Preparation arrangement and preparation methods for food products

Abstract

A preparation arrangement (2) for the automated cooking and dispensing of ready-to-eat portions of a food product (4), such as in particular dumplings, comprises a storage device (8) for receiving and storing the food products (4) in a cooled state, a cooking device (10) with a water container for cooking supplied food products (4) in cooking water (16), a dispensing device (12) for the portioned dispensing of the cooked food products (4), a filling device (22) for filling the food products (4) from the storage device (8) into an input area (34) of the cooking device (10), and transport means for moving cooked food products (4) towards the dispensing device (12).It is provided that the water tank of the cooking device (10) has a channel / pipe section (14) and the transport means have a conveyor screw (32) which can be driven in rotation in the channel / pipe section (14).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a preparation arrangement for the automated cooking and dispensing of ready-to-eat portions of a food product, in particular filled dumplings such as pelmeni, according to the preamble of claim 1, and to a preparation method using this preparation arrangement. For this purpose, the preparation arrangement comprises a storage device for receiving and storing the food products, in particular in a chilled or frozen state, a cooking device with a water container for cooking supplied food products in hot cooking water, a dispensing device for dispensing the cooked food in portions, a filling device for filling stored food products from the storage device into the cooking device, and transport means for moving cooked food products to the dispensing device.

[0002] EP0511945A2 discloses a device for storing and portion-cooking frozen pasta dishes. The device comprises two baskets, each of which can be automatically filled, immersed in boiling water, and then emptied via a dispensing device. For this purpose, the baskets are mounted on a pivoting mechanism.

[0003] A disadvantage of the known preparation device is that, on the one hand, the preparation capacity is severely limited by the two receiving baskets and, on the other hand, for the preparation in the two baskets, all other required preparation means from the filling device of the stored food products to the dispensing via the dispensing device must be provided in duplicate, which increases both the manufacturing costs of the preparation device and the preparation costs of the food products.

[0004] The object of the invention is to avoid the aforementioned disadvantages in a generic preparation arrangement, to provide a higher preparation capacity and to reduce costs.

[0005] This object is achieved by a preparation arrangement having the features of claim 1. The water tank of the cooking device has a channel / pipe section, and the transport means comprise a conveyor screw that can be driven to rotate in the channel / pipe section. This enables the cooking or boiling of the food products and their simultaneous, continuous transport during this cooking process. In this way, a high preparation capacity of the preparation arrangement can be achieved without having to operate several cooking devices in parallel. As a result, both the manufacturing costs of the preparation arrangement itself and its operating costs, or the costs for preparing the food products, are relatively low.

[0006] It is particularly advantageous if the screw conveyor, in conjunction with the depth of the thread and the cooking water contained therein, forms a transport area for a pre-portioned amount of food products between each pair of facing thread flanks. This allows the food products to be prepared in predefined and separate portions and transported to the dispensing device. The ready-to-eat portions can then be made available to consumers at the dispensing device one after the other at short intervals.

[0007] Advantageously, the gutter / pipe section forms part of a water circuit used to repeatedly heat and purify the cooking water. This minimizes both water and energy consumption of the cooking system.

[0008] It is advantageous if the water circuit has a continuous flow heater for heating the cooking water, in order to be able to set and maintain a preferred temperature of the cooking water, particularly in conjunction with appropriate sensors and control electronics.

[0009] In addition, the water circuit has a filter device for separating residues from the cooking water in order to be able to continuously separate any residues that may arise in the cooking water, such as dough or filling particles detached from the food products, from the water circuit during the cooking process.

[0010] Advantageously, the water circuit at an inlet area of ​​the cooking device forms turbulence means to generate turbulent flows or eddies in the cooking water. This turbulence can prevent the food products added to the inlet area from sticking together, despite the cooling of the cooking water by the chilled food products.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the preparation arrangement, the food products are received in the storage device in poured form, and the filling device has portioning means for the pre-portioned introduction of the food products into the cooking device. This enables easy filling or refilling of the storage device and the use of food products even from larger containers. The portioning means allow the food products to be divided into desired portion sizes, such as, in particular, predetermined individual portions, regardless of the quantity stored in the storage device. The portion size can be predetermined based on the number and / or weight of the food products. The portioning means can be formed by any known and suitable portioning device.

[0012] As an alternative to portioning using the portioning means of the storage device, the food products can be pre-portioned and stored in the storage device and transferred into the cooking device using the filling device. This allows the storage device and the preparation arrangement to be manufactured more simply and cost-effectively.

