Vertical Flow French Fryer Steam Dissipation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for frying French fried potatoes in deep packs of strips face challenges in steam dissipation and uniform cooking due to non-vertical orientation of strips, which limits operational depth and results in non-uniform product and reduced oil turnover.
Innovation Solution
A continuous process and apparatus that uses a conveyor system with bottom oil inlets creating an upward force vector and steam 'boil' to orient potato strips vertically, allowing free steam escape and promoting uniform cooking, while also enabling deeper pack depths and faster oil turnover.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If potato strips are fried in deep packs with conventional horizontal orientation, then productivity is improved by processing larger volumes, but steam dissipation is hindered resulting in non-uniform cooking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from conventional horizontal orientation of potato strips to a vertical orientation by introducing upward-flowing cooking oil. This dimensional change in strip arrangement allows steam to escape more effectively from the center of deep packs while maintaining high productivity, thereby achieving uniform cooking throughout the product volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs hydraulic flow of cooking oil introduced through bottom inlets to create an upward force vector that orients potato strips vertically. This hydraulic mechanism enables deep pack processing with improved steam dissipation and uniform cooking without sacrificing productivity.
2Productivity
If pack depth is increased to improve productivity, then product output increases, but steam escape is restricted leading to poor cooking quality
Solution Approach 1:
By orienting potato strips vertically in deep packs rather than horizontally, the patent creates vertical pathways for steam to escape from the center of the product mass. This dimensional reconfiguration allows increased pack depth for higher productivity while eliminating steam accumulation problems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by introducing cooking oil from the bottom upward rather than from the top downward or sides. This inverted flow direction creates an upward force that orients strips vertically and facilitates steam escape from the pack center, resolving the steam accumulation issue in deep packs.
3Reliability
If conventional frying methods are used, then oil turnover is slow maintaining oil quality, but productivity is limited by shallow pack depths
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses hydraulic flow of cooking oil introduced through multiple bottom inlets to create continuous circulation through deep packs. This hydraulic system enables fast oil turnover and improved oil quality while simultaneously allowing increased pack depth for higher productivity, resolving the trade-off between oil quality and output.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes continuous circulation of cooking oil through the fryer system with multiple inlets and outlets, ensuring constant oil movement and turnover. This continuous action maintains oil quality while enabling deeper packs and higher productivity without the limitations of batch processing or slow turnover.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach ensures more uniform cooking, increases product output, and maintains better oil quality by allowing deeper pack depths and faster oil turnover, resulting in improved product consistency and reduced oil usage.
Implementation Method 1
supplying cooking oil through an oil inlet at a volume and velocity to create an upward force vector acting with the boil to orient the strips in generally vertical positions
Implementation Method 2
supplying cooking oil through the oil inlet at a volume and velocity to create an upward force vector acting with the boil
Implementation Method 3
create a boil of steam from the strips, supplying cooking oil through the oil inlet at a volume and velocity to create an upward force vector acting with the boil to orient the strips in generally vertical positions thereby permitting steam to pass freely
Implementation Method 4
A fryer pan is configured with multiple cooking oil inlets in the bottom portion thereof through which oil is pumped into the pan in upwardly moving streams
Data Source
AI summary
Cooking of French fried potatoes by facilitating a generally vertical arrangement of potato strips while in the frying operation is disclosed wherein the slices may be cooked within a very deep pack while oil is urged to flow upwardly through the pack and steam entrapment within the cooking slice pack is minimized. A conveyor belt carrying the slices through the cooker has a multiplicity of openings facilitating oil flow there through and the cooker is configured to permit oil discharge for reheating purposes both laterally and longitudinally of the processing path.