Method and apparatus for making a food product

Abstract: The apparatus comprises an open topped tank 1 for containing and heating cooking oil 2 and a frame 3 which is mountable in or over the open top of the tank. The frame includes a number of spring clips 7 arranged around the periphery of the tank. In making the product a handle is inserted into the end of a length of banana or other fruit, which is then coated with a batter mixture. The ingredients of the batter include wheat and soya flour, egg, a liquid such as milk and/or water, sugar and oil, baking powder, an emulsifier and a stabiliser. The coated fruit is immersed in the oil using the stick to suspend the product from one of the clips 7.

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a method of commercially producing an unusual and appealing food product, and apparatus for use in the method. BACKGROUND ART It is well known in the culinary art to make a product called a fritter by coating a piece of fruit with a batter mixture and then frying it in a shallow pan. The fritter is usually turned over half way through cooking to ensure that both sides are cooked. The batter mixture can vary in composition but normally includes 100 to 125 gms plain wheat flour, a pinch of salt, egg, and about 150 ml milk or milk and water. Sometimes sugar may be added as a sweetener, and occasionally oil may be added in a ratio of between 1:6 to 1:8 by weight of the flour. The fritters produced by the conventional method are non-symmetrical and are often of wrinkled appearance. Moreover, the batter coat is often unevenly cooked. US-A-3 466 999 discloses a method of making a food product, said method comprising: inserting a handle part-way into a piece of fruit, forming a liquid batter mixture, inserting the fruit into said liquid batter mixture so as to completely cover the fruit with said liquid batter mixture and thereby form a batter coat over said fruit, immersing the batter-coated fruit in heated oil, leaving the batter-coated fruit immersed in the heated oil for sufficient time for said batter coat to cook, and removing the batter-coated fruit from the oil in a generally vertical direction. DE-A-3 525 283 discloses apparatus for use in making a food product, comprising an open topped tank for containing cooking oil, means for heating the oil contained in the tank, and a frame which is adapted to be mounted in or over the open top of the tank and which extends continuously around the periphery of the tank, the frame including a plurality of securing devices by which food products can be suspended in the oil to cook, the securing devices being mounted on the frame around the periphery of the tank. An aim of the invention is to provide a commercial food product of the fritter type which, in addition to being pleasant to eat, has an aesthetically attractive shape and colour and which is reproducible on a commercial scale with a minimal reject rate. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The method of the present invention is characterised in that the liquid batter mixture comprises soya flour, non-soya flour, egg, sugar, and oil, said heated oil is heated to a temperature of between 170°C and 195°C, and the batter-coated fruit is inserted generally vertically into a central area of the heated oil whilst manually holding the handle, the handle and batter-coated fruit are moved laterally whilst immersed in the heated oil to engage a clip mounted on a frame suspended about a periphery of the heated oil and away from the central area so as to suspend the fruit from the frame at the periphery of the heated oil while the batter-coated fruit is immersed in the heated oil, whereby a smooth, even, golden brown outermost batter coat is formed on said fruit. By suspending the product in the cooking oil using the frame it is possible in almost every instance to achieve a cooked product with an even and symmetrical batter coat. The piece of fruit may be a whole fruit or part of a fruit. A particularly preferred fruit is the banana. Examples of particularly suitable bananas are musa acminata, musa basjoo, musa nana, and musa x poradisiaca. Other fruits which may be used are the apple, strawberry, peach, pear, pineapple and kiwi fruit. The invention includes apparatus for use in the method which is characterised in that the ssecuring devices are directed inwardly towards the central area of the frame and each comprises a pair of laterally projecting spring fingers which define a laterally directed opening for receiving the food product. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The accompanying drawing is a perspective view of fryer apparatus for use in manufacturing food products of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The fryer is of the kind often referred to as a deep fat fryer and comprises an open-topped tank 1 for containing cooking oil 2. In order to heat the oil to operating temperature an electrical heating element (not shown) is incorporated into the walls of the tank in known manner. Other forms of heating such as gas burners disposed beneath the tank may also be used. A specially constructed frame 3 of generally rectangular shape is provided to be received in a horizontal plane within the open top 4 of the tank such that there is a small gap between the sides of the frame and the sides of the tank. The frame may be formed of rust-proof metal such as aluminium or stainless steel. In order to suspend the frame above the surface of the oil when the tank is filled, the frame is provided with two or more downwardly directed hooks 5, 6 which locate over the top edge of the tank walls. The inner face of the frame 3 is provided with a series of inwardly directed spring clips 7 which are mutually spaced at intervals around the perimeter of the frame. (Only a few of the clips are shown in the drawings.) These clips are for use in suspending the food products in the cooking oil, as will be explained below. Each clip comprises a pair of spring fingers 8, 9 (see inset detail) which project inwardly of the frame and are joined by an integral base portion 10. The fingers 8, 9 are spaced apart to define between them a substantially vertical, laterally open gripping aperture 11. The reason that the spring clips are arranged around the edge of the tank as opposed to its centre is so that the cooked food products can be removed from the frame without risk of the hot oil dripping from them onto adjacent products, which would in turn make them difficult to remove by hand. The way in which the apparatus is used in manufacturing the food products of the invention will now be explained in the following illustrative Example. EXAMPLE 1 A dry mix was made from the following main ingredients: Ingredient Weight (gms) Percentage of dry mix by wt. Plain wheat flour 5,000 48.5 Soya flour 1,500 14.6 Sugar 2,200 21.3 Vegetable oil 875 8.5 Milk powder 250 2.4 Dried egg 210 2.0 Baking powder 160 1.6 Salt 112 1.1 Small quantities of emulsifiers E471 and E322 and stabiliser E412 were also included in permitted levels. The tank was partially filled with a quantity of vegetable cooking oil to just below the frame 3. The heater was then turned on to heat the oil to a temperature of between 170 and 195 degrees C, 180 degrees C being the temperature to aim for. 1,000 gm of the dry mix was mixed with sufficient water (approximately 850ml) to give a batter with a creamy consistency. A banana was cut transversely into approximately two halves, and each half then had a wooden stick longitudinally inserted part way into one end. Using the stick as a handle, the portion of banana was dipped into the batter to coat it all over and was then immediately inserted into the fryer. The wooden stick was held vertically in one of the spring clips 7 with the coated banana immersed in the oil without touching the sides of the tank. After three and a half minutes the cooked product was removed from the tank and allowed to cool slightly before being eaten. The batter coating was of a smooth even appearance and of a rich golden brown colour. The product was substantially symmetrical about the axis of the stick and was of pleasant flavour. The batter was of a non-greasy consistency. In order to demonstrate the importance of various aspects of the process a number of comparative examples were performed. COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 1 Example 1 was repeated, but instead of using the frame 3 the products were allowed to sink to the bottom of the tank and were removed from the tank after cooking for three and a half minutes. The batter coating of the resulting products was misshapen and unsymmetrical with a notable flat on one side. The coating was unevenly cooked and contained several cracks. Altogether, the product was considered to be completely unsuitable for sale. COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 2 Example 1 was was repeated using an additional 1,500 gms of plain wheat flour in lieu of the soya flour. The batter coating of the resulting products was of a much heavier texture and was of a less appetising colour. COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 3 Example 1 was repeated omitting the sugar from the batter mix. The batter coating of the resulting products was inferior colour and not sweet. COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 4 Example 1 was repeated omitting the vegetable oil from the batter mix. The batter coating was of a poor colour and was rather tough and dry to eat. COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 5 Example 1 was repeated omitting the baking powder from the batter mix. The batter coating of the resulting products was heavier and did not rise when cooked. COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 6 Example 1 was repeated omitting the emulsifiers from the batter mix. The batter coating of the resulting products was of the same colour and flavour but was of a drier texture. COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 7 Example 1 was repeated omitting the stabiliser from the batter mix. The flavour and colour of the batter coating was unchanged but was dry to eat. The quality of the coating was inconsistent and had poor keeping qualities. In Comparative Examples 2 to 7 the resulting products were considered to be of saleable quality, though inferior to the products obtained by Example 1. EXAMPLE 2 Example 1 was repeated using an apple in place of the length of banana. The food product thus obtained was of pleasant taste, and the batter coating was of similar appearance and consistency to that obtained in Example 1. EXAMPLES 3 TO 7 Example 1 was repeated using the following fruits: Strawberry Peach Pear Pineapple Kiwi fruit In each case a pleasant tasting product was obtained with an acceptable batter coat. It will be appreciated that although a specific preferred recipe for the batter coat has been given in Example 1 acceptable results could still be obtained if the weights and percentages were to be varied from those given. Similarly, equivalent ingredients could be substituted for many of those stated, e.g. saccharin could be substituted for sugar, fresh milk for milk powder, and so on.