[0013] In addition, it is advantageous if a heat lock is arranged between the storage device and the cooking device, whereby the energy consumption of the cooking device can be reduced and a heat flow towards the storage device with the cooled food products accommodated therein can be blocked.

[0014] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the cooking device comprises a pre-cooking device for pre-cooking the food products supplied from the storage device, an intermediate storage device for receiving the pre-cooked food products, and a final cooking device downstream of the intermediate storage device, by means of which the food products can be fully cooked and ready for consumption. The intermediate storage device allows multiple portions of pre-cooked food products to be prepared, which can be fully cooked in a relatively short time as needed and made available for dispensing at the dispensing device. This allows, for example, multiple portions to be prepared in preparation for an upcoming peak period for which a larger number of orders are expected, in order to be able to process the orders one after the other in a shorter time.

[0015] Advantageously, the final cooking device has a second conveyor screw, through which the pre-portioned and fully cooked food products can be dispensed or made available at the dispensing device continuously and in relatively large quantities as required.

[0016] Furthermore, it is advantageous to provide control electronics for controlling the temperature of the cooking water and the cooking time of the food products in the cooking device, as well as the rotation speed of the conveyor screw. Using the control electronics, the temperature of the cooking water and the speed of the conveyor screw can be controlled depending on incoming orders, ensuring optimized cooking results and rapid dispensing of the ordered portions at the dispensing device.

[0017] Advantageously, the temperature of the cooking water and the length of the cooking time can be adjusted depending on the food products stored in the storage device. For this purpose, control-relevant data of the stored food products can be entered or stored in the control electronics, allowing the cooking process to be adapted to the food products. For this purpose, control data can be attached to the packaging of the food products. This data is entered into the control electronics or is present in the form of a barcode, RFID chip, or similar, and is automatically read by a reading device in the control electronics when the storage device is filled. In any case, this ensures a consistently high quality of the finished cooked food products.

[0018] Furthermore, it is advantageous if the dispensing device is provided with a container dispenser that can be synchronized with the screw conveyor and / or the transport means, via which stored serving containers, such as trays, cups, boxes, plates, or bowls, can be individually prepared for portioned filling with the cooked food products. In this way, the prepared food products can be conveniently made available to the respective consumer in pre-portioned portions for consumption.

[0019] Advantageously, at least one additional flavor and / or seasoning dispenser is arranged on the dispensing device, by means of which seasonings such as broth, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, or the like are provided in order to enable consumers to conveniently add additional seasoning after removing the prepared food products.

[0020] In addition, it is advantageous if at least the storage device, the cooking device and the dispensing device are accommodated in a common device housing in order to enable easy handling and provision, for example in a fast-food restaurant, a snack bar, a canteen, a grocery store or the like.

[0021] Furthermore, the above-mentioned object is achieved by a method for preparing ready-to-eat portions, i.e. in particular single-person portions, of filled dumplings such as pelmeni, which method is carried out by means of a preparation arrangement in one of the above-mentioned embodiments. In a storage step, the food products are stored in a chilled or frozen state. In a subsequent cooking step, the chilled food products are fed into the cooking device and cooked or boiled by the latter. In a further subsequent dispensing step, the fully cooked food products are further fed to the dispensing device in ready-to-eat portions, i.e. in particular as single-person portions. During the cooking step, the food products are continuously moved in the cooking device along a transport direction.In this way, the cooking device can be used continuously to cook portions of food products transported through it one after the other. This, in turn, allows the overall cooking capacity of the preparation system to be increased without having to provide additional cooking devices.

[0022] In a particularly preferred embodiment of the preparation method, the food products are continuously moved through the cooking water in the cooking device along a straight transport direction. This allows the food products to be cooked in the cooking water particularly easily and for a limited time while simultaneously being moved toward the transport device. This continued transport of the food products in the transport direction during the cooking process saves time and increases the preparation capacity of the preparation device.

[0023] In a particularly preferred embodiment of the preparation method, the food products are first precooked in the precooking device during the cooking step, then temporarily stored in the precooked state in the intermediate storage device, and finally finished cooking in the final cooking device. This allows several portions of the food products to be precooked and then kept ready. In the event of higher demand, the temporarily stored portions can then be fully cooked one after the other in a relatively short time and made available for dispensing at the dispensing device.

