Convection/impingement oven for continuously cooking food

Abstract

An improved convection/impingement oven for continuously cooking food. The oven has a wire link type belt which moves through an elongated cooking chamber. Hot air is blown on the upper surface of the food to be cooked. A separately controlled hot air source is blown on the lower surface of the food. Hot air impingement units are placed along the length of the oven and the cooking vapors are not recirculated but instead pass along the elongated cooking chamber and are exhausted at the end. Preferably a color development and sealing section has upper and lower burners which heat the food and the heat from these burners also pass the entire length of the cooking chamber before being exhausted. Also preferably steam or a water spray is used to regulate the humidity and this may be regulated in several different sections of the cooking chamber.

1. A process for continuously cooking foodstuff while being able to provide excellent control of the properties of the cooked foodstuff, said process comprising the step of:
 placing a foodstuff to be cooked on an upper surface of a perforate, moving belt;  
 heating at least one surface of the foodstuff to be cooked with a color development and sealing flame;  
 aiming said color development and sealing flame so that the heat therefrom passes into the entrance of an elongated cooking chamber surrounding said moving belt, said cooking chamber having a product feed and a product discharge;  
 passing said foodstuff to be cooked through a plurality of cooking phase assemblies for introducing hot air to produce cooking vapors and moving the cooking vapors concurrently along said elongated cooking chamber and said cooking vapors increasing in velocity along said cooking chamber as the foodstuff to be cooked moves from the product feed to the product discharge, the cooking phase assemblies being in communication with a heat source, the heat source being remote from the color development and sealing flame and the elongated oven;  
 venting said cooking vapors from said cooking chamber near the product discharge; and  
 removing the resulting cooked product from the moving belt.  
 
     
     
       2. A process for continuously cooking foodstuff while being able to provide excellent control of the properties of the cooked product, said process comprising the steps of:
 placing an object to be cooked on an upper surface of a perforate, moving belt;  
 heating at least one surface of the object to be cooked with a color development and sealing flame;  
 aiming said color development and sealing flame so that the heat therefrom passes into the entrance of an elongated cooking chamber surrounding said moving belt, said cooking chamber having a product feed and a product discharge;  
 introducing steam above and below said object to be cooked after said object has passed said color development and sealing flame;  
 impinging the lower surface of said object to be cooked with hot air from below said moving belt at a first temperature and velocity;  
 impinging the upper surface of said object to be cooked with hot air from above said moving belt at a second temperature and velocity, said introducing and said two impinging steps forming a cooking phase assembly for introducing hot air and each of said cooking phase assemblies producing cooking vapors, the cooking phase assemblies being in communication with a heat source, the heat source being remote from the color development and sealing flame and the elongated oven;  
 passing said object to be cooked through a plurality of said cooking phase assemblies while moving the cooking vapors concurrently along said elongated cooking chamber without and recirculation of the cooking vapors, and said cooking vapors increasing in velocity along said cooking chamber as the object to be cooked moves from the product feed to the product discharge;  
 venting said cooking vapors from said cooking chamber near the product discharge; and  
 removing the resulting cooked product from the moving belt.  
 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1  wherein the cooking vapors are vented without recirculation.  
     
     
       4. A process for continuously cooking foodstuff while being able to provide excellent control of the properties of the cooked foodstuff, said process comprising the steps of:
   placing a foodstuff to be cooked on an upper surface of a perforate, moving belt;        heating at least one surface of the foodstuff to be cooked with a color development and sealing flame;        aiming said color development and sealing flame so that the heat therefrom passes into the entrance of an elongated cooking chamber surrounding said moving belt, said cooking chamber having a product feed and a product discharge;        passing said foodstuff to be cooked through a plurality of impingement nozzles for introducing hot air to produce cooking vapors and moving the cooking vapors concurrently along said elongated cooking chamber and said cooking vapors increasing in velocity along said cooking chamber as the foodstuff to be cooked moves from the product feed to the product discharge, the impingement nozzles receiving hot air from a heat source external to the elongated cooking chamber;        venting said cooking vapors from said cooking chamber near the product discharge; and        removing the resulting cooked product from the moving belt.      
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4  wherein the heat source comprises a burner fed with air and a combustible fuel.  
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 5  wherein a burner blower is supplied with outside air and feeds air to at least one burner which feeds hot air to a first manifold that is about atmospheric pressure and has an air intake that permits atmospheric air to enter from outside the elongated cooking oven.  
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6  wherein a second blower increases the pressure of the hot air for feeding into a low- pressure, hot - air manifold associated with the impingement nozzles and from the impingement nozzles onto the foodstuff to be cooked.    
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 4  wherein the elongated cooking oven further include a plurality of steam impingement nozzles in communication with a source for steam.  
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 7  wherein the elongated cooking oven further includes a plurality of steam impingement nozzles in communication with a source for steam.  
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 7  wherein the cooking vapors are vented without recirculation.  
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 4  wherein the elongated cooking chamber has a detachable hood, which exposes the moving belt when detached.  
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11  wherein the hood is substantially free of insulating material.  
     
