowered onto the food product to compress the food product against a thickness tray while the product holder reciprocates through a blade adjacent the thickness tray. Slices are removed from the food product and conveyed away for use.

A mandoline slicer includes a slicing blade between a runout ramp and a platen defining an adjustable slicing ramp. A set of cubing blades is selectively movable between extended and retracted positions, extendable through slots formed in the runout ramp. A pusher is configured for 90 degree rotational movement to allow perpendicular cutting by the cubing blades before slicing by a main blade.

A food spiral cutting machine includes a base, a drive unit, a screw, a cutter assembly and a locking device. The drive unit comprises a motor, a gearbox and an open drive nut. The gearbox comprises a planetary gear reduction group and a pair of bevel gears. A first bevel gear connects to the output of the planetary gear set, and the first bevel gear drives a second bevel gear which is provided with a spline inside the gear center hole. The first bevel gear meshes with the second bevel gear at right angle. An open drive nut rests on the underside of the screw. A screw is provided with a slot along the screw axis. The spline of the second bevel gear keys with the slot of the screw.

Methods and apparatuses for reducing food products. Such a method includes introducing a food product into an impeller rotating within a casing about an axis thereof. The impeller has paddles and pockets defined by and between adjacent pairs of the paddles. The paddles are circumferentially spaced so that each pocket is sequentially radially aligned with a circumferential opening of the casing as the impeller rotates. Each paddle has a relief slot defined in an outer radial edge of the paddle. Food products are expelled from the pockets and cut with a knife disposed at the circumferential opening of the casing as the impeller rotates and the pockets travel past the circumferential opening. The knife defines a cord of the casing, extends into the path of the paddles, and passes through the relief slots of the paddles.

Method and apparatus for reducing food products. The apparatus includes a casing, an impeller adapted for rotation within the casing, and a cutting device. The casing has axial and circumferential openings for product entering and exiting, respectively, the casing. The impeller includes a drum, paddles mounted to the drum, and pockets defined by and between adjacent pairs of paddles that are radially aligned with the circumferential opening of the casing as each pocket travels past the circumferential opening. The cutting device includes a knife disposed at the circumferential opening of the casing and oriented perpendicular to the axis of the impeller. The knife lies on a sector of the casing and has a cutting edge located within an interior of the casing so that the knife extends into the path of the paddles and passes through relief slots defined in the paddles as the impeller rotates.