JPH0120607B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for automatically frying single serving quantities of food.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Traditionally, fried foods in oil, or "French fried foods," are prepared by placing bulk foods in a frying basket and submerging them into a container of hot oil. When the food is fried to the desired degree, remove the basket from the hot oil.
In commercial operations, a rack is often provided above the oil container for mounting the basket. Immediately after removing the food from the oil, the basket can be racked to drain excess oil from the fried food. The heat rising from the oil slows the coagulation of excess oil on the food, thus helping the oil drain from the food. Excess oil falls into a container for further use. Commercial basket racks are often designed to allow the baskets on the rack to be rocked back and forth to facilitate drainage of excess oil and release food portions that may stick to the basket during frying.

French fries and other oil-fried foods were not available outside of restaurants with traditional French fry equipment.

It is impractical to install traditional French fry equipment in non-restaurant locations. The cost of supporting a full-time worker has made French fry food so expensive that it can no longer be purchased.
Additionally, traditional devices cannot be safely operated by consumers. In addition, large ventilation systems are required to avoid excessive odors, and such systems require constant maintenance.

Automatic frying machines for single-serving portions of food have recently been developed. Existing fryers of this type require the consumer to drop frozen food from a single-portion container into a feed chute at the top of the fryer. The chute guides the food into a frying pan, such as in a traditional restaurant French fryer, and
Here, food is fried in hot oil. After cooking, the fried food is removed from the pad and dropped into a discharge chute leading to a take-out location, where a container is placed for the consumer to receive the food.

Although existing frying machines allow consumers to fry single batches of food in non-restaurant locations, there are several problems with prior art frying machines. First, when frying frozen foods using such a frying machine, the temperature of the frying oil drops dramatically (up to 60°C) when the oil first comes into contact with the frozen foods. This temperature drop is undesirable. This is because frying at less than the optimum temperature will result in incompletely fried foods that retain more oil than desired. Second, existing frying machines do not properly drain excess oil from the fried food before passing the fried food to the consumer. Not only do consumers consume too much oil, but the resulting fried food looks greasy. Excess oil also drips into the cup holder portion of the fryer and flows into areas of the fryer that are otherwise difficult to clean. Third, existing frying machines do not properly control or vent the vapors and odors resulting from frying oil. Since it is impractical to ventilate the outside of the building, excess odors can leave undesirable cooking odors inside the room.

One difficult aspect of frying frozen foods in oil is that the oil undergoes a drastic temperature drop when the frozen foods are submerged. It is desirable to cook food at a relatively constant temperature, for example 350°C. When frozen foods affect the temperature of the oil, an undesirably large temperature drop occurs. US Pat. No. 3,210,193 discloses an attempted solution to the temperature drop problem. In this patent, a small tank of very hot oil, such as a 395°, pumps hot oil into a full cooking pad in response to the demands of a thermostat inside a large cooking pad, and frozen food is added to the cooking pad. trying to maintain a constant temperature when However, this type of system is undesirable because it relies too much on thermostatic control and requires heating the oil to temperatures that accelerate oil degradation.

Therefore, it can be seen that there is a need for an improved frying machine and method that does not have the drawbacks of existing frying machines and allows consumers to deep fry single serving quantities of food.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic French fry machine that cooks a single serving of food at an optimal temperature without degrading oil and with minimal operator action.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic French fry machine that reduces the amount of excess oil left on foods fried by the automatic French fry machine.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic French fry machine that reduces the accumulation of residual food within the automatic French fry machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide an automatic French fry machine that reduces the emission of cooking odors into the surrounding environment.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for storing, handling, loading, cooking, serving and serving single serving quantities of food.

Another object of the present invention is to store, prepare, and serve single serving quantities of food utilizing a unique cartridge for storing, transporting, handling, and serving single serving quantities of food. and provide serving methods.

These and other purposes include receiving frozen food into an open-top container, automatically transferring the food to a frying station for cooking in hot oil, and automatically returning the food to its original container for consumption. This is accomplished by providing a french fry machine that reconstitutes the process. The single-serving open-top container containing the food product is inserted by the consumer into a specially shaped container receptacle. When the automatic French fry machine is activated, a linkage mechanism rotates the container receiver over the frying station and drops the food into the frying basket, which is housed within the small volume cooking vat. . Next, an amount of high-temperature oil, many times more than the cooking vat, is circulated inside the small cooking vat to maintain a nearly constant frying temperature throughout the cooking process, even when cooking frozen foods. maintain. The circulating oil is passed through a removable filter to capture food particles present in the oil. When frying is complete, a linkage mechanism automatically lifts the frying basket from the cooking vat. The basket is held on the cooking vat to drain excess oil and then rotated on the container receiver to return the cooked food to its original container. After returning
Shake the basket over the container to remove any food particles stuck to the basket. The consumer then removes the cartridge containing the cooked food product from the container receiver for consumption.

