Food product breading device

A machine for coating food products with particulate breading material comprising:

• a. a battering unit for applying a fluent batter to a food product comprising a batter reservoir and a battering unit conveyor system for delivering food products from said batter reservoir;
• b. a breading unit for applying particulate breading to the food product comprising a breading station at which breading is applied to the product and a breading unit conveyor system for delivering food products from said battering unit to said breading station;
• c. said battering unit supported above said breading unit and comprising a battering unit conveyor system that propels the food product in a first generally horizontal direction through the battering unit, said battering unit conveyor system having a distal end that delivers food products to said breading unit conveyor system;
• d. said breading unit conveyor system propelling food product toward said breading station in a second direction that is generally opposite to said first direction, said breading unit conveyor system comprising first and second food product conveyors, said first conveyor located adjacent and below said distal end, said second food product conveyor located below said first conveyor for delivering food products from said first conveyor to said breading station.

A food product breading machine comprising:

• a breading reservoir having a lower wall that slopes upwardly from a lower end, an end wall adjacent an upper end of said sloping wall, and an upper side;
• a breading conveyor comprising a conveyor belt disposed in said reservoir with a first conveyor run extending generally horizontally along said upper reservoir side, and a second conveyor run extending along said sloping lower wall, said conveyor moving breading material in said reservoir along said sloping lower wall toward said end wall;
• and,
• a breading discharge mechanism comprising a member that is movable to create a breading discharge opening in said reservoir that is spaced above the lower end of said sloping wall with said conveyor operable to deliver breading material through said discharge opening.

A food product breading unit for applying particulate breading material to food products comprising:

• a breading reservoir having ;a base section containing unused breading;
• a food product breading station at which food products are coated with breading material, said breading station located above the level of said reservoir base section;
• a conveyor system for conveying food products and breading to said breading station and discharging breaded food products from said unit, said conveyor system comprising an upper conveyor run for conveying food products and breading through said breading station, a lower conveyor run for discharging breaded food products from said unit, and a recycling run for conveying unused breading from said reservoir base section to said upper run;
• said lower run located below the level of said upper run and above the level of said reservoir base section, breaded food products from said upper run dropping onto said lower run and being discharged from the unit by said lower run.