Mepaco Blog

DUAL COOK SYSTEM SOLVES PRODUCTION FLEXIBILITY & CAPACITY

THE CHALLEGE
A multi-recipe prepared foods manufacture required an increase in cooking production and the flexibility to add more varieties of soups and sauces to their product offerings.  The application required cooking and blending of viscous food product with limitations in available floor space.

THE SOLUTION
The solution, provided by Mepaco, was a side-by-side ThermaBlend cooking system, sharing a maintenance and sanitation platform. This system utilizes minimal footprint and allows two different batches or doubling of batches.

THE EQUIPMENT

Column Dumper Two column dumpers are used to add ingredients to two ThermaBlend cookers.  The Mepaco Column Dumper offers a very heavy-duty design and are engineered for ease of maintenance.  Mepaco often makes modifications depending on the application such as column heights, dump angles to 60 degrees, dumper capacity, extended chutes, and stainless upgrade kit.

ThermaBlend Cooker In the system, there are two ThermaBlend Cookers, that support quick batch turns in their multi-recipe production needs.  A versatile unit, these cookers are capable of cooking, searing, caramelizing, sautéing and blending. ThermaBlend Cookers are designed for large scale operations, featuring:

• A wrap-around steam jackets providing large heating surfaces for optimal heat transfer
• Application-specific agitator designs for quick homogeneous blending, while minimizing shear
• A bi-directional scraper system that aids in processing efficiency
• Customization that drives production goals including vacuum and cooling

Buffering Mixer – The batches are discharged into a heated Buffering Mixer that maintains product temperature and consistency until required by downstream operations.

The Mepaco team of long-standing technical sales managers, engineers and project leaders work with customer teams on solving the best solution that fits the application and production goals. Our equipment and systems uphold increased yield performance, optimal designs for ease of maintenance and operation, single-source manufacturing capabilities, the highest sanitary equipment finishes available and vigilant compliance of food safety criteria.

Mepaco, the food processing group of Apache Stainless Equipment Corporation, has three cookers available for testing as a courtesy to customers.

• A 50 gal single agitated ThermaBlend Cooker
• A 75 gal double agitated ThermaBlend Cooker
• A small continuous cooker

The ThermaBlend “batch” Cooker offers a superior thermal processing solution with excellent cooking, cooling and blending characteristics. It is engineered for long lasting service for large-scale cooking applications.

The Continuous Cooker is used where batch cooking is not applicable. The equipment offers a variety of processing options, including the use of steam, water and oil cooking medias.

In utilizing the test cookers, Mepaco can conduct time studies and prove-out product integrity and production efficiencies. Mepaco uses the data to determine adjustment to horsepower, BTU’s, number of injectors and other performance criteria. The test results are scalable to maximize the efficiency of a larger system.

There is no cost to use our test unit. Customers typically pay for freight and replacement of parts in the event of loss or damage. If a technician is required, Mepaco simply asks for travel/lodging expenses for that service person.

For more information on the ThermaBlend unit, click here!
For more information on the Continuous Cooker, click here!

Contact the sales support person in your area to inquire about using a test unit.