In a preferred embodiment, oil absorbed by the food product is periodically replenished from a supply in the automatic French fry machine to the container receiver. The used up oil is
It may be removed periodically depending on its extent of use and time in the automatic French fry machine.

The frying station has a lid that seals the frying station from the surrounding environment at all times except during insertion and removal of food products from the frying station. This feature reduces the amount of oil vapor that is released into the automatic French fry machine and surrounds the cooking vat and container receiver. A specially designed air filtration and circulation system processes this reduced amount of vapor and removes odors.

A particularly unique feature of the present invention is the use of a cartridge-type food holder that stores serving quantities of frozen food, is used as a shipping container, and is used as a display carton at the user's facility. contains instructions and/or nutritional information, and then, after being opened, is placed into an automatic French fry machine and automatically dropped, and then repacked with the cooked food so that the consumer can enjoy the food. It becomes a serving container for carrying and eating. This feature should be contrasted with conventional commercial French fry equipment, where large quantities of frozen food are removed from large boxes or bags, cooked, and then packaged into individual bags or boxes. This should also be contrasted with the earlier experimental single-serve fryer, in which the consumer drops food into a cooking vat and then opens a container to catch the cooked food later. It was necessary to reposition the

Yet another unique feature is the use of large tanks of oil heated just above the desired cooking temperature.
The purpose is to allow the food to flow into the food held in a cooking pot sized to cook a small amount of food for one person. By continuously recirculating the hot oil in the small cooking vat from a large heat source in a large tank, there is a very small temperature drop in the oil in the cooking vat regardless of the temperature of the frozen food.
This of course results from the fact that large amounts of BTUs can be added to the food without affecting the temperature of the oil in the large tank. As a result, food can be quickly cooked at a uniform oil temperature that is not so high as to cause rapid deterioration of the food.

An automatic French fry machine 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1-16. The automatic French fry machine 10 is designed to be used with food F placed in a specially designed container C, which allows the consumer to insert the container C into the automatic French fry machine 10 and place the food to be fried. The automatic french fry machine can be operated according to the type of food to automatically french fry and return the food.

Automatic French fry machine 10 is designed for use with food products contained in a cartridge or container C, shown in FIG. 6 and described in more detail below. The lid T of the container C is removed to form a container C with an open top as shown in FIG. Next, in order to French-fry the food placed in the open-top container C, the consumer lifts up the sliding door 12 (see Figure 1) and places the container C in the hands of the consumer behind the sliding door 12. The container is inserted into the container receiver 20 positioned at the receiving station 14. The sliding door is locked by a solenoid 13 into an open position and into a closed position to prevent access by the consumer during the cooking cycle.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, when operating the automatic French fry machine, the linkage mechanism 60 (described in detail below) connects the frying vat 30.
Open the lid 32. The frying basket is then raised to open the bottom drain pipe 49 (described below), thereby draining all the cooking oil in the frying basket. Next, the basket is lowered to a predetermined location, and the food container is rotated above the basket to drop the food in the container (see FIG. 9). The linkage mechanism then returns the container receiver and container C to the consumer access area 14 and closes the frying vat lid. Next, the pump 42 is activated to draw hot cooking oil from the oil tank 40 through the inlet 44 and into the frying vat 30. An overflow drain 46 continuously circulates hot oil during cooking operations. As seen in FIG. 9, the oil passing through the overflow discharge pipe passes through a filter 48.
Enters oil tank for heating and recirculation. When cooking is complete, the timer stops the pump, activates the linkage mechanism, opens the cooking vat lid, and raises the frying basket from the frying vat 30.

In the preferred embodiment described herein, the motor driving the linkage mechanism 60 is programmed to momentarily stop the basket of cooked food above the frying vat, thereby draining excess oil. is excreted from food. The frying basket has an outlet 34a which seals off the bottom outlet pipe 49 when the frying basket is in the lowered position. Therefore, the first
As shown in Figure 2, cooking oil begins to drain from the frying vat as soon as the frying basket 34 is raised.

