EP0478042A1 - Method and apparatus to produce exagonal french fries - Google Patents

Abstract

Method and cutting device (3) for forming hexagonal chips, the cutting of the potato being carried out continuously by the removal of hexagonal chips, with the possible formation of a profiled piece of potato in successive sections and the supplying of hexagonal chips, the device being formed from cutting blades (5) having been folded in a zig-zag manner assembled to each other in such a way as to form channels of hexagonal cross-section. <IMAGE>

Description

Fried potato is part of international cuisine in its square or rectangular shape. Although other shapes have been considered, including the hexagonal shape, these have never been commercially successful.

Both the difficulties of industrial production and the ignorance of the particular nutritional properties prevented the use in particular of French fries.

In American patent USA-2376408 J.P. Whann describes a hand appliance composed of a fixed knife and a mobile knife with folded blades so as to be able to obtain, among others, a hexagonal fry.

Later Hudema in the German patent application DE-OS 2915997 describes the well-known household appliance used for cutting vegetables into sticks by pushing the vegetable in question by means of a pusher through a grid, the latter being structured according to the shape sought ea and honeycomb to obtain a product of hexagonal section.

These two patents relate to processes which relate to household crafts and cannot be considered as industrial processes for continuous massive production.

In reality when it comes to fried potatoes, we are confronted on the one hand by the irregular shape of the potatoes, and on the other hand by an irregular structure in its composition.

Massive production of french fries uses different systems, which until now have never been applied to hexagonal fries.

The invention relates to both the manufacturing process, the cutting device used in this process and the hexagonal fries obtained by this process.

A first cutting device used in the manufacturing process according to the invention of hexagonal fries is characterized by an assembly of knife blades, each blade being zigzagly folded successively on one side at an angle of 120 ° relative to to the main direction, then by an angle of 120 ° to resume the main direction, before being folded again by an angle of 120 ° in the same direction and then to resume by a new angle of 12O this main direction so as to alternate the segments parallel to the axis of the knife blade with respect to this axis.

The cutting device used in the manufacturing process according to the invention of hexagonal fries is further characterized in that the knife blades are mounted together, two by two, so that each blade forms with its blade next to a hexagonal channel.

The device used in the manufacturing process according to the invention of hexagonal fries is further characterized in that the knife blades are mounted symmetrically with respect to the same longitudinal plane of symmetry of the potato inlet tube and from the exit of the fries and in such a way that the distance of each blade to this plane decreases successively by 0.75 times the dimension of the side of the hexagon formed by two blades placed face to face until these two blades symmetrical become contiguous.

In an alternative to the cutting device used in the process according to the invention, the segments parallel to the axis of the knife blade have a length equal to a portion of the width of the blade, each knife blade being assembled to a adjacent blade whose segments parallel to the axis of the blade have a length complementary to those of the first blade so as to form together the width of the knife blade.

The method for manufacturing hexagonal fries according to the invention is characterized in that, after washing and removing the peel, the potato passes through a cutting device, formed by an assembly of knife blades, each blade being folded in zigzagging successively on one side at an angle of 120 ° to the main direction, then at an opposite direction angle to resume the main direction, before being folded again by an angle of 120 " in the same direction, and then resume by folding a new angle of 120 in the opposite direction to the previous folding, the main direction of the axis of the knife blade so as to alternate the segments parallel to the axis of the knife blade with respect to this axis.

In an alternative to the cutting device used in the process according to the invention, knife blades can be replaced by a plate with multiple blades of the same shape obtained by cutting and corresponding folding.

The method of manufacturing hexagonal fries according to the invention is characterized in that after washing and removing the peel, the potato is gradually cut in successive steps from an outer side, giving rise to each step, on the one hand to hexagonal fries and on the other hand to a piece of potato profiled according to a zig-zag cut with equal sides forming between them angles of 120 °.

Other characteristics and advantages of the cutting devices used in the process according to the invention for the manufacture of French-style fries will emerge from the description of such a process illustrated by means of the appended figures.

FIG. 1 represents a longitudinal section of a cutting device according to the invention for the manufacture of hexagonal fried potatoes.

Figure 2 shows a knife blade in perspective.

3 shows a cross section of the cutting device shown in Figure 1 along the plane A'A '.

FIG. 4a represents a perspective view of the assembly of the knife blades.

Figure 4b shows a perspective view of the assembly of multi-blade knives.

Figure 5 shows a cross section of the same device along the plane BB '.

Figures 6a, b, c, d, e, f, g show the cross sections of the piece of potato after each step of the cutting process according to the invention.

