Apparatus and method for making a frozen confectionary product
OwnerBradley Smithinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to apparatus and method of making a frozen confectionary product such as ice cream or sorbet in which a confectionary mix is churned in a vessel whilst a liquid gas such as liquid nitrogen is added. Existing churning apparatus moves a stirrer through the ice cream mix in an epicyclical motion. This tends to splash liquid nitrogen so that it evaporates without contributing to the freezing of the ice cream. In the improved mixing method, the stirrer is repeatedly drawn against the inside wall(s) of the vessel. This reduces splashing of the liquid nitrogen. The drawing action also removes build up of frozen confectionary product on both the stirrer and the vessel walls and allows unfrozen confectionary mix to move to the edges of the vessel and be preferentially frozen.
Claims7
A method of making a frozen confectionary product in which an unfrozen confectionary mix, agitated within a vessel, is cooled and frozen by a liquid gas:
- characterised in that an agitator agitates the mix with a cyclic motion comprising:
- a downward movement through the confectionary mix towards the base of the vessel which moves frozen confectionary mix from an inner surface of the vessel towards the base of the vessel;
- and
- an upward movement which moves unfrozen confectionary mix towards the surface of the confectionary mix;
- the cyclic motion also including a transversal movement towards and away from the wall of the vessel
- the vessel being rotated with respect to the agitator about an axis running substantially through the length of the agitator;
- the axis of the cyclic motion of the agitator being perpendicular to the axis running substantially through the length of the agitator such that the upward and downward movements do not occur within the same part within the vessel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.