After the time has elapsed for draining excess oil, the frying basket 34 is rotated forward by the linkage mechanism, overturned above the container receiver, and placed in the twelfth basket.
As shown in the figure, the cooked food is dropped into the original container C. After dropping the food, the basket is rocked back and forth above the container to dislodge any food particles that may have adhered to the basket during the frying operation. Next, place the fry basket 34 into the fry basket 3.
0 and close the lid 32.

In the automatic frying machine 10 of the present invention, the lid 32 of the frying vat 30 is always closed except when it is necessary to take out or take out the food F. This feature keeps the cooking oil fresh by minimizing oxygen contacting exposed oil surfaces. Additionally, oil condensate, steam, and unpleasant cooking odors remaining in the frying vat 30 are reduced. Similarly, the oil tank 40 also serves the same purpose.
A cover 40a is provided.

Lid 32 and cover 40a, in combination with air supply and filtering device 100 (FIG. 1), minimize cooking odors emitted into the environment surrounding the automatic french fry machine. Air make-up and filtering device 100 has a primary filter section 102 and a secondary filter section 104. Circulation fan 106
draws air from inside the automatic French fry machine 10 through both filter sections. This is a circulation fan 10
6, and for that purpose, the air inside the automatic French fry machine is pumped 5 times per minute.
Complete replenishment, air replenishment and overflow equipment 100
thoroughly removes cooking odors from the air before expelling it to the surrounding environment.

The primary filter section 102 includes a continuous micro-coagulation filter 108 and a media filter (eg, a paper filter) 110. The secondary filter section 104 has three carbon packs or charcoal filters 112 placed in series.

A preferred embodiment of the invention includes the second, third and fifth
Two frying butts 30 shown in the figure are utilized. The frying vats 30 are placed adjacent to each other and have a common inlet 44 during the cooking cycle.
Accepts high temperature oil from. The inlet is placed above an angled angle plate 50 which directs the oil "O" from the inlet into the two frying vats 30. A single overflow drain pipe 46 is used for both frying butts. The secondary safety overflow 47 is connected to the discharge pipe 46
It is provided in case the area is blocked.

During the cooking cycle, the pump 42
Cooking oil heated to approximately 350° C. (approximately 177° C.) in a large oil tank is sucked in, and the oil is discharged through the inlet 44. From the inlet, oil flows into the center of the angle plate and into each frying vat. As shown in FIG. 5, the top of the overflow discharge pipe 46 is at a slightly higher height than the top of the angle plate. When the oil in one of the frying vats reaches the level of the top of the angle plate, the oil flows into the other vat. In the unlikely event that the angle plate does not equally divide the flow from the inlet 44, the incoming oil will not be immediately recirculated via the overflow discharge pipe.
The oil flows toward the frying butt 30, which has a low oil level. Similarly, if a cook cycle in one frying vat is in progress while a cook cycle in the other frying vat is initiated, the inlet high temperature normally directed to the filled vat (the vat with the cook cycle in progress) Some of the oil is in the oil tank 40
Instead of being recirculated, it will overflow into the frying vat that should be filled. This feature allows the small frying vat to fill to the proper cooking level as quickly as possible, allowing a continuous overflow of the large volume of hot oil, thereby causing the food in the frying vat 30 to fill to the proper cooking level. The food is fried at a nearly constant temperature for a predetermined time.

The oil coming out of the frying vat 30 is stored in the oil tank 40.
It passes through a screen/paper filter 48 before re-entering. In the illustrated preferred embodiment, the filter is removably mounted within an automatic French fry machine to facilitate cleaning. Food particles or impurities that enter the oil during frying are captured by the filter. The filter can be easily removed and cleaned.

When the oil is no longer usable for frying, the pump 42 may be used to drain the oil from the oil tank 40. Opening the valve 140 (FIG. 1) allows the spent oil to be discharged from the drain pipe 144. A source of fresh oil 43 is placed above the oil tank 40 to allow oil to be replaced as it is absorbed by the food product. A conventional oil level gauge controls the release of the oil supply to maintain the oil level in the oil tank.

