Method of breading food products

Abstract

A food product breading machine comprising a breading material reservoir, a breading station, a food product loading location, a discharge location from which breaded food products are discharged from the machine, and a perforate conveyor belt extending through the reservoir, the loading location, the breading station, and the discharge location. Breading material exiting the breading station falls through the conveyor and a reservoir intake opening below the conveyor belt between the breading station and the discharge location. Breaded food products remain on the belt and are conveyed to the discharge location. A breading support member is movable to a position beneath the conveyor belt between the breading station and the discharge location for preventing breading material from falling from the conveyor through the reservoir intake opening so that breading material is conveyed to the discharge location and the reservoir is emptied. A breading deflector flange projects from a reservoir wall toward the loading location for deflecting packed breading material being conveyed to the loading location that would otherwise spill from the reservoir. A one-piece breading flow restrictor defines a projecting lobe that mounds breading material at the breading station and assures that flat food products passing the breading station are fully breaded.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.