[0024] Advantageously, the temperature of the cooking water and the residence time of the food products in the cooking water, or the rotational speed of the at least one conveyor screw, are controlled by means of the control electronics in order to ensure optimal cooking of the food products.

[0025] It is advantageous if the temperature and the dwell time are controlled depending on the food products to be prepared in order to be able to adapt the control to different food products.

[0026] Advantageously, the cooking step and the dispensing step are automated depending on a corresponding control input from a consumer in order to enable particularly simple and convenient preparation and dispensing of the ready-to-eat food products.

[0027] It is pointed out that all features of the subject matter according to the invention described above are interchangeable or combinable with one another, unless an exchange or combination thereof is excluded for technical reasons.

[0028] The figures illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the invention. They show: Fig. 1 a partially sectioned view of a preparation arrangement, Fig. 2 an enlarged view of a cooking device of the preparation arrangement according to Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 a view of the preparation arrangement according to Fig. 2 with an alternative embodiment of a storage device.

[0029] Fig. Figure 1 shows a preparation system 2 for the automated cooking or frying and dispensing of food products 4 in the form of dumplings, such as pelmeni, by the consumer. Dispensing to the respective consumer occurs in ready-to-eat portions, such as single-person portions. For this purpose, the preparation system 2 essentially comprises a storage device 8, a cooking device 10, and a dispensing device 12, which are housed, for example, in a common device housing 6.

[0030] The storage device 8 serves to receive and store the food products 4 in a chilled, in particular frozen, state. The cooking device 10 has at least one channel / pipe section 14 serving as a water container, in which cooking water 16 is received and can be heated to boiling. The dispensing device 12 has a housing opening 18 and serves to provide a serving container 20, for example in the form of a cardboard bowl, in which a predetermined portion, such as in particular a single-person portion, of the respectively prepared food product 4 can be received.

[0031] Between the storage device 8 and the cooking device 10, a filling device 22 is also provided, by means of which the cooled food products 4 can be filled from the storage device 8 into the cooking device 10. Portioning means 24 are provided on the storage device 8 for filling the food products 4 in predetermined portion sizes. These can have any known and suitable forms by means of which the food products 4 can be delivered to the cooking device 10 in predetermined portions and continuously, such as a gear or worm gear arrangement or a flap arrangement.

[0032] In addition to the filling device 22 for dispensing the food products 4, at least one additional dispensing device 25 can be provided in the preparation arrangement 2, by means of which additives for the cooking water 16, such as in particular oil or salt, can be dispensed in a controlled manner.

[0033] In the embodiment of the preparation arrangement 2 according to Fig. 1, the channel / pipe section 14 serves as a pre-cooking device 15 of the cooking device 10. A transport device 26 is connected downstream of this pre-cooking device, which serves to transport the pre-cooked food products 4 in the direction of the dispensing device 12. The transport device 26 is formed, for example, by a conveyor belt and forms part of an intermediate storage device 28. A final cooking device 30 of the cooking device 10 is connected downstream of this intermediate storage device 28 in the direction of the dispensing device 12.

[0034] As is particularly evident from Fig. As can be seen from Figure 2, a conveyor screw 32 is arranged in the channel / pipe section 14 of the pre-cooking device 15, by means of which the food products 4 filled into the cooking water 16 can be continuously displaced from an input area 34 along a straight transport direction towards a first transfer area 36. At this transfer area 36, ​​the end food products 4 can be transferred to the transport device 26 by means of the conveyor screw 32 and / or separate first transfer means 38, which act, for example, in the manner of a ramp.

[0035] The conveyor screw 32 forms a transport area 42 between each two mutually facing thread flanks 40 in connection with the channel / pipe section 14 and the cooking water 16 received therein, in which a pre-portioned amount of the food products 4 can be received.

[0036] For heating or boiling the cooking water 16, the channel / pipe section 14 forms part of a water circuit 44, which is passed through a continuous-flow heater 46. A filter device 48 is connected upstream of the continuous-flow heater 46, by means of which particles separated from the food products 4 during a cooking process can be filtered out of the cooking water 16.

[0037] Furthermore, a control valve 47 can be provided on the water circuit 44, via which the cooking water 16 can be fed to an outlet 49 instead of the filter device 48, for example after a predetermined period of use, in order to remove it from the cooking device 10. In order to be able to refill with fresh cooking water 16 during or after the dispensing of the cooking water 16, a fresh water valve 50 is also provided, via which fresh cooking water 16 can be poured into the cooking device 10 as needed, for example into the input area 34. The fresh water valve 50 can be controlled, for example, via a sensor device 51, by means of which a falling below a predetermined level of the cooking water 16 can be detected and signaled in order to open the fresh water valve 50.