FIG. 7a represents a cross section of one half of the drum comprising a knife blade, according to an alternative solution of the method according to the invention.

Figure 7b shows a cross section of half of the drum, shown in Figure 7a, along the plane AA '.

Figure 7c shows a cross section of half of the drum, shown in Figure 7a, along the plane BB '.

Figures 8a and 8b show a knife blade according to an alternative of the cutting device according to the invention, in which the segments parallel to the axis of the blade have a length equal to a portion of the width of the blade, the length of these segments of the blade B being complementary to those of the blade A, together forming a length equal to that of the width of the knife blade.

FIG. 9 represents the assembly of two blades A and B, after welding the segments to one another along their contiguous vertical edges.

Figure 10 shows the assembly of several blades A, B, A ', B', in order to form a grid in the form of a honeycomb.

In a first industrial manufacturing process for hexagonal french fries, the potatoes are handled by streams of water at high pressure. After washing, the peel is removed, for example in rotary drums fitted with scrapers. Then the potatoes are dragged one after the other in a tubular pipe by a current of water that can reach 80 km / hour.

The cutting of potatoes in the form of French fries is done by means of a device introduced between two segments of this pipe.

In the device according to the invention as shown in Figure 1, the peeled potato (1), coming from the pipe (2) enters the cutting device (3) to exit through the pipe (4 ) in the form of French fries, which are taken to a draining installation, to then be optionally pre-cooked and frozen or vacuum-packed.

In the process according to the invention, a cutting device (3) is used, characterized in that it consists of an assembly of knife blades (5) of particular shape.

Each knife blade (5.5 ', ...) as shown in Figure 2 is zigzagged on either side of the same axis so that each successive segment (6', 7 ', 8', 9 ', 10', 11 '...) make an angle of 120 ° with each of the adjacent segments, while having the same dimensions, the length of the segment corresponding to the width of the blade, and the width of each segment, corresponding to the dimension of the side of the fry to be manufactured.

Thus by joining two knife blades (5, 5 ') so as to make a series of segments (8, 12) of the blade (5) coincide located in a plane parallel to a longitudinal plane of symmetry with a corresponding series of segments (8 ', 12') of the other blade (5 '), one obtains in cross section (fig. 3) the formation of hexagonal channels formed by the segments (9, 9') (10, 10 ') (11, 11') of the two blades (5 and 5 ') located opposite each other.

3 shows a cross section along the plane A A 'of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the current. The two blades (5 and 5 ') meet along a median longitudinal plane, and alternately comprise a hexagonal channel, and an open channel on either side of this plane.

The cutting device according to the invention for the production of hexagonal fried potatoes is further characterized in that the knife blades (5, 5 ') (13, 13') (14, 14 '), ... are mounted symmetrically with respect to this median longitudinal plane of the inlet tube (2) and this with a certain difference measured in the direction of the current (fig. 4).

At the two ends of the blades (19,19 ') fixed to the sleeve (20) in the part furthest from the axis (21) of the sleeve (20), are fixed the blades (18,18') so that the open channels of the blades (18, 18 ') on the side of the blades (19,19') constitute the symmetrical extension of the open channels of these blades (19, 19 '), thus together forming a hexagonal section.

The following blades (17, 17 ') are fixed in a new groove of the sleeve at a distance from the blades (18, 18') equal to 0.75 the dimension of the side of the hexagonal section, so that the segments furthest from the median plane (21) of the blades (17, 17 ') coincide in projection with the segments of the blades (18, 18') most close to the median plane (21) thus forming together new channels of projective hexagonal section towards the outside, and new channels open towards the median plane (21). At the ends of the blades (17, 17 ') are fixed blades (16, 16') in the same way as the blades (18, 18 ') to the blades (19, 19') and so on, until the moment where the blades (5, 5 ') fixed to the blades (13, 13') have their inner segments which coincide with the median plane (21) together forming closed channels of hexagonal section as described above.

In an alternative to the cutting device as shown in Figure 4b, the knife blades (5,13,14, 15 and 16) and respectively (5 ', 13', 14 ', 15' and 16 ') instead to be fixed to each other, are formed from a knife plate (28, 29) cut and folded in order to achieve the same cut, the two plates (28) and (29) being mounted contiguous to the right of the segments of the blades (5) and (5 ') as before. This device offers the advantage of greater resistance to the force of the water current.

Finally, if we take a transverse projection as shown in Figure 5, we obtain a honeycomb cutting structure, but spreading in space over a certain distance (see Figure 1) in the direction of the current until the knife blades (5 and 5 ') have their joined segments in the median plane.

