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US 11,690,386 B2Granted
Ice cream making methods and systems
AssigneeWells Enterprises, Inc.
InventorDavid D. Albrecht
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A predetermined volume of ice-cream mix is provided to an ice cream making system or method. The ice-cream mix is cooled and whipped to form ice cream.
Claims14
An ice cream making system comprising:
- a pre-treater including a cooler configured to cool a predetermined volume of liquid ice-cream mix to a temperature above a freezing temperature of the ice-cream mix and a vacuum source that applies and maintains a vacuum to the liquid ice-cream mix, and
- freezing means for adding a predetermined volume of compressed nitrogen to the predetermined volume of liquid ice-cream mix and whipping the predetermined volume of compressed nitrogen into the predetermined volume of liquid ice-cream mix to solidify the ice-cream mix and form solid ice cream,
- wherein the freezing means includes a nitrogen freezer that includes a nitrogen source, a volumetric controller configured to meter compressed nitrogen from the nitrogen source, and a mixer configured to whip the predetermined volume of compressed nitrogen into the predetermined volume of liquid ice-cream mix,
- wherein the cooler is configured to cool the liquid ice-cream mix to a temperature between 27 degrees and 34 degrees Fahrenheit prior to the liquid ice-cream mix reaching the freezing means and the predetermined volume of compressed nitrogen has a temperature of between −365 degrees Fahrenheit and −300 degrees Fahrenheit, and
- wherein the solid ice cream has an overrun based on the predetermined volumes of compressed nitrogen and ice-cream mix between 20 percent and 130 percent.
2 more elements
An ice cream making system comprising
- a pre-treater configured to cool a liquid ice-cream mix to a temperature between 27 degrees and 34 degrees Fahrenheit,
- a nitrogen freezer configured to add a predetermined volume of compressed nitrogen to a predetermined volume of the liquid ice-cream mix to solidify the ice-cream mix without a heat exchanger to form solid ice cream, wherein the predetermined volume of the compressed nitrogen added to the predetermined volume of the liquid ice-cream mix has a temperature of between −365 degrees Fahrenheit and −300 degrees Fahrenheit, and
- a dispenser configured to discharge the ice cream out of the ice cream making system,
- wherein the nitrogen freezer includes a mixer having an aerator, and the mixer, with the aerator, whip the predetermined volume of compressed nitrogen into the predetermined volume of the liquid ice-cream mix such that the solid ice cream has a desired volume that is greater than the predetermined volume of the liquid ice-cream mix.
1 more element
A method of making ice-cream, the method comprising providing a liquid ice-cream mix,
- pretreating the liquid ice-cream mix to cool the liquid ice-cream mix to a temperature between 27 degrees and 34 degrees Fahrenheit,
- adding a predetermined volume of compressed nitrogen to a predetermined volume of the liquid ice-cream mix, wherein the predetermined volume of the compressed nitrogen has a temperature of between −365 degrees Fahrenheit and −300 degrees Fahrenheit, and
- mixing the predetermined volume of compressed nitrogen into the predetermined volume of liquid ice-cream mix to freeze the predetermined volume of liquid ice-cream without a heat exchanger and form solid ice cream,
- wherein mixing includes whipping the predetermined volume of compressed nitrogen into the predetermined volume of liquid ice-cream mix using an aerator to cause the solid ice cream to have a volume that is at least 20 percent greater than the predetermined volume of the liquid ice-cream mix.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.