Method of grinding and cooking whole grain

The method of preparing a milled flowable granular corn or grain product on a continuous basis without the need for the addition of water or the use of a drying step using a hammer mill grinder exposed to air within an enclosure and comprising the steps of:

• maintaining the enclosure at a temperature in the range of 180.degree. to 300.degree. F. (82.degree. C. to 149.degree. C.);
• feeding the grain containing natural moisture having a moisture content of 10-15% into the interior grinder while maintaining the grinder temperature in the range of 200.degree. to 400.degree. F. (93.degree. C. to 204.degree. C.);
• circulating the air from within the grinder into the enclosure to remove moisture from the ground grain during grinding until a superheated stream atmosphere is established in the grinder and the ground grain of desired fineness is stabilized in moisture content at a level which does not require further drying;
• grinding the grain in the grinder to a desired fineness and for an interval sufficient to cook the grain at the established temperature and fineness relationship;
• and
• withdrawing the ground grain without substantially introducing unheated or dry air into the enclosure or grinder.

A method for grinding and cooking whole grain continuously in an apparatus having a grinding chamber, an outer chamber entirely surrounding the grinding chamber and a screen separating the grinding chamber and the outer chamber, which comprises:

• (a) introducing the whole grain containing moisture in the range of 10-15% into the grinding chamber without the introduction of exterior air;
• (b) impacting the grain in the grinding chamber, thereby grinding the grain to form crushed grain particles and generating heat autogenously by the impacting process in excess of a minimum cooking temperature;
• (c) providing additional heating of the outer chamber to the range of 180.degree. F. to 300.degree. F.;
• (d) passing air from the outer chamber through said grinding chamber, whereby said autogenously generated heat and said additional heating together with the moisture in th grain provide a super heated stream atmosphere in said grinding chamber;
• (e) maintaining said crushed grain particles in said superheated stream atmosphere in said grinding chamber for a sufficient time and at a sufficiently elevated temperature to cook the grain particles in the grinding chamber;
• (f) passing the crushed cooked grain particles with said air through the screen into the outer chamber;
• (g) allowing the particles of crushed grain to fall into the lower portion of the outer chamber;
• (h) recirculating the warm moist air from the outer chamber into the grinding chamber, said warm moist air picking up additional moisture from the grain introduced into the grinding chamber, and maintaining the temperature and humidity to provide said superheated stream atmosphere for said cooking of said grain in said grinding chamber;
• and
• (i) removing the collected crushed grain particles from the outer chamber without introducing exterior air;
• said crushed grain particles having a moisture content of about 5-15%, and requiring no additional drying.

The method of continuously preparing from a grain having a moisture content of 10-15% a milled cooked dry flour product suitable for making into a dough or paste, comprising the steps of:

• feeding grain into a grinding chamber having an interior volume that is maintained at a temperature in the range of approximately 240.degree. F. (120.degree. C.);
• grinding the grain in the grinding chamber to the desired fineness of an approximately #16 mesh and for an interval of the order of five seconds to cook the grain at the established temperature and fineness relationship;
• recirculating air from within the grinding chamber back into the grinding chamber without ingress of unheated or dry air to remove moisture from the ground grain during grinding until a stream atmosphere is established in the grinding chamber and the ground grain of desired fineness is stabilized in moisture content at approximately 10%;
• and
• withdrawing the ground grain without substantially introducing unheated dry air into the recirculating air.

A method for grinding corn having a moisture content of 10-15% within an enclosure to make a dry corn flour product of the type used in making tortillas and corn chip products, which corn flour product is suitable for direct addition of water to make a cohesive spreadable dough, comprising the steps of:

• feeding the corn into a corn grinder within the enclosure without introducing external air;
• frictionally grinding the corn within the grinder to a flour of a desired fineness while developing autogenous heat and further providing additional heat input in excess of a minimum cooking temperature to cook said corn and provide hot humid air within the grinder, said enclosure encompassing the corn grinder and grinding chamber and forming an enclosed environment about the grinding chamber;
• continuously recirculating hot humid air from the grinder within the enclosure exteriorly of the grinder and back into the grinder and cooking region therein to maintain a superheated steam atmosphere;
• discharging ground corn from the grinding chamber into the enclosure around the grinding chamber;
• and
• withdrawing flour product from the enclosure while maintining the enclosure sealed from the external atmosphere, so that a continual stable grinding operation is established to provide a dry flour using the initial moisture of the corn.