The cutting device according to the invention comprises a sleeve (20) which can be fixed on the pipe (2) for the arrival of the potatoes (1). To this sleeve (20) is fixed a cylindrical outer body (24) comprising inside flat bases (22 and 23) over the entire length of the cylinder (24) and allowing the attachment of the knife blades (5, 5 ' , 13, 13 ', ...) between these fixing bases (22 and 23) and perpendicular to these bases (22 and 23) the width of the blades being in the direction of the median longitudinal plane.

The manufacturing method according to the invention of hexagonal fried potatoes, comprising a supply of a cutting device by water current is characterized by the use of a device as it has been described allowing progressive cutting of the potato (1) starting from the outside, and first forming notches by the open channels formed upstream of the knife blades with which the potato comes into contact, these notches then being finished in fries of hexagonal section under the cut of the knife blades downstream (fig. 4) leaving the rest of the potato (see figure 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6th, 6f, 6g) in a profiled form with notches. From this profiled piece of potato new hexagonal fries are removed by the following knives and so on to the last fries located at the right of the median plane (21) of the sleeve (20).

These hexagonal section fries are of higher quality because they are less fatty than the corresponding square or rectangular fries.

In an alternative (Fig. 7a, 7b, 7c) the method of manufacturing hexagonal fries according to the invention, not comprising a stream of water entraining the potato, but using the centrifugal force obtained in a drum (25) rotating at high speed, is characterized in that the potato, driven by the centrifugal face towards the outside of the drum (25) is pushed against a cutting block fixed to the surface of the outer mantle of the drum and comprising a blade knife (5) (Figures 2,7a and 7b) as previously described so as to cut the contact surface of the potato along a profile equal to the profile obtained by one of the two symmetrical blades of the method described above. Immediately after this knife block, the profiled potato is held by the pusher under the effect of the centrifugal face, against the surface of the mantle having grooves (26) parallel to the profile of the knife blade (5) (figure 7b and 7c) each groove (26) comprising a small blade (27) making an angle of 12O with the adjacent side of this groove, so as to cut from the profiled potato hexagonal fries, corresponding.

The profiled piece of potato, still under the pressure of centrifugal force, passes to the next knife block, cutting a new series of hexagonal fries while forming a new profiled surface equal to half of a section shown in FIG. 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6th, 6f, 6g. The operation continues until the potato is completely transformed into hexagonal fries, received in a receptacle as it is of known use.

In an alternative, the cutting device according to the invention is composed by the assembly of knife blades as shown in Figures 8a and 8b.

Each blade being zigzagged on either side of the same axis (30) so that each successive segment makes an angle of 120 "with each of the adjacent segments, the device is characterized in that each segment ( 1,2) of each blade, parallel to the axis of the blade, has a length equal to a portion of the width of the blade, the length L of these segments parallel to the axis for the blade B being complementary to that segments parallel to the axis for the blade A, so as to constitute together a segment parallel to the axis of length equal to the width of the blade, the segments inclined relative to the axis of the blade having a length equal to the width of the blade. The width of all segments is equal to the side of the hexagonal section of the cut fries.

More particularly, the complementary blades A and B, represented respectively in FIGS. 8a and 8b, have segments parallel to the axis (30) of the blade (110, 111, 112, 113, 200, 210, 220, 230, 240 and 300, 310, 311, 320, 330, 340, 400, 410, 420, 430, 440) of identical size and the length of which is equal to half the width of the knife blade.

In addition the blades A and B are complementary to each other in that starting from their upper segments parallel to the axis of the blade, respectively (100 and 400) the respective adjacent segments (500 and 600) make respectively a negative and positive angle of 120 with the segments considered (100 and 400).

Then the following segments, respectively (200 and 300), take a position parallel to the axis of the blade by a new folding respectively of a positive and negative angle of 120 ° with the preceding segments (100 and 400), while performing the alternation (left, right) of these parallel segments with respect to the axis (30) of the blade.

Furthermore, considering the blade A (fig. 8a) in the direction of the arrow, the upper segment (100) parallel to the axis (30) occupies the rear part of the blade, while the upper segment (400) (fig. 8b) of blade B occupies the front part of blade B.

After the double folding of 120 ° the segment (200), parallel to the axis (30) of the blade A, occupies the front place of the blade A while after the same operation of the double folding of 120 °, the segment (300) parallel to the axis of the blade B occupies the rear position of the blade B.

