Patent ID: 7087262

Claim:
A process for manufacturing dehydrated precooked flaked pinto beans comprising the steps of: providing a steam jacketed pressure vessel; providing a quantity of cleaned pinto beans; providing a quantity of water; positioning the quantity of pinto beans and the quantity of water in the steam jacketed pressure vessel; employing the steam jacketed pressure vessel to heat the pinto beans and water contained therein thereby cooking the pinto beans; providing a holding hopper; discharging the cooked pinto beans from the steam jacketed pressure vessel into the holding hopper; providing a perforated conveyor; discharging the pinto beans from the holding hopper onto the perforator conveyor; providing a first dehydrator; utilizing the perforated conveyor to transport the cooked pinto beans through the first dehydrator; utilizing the dehydrator to reduce the moisture content of the cooked pinto beans to approximately 20%; providing a pair of opposed corrugated rollers; directing the cooked dehydrated pinto beans between the opposed corrugated rollers and thereby converting the cooked, dehydrated pinto beans into flakes; providing a second dehydrator; directing the cooked dehydrated pinto bean flakes through the second dehydrator and thereby reducing the moisture content thereof to between about 10% and about 3%; and packaging the precooked dehydrated flaked pinto beans for distribution and sale following the second dehydration step.