A apparatus may be used to cut a dough product having a hole from a dough sheet. The stamping apparatus may have multiple cutting blades, depending from a platen, that are configured for cutting complementary open shapes, in phases, that together form a closed shape defining the dough product periphery. The stamping apparatus may also have a tubular cutting blade depending from the platen, configured to cut a closed shape defining the dough product hole, that is nested within one of the blades that is configured to cut an open shape. The tubular cutting blade may be retractable about a finger contained therewithin that remains in a fixed position in relation to the tubular cutting blade as the blade retracts. Air trapped within the tubular cutting blade, between the finger and a cutout dough piece that does not form part of the dough product, may become compressed during blade retraction. The compression may facilitate ejection of the cutout dough piece from the tubular cutting blade. The finger may be omitted in some embodiments.

A dough kneading device has a kneading drum for predefining the bottoms and side walls of kneading chambers, which serve to receive dough pieces to be kneaded. A kneading belt over a circumferential portion abuts the kneading drum for closing the kneading chambers. The kneading belt has a plurality of passage openings with a typical diameter which is smaller than 12 mm. This results in a dough kneading device with which even moist doughs can be kneaded without the use of anti-adhesive agents, if possible, without the dough adhering to the kneading belt and/or the kneading chambers in an unwanted manner.

A multiple-row dough portioning apparatus includes at least one portioning chamber to define a portioned dough quantity, at least one metering piston, which is displaceable in the portioning chamber between a retracted metering position and an extended ejection position. The dough portioning apparatus comprises a drive unit having a control component. The drive unit is configured to displace the metering piston from the metering position into the ejection position. The dough portioning apparatus is configured such that a displacement of the metering pistons takes place exclusively on account of a pressure exerted on the metering pistons by the dough. The control component is connected to all metering pistons to transmit a tensile force from the control roller to the metering pistons. The portioning chamber is accommodated in a portioning cylinder, which is pivotable between a metering pivot position and a pivoted ejection pivot position.

Provided are a quantitative division unit, a quantitative division method, and a food production method capable of accurately quantitatively dividing a paste ingredient while preventing the damage of the ingredient. A first plunger and a second plunger are shifted from a first driving state to a second driving state in such a manner that the paste ingredient is introduced between the first plunger and the second plunger via a first port due to a negative pressure generated in the area of an internal space between the first plunger and the second plunger. The first plunger and the second plunger are shifted from the second driving state to a third driving state where at least a part of the paste ingredient between the first plunger and the second plunger is disposed so as to face the second port. The first plunger and the second plunger are then shifted from the third driving state to a fourth driving state so as to feed the paste ingredient to the outside via the second port.

Provided are a quantitative division unit, a quantitative division method, and a food production method capable of accurately quantitatively dividing a paste ingredient while preventing the damage of the ingredient. A first plunger and a second plunger are shifted from a first driving state to a second driving state in such a manner that the paste ingredient is introduced between the first plunger and the second plunger via a first port due to a negative pressure generated in the area of an internal space between the first plunger and the second plunger. The first plunger and the second plunger are shifted from the second driving state to a third driving state where at least a part of the paste ingredient between the first plunger and the second plunger is disposed so as to face the second port. The first plunger and the second plunger are then shifted from the third driving state to a fourth driving state so as to feed the paste ingredient to the outside via the second port.

A device and method for measuring and dispensing customizable amounts of dried non-flowable material (e.g. tea, herbs, cannabis, etc.) and solid material (e.g. cake yeast and butter) may comprise a tubular housing and an adjustable plunger. The front-end portion of the tubular housing may include a plunger cavity for insertion of the adjustable plunger. The rear-end portion of the tubular housing may include a chamber to capture solid material for measuring. The adjustable plunger may define the depth of the chamber, such that when the length of the plunger is adjusted, the chamber depth is set to a predetermined volume. In operation, the user may place the measuring device, chamber-side down into the solid or non-flowable material to gather the material into the chamber. When the user desires to release the substance, the user can apply pressure on the adjustable plunger to release the same.

A feeding unit for feeding a food product for a machine for making filled pasta includes at least one feed duct having an outlet and an inlet; a sleeve fitted coaxially over the duct and rotatable relative thereto about an axis of rotation R in order to regulate the cross section of the inlet; an actuator including a stem inserted in the sleeve and movable between a first, retracted operating position and a second, extracted operating position to allow the food product to enter the feed duct and to push at least one single portion of food product out of the duct through the outlet; a second sleeve, fitted between the first sleeve and the stem, the stem sliding inside the second sleeve and the first sleeve rotating on the second sleeve.

A feeding unit for feeding a food product for a machine for making filled pasta includes at least one feed duct having an outlet and an inlet; a sleeve fitted coaxially over the duct and rotatable relative thereto about an axis of rotation R in order to regulate the cross section of the inlet; an actuator including a stem inserted in the sleeve and movable between a first, retracted operating position and a second, extracted operating position to allow the food product to enter the feed duct and to push at least one single portion of food product out of the duct through the outlet; a second sleeve, fitted between the first sleeve and the stem, the stem sliding inside the second sleeve and the first sleeve rotating on the second sleeve.

A device and method for measuring and dispensing customizable amounts of dried non-flowable material (e.g. tea, herbs, cannabis, etc.) and solid material (e.g. cake yeast and butter) may comprise a tubular housing and an adjustable plunger. The front-end portion of the tubular housing may include a plunger cavity for insertion of the adjustable plunger. The rear-end portion of the tubular housing may include a chamber to capture solid material for measuring. The adjustable plunger may define the depth of the chamber, such that when the length of the plunger is adjusted, the chamber depth is set to a predetermined volume. In operation, the user may place the measuring device, chamber-side down into the solid or non-flowable material to gather the material into the chamber. When the user desires to release the substance, the user can apply pressure on the adjustable plunger to release the same.

A multi-row dough-portioning apparatus has a chamber housing having a number of portioning chambers for predetermining a portioned quantity of dough. Measuring pistons can each be displaced in the portioning chambers along a displacement direction between a retracted, measuring position and a pushed-out, ejecting position. A rotation-prevention bar is installed in a releasable manner on a rear wall of the chamber housing and interacts with a circumferential recess in the measuring pistons in order to prevent rotation of the same. The chamber housing has a projecting section, which projects beyond the rear housing wall. The rotation-prevention bar is installed on the chamber housing such that, upon release, it can be removed from the chamber housing in a removal direction perpendicular to the displacement direction of the measuring pistons. This results in a dough-portioning apparatus which, even in the case of large-volume portioning chambers, is easy to maintain and clean.