Each frying vat weighs approximately 2 pints (1.14
) of oil, while oil tank 40 holds approximately 12 quarts (13.68) and oil supply 43 in the fryer holds approximately 3 quarts (3.42). This feature guarantees a very large amount of oil for constant temperature cooking of food. The pump operates without interrupting the cooking cycle, and the length of the cooking cycle is automatically determined by a preset controller for the particular type of food.

Cartridge The automatic French fry machine 10 of the present invention is preferably used with food F stored in a container C as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

FIG. 6 shows the cartridge or container with the lid T still connected. Food F is stored in this form until frying is desired and then frozen. With the lid in place, the containers may be stacked on top of each other for efficient storage. Perforations T-1 and hot melt adhesive connect the lid to the container, and the lid can be easily removed to insert the container into an automatic French fry machine.
The lid that has been lifted off the container is returned to the container, and the cooked food can be easily transported after being taken out from the automatic French fry machine, and the food can be kept warm. The container also has high corners, as shown in FIG. 7, to secure the container within the receiver as described below. The arcuate portion C-3 between the high corners C-2 provides easy access for the consumer to the food stored in the open top container. In this way, the container is a versatile cartridge for both frozen and fresh fried foods and is economically attractive. The reason is that the container provides a shipping container, a storage product protector, and a location for shopping advertising, preparation instructions, hygiene instructions, and at the same time is useful when handling food in the fryer and when removing it from the fryer. Functions as a plate.

The container C of the food F is shown in FIG. 4 when it is inserted into the container receiver 20. Three L-shaped rails 22 support the bottom and inner edge of the container. Fifth
As best shown in the figures, guides 22a project downwardly and outwardly from the front of rail 22 to facilitate insertion of containers into the container receivers. The sides of the container are supported by side rods 2 by L-shaped rails 26.
4. A funnel 28 extends above the container C. As shown in FIG. 4, each of the left, right and rear sides of the funnel includes an inwardly and upwardly sloping lower leg 29a and an outwardly and upwardly sloping upper leg 29b. The lower legs 29a hold the container in the receiver when the food is placed in the frying vat. Additionally, because the lower legs extend a distance inwardly beyond the rim of the container, the lower legs direct food in the outer area of the container toward the center of the funnel during loading, so that the food is Place it in the fly basket. The upper leg portion 29b is inclined outwardly,
When the food is removed after frying, the fried food is directed into the container.

As shown in FIG. 2, each container receiver 20 is
At a forward location of the frying butt 30, it is pivotally connected to a container receiving rod 120 (FIGS. 2, 5, and 16) that extends across the fryer. Pivot plate 122 receives rod 120
and each container receiver 20 are firmly connected. A basket rod 132 extends across the frying machine in front of the receiving rod 120 to which a frying basket is pivotally attached. As shown in FIG. 2, a basket lever 136 is provided on the side of each pivot plate 122 to attach the body of each frying basket to the basket rod. Each basket lever 1
36 has an arcuate surface 136a, and the receiving rod 120
Basket lever 1 without being disturbed by
36 can be rotated. Furthermore, the basket lever 136 has an upward surface 136b and a downward surface 136c.
As described below, the uncooked food F can be easily dropped into the frying basket 34. The lid 32 of the frying vat 30 is
As shown, it is pivotally connected to a lid rod 132 which extends across the fryer behind the frying vat 30.

Regarding the operation of the linkage mechanism 60, the first
This is best shown in FIGS. 3 to 16. The damping arm 62 is fixed to the cam wheel at the position indicated by point X. The position of point X is the eccentric position of the cam wheel 66 and is also the center of rotation of the cam wheel. The damping arm 62 includes a roller 64. A motor 68 (FIG. 3) is coupled to cam wheel 66 and rotates cam wheel 66 and damping arm 62 in clockwise and counterclockwise directions.

13-14 show the sequence of operations for dropping uncooked food into the frying vat 30. From the starting position, in which the damping arm 62 is located below the container receiver 20, the cam wheel 66 is rotated in a clockwise direction. Damping arm 6
2 is lifted upward until the roller 64 engages the rail 72a of a damping guide 72 mounted on the outside of the container receiver 20. As the cam wheel 66 continues to rotate, the rollers 64 move inward along the damping guide, lifting the container and
The container receiver 20 is rotated around the receiver rod 120. As shown in FIG. 14, when a sufficient portion of the container receiver 20 moves over the edge of the upper surface 136b, the container receiver 20 moves between the upper surface 136b and the lower surface 136b.
6c, and the food in the container falls into the frying vat 30.

