US 5,193,444 AGranted

Apparatus for heating, cooking and roasting food

AssigneeRair Systems, Inc.

InventorShlomo Bar-Sheshet

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Abstract

A forced air oven for and a method of heating, cooking or roasting granular food, such as nuts, seeds and coffee beans. The apparatus houses a hollow cylindrical drum into which food is placed. A heated gaseous stream is forced through the inside of the drum with sufficient force to blow the food away from the inside surface of the drum. In addition, perforations in the drum are positioned such that the heated gaseous stream blows the food toward a rear end of the drum and causes the food to churn. This churning allows the heated air to envelope the outside surface of the food and provides an even transmission of heat to the food. In addition, the drum is provided with a helical fin that pushes the food toward a front end of the drum. A wire mesh is also provided for collecting particles that are dislodged from the food, and an exhaust system is provided for venting the gasses created during the heating, cooking or roasting of food. Finally, the apparatus is equipped with a door that has feed and discharge gates for inserting and removing the food without opening the door.

Claims30

Dependent claims

An apparatus for heating, cooking or roasting granules of a granular food, such as nuts, seeds or coffee beans, each of said granules having an outer surface, said apparatus comprising a housing enclosing an inner chamber;

door means for allowing access to said inner chamber;
a hollow drum rotatably mounted in said inner chamber, said drum having front and rear ends and a side wall;
said front end being open and said side wall having supply and return perforations therein said supply perforations being located near said front end of said drum and said return perforations being located near said rear end of said drum, and;
fan means for supplying a heated gaseous stream into and through said hollow drum, said heated a gaseous stream entering said hollow drum through said supply perforations and exiting said hollow drum through said return perforations, said heated gaseous stream being supplied to said hollow drum with sufficient velocity to blow said granules of food towards said rear end of said drum;
means for moving a heated gaseous stream at a velocity sufficient to push said granules of food away from said wall of said drum, whereby said stream surrounds said outer surface of each of said granules;
means for preventing said granules of food from passing through said perforation in said side wall of said hollow drum;
and means for preventing said food from exiting through said open front end of said drum.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.