Back to results
US 7,179,160 B2Granted
Automated apparatus and system for cooking, drying and peeling shellfish products
OwnerMichael J Hulininventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fully automated apparatus and system for processing shellfish such as shrimp and crawfish including the cooking, drying and peeling thereof. The present invention utilizes excessive heat generated by boilers to heat the dryers. The product is cooked in a brine mix that once used is transferred to a broth processing system to make a seafood flavored broth and is also injected as a fine mist into a furnace where it crystallizes into a solid product to be used as a seafood flavored salt.
Claims46
Apparatus for cooking, drying and peeling shellfish product comprising:
- a) a fluid filled conk tank for separating the shellfish product from packing ice, sea shells and other such large objects;
- b) means for automatically transporting the product to said conk tank and dumping the shellfish product into said conk tank
- c) a boiler system for supplying heated brine and cooking the shellfish product therein, said boiler system comprising:
- i) a brine mixing tank including means for introducing water therein and means for introducing salt therein to create a brine solution of a predetermined concentration in which the shellfish product is to be cooked;
- ii) a primary seafood boiler for retaining brine obtained from said brine mixing tank and maintaining said brine at a constant, predetermined temperature;
- and
- iii) a conduit extending between said brine mixing tank and said primary seafood boiler for selectively transporting of brine to primary mixing tank;
- and
- iv) at least one auxiliary boiler in line with said conduit for heating said brine to the desired temperature and storing the brine therein until called for to replenish used brine that has been removed from said primary seafood boiler;
- and
- d) means for automatically transferring the shellfish product from said conk tank to said boiler system.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.