[0038] The cooking water 16 heated by the continuous flow heater 46 can be introduced into the input area 34 via turbulence means T in order to generate swirls and turbulent flows therein, which prevent the newly added food products 4 from sticking together.

[0039] In order to reduce the heat losses of the cooking device 10 during a cooking process, a heat lock 52 can be provided between the input area 34 and the filling device 22, as shown in particular in Fig. 2. For this purpose, the heat lock 52 can, as shown, have at least one flap 54 pre-tensioned in the closed position and displaceable into an open position by the dispensed food products 4, or can be formed by any other known and suitable lock arrangement by means of which an ascending heat flow from the cooking device 10 towards the storage device 8 can be blocked.

[0040] As from Fig. As can also be seen from Figure 1, the transport device 26 of the intermediate storage device 28 forms a plurality of separate transport sections 56, in which the pre-cooked food products 4 transferred at the first transfer area 36 can be arranged and transported separately from one another in portions. Furthermore, the intermediate storage device 28 has a heating device 58, by means of which the temperature of the pre-cooked food products 4 received therein can be maintained at a predetermined minimum value.

[0041] By means of the transport device 26, the food products 4 can be moved from the intermediate storage device 28 toward a second transfer area 60. At this second transfer area 60, the final food products 4 can be transferred to the final cooking device 30 of the cooking device 10. This device serves to finish cooking the food products 4 ready for consumption and, for this purpose, has, for example, a second channel / pipe section 62 serving as a water tank, in which a second conveyor screw 64 is arranged. The cooking water 16 collected in the second channel / pipe section 62 can be heated and purified, for example, via a dedicated second water circuit 66 with a second flow heater 68 and a second filter 70.

[0042] In this case, a control valve 47' can also be provided on the second water circuit 66, via which the cooking water 16 can be fed to an outlet 49' instead of the filter 70, for example after a predetermined period of use, in order to remove it from the final cooking device 30. In order to also provide a sufficient amount of cooking water 16 in the final cooking device 30 during or after this discharge, a fresh water valve 50' is also provided here, via which fresh cooking water 16 can be filled into the final cooking device 30 as needed. The fresh water valve 50' can be controlled, for example, via a sensor device 51', by means of which a falling below a predetermined level of the cooking water 16 can be detected and signaled in order to open the fresh water valve 50'.

[0043] Alternatively, the cooking water 16 in the final cooking device 30 can also be heated and purified via the first water circuit 44 in a manner not shown in detail. The temperature of the cooking water 16 can be set to the same or different temperatures in the two channel / pipe sections 14, 62.

[0044] By means of the second conveyor screw 64, the food products 4 transferred into the cooking water 16 at the second transfer area 60 can be displaced along a straight transport direction in the channel / pipe section 62 in the direction of a third transfer area 72, at which they are in turn transferred to the dispensing device 12 by means of the second conveyor screw 64 and / or ejection means 74.

[0045] Both the first conveyor screw 32 of the pre-cooking device 15, the portioning means 24 of the filling device 22, the transport device 26 of the intermediate storage device 28 as well as the second conveyor screw 64 of the final cooking device 30 and the control and fresh water fittings 47, 47', 50, 50' can be motor-driven or adjustable in a manner not shown in detail, wherein the drive is controlled by means of control electronics 76 according to Fig. 1, which is also accommodated in the device housing 6 for this purpose. The temperature of the cooking water 16 can preferably also be controlled by means of the control electronics 76 in order to match this temperature to the residence time of the food products 4 in the cooking water 16, which depends on the rotational speed of the respective conveyor screw 32, 64. To activate the preparation arrangement 2, a control panel 78 is also arranged on the device housing 6, which is also connected to the control electronics 76.

[0046] The preparation of the food products 4 in question proceeds as follows: Before carrying out a preparation process, the storage device 8 must first be filled with the food products 4. The food products 4 are stored in the storage device 8 as a loose bulk according to Fig. 1 kept ready.

