Oil drip frying device

Abstract

Even when the thickness of the oil film is increased, it forms a stable oil film without shrinking in the width direction. [Solution] An oil drip frying device comprising a conveyor, an oil receiver installed below the conveyor, and an oil reservoir installed above the conveyor with a slit formed at its bottom, wherein the slit has a width of 0.8 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less, extends in a direction intersecting the direction of travel of the conveyor at the bottom of the oil reservoir, and is formed to have at least two curved points, and the distance in the direction of travel of the conveyor between the curved point located closest to the direction of travel of the conveyor and the curved point located furthest rear in the direction of travel of the conveyor is 4 mm to 30 mm.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an oil-droplet dropping type frying device that performs frying of food by dropping oil droplets onto the food.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, there has been a trend towards authenticity, and the demand for full-course cooked foods (prepared dishes) in households has been increasing. Also, due to the current labor shortage, the demand for commercial frozen foods that can be provided by simply performing easy additional cooking at the store has been increasing. Furthermore, as the number of dual-income households increases, the demand for household frozen foods has also been increasing.

[0003] Under such circumstances, frozen foods cooked with oil such as deep-fried vegetables and tempura are being sold. When these foods are cooked in a conveyor-type fryer, there are concerns about overheating, burning, and deterioration of the yield. Conveyor-type fryers include a type in which a conveyor is installed in an oil tank as shown in Cited Document 1, and a shower fryer that cooks by dropping heated oil onto semi-finished products placed on a conveyor as shown in Cited Document 2.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Incidentally, shower fryers come in two types: overflow type and slit type. In the overflow type, oil overflows from the edge of an oil reservoir installed above the conveyor belt that transports food, making it difficult to change the number of oil film layers that drip down. On the other hand, in the slit type, oil drips down from slits formed at the bottom of the oil reservoir, offering the advantage that it is relatively easy to change the number of oil film layers by replacing the oil reservoir components. This allows for flexible selection of the number of oil film layers depending on the properties of the food being cooked.

[0006] However, the method of providing slits in the oil reservoir has the drawback that the slits are prone to clogging. To overcome this, one might consider widening the slit width and increasing the thickness of the dripping oil film to prevent the slits from clogging easily. However, in this case, widening the slit width is difficult because the width of the oil film shrinks due to surface tension.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide an oil droplet type frying device that can form an oil film of a stable thickness without shrinking in the width direction, even when the slit width is widened. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention provides the following: (1) An oil-dropping type frying device comprising a conveyor, an oil receiver installed below the conveyor, and an oil reservoir installed above the conveyor with a slit formed at its bottom, wherein the slit has a width of 0.8 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less, extends in a direction intersecting the direction of travel of the conveyor at the bottom of the oil reservoir, and is formed to have at least two curved points, and the distance in the direction of travel of the conveyor between the curved point located closest to the direction of travel of the conveyor and the curved point located furthest rear in the direction of travel of the conveyor is 4 mm to 30 mm. (2) The oil droplet type frying device according to (1), characterized in that the distance between adjacent slits in the direction intersecting the direction of travel of the conveyor is 2 mm to 30 mm. (3) The oil drop frying device according to (1) or (2), characterized in that a plurality of slits are formed at the bottom of the oil reservoir. (4) The oil drop type frying device according to (1) or (2), characterized in that the shape of the inflection point is a curve. (5) The oil droplet type frying device according to (4), characterized in that the points of curvature are connected by a curve. (6) The oil droplet type frying device according to (4), characterized in that the curved points are connected by a straight line. (7) The oil droplet type frying device according to (1) or (2), characterized in that the shape of the curved point is composed of a straight line. (8) The oil droplet type frying device according to (7), characterized in that the curved points are connected by a straight line. (9) The oil droplet type frying device according to (7), characterized in that the points of curvature are connected by a curve. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an oil droplet type frying device that can form an oil film of a stable thickness without shrinking in the width direction, even when the slit width is widened. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This figure shows a schematic configuration of an oil-dropping type frying device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows the arrangement of slits in an oil droplet type frying device according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] This figure shows the characteristic shape of the slits in the oil droplet type frying device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] This figure shows the specific shape of the slit in the oil droplet type frying device according to the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The following description of an oil-dropping frying apparatus according to an embodiment will be made with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of an oil-dropping frying apparatus according to an embodiment. The oil-dropping frying apparatus 2 includes a conveyor 12 for transporting food 10 to be fried, an oil receiver 14 installed below the conveyor 12, and an oil reservoir 16 installed above the conveyor 12 with a slit 16a formed at its bottom.

