Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~1133~
CUTTER ELE~ENT
The present invention relates to an improved
method and apparatus for the slicing of vegetables, and
more particularly is related to the slicing of potatoes
for production of French fried potatoes.
m e high speed production of elongated vegetable
slices such as French fried potato slices has been accomp-
lished by a wide variety of devices such as motor driven
circular slicers, grids of tensioned wires, and the like.
An especially advantageous apparatus and method for slicing
such elongated slices are disclosed in U. S. Patents
3,109,468 and 3,116,772 to Lamb et al, which were respect-
ively issued November 5, 1963 and January 7, 1964. These
patents disclose a grid of staggered blades through which
oriented potatoes are forced at a high speed.
Each of the prior art processes has been more or
less effective in producing French fries which have a pleas-
ing appearance characterized by a uniformity of cross-sectional
dimensions among all the French fries produced. While this
uniformity of
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size may be visually pleasing, it does not insure that such fries will have
other uniform characteristics after processing. Because potatoes do not have
a uniform composition throughout their entire volume, fries of several differ-
ent compositions will be cut from each potato. The characteristics of each
blanched and cooked fry at least partially depends on the fry's composition;
so cooked uniformly shaped fries from a single potato can vary widely. For
instance, an optimally cooked batch of uniformly shaped fries is a compromised
mixture which includes both overcooked and undercooked fries.
Summary of the Invention
The apparatus and method of the present invention substantially
reduce the problem of disparate characteristics among processed fries in a
given batch.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided
a cutter device comprising: a plurality of cutting blades arranged to cut
a food product, having identifiable regions of different solids content, into
multiple elongated segments when said product is passed through said blades,
said blades being spaced to cut segments having smaller cross-sectional
dimensions from lower solids content areas of said product and to cut segments
having larger cross-sectional dimensions from higher solids content areas of
said product so that segments after being uniformly processed will be more
uniform in some characteristict than would similarly processed, uniformly
dimensioned segments of the same average size and cut from a similar product.
According to another aspec~ of the present invention there is
provided a method of preparing a food product comprising: making a series of
longitudinal cuts ~hrough a food product to divide it into multiple, elongated
segments, said cuts being spaced so that segments having smaller cross-
sectional dimensions are cut from lower solids content areas of said product
and segments having larger cross-sectional dimensions are cut from higher
solids content areas of said product so that variations in some segment
characteristic~ are minimized, and segments substantially uniform in said
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characteristic are obtained when said segments are processed together.
Thus, slicing according to the present invention compensates for
the variation of solids content among segments cut from different portions of
a potato. For example, if uniform "doneness" or texture is a desired final
characteristic, segments with relatively small cross-sectional dimensions
are taken from the center of the potato and larger dimensioned segments from
the outer portions. On the average, fries cut in this fashion are closer to
a median degree of "doneness" after batch blanching and cooking than are
prior art
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333
are prior art uniformly dimensioned French fries processed
at the same conditions. As an ultimate result, the pro-
cess of this invention can be used to produce fries which
cook to a more uniform texture and degree of "doneness"
than has heretofore been obtained.
Brief Description of the Drawings
In the drawings:
Fig. 1 is an exploded projection view of a pre-
ferred cutter element according to the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along lines
2-2 of Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines
3-3 of Fig. 2;
Fig. 4 is a schematic view of the lateral dis-
placement of blades in a cutter element according to
the present invention;
Fig. 5 is a schematic sectional view of a typical
processing-variety potato; and
Fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of
an elongated potato slice produced according to the process
of the present invention.
Description of the Preferred Embodiment
The process of the present invention can be ~ ^
performed on many types of prior art vegetable slicing
equipment, such as apparatus which employ rotary blade or
; tensioned wire cutting means. Preferred, however, is an
apparatus which employs fixed, staggered blades such as
the cutting means described in the previously mentioned
patents of Lamb et al. A cutter assembly for use in such
an apparatus includes a cutter box assembly 10, here shown
as being square in configuration, having two opposed end
plates 12, 13 which are grooved at 14 and 15 respectively. It's
use will be described in connection with the slicing of potatoes.
333
~ach groove has pyramidal sides such as those indicated on the
end plate 12 at 16 and 18, and upon the end plate 13 at 20 and
22. he sides of the grooves 14, 15 angle toward each other at
about 9 to the vertical.
The end plates 12, 13 are respectively provided with
slots 24, 26. These slots accommGdate appropriate bolts 28, 30
by which a cutter housing 31 can be fixed within the box assembly
10. Each of the pyramidal grooves or channels 14, 15 are in turn
adapted to receive one of two cutter housin~ end plates 32, 34,
which directly support two side cutters 36, 38. It will be seen
that the ends of each of the side cutter blades 36, 38 are dove-
tailed in between the edges of the plates 32, 34 and thereby
mounted between the grooves 14 and 15 when the cutter housing is
secured in the cutter box assembly.