In this way the segments (100, 110, 120, 130, 140) parallel to the axis of the blade A are located at the rear of the blade, while after the double folding, the segments (200, 210, 220, 230, 240) parallel to the axis of the blade A are located at the front of the blade A.

Conversely and complementary to the blade A, the segments (400, 410, 420, 430, 440) parallel to the axis of the blade B are located at the front of the blade B alternating with the blades (300, 310 , 320, 330, 340) parallel to the axis of the blade B which are at the rear of the blade B.

By assembling two complementary blades A and B, in a contiguous manner (Fig. 9) so that the upper segment (100) parallel to the axis of the blade A, comes in extension of the upper segment (400) parallel to the axis of blade B (fig. 9) and therefore the segments (110, 120, 130) of blade A in extension of the segments (400, 410, 420, 430 and 440) of blade B, the adjacent segments (500, 510, 520, 530, 540, 550, 560 and 570) of the blade A are positioned symmetrically with respect to the plane formed by the contiguous segments (100, 110, ... 400, 410, 420 ,. ..) to the adjacent segments (600, 610, 620, 630, 640, 650, 66) of the blade B. The contiguous segments are welded to each other so as to ensure the assembly of the two complementary blades.

Considering the assembly of two complementary blades A and B, as shown in Figure 9, in the arrow direction, the segments (500, 510, ...) of blade A are to the left of this plane of symmetry while the segments (600, 610, 620, ...) of the blade B are to the right of this same plane.

In order to constitute a honeycomb grid, it then suffices to assemble a new strip A 'to the right of the plane of symmetry formed by the contiguous segments of the strips A and B so that the upper left segment (210) relative to the axis of blade A4 comes to occupy the void of blade B, and becomes contiguous to the segment (300) upper right of blade B, as well as all the other segments (210, 220, ...) of the blade A 'with the corresponding segments (310, 320, ...) of blade B.

This is followed by the successive assembly by alternating the blades A, A ', A "and B, B', B" complementary to each other to form a grid with honeycombs shown in FIGS. 5 and 10, FIG. 5 representing a front view of the cutting device according to the invention formed by complementary blades A and B fixed in a frame (which can be fixed to a sleeve (20) as described above which is introduced into the line of transport of potatoes spelled and washed in the space provided for this purpose.

In reality, before assembling the knife blades in the cutting device, each blade is sharpened separately. Thereafter, the knife blades being fixed to the cutting device, it suffices to remove this device to sharpen these blades after a certain period of use.

The advantage of the invention is to provide a very compact cutting device capable of withstanding the pressures applied during the industrial production of French fries.

Claims (17)