Claims: A method of making a food product, said method comprising: inserting a handle part-way into a piece of fruit, forming a liquid batter mixture, inserting the fruit into said liquid batter mixture so as to completely cover the fruit with said liquid batter mixture and thereby form a batter coat over said fruit, immersing the batter-coated fruit in heated oil, leaving the batter-coated fruit immersed in the heated oil for sufficient time for said batter coat to cook, and removing the batter-coated fruit from the oil in a generally vertical direction, characterised in that the liquid batter mixture comprises soya flour, non-soya flour, egg, sugar, and oil, said heated oil is heated to a temperature of between 170°C and 195°C, and the batter-coated fruit is inserted generally vertically into a central area of the heated oil whilst manually holding the handle, the handle and batter-coated fruit are moved laterally whilst immersed in the heated oil to engage a clip mounted on a frame suspended about a periphery of the heated oil and away from the central area so as to suspend the fruit from the frame at the periphery of the heated oil while the batter-coated fruit is immersed in the heated oil, whereby a smooth, even, golden brown outermost batter coat is formed on said fruit. A method according to Claim 1, in which the batter mixture comprises baking powder. A method according to Claim 1 or 2, in which the batter mixture comprises an emulsifier. A method according to any of Claims 1 to 3, in which the batter mixture comprises a stabiliser. A method according to any of Claims 1 to 4, in which the batter mixture comprises plain wheat flour. A method according to any preceding Claim, in which the batter mixture is made by adding liquid to a dry batter mix. A method according to Claim 6, in which the dry batter mix comprises milk powder. A method according to Claim 6 or 7, in which the dry batter mix comprises dried egg. A method according to any preceding claim, in which the fruit is a banana, apple, strawberry, peach, pear, pineapple or kiwi fruit. Apparatus for use in making a food product, comprising an open topped tank (4) for containing cooking oil, means for heating the oil contained in the tank, and a frame (3) which is adapted to be mounted in or over the open top of the tank (4) and which extends continuously around the periphery of the tank, the frame (3) including a plurality of securing devices by which food products can be suspended in the oil to cook, the securing devices (7) being mounted on the frame (3) around the periphery of the tank, characterised in that the securing devices (7) are directed inwardly towards the central area of the frame and each comprises a pair of laterally projecting spring fingers (8, 9) which define a laterally directed opening for receiving the food product.

Inventors: TIBBS PATRICIA MAUREEN, TIBBS, PATRICIA MAUREEN
Applicants: TIBBS PATRICIA MAUREEN, TIBBS, PATRICIA MAUREEN
Application year: 1990
Main classification: A47J37
IPC codes: A23P1, A23L1, A47J37