A salad spinner includes a lid having a pull ring supported thereon and a strainer bowl having a strainer basket supported therein, the strainer basket having a pivotable strainer handle mounted on a chopper. The pull ring is configured to be angularly displaced away from the lid to impart a spinning motion to the strainer basket within the strainer bowl. The strainer handle defines a centrally disposed strainer aperture. The lid has a hex shaft that is removably coupled to the strainer aperture of the strainer handle. The hex drive shaft is further removably coupled to a hex opening of a chopper rod of a chopper. The hex drive shaft initiates the spinning motion to chop salad and to dry salad independently of each other.

The food comminution device includes a cutting part (3), a spiral cutting part (6) and a rotary drive (5), wherein food items (4) for comminution can, in order to be comminuted, be selectively pushed through the cutting part (3) or rotated by means of the rotary drive relative to a spiral cutting part (6). The food comminution device further includes an actuating part (1) and a base part (2) which has a cutting part (3), wherein the actuating part (1) is movably connectable to the base part (2) such that food items (4) for comminution can be pushed through the cutting part (3) by means of a movement of the actuating part (1) relative to the base part (2). The actuating part (1) has a rotary drive by means of which a food item (4) for comminution can be rotated relative to a spiral cutting part (6).

A meat processing system comprising a blade, a blade movement assembly, a controller and a conveyor. The blade is configured to cut a carcass into pieces and lies substantially in a blade plane. The conveyor is configured to move the carcass along a first axis. The controller is configured to control the blade movement assembly to rotate the blade or a portion of the blade to vary an angle between the blade plane and the first axis. The blade movement assembly may also be configured to translate the blade to move the blade transverse to the first axis. A method of operating a meat processing system is also disclosed. The method includes conveying a carcass or section of carcass along a first axis, controlling a blade movement assembly to rotate a blade or a portion of a blade to vary the angle between a blade plane and the first axis, and cutting the carcass or section of carcass into pieces.

A food processing system and a method for processing and batching food items conveyed by a conveyor means where the batches fulfil at least one target criteria including at least one weight target, including a first weight determining means for determining the weight of incoming food items, a batching system, a food item separation device positioned downstream in relation to the first weight determining means and upstream in relation to the batching system, and a control system for controlling the batching system and the food item separation device. The controlling including, repeatedly: monitoring the weight of the incoming food items, determining, based on the weight of the incoming food items, a prospect indicator indicating the prospect to meet the target criteria for the batches such that each batch fulfils the at least one target criteria, and comparing if the prospect indicator fulfils a pre-defined criteria.

A watermelon slicer/de-rinder capable of storing the unused portion of watermelon is provided herein. Embodiments of the present invention comprise two main components, a base to which a watermelon is to be secured, and a slicing mechanism which cuts the watermelon. When enough slices of watermelon are removed, the slicing mechanism is placed back on the watermelon and the knife handles are pushed back in. The invention is attached to the watermelon and they are now ready for storing for future eating. The base of the watermelon slicer/de-rinder is used to secure the remaining watermelon and prevent it from falling.

An arrangement for automatically removing a strip of dark meat from a fish fillet has a conveying unit for transporting the fish fillet from an inlet to an outlet area in a transport direction along a transport path. Starting from the inlet area, successively along the transport path, are provided: a detector for detecting dark meat; a first cutting apparatus for removing a middle partial strip of dark meat; an opener for opening up the fillet such that the cut surfaces of a ventral-side partial and of a dorsal-side partial strip of dark meat point upwards; a cutting unit for removing the partial strips, the cutting unit comprising second and third cutting apparatuses for removing the ventral and dorsal-side partial strips. A control device is connected to the detector and the cutting apparatus, and all cuts are based on information from the detector.

In order to be able to change a cross section of a forming cavity at least with regard to its size, in particular also with regard to its quantitative relations, longitudinal walls circumferentially surrounding the forming cavity are movably fastened relative to a base body in such a way that they can be moved at least in groups synchronously, preferably all longitudinal walls synchronously, relative to a center of the cross section of the forming cavity by means of an actuating element.

A tofu packing device includes a pack covering device and a pack supply device. The pack covering device is configured to cover a plurality of cakes of tofu with packs in a state in which the packs are upside down, the plurality of cakes of tofu being aligned at predetermined intervals in front, rear, left and right directions on a conveying surface of a transfer conveyor. The pack supply device is configured to continuously supply the packs to the pack covering device from a lateral side of the transfer conveyor.

A method for forming aggregates of food pieces by arranging a plurality of food pieces such that the food pieces at least partially overlap one another is provided. The method automatically changes the number of food pieces forming each aggregate and a pitch at which the food pieces are arranged so as to limit the weights of the aggregates within a predetermined permissible range and to form each aggregate such that the total length of the aggregate is a preset length. The method also automatically changes the number of food pieces forming each aggregate and the pitch at which the food pieces are arranged according to the length of the food piece in the arrangement direction.

A system for separating cut food products includes a flow inlet, a flow outlet, and at least one drum connecting the flow inlet and the flow outlet. The flow inlet may be oriented to direct the cut food product tangentially into the at least one drum. The flow inlet may be oriented to direct the cut food product into the at least one drum at a right angle to a longitudinal axis of the at least one drum. The at least one drum may be a plurality of drums including a first drum having the flow inlet and a second drum having the flow outlet. The system may include a passageway providing fluid communication from the first drum to the second drum. The passageway may include a tapered section. The flow inlet may be aligned with the flow outlet.