In addition to rotating the damping arm 62 to drop the food, the cam wheel 66 simultaneously opens the lid 32 of the frying vat 30. The lid 32 is
It is opened by rotating the cam wheel 66 around the eccentric point X. Rotation of the cam wheel 66 in a counterclockwise direction from the position shown in FIG. 13 to the position shown in FIG. 14 causes the cam wheel 66 to engage the lid linkage 80. The lid linkage 80 has a lid arm 82 .
is pivotally attached to the pin 83 of the lid lever 133 and one end of the angle arm 84. The angle arm 84 includes a roller 86 at the elbow of the arm that engages the cam wheel 66.

When the cam wheel 66 engages the lid linkage 80, the cam wheel 66 forces the roller 86 and angle arm 84 rearwardly, thereby moving the lid arm 82 upwardly and opening the lid 32. A vat for frying food when the lid is opened 30
Once dropped inside, the rotation of the cam wheel is reversed to return the container receiver to its original position and close the lid.

Linkage mechanism 60 also operates to open lid 32 and remove cooked food from the frying vat. When the predetermined frying time for the particular food being fried has elapsed, a timing mechanism activates motor 68, which rotates linkage system 62 to remove the cooked food from the frying vat. The damping arm 62 is rotated clockwise as shown in FIG. 1st
As shown in FIG. 6, the cam wheel 66 again engages the lid linkage 80 to lift the lid 32 as described above. The damping rod 62 engages with an upper rail 74a of a damping guide 74 attached to the fly basket 34. The rollers 64 slide within the damping guides 74 and as the fry basket 34 rotates around the basket rod 134, the fry basket 34 is lifted. The fly basket 34 is the 16th
When the food reaches the position shown in the figure, the food will be placed in the container receiver 2.
It is dropped into the container C which remains in the container C. In the preferred embodiment shown herein, motor 68
As described above, after dropping the cooked food into the container, the basket is momentarily stopped above the frying basket, and the frying basket 3 is placed in the container.
4 is programmed to shake above the food carton.

Also shown in FIG. 16 is a discharge pipe seal 34a. The drain seal 34a is located at the bottom of the frying basket 34 and seals the bottom drain tube 49 during cooking. Fly basket 3
4a is lifted by the linkage mechanism 60, the oil O from the frying station 30 is quickly drained and flushes the frying vat to prevent fried crumbs from accumulating.

After the food product is dropped into the cartridge, a time-activated signal (buzzer and/or light) instructs the user to open door 12 and remove the cartridge. The cartridge may then be used as a eating plate, or
You can also replace the lid and use it as a storage container to keep food warm and clean.

Although the automatic French fry machine of the present invention has been described above based on specific embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein.
The invention also encompasses all equivalent embodiments within the spirit of the invention.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the interior of a preferred embodiment of the automatic French fry machine of the present invention, with parts removed for clarity. Figure 2 shows
The frying vat on the right is shown with the lid removed.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the preferred embodiment with two separate frying vats omitted for clarity of the air filtration and circulation system; Figure 3 is 3 in Figure 2.
It is a sectional view taken along line -3. FIG. 4 is a front view of a specially designed container receiver shown with an opened container and food product. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5--5 in FIG. 2. 6 is an isometric view of a food cartridge used in the container receiver of FIG. 4; FIG. FIG. 7 is an isometric view of the container or cartridge of FIG. 6 with the lid removed for insertion into the automatic French fry machine of the present invention. 8th
9 and 10 are side views of the container receiver, the frying station and the oil tank, schematically showing the operation of supplying and dropping uncooked food into the frying station and the cooking operation. FIGS. 11 and 12 schematically illustrate the operation of draining excess oil from cooked food and dropping the cooked food into a container held within the container holder and frying station, respectively; FIGS. and a side view of the oil tank. Figures 13 and 14 are side views of a linkage mechanism for dropping uncooked food into a frying station. Figures 15 and 16 are side views of a linkage mechanism for returning cooked food to an open top cartridge held in a container receiver. C... Container or cartridge, 30... Cooking bucket, 34... Basket.