[0047] Fig. 3 shows an alternative embodiment of the storage device 8, in which the food products 4 are accommodated in interchangeable receiving cassettes 80. This allows the food products 4 to be arranged within the receiving cassettes 80 in a predetermined manner and, if necessary, pre-portioned. Preferably, several receiving cassettes 80 can be accommodated in the storage device 8, which can be automatically positioned, swapped in position, and ejected by a mechanism not shown in detail. The emptying of one of the receiving cassettes 80 takes place automatically by means of the filling device 22 in response to a signal from the control electronics 76. The emptied cassettes 80 can, as shown by way of example, be automatically ejected from the storage device 8 by the filling device 22.

[0048] In any case, the picked-up food products 4 are first stored and kept ready in a storage step in the chilled or frozen state within the storage device 8.

[0049] By entering a corresponding control signal or by a payment process on the control panel 78 according to Fig. 1, a consumer can start the preparation arrangement 2. This activates the filling device 22, which ejects a predetermined number or quantity of food products 4 from the storage device 8 and thereby fills them into the input area 34 of the cooking device 10 or the pre-cooking device 15. The dispensing takes place through the heat lock 52 to prevent the storage device 8 from being exposed to heat by a heat flow coming from the cooking device 10.

[0050] The filling process of the filling device 22 is coordinated via the control electronics 76 with the rotational movement of the conveyor screw 32, so that the food products 4 are received in a cooking step in the input area 34 in the predetermined number or quantity in portions within a respective transport area 42 and are transported therein through the cooking water 16 heated in the channel / pipe section 14 to the first transfer area 60. At this point, the now pre-cooked food products 4 are then transferred by means of the transfer means 38 from the pre-cooking device 15 to the intermediate storage device 28 according to Fig. 1.

[0051] During transfer to the intermediate storage device 28, the pre-cooked portions of the food products 4 are each picked up in one of the transport sections 56 of the transport device 26 and kept at a minimum temperature by the heating device 58. By means of the transport device 26, the pre-portioned and pre-cooked food products 4 can be moved directly to the second transfer area 60 and transferred to the final cooking device 30. Alternatively, several portions of the pre-cooked food products 4 can be temporarily stored in the intermediate storage device 28 in order to be transferred to the final cooking device 30 at short intervals one after the other as needed.

[0052] In the final cooking device 30, the incoming pre-cooked food products 4 are always placed into the cooking water 16 of the second channel / pipe section 62. The transfer of the pre-cooked food products 4 into the final cooking device 30 is again coordinated with the rotational movement of the second conveyor screw 64 via the control electronics 56, so that the food products 4 are picked up in portions within a second transport area 65 of the second conveyor screw 64. In the second channel / pipe section 62, the food products 4 are reheated and simultaneously transported through the cooking water 16 to the third transfer area 72. At this point, the cooking step is concluded by the transfer of the food products 4 from the final cooking device 30 to the dispensing device 12 by means of the ejection means 74.

[0053] In order to enable optimal preparation even with different food products 4 during the entire cooking step, the rotational speed of the conveyor screws 32, 64 or the cooking time and the cooking temperature of the cooking device 10 and the final cooking device 30 can be controlled by means of the control electronics 76 depending on control data 82 of the food products 4 received in the storage device 8. The control data 82 can be attached to the receiving cassettes 80, for example, in the form of a bar code or stored on a chip in a readable manner, as shown in Fig. 3. The control data 82 can be read out by a readout device 84, which is also mounted on the device housing 6 and is connected to the control electronics 76.

[0054] After transferring the fully cooked food products 4 to the ejection means 74 according to Fig. 1, a dispensing step takes place in which the fried food products 4 are fed to the dispensing device 12 in the predetermined portion, ready for consumption. In this device, the fully cooked food products 4 are dispensed in the predetermined portions into one of the serving containers 20. For this purpose, the ejection movement of the ejection means 74 or the rotational movement of the second conveyor screw 64 is coordinated by means of the control electronics 56 with a container dispenser 86, from which an individual serving container 20 is dispensed and positioned such that it can be filled with the relevant food products 4 and then removed from the device housing 6 of the preparation arrangement 2 by the consumer via the container opening 18.

[0055] In this way, all steps required for the preparation of the food products 4 can be carried out completely automatically within the device housing 6, depending on the control input of the consumer. In addition, as shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 1, a seasoning dispenser 88 is provided on the device housing 6 in order to additionally provide the freshly cooked food products 4 with seasoning broth, sauce, ketchup, mayonnaise, or mustard, depending on the consumer's taste.