1. A method of manufacturing hexagonal fries from potatoes, comprising washing, peeling, cutting, followed by the usual finishing steps, characterized in that the cutting of the potato is carried out continuously in successive slices, starting by profiling at least one side of the earth pot with notches with equal sides, so as to forming open channels, the closing of which by symmetrical channels forms a hexagonal section, the following cuts giving rise on the one hand to the formation of hexagonal fries which are detached and on the other hand to a new profiled piece of potato with new open channels and so on until the potato has completely disappeared in the form of hexagonal fries. 2. A method of manufacturing hexagonal fries according to claim 1 characterized in that the peeled potato is driven in a circular pipe with a current of water at high pressure, in which pipe is a cutting device in which the apple earth is notched on either side of a longitudinal plane of symmetry (21) 3. A method of manufacturing hexagonal fries according to claim 1 characterized in that the potato is introduced into the axial part of a drum (25) rotating at high speed and is thrown by the centrifugal force towards the outside of the drum where it is pushed by a pusher against a cutting device provided with a knife blade (5) with open channels where it undergoes a first notch followed by a drive in the grooves (26) provided in the mantle of the drum (25 ) and provided with small blades (27) ensuring the formation of hexagonal fries, followed by other blocks of knives so as to cut the potato into hexagonal fries from the side of the potato remaining tangent to the mantle from the drum until the potato disappears. 4. Chopper device comprising a sleeve (20) which can be interposed in a pipe (2) for bringing potatoes into a stream of water, and knife blades (5,5 ', 13,13 '...) fixed to this sleeve (20) characterized in that each of the knife blades is zig-zagged on either side of the same axis so that each successive segment (6,7,8 , 9,10,11,12) make an angle of 120 ° with each of the adjacent segments, while having the same dimensions. 5. Cutting fries device according to claim 4 characterized in that the knife blades (5,5 ', 13,13' ...) are fixed two by two over a certain length symmetrically and successively in the direction of current by approaching a longitudinal plane of symmetry, the last two blades (5 and 5 ') being contiguous in this longitudinal plane of symmetry to the right of a series of segments (8, 12 ...) of the blade ( 5) with the corresponding series of segments (8 ', 12' ...) of the blade (5 ') and thus forming hexagonal channels by means of the respective segments (9.9'), (10.10 ') and (11, 11 ') of the two blades (5 and 5') lying opposite one another. 6. Fried cutting device according to claim 5 characterized in that the knife blades (5,13,14,15,16) respectively (5 ', 13', 14 ', 15', 16 ') are formed from of a knife plate (28,29) cut and folded so as to form open channels with three segments of the same dimension, each making an angle of 120 ° with each of the adjacent segments, and in a symmetrical and successive manner in the direction of the current, the two knife plates (28) and (29) being contiguous in the plane by their blades (5 and 5 '), and thus forming hexagonal channels by means of the respective segments (9,9'), (10, 10 ') and (11, 11') of two blades (5) and (5 ') of the two knife plates (18) and (19). 7. Device for cutting hexagonal fries mounted on a rotary drum (25) comprising an axial opening for the entry of the potato and at least one knife block fixed to the mantle surrounding the periphery of the drum, characterized in that in this knife block a blade (5) folded in a zigzag pattern on either side of the same axis so that each face (6,7,8,9, j10) makes an angle of 120 with each of adjacent segments, while having the same dimensions is inserted into this knife holder, this knife holder being followed in the direction of rotation of the drum by grooves (26) provided in this mantle parallel to those of the knife blade (5) , but comprising at the corners small blades (26) making an angle of 120 or the adjacent sides of these grooves (26) so that the potato pushed under centrifugal force by a pusher undergoes a first cutting by the blade (5) of the knife holder, following the profile of the blade (5), the raised portions of the potato then being detached in the form of hexagonal fries by the small blades (27) of the mantle. 8. French fries cutting device according to claim 4, characterized in that each segment (100, 200) parallel to the main axis (30) of the knife blade has a length equal to one porition of the width of this blade. 9. Cutting device according to claim 8 characterized in that to each blade A corresponds a complementary blade B, the length of the segments parallel to the axis (100) increased by the length of the corresponding segments of the blade A is equal to the width of the knife blade. 10. Cutting device according to claims 8 or 9, characterized in that the length of the segments of the blade parallel to the axis (30) of the blade is equal to half the width of the knife blade. 11. Cutting device according to claims 8, 9 or 10 characterized in that the knife blades A and B, complementary to each other are assembled to each other so that starting from their segments (100, 400) located in the same plane parallel to the axis (30) of the blade, the respective adjacent segments (500 and 600) make respectively a positive and negative angle of 120 "with the preceding segments (100 and 400 ), the following segments (200 and 300) taking the position parallel to the axis (30) on either side of this axis (30), being folded at an angle of 120 of opposite direction to the previous one, followed by segments forming an angle of 120 ° in the same direction as the previous one, which makes it possible to bring the subsequent segments folded likewise in a direction opposite to the previous folding, to be in the same plane parallel to the axis (30) and so on, thus forming a series of hexagonal cells. 12. Cutting device according to one of claims 8, 9, 10 or 11, characterized in that in the assembly of complementary blades A, A ', ... B, B', ... when the order segments (100, 110, 120, 130, 140) for blade A, are in front and the order segments (400, 410, 420, 430, 440) of blade B are at the rear, the segments of l The order (200, 210, 220, 230, 240) of blade A is at the rear and the segments (300, 310, 320, 330, 340) of blade B are located in front. 13. Cutting device according to one of the preceding claims 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 characterized in that the blades A are assembled with the blades B so that the segments (100, 110, 120, 130, 140) are located at the front of the blade A, come in extension of the segments (400, 410, 420, 430, 440) which are at the rear of the blade B in the same plane while the segments (200, 210, 220, 230, 240) located at the rear of the blade A come in extension of the segments (300, 310, 320, 330, 340) which are located at the front of the blade B ', the blade A being located between blade B and B ', blades A, A', A ", ... alternating with complementary blades B, B ', B", ... thus forming contiguous hexagonal cells constituting a grid with nests bees. 14. Cutting device according to one of the preceding claims from 4 to 13 characterized in that the complementary blades A and B are assembled to one another by welding in line with the segments lying in extension of one another . 15. Cutting device according to one of the preceding claims from 4 to 14 characterized in that the blades A and B are sharpened before their assembly. 16. Hexagonal fries produced according to one of claims 1, 2 or 3. 17. Hexagonal fries produced by means of a cutting device according to one of claims 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 or 15.

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