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. A method of storing, frying, and serving individual sized portions of food for consumer consumption, comprising: storing the food in a sized cartridge having a hermetically sealed closure; removing the cartridge from storage, removing the sealing closure to allow access to the food product, placing the opened cartridge in an automatic frying machine, automatically dosing the food product from the cartridge into a frying medium in the automatic frying machine; The frying medium fries the food that is placed separately from the cartridge, automatically places the cooked food back into the open cartridge, and then automatically transfers the cooked food back into the open cartridge to serve as a serving container containing the fried food. A method characterized in that the container is removed from an automatic frying machine. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said storing includes freezing the food and storing the frozen food in a cartridge. 3. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that after removing the cartridge from storage, the cartridge is transferred to a facility readily accessible to the consumer. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the automatic feeding of the food into the frying medium includes capturing the cartridge while inverting the cartridge so that only the food in the cartridge falls into the frying medium. Method. 5. In a method of frying a portion of food, the food is packed into a storage and handling container before being fried, and the food is placed in a container in an automatic frying machine that is separate from and does not communicate with the frying medium. Insert the container into the automatic frying machine, transfer the container containing the food to a position close to the frying medium, activate the automatic device for dumping the food in the container into the frying medium, and remove the food separated from the container. frying the food in a frying medium, automatically removing the food from the frying medium and returning it to the container, separating the fried food and the container from the frying medium, and automatically moving it to a position close to the outside of the automatic frying machine; and then removing the container and the food therein from the automatic frying machine. 6. A method according to claim 5, characterized in that the food product is packed into a sealed container having a removable lid and the lid is removed from the container before inserting the container into an automatic French fry machine. 7 Food stored in a cartridge having a cooking vat, a basket for holding food in the cooking vat, hot oil in the vat for cooking the food, and a mechanism for removing the basket from the vat. In a cooking device for processing food, the cartridge has a removable sealing cover, and the cartridge further comprises a single serving during packaging, storage, transport, processing within the cooking device, and final serving. The cooking device has a receiver for holding an open cartridge inserted into the device by a user, and a device for automatically dropping food from the cartridge into a basket for cooking. a device for automatically removing the cooked food from the basket and returning it to the cartridge; and a device for generating a signal for a user to remove the cartridge when the cooked food is returned to the cartridge; a housing having an access port closed by a door, the receptacle having a cartridge receiving position adjacent the access port, and an apparatus for removing food from the basket, when a cartridge is in the cartridge receiving position; including a device for tipping the basket over the receiver, the device for dispensing food into the basket includes a device for tipping the receiver over the basket when the basket is in the cooking bucket; ,
A cooking device characterized in that the device for overturning the basket further includes a device for rocking the frying basket back and forth in order to remove food adhering to the basket. 8 Storage in a cartridge having a cooking vat, a basket for holding the food in the cooking vat, hot oil in the vat for cooking the food, and a device for removing the basket from the vat. In a cooking device for processing cooked food, the cartridge has a removable sealing cover, and the cartridge further comprises: during packaging, storage, transport, processing within the cooking device, and final serving; The device holds a serving amount of food and includes a receiver for holding an open cartridge inserted into the device by a user, and a device for automatically dropping the food from the cartridge into a basket for cooking. a device for automatically removing the cooked food from the basket and returning it to the cartridge; and a device for generating a signal for a user to remove the cartridge when the cooked food is returned to the cartridge; The apparatus includes a housing having an access port closed by a door, the receiver having a cartridge receiving position adjacent the access port, and the apparatus for removing food from a basket such that the cartridge is located in the cartridge receiving position. said apparatus for dispensing food into said basket, said apparatus comprising an apparatus for overturning said basket over said receptacle;
When the basket is in the cooking bucket,
The device includes a device for tipping the receiver above the basket, the device for tipping the basket further including a device for moving the frying basket into a fixed position above the cooking bucket for a short period of time before opening the cooked food. A cooking device characterized in that it includes a device that makes it possible to retain and drain excess oil. 9. A device for handling open-top cartridges storing one serving of food, comprising a cooking vat for storing a cooking medium, a basket for holding the food in said vat, and a device for holding the cartridge. It's hot,
an accessible receptacle for inserting a cartridge from the outside of the device; a device for automatically dropping food from a cartridge into a basket for cooking; and a device for automatically dropping cooked food from a basket into the same cartridge. and a device for generating a signal when cooked food is returned to the cartridge for removal of the cooked food by a user of the device. 10. The device for opening food and returning it to the same cartridge includes a device for holding a food basket above a vat for a predetermined draining time to allow cooking medium to flow from the food into the vat. Apparatus according to claim 9. 11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the basket is temporarily maintained in a fixed position above the vat.