An apparatus for cutting slices from a food product includes a vertical housing defining a barrel that receives an elongated food product. A rotatable blade apparatus is disposed beneath the lower end of the housing and has a planar guide with a slot. A first blade is mounted to the top surface of the guide with a sharp blade edge adjacent the slot and facing radially outwardly. Drive means rotates the rotatable blade apparatus into the food product to form slices. A substrate is disposed beneath the rotatable blade apparatus for receiving slices formed by the rotatable blade apparatus. The substrate may be a pizza crust and the food product may be a pepperoni stick.

An apparatus for cutting slices from a food product includes a vertical housing defining a barrel that receives an elongated food product. A rotatable blade apparatus is disposed beneath the lower end of the housing and has a planar guide with a slot. A first blade is mounted to the top surface of the guide with a sharp blade edge adjacent the slot and facing radially outwardly. Drive means rotates the rotatable blade apparatus into the food product to form slices. A substrate is disposed beneath the rotatable blade apparatus for receiving slices formed by the rotatable blade apparatus. The substrate may be a pizza crust and the food product may be a pepperoni stick.

An apparatus for mixing and dispensing viscous food products is described herein. The apparatus may include a pump device for drawing the viscous food product from a container and distributing over a rotating turntable. The apparatus includes a cassette device with replaceable pliable food containers connected to the pump device through a friction-fit connection. The cassette device includes a sliding roller assembly and a door, with the container installed between the sliding roller assembly and the door such that the roller assembly applies force against the door and container as the sliding roller assembly descends under gravity. The sliding roller assembly includes level indicators visible through the door that provide visual indication of the level of food product remaining within the container.

An apparatus for mixing and dispensing viscous food products is described herein. The apparatus may include a pump device for drawing the viscous food product from a container and distributing over a rotating turntable. The apparatus includes a cassette device with replaceable pliable food containers connected to the pump device through a friction-fit connection. The cassette device includes a sliding roller assembly and a door, with the container installed between the sliding roller assembly and the door such that the roller assembly applies force against the door and container as the sliding roller assembly descends under gravity. The sliding roller assembly includes level indicators visible through the door that provide visual indication of the level of food product remaining within the container.

The invention relates to a filling flow divider for food products and to a method for discharging food products and a filling machine, wherein the filling flow divider has an inlet via which an inflowing mass flow can be divided into a plurality of partial mass flows, transported further in a plurality of partial lines and discharged portion-wise onto or into an object via their outlet, and a plurality of commonly driven dosing devices for adjusting the volume flow of the respective partial mass flows. In this context, a valve device is arranged in each of the respective partial lines, which can divert the partial mass flow such that no mass is discharged via the outlet of the respective partial line.

A base unit device for effective mixing and dispensing of a material, and for quick and efficient cleaning of all components. The base unit defines a base internal cavity, and a removable auger and a removable mixer each rotatably located in the base internal cavity. A mixer support ledge of the mixer can overlap an auger support ledge of the auger to prevent the auger from being withdrawn from the base unit when the mixer and the auger are operatively assembled with the base unit. The mixer can include a locking end featuring locking tabs that can engage with a surface of a sidewall of the base unit that defines a mixer bore, thereby locking the mixer and the auger in position during operation. The base unit can be utilized with a hopper defining a hopper internal cavity for storing the material and providing it to the base internal cavity.

A system for the automated coating of baked good with a water based icing is provided. In particular, a system for the automated movement of icing and controls of variables such as temperature, moisture, and/or flow rate of the icing is provided to maintain the characteristics of the icing for extended periods of operation of an associated coating system.

A system for dispensing toppings onto a topping vehicle may include a hopper platform, hoppers, a retaining plate, a blade, and a hopper-advancing pin. The hoppers each include a hopper bracket slidably engaging the hopper platform. The blade is mounted on the retaining plate and may reciprocate relative to the retaining plate. The hopper-advancing pin is movable relative to the hoppers between deployed and stowed positions. The hopper-advancing pin may engage one of the hopper brackets in the deployed position such that movement of the retaining plate between retracted and extended positions causes movement of the hopper bracket and a respective hopper along a length of the hopper platform. The hopper-advancing pin may be disengaged from the hopper brackets in the deployed stowed position to allow movement of the retaining plate between the retracted and extended positions without causing movement of the hopper brackets.

A vehicle-based, automated pizza-making system including a two-piece pizza pan conveyed between pizza-making components on a series of pan drive rails. The two-piece pizza pan can include a base and a removable ring for containing the unfinished pizza and toppings. The rails can include timing belts for conveying the two-piece pizza pan through the system with improved positional control and accuracy.

A vehicle-based, automated pizza-making system including a two-piece pizza pan conveyed between pizza-making components on a series of pan drive rails. The two-piece pizza pan can include a base and a removable ring for containing the unfinished pizza and toppings. The rails can include timing belts for conveying the two-piece pizza pan through the system with improved positional control and accuracy.