[0012] As shown in Figure 2, six slits 16a are formed at the bottom of the oil reservoir 16, extending in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the conveyor 2, and are spaced at predetermined intervals in the direction of travel of the conveyor 12. Each slit 16a also has at least two curved points.

[0013] Figure 3 shows the characteristic shape of the slit in the oil droplet type frying device according to the embodiment. The slit 16a has a slit width a of 0.8 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less, preferably 0.8 mm or more and 1.2 mm or less. If the slit width is less than 0.8 mm, an oil film cannot be formed, and if the slit width exceeds 2.0 mm, the oil film becomes disordered and it is not possible to form an oil film with a stable thickness.

[0014] Furthermore, in the slit 16a, the distance b in the direction of travel of the conveyor 12 between the curved point located closest to the direction of travel of the conveyor 12 and the curved point located furthest back in the direction of travel of the conveyor 12 is 4 mm to 30 mm, and the distance c in the direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the conveyor 12 between adjacent curved points is 2 mm to 30 mm. With a slit 16a that satisfies these conditions, the film thickness is stable because the flow rate of dripping oil is large. In addition, because the slit 16 has curved points, the surface tension acting on the oil film is small, and the width does not shrink even when the slit width is widened.

[0015] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the specific shape of the slit of the oil droplet dropping type fryer according to the embodiment. As for the shape of the bending points of the slit 16a being a curve and the bending points being connected by a curve, for example, a slit 16a having a sine wave shape shown in FIG. 4(a) can be used. Note that a slit in which the shape of the bending points of the slit 16a is a curve and the bending points are connected by a straight line may also be used.

[0016] Furthermore, as for the shape of the bending points of the slit 16a being composed of straight lines and the bending points being connected by a straight line, for example, a slit having a saw blade shape shown in FIG. 4(b) can be used. Note that when the shape of the bending points of the slit 16a is composed of straight lines, a slit in which the bending points are connected by a curve may also be used. Also, a slit having a shape combining trapezoids facing in opposite directions as shown in FIG. 4(c) may be used.

[0017] When frying food using the oil droplet dropping type fryer 2, the food 10 to be cooked is placed on the conveyor 12 and conveyed below the oil reservoir 16. Heated oil is stored in the oil reservoir 16 and drips from the six slits 16a. The oil dripping from the six slits 16a forms oil films 17 respectively, and the food 10 placed on the conveyor 12 is heat-cooked by the six oil films 17. Note that the oil dripping from the slit 16a is received by the oil receiver 14 disposed below the conveyor 12 and returned to the oil reservoir 16 via a circulation path not shown.

[0018] According to this oil droplet dropping type fryer 2, since the food is continuously heated by six oil films, it is possible to reduce the physical damage of the food to be cooked. Also, since the number of oil films is set to a number that matches the properties of the food to be cooked, overheating can be prevented, and burning and wilting of the food to be cooked can be suppressed.

[0019] In the above-described embodiment, six slits 16a are formed in the oil reservoir 16, but the number of slits 16a can be appropriately selected according to the properties of the food to be cooked by replacing the oil reservoir parts or the like.

[0020] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a slit 16a is formed at the bottom of the oil reservoir 16 in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the conveyor 12. However, the slit may extend in a direction that intersects the direction of travel, not just perpendicular to it. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0021] 2... Oil drip frying device, 10... Food, 12... Conveyor, 14... Oil receiver, 16... Oil reservoir, 16a... Slit, 17... Oil film

Claims

1. Conveyor, An oil tray is installed below the conveyor, An oil reservoir is installed above the conveyor and has a slit formed at its bottom, An oil-dropping type frying device comprising, The oil droplet type frying device is characterized in that the slit has a slit width of 0.8 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less, extends at the bottom of the oil reservoir in a direction intersecting the direction of travel of the conveyor, and has at least two curved points, and the distance in the direction of travel of the conveyor between the curved point located closest to the direction of travel of the conveyor and the curved point located furthest rear in the direction of travel of the conveyor is 4 mm to 30 mm.

2. The oil droplet type frying device according to claim 1, characterized in that the distance between adjacent slits in the direction intersecting the direction of travel of the conveyor is 2 mm to 30 mm.

3. The oil drip frying device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a plurality of slits are formed at the bottom of the oil reservoir.

4. The oil droplet type frying device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the shape of the curved point is a curve.

5. The oil droplet type frying device according to claim 4, characterized in that the points of curvature are connected by a curve.

6. The oil droplet type frying device according to claim 4, characterized in that the curved points are connected in a straight line.

7. The oil droplet type frying device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the shape of the curved point is composed of a straight line.

8. The oil droplet type frying device according to claim 7, characterized in that the curved points are connected in a straight line.

9. The oil droplet type frying device according to claim 7, characterized in that the points of curvature are connected by a curve.

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