Food processing apparatus
AssigneeKusel Equipment Company
InventorWayne F. Kressin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A food processing vat used to make cheese comprising a covered heated vessel that includes a pair of partially cylindrical intersecting portions forming a chamber having a figure-8 configuration and an improved means for cutting and agitating the food product received in the vat. The means for cutting and agitating comprises a plurality of curved vertically extending blades which are rigidly mounted on a frame which rotates within each cylindrical portion of the vat. The frames are secured to rotatable central shafts disposed centrally within each of the cylindrical portions, and the shafts and frames are rotated simultaneously and in such a pattern that curds and whey formed in the vat are completely stirred and uniformly agitated.
Claims9
A cheese making vat for receiving a food product and for use in making curds and a curd and whey slurry the vat including a rotating cutting and agitating means for cutting the curds and for agitating the curd and whey slurry formed in the vat, said rotating cutting and agitating means including a plurality of vertically extending and spaced apart curved blades moveable through the curds and the curd and whey slurry, said blades being curved when viewed in a generally horizontal plane, the cutting blades each have a leading edge sharpened for cutting the curds and a body portion in trailing relationship to the cutting edge with respect to the direction of movement of the blades, the body portion being curved whereby the blade causes agitation of the slurry when moved through the slurry.
A cheese making apparatus comprising a vat for receiving a food product and for use in making curds and a curd and whey slurry, the vat including a rotating cutting and agitating means for cutting the curds and agitating the curd and whey slurry formed in the vat, said rotating means including a plurality of vertically extending curved blades, the blades each having a leading edge sharpened for cutting the curds and a body portion in trailing relationship to the cutting edge with respect to the direction of movement of the blades the body portion being curved whereby the blades cause agitation of the slurry when moved through the slurry, and a drive means for rotating said cutting and agitating means, said rotating cutting and agitating means further including vertical shaft means rotatably mounted within said vat, a blade supporting frame secured to said vertical shaft means for rotation therewith and extending radially outwardly from said shaft, said frame rigidly supporting said plurality of vertically extending curved blades in spaced relation whereby said blades may rotate for cutting and agitating said food product.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.