[0056] It is pointed out that all elements and features of the various embodiments of the subject matter according to the invention described above are interchangeable or combinable with one another, unless an exchange or combination thereof is excluded for technical reasons. QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] EP 0511945A2

[0002]

Claims

[1] Preparation arrangement (2) for automated cooking and dispensing of ready-to-eat portions of a food product (4), such as in particular dumplings, with a storage device (8) for receiving and storing the food products (4) in a chilled state, a cooking device (10) with a water container for cooking supplied food products (4) in cooking water (16) a dispensing device (12) for the portioned dispensing of the cooked food products (4), a filling device (22) for filling the food products (4) from the storage device (8) into an input area (34) of the cooking device (10) and with means of transport for moving cooked food products (4) towards the dispensing device (12), characterized by, that the water container of the cooking device (10) has a channel / pipe section (14) and the transport means have a screw conveyor (32) that can be rotated in the channel / pipe section (14). [2] Preparation arrangement according to claim 1, characterized by , that the screw conveyor (32) forms a transport area (42) for a pre-portioned quantity of food products (4) between each pair of facing thread flanks (40). [3] Preparation arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by , that the channel / pipe section (14) forms part of a water circuit (44) which serves to repeatedly heat and clean the cooking water (16). [4] Preparation arrangement according to claim 3, characterized by , that the water circuit (44) has a flow heater (46) for heating the cooking water (16). [5] Preparation arrangement according to claim 3 or 4, characterized by, that the water circuit (44) has a filter device (48) for separating residues from the cooking water (16). [6] Preparation arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by , that the water circuit (44) at the input area (34) of the cooking device (10) has turbulence agent (T) for generating turbulence in the cooking water (16). [7] Preparation arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by , that the food products (4) are poured into the storage device (8) and the filling device (22) has portioning means (24) for pre-portioning the food products (4) into the cooking device (10). [8] Preparation arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by , that the food products (4) are pre-portioned in the storage device (10) and can be transferred into the cooking device (10) by means of the filling device (22). [9] Preparation arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized by , that a heat lock (52) is arranged between the storage device (8) and the cooking device (10). [10] Preparation arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized by , that the cooking device (10) has a pre-cooking unit (15) for pre-cooking the food products (4), an intermediate storage unit (28) for receiving pre-cooked food products (4) and a final cooking unit (30) downstream for finishing cooking the food products (4). [11] Preparation arrangement Claim 10, characterized by that the final cooking device (30) has a second screw conveyor (64). [12] Preparation arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized by , that a control electronics (76) is provided in the cooking device (10) for controlling the temperature of the cooking water (16) and the length of the cooking time of the food products (4). [13] Preparation arrangement Claim 12, characterized by , that the temperature of the cooking water (16) and the length of the cooking time can be adjusted depending on the food products (4) included in the storage device (8). [14] Preparation arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized by , that a container dispensing device (86) which can be synchronized with the screw conveyor (32; 64) and / or the means of transport is provided on the dispensing device (12), via which stocked serving containers (20) can be made available individually for portioned filling with the cooked food products (4). [15] Preparation arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized by , that at least one additional flavor and / or spice dispenser (88) is arranged on the dispensing device (12). [16] Preparation arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized by, that at least the storage device (8), the cooking device (10) and the dispensing device (12) are contained in a common device housing (6). [17] Method for preparing ready-to-eat portions of filled dumplings using a preparation arrangement (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the food products (4) are stored in a refrigerated state in a storage step, after being fed to the cooking device (10) in a subsequent cooking step using the cooking device (10) and In a subsequent dispensing step, the fully cooked food products (4) are fed into the dispensing device (12) in ready-to-eat portions, characterized by , that the food products are continuously moved in the cooking device (10) in the direction of the dispensing device during the cooking step. [18] Preparation method according to claim 17, characterized by, that the food products (4) are moved through the cooking water (16) in the cooking device (10) along a straight transport direction. [19] Preparation method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized by , that the food products (4) are first pre-cooked in the cooking step, then temporarily stored and subsequently fully cooked. [20] Preparation method according to any one of claims 17 to 19, characterized by , that the temperature of the cooking water (16) and the residence time of the food products (4) in the cooking water (16) are controlled by means of the control electronics (76). [21] Preparation arrangement according to claim 20, characterized by , that the temperature and residence time are controlled depending on the food products to be prepared (4). [22] Preparation arrangement according to one of claims 17 to 21, characterized by , that the cooking step and the output step are automated depending on a control input.

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