Method and apparatus for continuously making loaf meat

Claim 1

A method of continuously making a loaf meat product from a stuffable meat material, wherein a plurality of magazines of molds are sequentially moved in order through release agent application, stuffing, cooking, chilling, knockout and wash stations, and where the release agent application, cooking, chilling, knockout and wash stations are in a closed loop and said stuffing station is outside said closed loop, which method comprises the steps of: incrementally advancing the magazines around the closed loop through the stations, removing magazines one at a time from the closed loop downstream from the release agent application station and advancing same to the stuffing station, stuffing the molds in the magazines at the stuffing station with a meat material, and reinserting the magazines one at a time into the closed loop upstream of the cooking station.

Claim 2

A method of continuously making a loaf meat product from a stuffable meat material, wherein a plurality of magazines of molds are sequentially moved in order through release agent application, stuffing, cooking, chilling, knockout and wash stations, and where the release agent application, cooking, chilling, knockout and wash stations are in a closed loop and said stuffing station is outside said closed loop, which method comprises the steps of: incrementally advancing the magazines around the closed loop through the stations, removing magazines one at a time from the closed loop downstream from the release agent application station and advancing same to the stuffing station, stuffing the molds in the magazines at the stuffing station with a meat material, and reinserting the magazines one at a time into the closed loop upstream of the cooking station.

Claim 8

A method of continuously making a molded food product from a stuffable food material, wherein a plurality of magazines of molds are incrementally advanced along a closed loop along which are located in order release agent application, cooking, chilling, product knockout and mold wash stations, and at one point removed from the closed loop to a stuffing station and thereafter reinserted in the closed loop upstream of the cooking station, which method comprises the sequential steps of: applying a mold release agent to the interiors of the molds of a single magazine at the release agent application station, advancing the magazines of molds from the release agent application station to a given point in the closed loop, removing a magazine of molds from the closed loop at said given point and transferring it to a storage area, moving the magazine of molds from the storage area to the stuffing station, stuffing the molds with food material, transferring the magazine of molds from the stuffing station to the closed loop upstream of the cooking station, advancing the magazine of molds through the cooking station and subjecting the molds to heat for cooking of the food material to define a molded food product, advancing the magazine of molds from the cooking station to and through the chilling station and subjecting the molds to a cooling action to cool the food material, advancing the magazine of molds to the product knockout station, removing the molded food product from the molds at the product knockout station, advancing the magazine of molds to the mold wash station, and washing the molds of the magazine at the mold wash station.

Claim 9

A method of continuously making a molded food product from a stuffable food material, wherein a plurality of magazines of molds are incrementally advanced along a closed loop along which are located in order release agent application, cooking, chilling, product knockout and mold wash stations, and at one point removed from the closed loop to a stuffing station and thereafter reinserted in the closed loop upstream of the cooking station, which method comprises the sequential steps of: applying a mold release agent to the interiors of the molds of a single magazine at the release agent application station, advancing the magazines of molds from the release agent application station to a given point in the closed loop, removing a magazine of molds from the closed loop at said given point and transferring it to a storage area, moving the magazine of molds from the storage area to the stuffing station, stuffing the molds with food material, transferring the magazine of molds from the stuffing station to the closed loop upstream of the cooking station, advancing the magazine of molds through the cooking station and subjecting the molds to heat for cooking of the food material to define a molded food product, advancing the magazine of molds from the cooking station to and through the chilling station and subjecting the molds to a cooling action to cool the food material, advancing the magazine of molds to the product knockout station, removing the molded food product from the molds at the product knockout station, advancing the magazine of molds to the mold wash station, and washing the molds of the magazine at the mold wash station.

Claim 10

A method of continuously making a molded food product from a stuffable food material, comprising the steps of: incrementally advancing a plurality of magazines of molds through a closed loop along which are located in order release agent application, cooking, chilling, product knockout and mold wash stations and periodically removing a magazine from the closed loop downstream of the release agent application station and transferring same to a stuffing station, stuffing the molds with a raw food material, reinserting the magazine of molds stuffed with the food material into the closed loop upstream of the cooking station and at the same time removing another magazine of molds from the closed loop for stuffing, cooking the food material at the cooking station to define a molded food product, chilling the cooked product at the chilling station, and removing the product from the molds at the product knockout station.

Claim 11

A method of continuously making a molded food product from a stuffable food material, comprising the steps of: incrementally advancing a plurality of magazines of molds through a closed loop along which are located in order release agent application, cooking, chilling, product knockout and mold wash stations and periodically removing a magazine from the closed loop downstream of the release agent application station and transferring same to a stuffing station, stuffing the molds with a raw food material, reinserting the magazine of molds stuffed with the food material into the closed loop upstream of the cooking station and at the same time removing another magazine of molds from the closed loop for stuffing, cooking the food material at the cooking station to define a molded food product, chilling the cooked product at the chilling station, and removing the product from the molds at the product knockout station.

Claim 14

A method of continuously making loaf meat from a stuffable meat material which comprises the steps of incrementally moving a plurality of magazines of molds through a closed loop, removing the magazines one at a time from the closed loop, moving the removed magazines through a stuffing station, stuffing the molds of the magazines with a meat material, reinserting the magazines with stuffed molds one at a time into the closed loop, said step of moving the magazines through the closed loop including in order the further steps of subjecting the molds to heat for cooking the meat material, subjecting the molds to a chilling action to chill the cooked meat material , removing the meat material in the form of loaves from the molds, washing the molds, and applying a release agent to the molds prior to the stuffing thereof.

Claim 15

A method of continuously making loaf meat from a stuffable meat material which comprises the steps of incrementally moving a plurality of magazines of molds through a closed loop, removing the magazines one at a time from the closed loop, moving the removed magazines through a stuffing station, stuffing the molds of the magazines with a meat material, reinserting the magazines with stuffed molds one at a time into the closed loop, said step of moving the magazines through the closed loop including in order the further steps of subjecting the molds to heat for cooking the meat material, subjecting the molds to a chilling action to chill the cooked meat material , removing the meat material in the form of loaves from the molds, washing the molds, and applying a release agent to the molds prior to the stuffing thereof.