The two cutter blades 36, 38 may be considered ~nives
with which to remove the outside portions or slabs S of a potato
on the two corresponding sides thereof. Corresponding cutter
blades for removing two other slabs S of the potato are found in
blades 44, 46. These are mounted right angularly to the exterior
blades 36, 38 and, li~e the latter, are in parallel alignment.
They are so spaced from the end plates 32, 34 as to form in the
potato a center cut section defined by the blades 36, 44, 38, and
46. Slab removal is accomplished by feeding a potato through the
cutter housing from its infeed end in the direction shown by an
arro~7 4B.
~ ithin the center cut area defined by blades 36,
38, 44 and 46 are mounted additional series of blades so
spaced (both laterally and vertically) that the potato is cut
or sliced into strips or segments the length of the potato.
In Figs. 2 and 3 it is seen that a series of central blades
50 intersects at right angles a li~e series of central
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blades 52. m e outermost blades of each series are posi-
tioned with their cutting edges adjacent the infeed end of
the cutter housing. The other blade edges successively
recede from the infeed end so that the cutting edges of
blades nearest the center of the series are most distant
from the infeed end.
The arrangement of Figs. 2 and 3, which is speci-
fically for slicing French fry segments from processing-
; variety potatoes, includes twenty central blades, ten in
each series. With this arrangement, potatoes of sufficientsize are cut into one hundred twenty-one longitudinal strips.
Fewer strips are taken from potatoes having small cross-
sectional dimensions than the area defined by the blades
36, 38, 44, 46.
The spacing of the blades of each series is
critical to the present invention because vegetables such
as potatoes and carrots do not have a uniform solids cont-
ent, cell structure or chemical composition throughout
their entire cross section. For instance, potatoes have -~
a higher solids content outer portion 56 (lightly shaded
area in Fig. 5) and lower solids content inner portion 58
commonly called pith (heavily shaded area in Fig. 5).
Due to this variation in internal composition, blanching
tends to produce more gelatenized starch in segments cut
from the pith. The amount of gelatenized starch in a
given segment determines its texture after a subsequent
cooking step and thus a variety of different product
; textures are commonly observed among the segments in any
cooked batch of uniformly dimensioned segments. It has
been found, however, that starch gelatenizes more quickly
333
in segments having relatively small cross-sectional dim-
ensions than in segments having relatively large cross-
sectional dimensions during blanching at identical condi-
tions, because heat ih transferred more readily to the
interiors of segments having smaller cross-sectional
dimensions.
The size and shape of segments can thus be varied
to at least partially offset the effect of non-homogenous
vegetable composition on the uniformity of cooked product
texture. For example, French fry segments can be cut to
obtain a more uniform degree of "doneness" after blanching
and cooking by spacing the edges of blades 50, 52 more
closely together at the centers of the blade series which
they respectively comprise, than at the outer edges thereof
so that segments of smaller cross-sectional dimensions
are cut from a potato's pith and segments of larger dim-
ensions from the outer higher solids content portion.
With such a blade arrangement, the segments on the average
have cross-sectional dimensions that are a function of ~he
segment's percent solids content and of the segment's
distance from the center of the potato at the time of
cutting.
Optimum blade spacings for the cutting of pot-
atoes or any other vegetable may be determined by experi-
mentation. This is accomplished by cutting segments from
a vegetable with blades set at proposed positions and
then measuring the extent to which segments deviate from
a standard target characteristic after being processed
and coo]ced together at standard conditions. The result-
ing data is then used to select a favorable blade spacing
333
arrangement which produces segments dimensioned to have
increasedly uniform characteristics after processing and
cooking.
One favorable blade arrangement for cutting
French fries from processing variety potatoes, such as
Russett-Burbank potatoes, includes blades spaced success-
ively further apart toward the outer edges of each blade
series. A modified version of this arrangement, illus-
trated in Fig. 4, includes a first series of blades 50
10having two transition blades Tl located equidistant
from the center point C of the cutter housing. Likewise
a second series of blades 52 has two parallel transition
blades T2. To simplify discussion, each of the two blade
series can be considered to include three subseries. The
first series of blades 50 has a center subseries Scl,
which includes both the transition blades T~ and blades
located therebetween, and also has two outer subseries r
Sol, each of which includes one of the transition blades
Tl and all blades located outwardly of and parallel to
20that transition blade. Likewise, the second series of
blades 52 has a center su~series Sc2, which includes
both the transition blades T2 and the blades located
therebetween, and also has two outer subseries So2, each
of which includes one of the transition blades T2 and
all blades located outwardly of and parallel to that
transition blade. The spacing of blades within any one
of the aforesaid subseries is uniform, but the spacing
of blades in one subseries may differ from the spacing
of blades in another.
