A computerised device, cooking appliance, cooking system, method and one computer-readable medium are disclosed for estimating one or more characteristics of a food item. In one aspect, the cooking system includes: a computing device configured to: receive image data indicative of indicia on or about a food item; process the image data to determine a location or distortion of the indicia in three-dimensional (3D) space; and determine the one or more characteristics of the food item based at least in part on the location or distortion of the indicia; and a cooking appliance, including: one or more cooking components; and at least one processor configured to: receive the cooking program from the computing device; and control the one or more cooking components according to the cooking program.

A connected oven, including a set of in-cavity sensors and a processor configured to automatically identify foodstuff within the cooking cavity, based on the sensor measurements; and automatically operate the heating element based on the foodstuff identity.

A shelf stable potato/sweet potato french fry product packaged in a hermetically sealed flexible bag/pouch without the need for a surrounding acidic solution has been disclosed. Such product has a lower pH, preferably below 4.6, with enhanced taste and texture profile features, such as: (a) 0% -2% fat content, (b) a hardness of the exterior layer between 350 gram to 2500 gram after frying, that allows for little to no need for battering of such products, and (c) a moisture content above 55%. These benefits are typically obtained by processing the pre-cut potato via a single-step processing technique which may or may not require pre-processing steps.

A connected oven, including a set of in-cavity sensors and a processor configured to automatically identify foodstuff within the cooking cavity, based on the sensor measurements; and automatically operate the heating element based on the foodstuff identity.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a device for cooking a starch-based food item. The device comprises: a vessel for receiving a quantity of the starch-based food item with an initial weight; a weighing scale for weighting the food item during cooking; a heater for heating the starch-based food item; and a controller coupled to the weighing scale and the heater, and configured to: cause the heater to cook the starch-based food item at a first temperature for a first time duration, wherein the first temperature is higher than a starch gelatinization temperature; and to cause the heater, in response to the determination that, based on the weighing scale reading, the weight of the starch-based food item drops by a first amount in a first range, to cook the starch-based food item at a second temperature for a second time duration sufficient for the weight of the starch-based food item to drop by a second amount, such that the combined drop of the first amount and the second amount relative to the initial weight is within a second range, wherein the second temperature is higher than the first temperature and above 150° C. The device can make the cooked food healthier and more appetizing, which is beneficial to health especially for individuals with diabetes and obese individuals.

A system and method for processing a coextruded meat product including a casing enclosing a meat batter after brining in which a heated, high velocity air stream is applied to the coextruded meat product thereby mechanically removing moisture from a surface of the casing and cooking the coextruded meat product. This system and method can further improve the ability for a liquid coating to be added to the coextruded meat product in a non-drenching manner because of the superior surface preparation of the casing by the jets.

A process for processing protein product involves providing a meat product in a raw state, searing at least one outside surface of the meat product so that the meat product, save for the at least one outside surface, remains in the raw state, slicing the meat product into a plurality of slices, vacuum sealing a stack of the slices within a pouch with the slices of the stack directly stacked together, and cooking the vacuum sealed slices of the stack stacked together such that, during the cooking, the cut faces of the stacked slices remain in contact with one another to essentially maintain the size and entire outer surface shape of the stack to have the size and entire outer surface shape of the entirety of the stack prior to the slicing, and such that the slices do not coagulate together as a result of the vacuum sealing and cooking.

Systems, methods, and articles to provide customized control of a cooking appliance, such as a sous vide cooker. A user provides a selection of one or more ending characteristics for a food product. A processor-based device determines one or more output food preparation parameters based on the user's selection of the one or more ending characteristics. Measurements of temperature, power delivery, or other characteristics may be obtained during cooking process. A cooking program controlling the cooking process may be revised or updated based at least in part on the obtained measurements or analysis of the measurements. Estimations or projections about the cooking process may be presented to a user via a user interface of the cooking appliance or a user interface of a computing device (e.g., smartphone) associated with the user.

An apparatus for smoking food products, comprising at least one kiln which is provided with a drum, which can be actuated so as to rotate about its own axis of extension, and which defines internally a treatment chamber for food products which can be accessed through a loading and unloading opening. The drum has at least one smoke inlet which is connected to a smoke generator device.

Disclosed herein is a cooking system for cooking food, the cooking system being functional in a plurality of cooking modes. The cooking system includes a housing defining a hollow chamber configured to receive a food container. The housing has an upper portion defining an opening to the hollow chamber. The cooking system includes a first lid configuration for use in at least a first cooking mode, a second lid configuration for use in at least a second cooking mode. A first lid detection sensor is configured to detect a closed condition of said first lid configuration and a second lid detection sensor is configured to detect a closed condition of said second lid configuration.