Food processing apparatus with non-straight lifting and agitating baffles

A food processing apparatus for heating or cooling food product comprising:

• a) a tank having an inlet end and an outlet end;
• b) a bath of water received within the tank;
• c) an auger rotatably received in the tank and having a plurality of spaced apart generally radially outwardly extending flights, each flight having a radially outer peripheral edge, with the auger flights constructed and arranged to form a generally helical food product urging surface for urging food product received in the tank toward the outlet end;
• and
• d) a plurality of lifting baffles, each of which extends substantially radially inwardly from adjacent the radially outer peripheral edge of an adjacent auger flight and which is positioned between two adjacent auger flights, so that when the auger rotates, the baffles engage food product received in the tank to agitate the food product, and wherein each baffle has a first portion, a second non-portion, with one of the portions being of non-straight construction, and the non-straight portion being generally curved to minimize impact with food product.

A food processing apparatus for heating or cooling food product comprising:

• a) a tank having an inlet end and an outlet end;
• b) a bath of water received within the tank;
• c) an auger rotatably received in the tank and having a plurality of spaced apart generally radially outwardly extending flights, each flight having an inner radial peripheral edge, with the auger flights constructed and arranged to form a generally helical food product urging surface for urging food product received in the tank toward the outlet end;
• d) a plurality of agitating baffles, each of which extends substantially radially outwardly from adjacent the inner radial peripheral edge of an auger flight and which is located between two adjacent auger flights so that when the auger rotates, the agitating baffles engage water received in the tank to agitate the water, and wherein each agitating baffle has a first non-straight portion and a second non-straight portion.

A food processing apparatus for heating or cooling food product comprising:

• a) a tank having an inlet end and an outlet end;
• b) a bath of water received within the tank;
• c) an auger rotatably received in the tank and having a plurality of spaced apart generally radially outwardly extending flights with the auger flights constructed and arranged to form a generally helical food product urging surface for urging food product received in the tank toward the outlet end;
• d) a generally cylindrical perforate sidewall forming a drum received in the tank which encloses the auger with the sidewall having an inner radial surface;
• and
• e) a plurality of spaced apart elongate rods radially inwardly emanating from the inner radial surface of the drum sidewall for separating food product received in the tank.