As previously described, potatoes have an area
of low solids content at their centers, so blades of the
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outer subseries are spaced a greater distance apart than
are the blades of the center subseries to provide fries
wnich coo]c to an improved degree of textural uniformity.
Referring specifically to Fig. 4, the blades of the center
subseries Scl are spaced at a distance of Al which is less
than the spacing distance Bl of the outer subseries Sol
blades. Li]~ewise, blades of the center suhseries Sc2 are
spaced apart a distance of A2 which is less than the spac-
ing B2 of blades in the outer subseries So2.
Using a cutter apparatus having this blade
spacing, segments cut by perpendicular blades of both the
center subseries (in Fig. 4 those blades in the unhatched
area defined by the four transition blades Tl, T2) have
a rectangular cross section of Al x A2. Segments cut by
blades of one center subseries and perpendicular blades
of one outer subseries (in Fig. 4 those blades in the
four cross-hatched areas defined by three of the transi-
tion blades Tl, T2 and one of the side cutter blades
36, 38, 44, 46) have larger, rectangular cross-sectional
; 20 areas of either Al x B2 or Bl x A2. Segments cut by
perpendicular blades of two outer subseries (in Fig. 4
those blades in the four double-cross-hatched areas
defined by two of the transition blades Tl, T2 and two
of the slab cutter blades 36, 38, 44, 46) have still
larger, rectangular cross sections of Bl x B2. The
subseries of blades used to cut fries of each of the
above named dimensions is shown in Table I.
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TABLE I
Blade Subseries Used
Fry Dimensions _ in Cutting
Al x A2 Scl, SC2
Al x B2 SCl ' S2
Bl x A2 Sl r Sc2
Bl x B2 Sl ~ S2
Fig. 6 is an enlarged cxoss-sectional view of
a French fry segment F cut by the blade arrangement pre-
ferred for use with the Russet-Burbank potato. This figure
shows the relative cross-sectional dimensions of the differ-
ent segments cut by the assembly.
Fries cut by the disclosed apparatus do not
each perfectly match a standard ratio of solids content
to surface area or cross-sectional perimeter, but on the
average, they more closely meet a standard ratio than do
the uniformly shaped potato segments of the prior art.
To maximize the uniformity of slice shapes, it is preferred
to space the blades so that Al equals A2 and that Bl equals
B2.
By experimentation, a preferred spacing arrange-
ment has been devised for cutting French fry segments longi-
tudinally through processing-variety potatoes. In this
arrangement the center subseries spacings Al, A2 are both
9/32 inch and the outer subseries spacings Bl, B2 are both
19/64 inch. At these spacings, a cutter apparatus for pro-
cessing No. 2 or larger potatoes preferably includes four
blades in each center subseries and five blades in each
outer subseries. After blanching, freezing and cooking,
fries cut by an apparatus using this spacing arrangement
33~3
have a significantly uniform texture and are sufficiently
similar in shape that the absence of size uniformity
is not noticeable except upon close examination.
Operation
A selected vegetable is sliced according to
the normal mode of operation for the type of slicing
apparatus used; but the segments are taken so that
they have the differing cross-sectional dirnensions des-
cribed above. On the average, a segment's dimensions are
some function of its physical characteristics which
effect the rate at which it undergoes processing. The
dimensions might, for example, be related to a segment's
solids content, the average size of its cells or its
distance from the center of the vegetable at the time of
cutting. The function is selected by experimentation
so that some characteristic of the processed segments
will approach uniformity.
While we have shown and described a preferred
embodiment of our invention, it will be apparent to ;
those skilled in the art that changes and modifications
may be made without departing from our invention in its
broader aspects. For instance, the above specification
has specifically described varying segment dimensions
to accommodate different solids contents and thereby
achieve a uniform degree of segment texture or "doneness"
in the final product. The disclosed technique and appa-
ratus for cutting variable dimension segments could also
be used to optimize the uniformity of other final product
characteristics such as flavor, salt content or the like.
And, if segments undergo processing steps besides blanch-
ing, freezing and cooking or if the final product goal is
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333
other than "doneness" uniformity, the segment ch~racteris-
tic which dictates optimum hlade spacing may be unrelated
to solids content of the vegetable. Chemical composition
or cell size, for example, are factors which could deter-
mine the preferred hlade spacing to achieve uniformity
of certain end product characteristics.
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