Centrifugal-type slicer for slicing food

A centrifugal-type slicer having a cutting head and an impeller, which impeller rotates unsliced food products against the cutting head in a direction of rotation for the production of sliced food products,

• wherein the cutting head has a central axis, an interior, an exterior, a top, and a bottom, for slicing food product to form sliced food product, said cutting head comprising:
• at least one blade secured to the cutting head,
• wherein the at least one blade comprises a cutting edge inwardly directed towards the interior of the cutting head and oriented to cut the food product as the food product rotates along the interior of the cutting head in a direction of rotation,
• wherein a portion of the cutting edge comprises a plurality of first points,
• wherein for each first point in the plurality of first points, a corresponding first plane for the first point passes through the first point and contains the central axis, and wherein for each first point in the plurality of first points, as viewed from the central axis and along the corresponding first plane for the first point, a first tangent to the cutting edge at the first point is at a first angle to the corresponding first plane;
• and
• wherein the impeller has a rotational axis which is coincident with the central axis, and a plurality of paddles which are arranged in a mutually spaced configuration around the rotational axis and are oriented substantially radially away from the rotational axis, each paddle having a front surface facing in the direction of rotation, which front surface is arranged to rotate the unsliced food products against the cutting head,
• wherein a portion of the front surface comprises a plurality of second points,
• wherein for each second point in the plurality of second points, a corresponding second plane for the second point passes through the second point and contains the rotational axis, and
• wherein for each second point in the plurality of second points, as viewed from the rotational axis and along the corresponding second plane for the second point, a second tangent to the front surface at the second point is at a second angle to the corresponding second plane;
• wherein the first and second angles are oriented at opposite directions relative to a plane containing the central axis and the rotational axis.

A method for making a sliced food product using a centrifugal-type slicer, said slicer having a cutting head and an impeller, which impeller rotates unsliced food products against the cutting head in a direction of rotation for the production of sliced food products cut by the cutting head, wherein the cutting head has a central axis and the impeller has a rotational axis which is coincident with the central axis, the cutting head comprising a plurality of blades secured to the cutting head, which blades are arranged in a mutually spaced configuration around the central axis, and each blade comprises a cutting edge inwardly directed towards an interior of the cutting head and oriented to cut the food product as the food product rotates along the interior of the cutting head in a direction of rotation, and

• the impeller comprising a plurality of paddles which are arranged in a mutually spaced configuration around the rotational axis and are oriented substantially radially away from the rotational axis, each paddle having a front surface facing in the direction of rotation, which front surface is arranged to rotate the unsliced food products against the cutting head,
• wherein each cutting edge is inclined downwardly towards a bottom of the slicer at a first acute angle to a plane which contains the central axis and the rotational axis and is orthogonal to the direction of rotation, and each front surface is inclined downwardly towards the bottom of the slicer at a second acute angle to the plane, wherein the first and second angles are oriented at opposite directions relative to the plane, said method comprising the steps of:
• a) inserting a food product into said cutting head;
• b) causing said impeller to rotate such that the food product is forced away from the rotational axis towards the interior of the cutting head and into contact with the front surface of a respective one of the paddles;
• and
• c) while the food product is pushed in a rotational direction by the paddle, slicing the food product with a cutting edge of said at least one blade, thereby producing sliced food products, wherein the first and second angles are selected so that the paddle and the blade apply substantially equal and opposite turning forces on the unsliced food product during a cutting operation by the blade.

A method for making a sliced food product using a centrifugal-type slicer, said slicer having an impeller with a rotational axis surrounded by a cutting head, wherein the cutting head has a central axis coincident with the rotational axis, an interior, an exterior, a top, and a bottom, for slicing food product to form sliced food product, said cutting head comprising:

• at least one blade secured to the cutting head, wherein the at least one blade comprises a cutting edge inwardly directed towards the interior of the cutting head and oriented to cut the food product as the food product rotates along the interior of the cutting head in a direction of rotation, and wherein the impeller has a plurality of paddles which are arranged in a mutually spaced configuration around the rotational axis and are oriented substantially radially away about the rotational axis, each paddle having a front surface facing in the direction of rotation, which front surface is arranged to rotate the unsliced food products against the cutting head, said method comprising the steps of:
• a) inserting a food product into said cutting head;
• b) causing said impeller to rotate such that the food product is forced away from the rotational axis towards the interior of the cutting head and into contact with the front surface of a respective one of the paddles;
• and
• c) while the food product is pushed in a rotational direction by the paddle, slicing the food product with a cutting edge of said at least one blade, wherein the cutting edge is inwardly directed towards the impeller to slice the food product in a cutting direction at each first point along a length of the cutting edge when the food product is urged forwardly by a second point on the front surface of the paddle, and wherein a first tangent to the cutting edge is oriented at a first angle away from a normal plane to the cutting direction at each first point along a portion of the length of the cutting edge, and wherein a second tangent to the front surface is oriented at a second angle away from the normal plane to the cutting direction at each second point along a portion of the height of the front surface, thereby producing sliced food products.