In one versatile solution, the ThermaBlend® Industrial Cooker provides excellent cooking, searing, caramelizing, chilling, sautéing, and blending.
Cooking
The ThermaBlend® Cooker is designed with a steam or hot water (ASME) jacket with gentle agitation that evenly heats the product through forced convection. In some applications, culinary steam is directly injected into the product to accelerate the cooking process.
Indirect steam applications include sauteed vegetables, scrambled eggs, granola, ground beef, and other meat products that do not require additional moisture.
Direct steam applications include thick sauces, stews, chilis, soups, fillings, spreads, and wet pet food.
The ThermaBlend® cooker can utilize direct, indirect, or both steam heating techniques, commonly used in applications to substantially reduce batch cycle times.
Blending
The ThermaBlend® is capable of mixing, blending, and cooking in one unit. Reversing agitators are available with VFD speed control from 6 – 30 RPM and are controlled according to the recipe program to maximize product integrity and homogeneity.
The ThermaBlend® Cooker offers a range of agitators to minimize shear and blend products for desired results. Agitator Options include single and dual ribbons, paddles, split ribbons, and thermal screws. The agitators can also include bi-directional scrapers to keep the heat exchange surface clean and minimize burn-on while optimizing thermal processing.
Searing, Caramelizing, Sautéing
The ThermaBlend® is capable of high temperature applications that require searing, frying, and caramelizing. The cooker can be controlled to temper proteins, massage, tenderize, cook, shred, and blend in one unit.
Cooling/Chilling
Another feature of ThermaBlend® Cookers is the ability to stop the cooking process and cool the product for downstream package filling. Depending on the processing requirements, the ThermaBlend® can utilize cryogenics, vacuum, or jacket cooling to control product cool-down temperature efficiently.
Multi-step processes, recipe controls programming, steam, glycol, cryogen, vacuum and/or water are programmed into the controls to automate the batch process for the most efficient cycle times.
Many parameters are considered for a thermal processing solution. Mepaco® provides a consultative approach to learn the processor’s goals for production, operation, product, process, safety, and automation.
Processors considering a ThermaBlend® solution are encouraged to inquire about testing. Mepaco® currently has a 75-gallon test cooker equipped with indirect and direct steam injection, vacuum, and dual ribbon agitators with scrapers. Designed with all the flexibility you would require; the test cooker can be adapted to a variety of applications. Inquire with a Mepaco sales manager for more information.
