Steam vessel for preheating fruit or vegetables for peeling - is lined with insulating material and tumbles prod. in rotary basket

摘要

A machine for thermal shock treatment of fruit and vegetables prior to peeling is claimed. The prod. is placed inside a vessel and subjected to direct contact with pressurised live steam at high temp.. This condition is maintained for a very brief period i.e. about half a minute. The prod. is then cooled by spraying with cold water which rapidly produces a vacuum inside the vessel by condensing the steam. The vessel is now internally lined with a layer of thermal insulation material. Within the vessel, a perforated basket is fitted to contain the prod. being processed. The exterior of the basket is well clear of the interior of the vessel at all points. The layer of insulation protects the vessel shell from thermal stresses which could set up metal fatigue. Time and heat energy are no longer wasted in changing the temp. of the shell because the prod. can be treated in a shorter time in the vessel, the prod. surface is less prone to heat softening which makes it easily damaged.