Method of preparing a food product

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS FOR DRYING HEAT SENSITIVE HIGH SUGAR CONTENT FOOD, THE COMBINATION WITH A DRUM DRIER OF THE TYPE HAVING TWO CLOSELY SPACED PARALLEL ROTATABLE DRUMS THAT FORM A NIP BETWEEN THEIR CLOSEST SURFACES AND PROVIDE WITH HEATED OUTER SURFACES AND MEANS TO ROTATE THE DRUMS IN OPPOSITE DIRECTION COMPRISING AN ELONGATE TROUGH OF DOWNWARDLY DECREASING CROSS-SECTION HAVING TWO END MEMBERS ATTACHED TO ONE FIXED SIDE MEMBER AND ONE SLIDABLY ATTACHED TO ONE FIXED SIDE MEMBER AND ONE SLIDABLY ATTACHED SIDE MEMBER FOR REGULATING THE WIDTH OF A SLOT FORMED BETWEEN THE CONVERGING EDGES OF THE TWO SIDE MEMBERS, SAID TROUGH BEING OF A LENGTH SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE LENGTH OF THE DRUMS AND DISPOSED IN THE SPACE ABOVE THE NIP OF THE DRUMS, SAID TROUGH BEING PROVIDED WITH A LEVEL CONTROLLER FOR MAINTAINING THE LEVEL OF FOOD IN LIQUID FORM SUPPLIED TO THE TROUGH AT A PRE-SET LEVEL, SAID TROUGH SUPPLYING A CONTINUOUS FLOW OF THE FOOD THROUGH THE SLOT TO THE NIP OF THE DRUMS AS THE DRUMS ROTATE WHEREBY SAID FOOD IS APPLIED TO THE HEATED SURFACES IN THE FORM OF A UNIFORM FILM, SAID ENTIRE DRUM DRIER BEING SUBSTANTIALLY ENCLOSED BY A SHELL HAVING DUCTS ORIGINATING INSIDE THE SHELL ABOVE AND BELOW THE NIP OF THE DRUMS, AN EXHAUST BLOWER IN COMBINATION WITH SAID DUCTS TO CAUSE MOISTENED AIR PRODUCED WHILE THE FOOD IS BEING DRIED TO BE REMOVED FROM WITHIN THE SHELL, DOCTOR BLADES ASSOCIATED WITH THE DRUM DRIER FOR SCRAPING THE FOOD FROM THE HEATED SURFACES AFTER IT HAS DRIED TO A TYPE OF PLASTIC SHEET, AT LEAST ONE PAIR OF ADJACENT, TENSION INDUCING REMOVAL ROLLERS SPACED FROM ONE OF THE ROTATABLE DRUMS AND ALIGNED WITH A DOCTOR BLADE TO RECEIVE THE PLASTIC SHEET OF FOOD THEREBETWEEN, AT LEAST ONE OF THE PAIR OF ROLLERS BEING DRIVEN SO AS TO ASSERT A POSITIVE DRAWING FORCE ON THE FOOD SHEET FREED FROM THE DRUM, AT LEAST ONE AIR NOZZLE PLACED BETWEEN THE DRYING DRUMS AND THE REMOVAL ROLLERS FOR DIRECTING A STREAM OF COOLING AIR ON THE FOOD SHEET AS IT LEAVES THE DRUM, AND A TERMINAL DRYIG ENCLOSURE COMPRISING AN ELONGATED TUNNEL DRIER HAVING SPACED CONDUITS FOR SUPPLYING HEATER AIR OF RELATIVELY LOW MOISTURE CONTENT AND FORM REMOVING SAID AIR AFTER CIRCULATION WITHIN THE SHELL, AND AN ENDLESS CONVEYOR DISPOSED WITHIN THE SHELL ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE FOOD SHEET FROM THE REMOVAL ROLLERS AND TRANSPORT IT THROUGH THE SHELL WHEREBY THE FOOD IS DRIED TO A BRITTLE CONDITION PERMITTING FLAKING INTO SMALL PARTICLES.