     
       13. A process for continuously cooking foodstuff while being able to provide excellent control of the properties of the cooked product, said process comprising the steps of:
   placing an object to be cooked on an upper surface of a perforate, moving belt;        heating at least one surface of the object to be cooked with a color development and sealing flame;        aiming said color development and sealing flame so that the heat therefrom passes into the entrance of an elongated cooking chamber surrounding said moving belt, said cooking chamber having a product feed and a product discharge;        introducing steam above and below said object to be cooked after said object has passed said color development and sealing flame;        passing said object to be cooked through a plurality of impingement nozzles for impinging at least an upper or lower surface of the foodstuff while moving the resulting cooking vapors concurrently along said elongated cooking chamber without any recirculation of the cooking vapors, and said cooking vapors increasing in velocity along said cooking chamber as the object to be cooked moves from the product feed to the product discharge, the impingement nozzle assemblies receiving heat from a heat source external to the elongated cooking chamber;        venting said cooking vapors from said cooking chamber near the product discharge; and        removing the resulting cooked product from the moving belt.      
     
     
       14. A process for continuously cooking foodstuff while being able to provide excellent control of the properties of the cooked foodstuff, said process comprising the steps of:
   placing a foodstuff to be cooked on an upper surface of a perforate, moving belt;        heating at least one surface of the foodstuff to be cooked with a color development and sealing flame;        aiming said color development and sealing flame so that the heat therefrom passes into the entrance of an elongated cooking chamber surrounding said moving belt, said cooking chamber having a product feed and a product discharge;        passing said foodstuff to be cooked through a plurality of impingement nozzles for introducing heat to produce cooking vapors and moving the cooking vapors concurrently along said elongated cooking chamber and said cooking vapors increasing in velocity along said cooking chamber as the foodstuff to be cooked moves from the product feed to the product discharge, the impingement nozzles receiving hot air from a heat source comprising a burner fed with air and a combustible, the burner being external to the interior chamber of the elongated cooking chamber and in communication with the interior via at least one manifold;        venting said cooking vapors from said cooking chamber near the product discharge; and        removing the resulting cooked product from the moving belt.      
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 14  wherein the cooking vapors are vented without recirculation.  
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 14  wherein the elongated cooking chamber has a detachable hood that exposes the moving belt when detached.  
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 16  wherein the hood is substantially free of insulating material.  
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 14  wherein a manifold for communicating hot air to the impingement nozzles is disposed substantially below the moving belt.  
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 18  wherein the manifold communicates with a plurality of impingement nozzles that impinge a foodstuff from above the moving belt.  
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 18  wherein the manifold communicates with a plurality of impingement nozzles that impinge the foodstuff from below the moving belt.  
     
     
       21. The method  claim 18  wherein a manifold for communicating hot air to the impingement nozzles is disposed substantially below the moving belt and the manifold communicates with impingement nozzles that impinge a foodstuff from above and below the moving belt.  
     
     
       22. The method of  claim 14  wherein the heat source comprises a burner fed with air and a combustible fuel.  
     
     
       23. The method of  claim 22  wherein a manifold for communicating hot air from the heat source to the impingement nozzles is disposed substantially below the moving belt and the manifold communicates with impingement nozzles that impinge a foodstuff from above and below the moving belt, and wherein the elongated cooking chamber has a detachable hood, which exposes the moving belt when detached.  
     
     
       24. The method of  claim 23  wherein the hood is substantially free of insulating material.  
     
     
       25. A process for continuously cooking foodstuff while being able to provide excellent control of the properties of the cooked product, said process comprising the steps of:
   placing an object to be cooked on an upper surface of a perforate, moving belt;        heating at least one surface of the object to be cooked with a color development and sealing flame;        aiming said color development and sealing flame so that the heat therefrom passes into the entrance of an elongated cooking chamber surrounding said moving belt, said cooking chamber having a product feed and a product discharge;        introducing steam above and below said object to be cooked after said object has passed said color development and sealing flame;        passing said object to be cooked through a plurality of impingement nozzles for impinging at least an upper or lower surface of the foodstuff while moving the resulting cooking vapors concurrently along said elongated cooking chamber without any recirculation of the cooking vapors, and said cooking vapors increasing in velocity along said cooking chamber as the object to be cooked moves from the product feed to the product discharge, the impingement nozzle assemblies receiving heat from a source external to the interior of the elongated cooking chamber;        venting said cooking vapors from said cooking chamber near the product discharge; and        removing the resulting cooked product from the moving belt.      
     
     
       26. The method of  claim 25  further comprising a burner blower is that supplied with outside air and feeds air to at least one burner which feeds hot air to a first manifold that is about at atmospheric pressure and has an air intake that permits atmospheric air to enter from outside the elongated cooking oven.  
     
     
       27. The method of  claim 26  wherein a second blower increases the pressure of the hot air for feeding into a low- pressure, hot - air manifold associated with the impingement nozzle assemblies and from the impingement nozzles assemblies onto the foodstuff to be cooked.