Patent Application
20060172050
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for producing small cookie pieces having a uniform size for use as inclusions in ice cream.
It has become common to place small cookie or cake pieces in ice cream. These pieces need to all be approximately the same size to provide the look and consistency that ice cream manufacturers desire. To accomplish this the cookie pieces must be made in the desired size in the first instance rather than breaking up or cutting larger cookies into smaller pieces. Heretofore this has been accomplished by extruding a plurality of thin ropes of cookie dough onto a moving band. The ropes are then cut into the desired length by a wire which extends across the band and reciprocates through the dough as the band moves the dough past it. The band then passes through an oven where the cut cookie pieces are baked. There are two problems with this process. First the wire tends to stick to the moist cookie dough and when the wire is retracted some of the cookie pieces stick to the wire and are pulled upwardly off of the band. Some of these pieces land on top of other cookie pieces and if left these compound pieces would be baked together. Because the compound pieces would be too large, it is necessary to hand pick all of the stuck-together pieces from the band before the band enters the oven. In addition, since cookies expand when they are baked, adjacent pieces can expand into one another and become baked together. Thus it is necessary to hand pick the baked together pieces from the band after the band leaves the oven. This double hand picking is labor-intensive and increases the cost of producing cookie pieces of this type. In addition, the output of each baking line is reduced due to the number of unusable pieces and the line is less productive than it should be, which also increases the cost of producing the cookie pieces.
The subject invention overcomes these problems by placing a cutter immediately downstream of where extruded ropes of cookie dough that have been baked exit the oven on a moving band.
Referring to
Referring now in particular to
The carrier is also arranged so that when a blade 28 first moves over the band 18 the cutting surface is located above the baked cookie ropes 16. As the blade moves along with the band the cutting surface gradually moves towards the band and penetrates the ropes. At the point where the cutting surface fully penetrates the ropes the carrier causes the blade to move away from the band by rotating it upwardly in the direction of band travel. Thus, the blade is quickly separated from the cookie pieces.
Referring now to
In order to obtain the proper pressure on the chains when they are positioned over the band, a hold down plate 54 extends above the chains 32 in this area. The exit, or downstream end, of the hold down plate curves upwardly and creates the point at which the chains turn upwardly to rotate the blades 28 away from the cut cookie pieces. This end of the hold down plate is rotatably mounted on a stand 56 through a pin 58. The other end of the hold down plate is slidably mounted on a post 60 through a locking mechanism 62. This allows the angle of the hold down plate to be adjusted relative to the band 18. This in turn allows adjusting how rapidly the blade 28 moves towards the band and penetrates the baked cookie ropes.
By inserting the cutting surfaces 34 of the blades 28 gradually into the baked cookie ropes immediately after they come out of the oven, the ropes are soft enough that the blades will cut them without crushing them. However, because the ropes are baked the cutting surfaces will cut clean and will not stick to the ropes. Moving the blades with the band 18 is critical in accomplishing this. Thus the ability to control the speed that the chains are moving over the area where cutting occurs is important. It has been found that having the chains move at a slightly greater speed than the band is preferable under some circumstances. In addition, the formula of the dough and how long and at what temperature the dough is baked all affect the operation of the cutters. It is desirable that there be minimal expansion of the ropes during baking, that the baked cookie ropes have an even crumb structure, that the baked cookie ropes have low, uniform moisture throughout and that the baked cookie ropes do not have hard shells. Preferably the moisture content of the baked cookie ropes is 5 to 6 percent. This is accomplished by using lower amounts of fat and sugar than normal in cookies of this type. In addition it is best if the dough does not utilize eggs and that the only moisture come from molasses or the moisture in the margarine that is used in the dough.
The terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow.
