An ice-cream ejector for ejecting ice-cream filled with solid ingredients into an edible cone from a cup having a lower outlet. The cup is supported on a sliding shelf. A piston is pressed downwardly into the cup by a hand lever to press the ice cream out. The piston is quickly removable from the ejector for cleaning. A flexible resilient header extends across the underside of the piston and is removable for cleaning. A disposable piston cover of wax paper clings to the piston header as the piston retracts. The piston has an inclined wall portion guiding the piston into alignment with the cup during piston entry. Visibility of the outlet during cone-filling is increased by a notch in the shelf and by having the cup outlet below the shelf.
A method for food extrusion comprising the steps of: a) releasably installing an extrusion container having generally elliptically shaped open cavity with a frustro-conical shaped bottom terminated by a circular outlet on a base plate of an extrusion assembly; b) placing a food product to fill the cavity of the extrusion container, the food product including at least one soft constituent such as soft ice cream and the like; c) activating an elliptically frustro-conical shaped piston via a manual arm by applying pressure on the piston to downwardly push the food product contained in the cavity of the extrusion container, the piston being coaxial to the cavity and adapted to slidably engage the same; d) extruding the food product by providing circular downward flowing of the same with variable speed through the cavity down to the outlet of the extrusion container while performing a blending of air into the food product and twisting of the same; and e) collecting the food product being extruded from the container into a receiving receptacle with optimal stiffness, texture, density, feel and taste. Preferably, the food product includes at least two soft constituents placed adjacent to each other within the cavity.
A food extrusion assembly and particularly an ice cream extrusion assembly for providing a stream of elongated strands of ice cream or other foods of a predetermined cross-sectional configuration. The extrusion assembly includes a housing structure having a base portion and an upright support structure. A plunger assembly is mounted to the housing and has an activatable shaft and separable plunger head. A container mounting structure is provided to receive an extrusion container in alignment with the movement of the plunger head. The extrusion container has a predetermined pattern of extrusion apertures through its bottom surface. The extrusion container locks into the container mounting structure to permit the activation of a switch and to thereby cause the plunger head to penetrate the extrusion container for ice cream extrusion processing.
The dispensing apparatus of the invention is primarily intended to dispense frozen product from one portion containers (10), usually by extrusion through a circular outlet (13). In order that the product shape (46) after discharge is capable of being ball-shaped the receptacle (40) into which the product is discharged is located to provide resisted discharge of product over at least part of the discharge cycle. By providing resisted discharge the product shape is altered and laterally increased so that a ball-shaped portion of product is received in the receptacle.
A miniature, stand-alone, countertop freezer primarily for domestic use, and a soft-serve dispensing method, that allows extended storage of a food product at an optimum soft-serve sub-freezing temperature prior to dispensing. Its housing has a compact configuration for freezer-like insulated food product storage. However, when soft-serve dispensing is desired, the housing is vertically extended to expose a decorator pattern cap. A press plate in the upper portion of the housing is activated, either manually or otherwise, to push downwardly on the food product container, and thus force the food product through the pattern cap below the food product container and into a receiving vessel. The pattern cap may be a part of the dispenser or a part of the food product container. Although not limited thereto, use is contemplated with ice cream, sherbet, yogurt, sorbet, and other frozen dessert products. Alternative power supply sources are contemplated.
An ice-cream container pack that forms a replaceable cartridge in an associated dispensing machine, said pack comprising a cylindrical body fitted with a nozzle and a plunger which, when operated by the piston of said machine, dispenses the ice cream from the pack via said nozzle, said pack being characterized in that the bottom edge (8) of the cylindrical body wall (1) is directly attached to the end wall (5), said end wall being in the form of a truncated cone, the smaller and free base of which houses the extrusion nozzle (7), whereby a part of the end wall (5) constitutes the support base for the pack on the support (4') with which said dispensing machine is provided.
