A French fry vending machine is a vending machine that dispenses hot French fries, [1] [2] [3] also known as chips. The first known French fry vending machine was developed circa 1982 by the defunct Precision Fry Foods Pty Ltd. in Australia. A few companies have developed and manufactured French fry vending machines and prototypes. Furthermore, a prototype machine was also developed at Wageningen University in the Netherlands.
The now defunct Australian company Precision Fry Foods Pty Ltd. designed the first known French fry vending machine, named Mr. French Fry. [4] The company registered the design with the Australian government in January 1982. [4] The machine cooked hot chips within 60 seconds, and operated using three AUD $0.20 coins. [4] A salt packet was included underneath the cup that the chips were served in. [4]
Another company, Houser Vending Co., Inc., developed a French fry vending machine named Mr. Crispy's, which was used in various locations such as college campuses and factories since at least September 1990. [5] The fries were cooked in 365 °F (185 °C) sunflower oil for around 40 seconds, and 500 orders of fries were prepared before the oil was changed. [5] The machine had a feature that automatically turned it off in the event of a malfunction, and it also had a fire extinguisher built into it. [5]
Beyondte Technology, based in Shenzhen Province, China, began development of the Robo French fry machine in 2008, which delivers hot French fries in around 95 seconds. [1] Beyondte Technology was acquired by Breaktime Solutions in Belgium. [6] The machine was developed by Belgian entrepreneurs, [7] and field tested in Brussels, Belgium during the summer of 2012. [1] The machine weighs 750 pounds (340 kg), and can cook French fries in beef fat or cooking oil. [1] The machine requires manual servicing and cleaning after around 150 orders are prepared. [1] Later developments included installation of a ventilation system that uses three filters to reduce odors emitting from the machine. [7] The New York Post has referred to the Robo French fry machine as the "Rolls Royce of vending machines." [7] [8] In August 2013, an order of French fries from the machine was priced at USD $3.50. [7]
E-Vend Technology, a Russian company, manufactures a French fry vending machine in China and Israel using technology from the United States. [9] The machine uses frozen French fries, and prepares them in around 45 seconds using hot air, rather than cooking oil. [10]
Fotolook, s.r.o., based in Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia markets a French fry vending machine. [11]
In September 2015 at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, students and entrepreneurs presented a fully automatic, prototype vending machine that cooks frozen potato strips by deep frying them. [2] [3] [12] The final product is served with mayonnaise, ketchup or curry. [2] The process takes around two minutes from start to finish, [2] [3] in which the product is served in a paper cup. [12] The potato strips are stored in a frozen state inside the machine at −18 °C (0 °F), and it cooks them in oil at 180 °C (356 °F). [13] [14] The unit uses a specially-designed dispenser to prevent the potatoes from being crushed or broken. [12] As of September 2015, only the single prototype is available, which is housed at Wageningen University. [13] Orders are placed using a touchscreen, and a fork and salt are provided separately in a box. [12]
French fries, chips, finger chips, french-fried potatoes, or simply fries, are batonnet or allumette-cut deep-fried potatoes of disputed origin from Belgium or France. They are prepared by cutting potatoes into even strips, drying them, and frying them, usually in a deep fryer. Pre-cut, blanched, and frozen russet potatoes are widely used, and sometimes baked in a regular or convection oven; air fryers are small convection ovens marketed for frying potatoes.
A potato chip or crisp is a thin slice of potato that has been deep fried, baked, or air fried until crunchy. They are commonly served as a snack, side dish, or appetizer. The basic chips are cooked and salted; additional varieties are manufactured using various flavorings and ingredients including herbs, spices, cheeses, other natural flavors, artificial flavors, and additives.
Deep frying is a cooking method in which food is submerged in hot fat, traditionally lard but today most commonly oil, as opposed to the shallow oil used in conventional frying done in a frying pan. Normally, a deep fryer or chip pan is used for this; industrially, a pressure fryer or vacuum fryer may be used. Deep frying may also be performed using oil that is heated in a pot. Deep frying is classified as a hot-fat cooking method. Typically, deep frying foods cook quickly since oil has a high rate of heat conduction and all sides of the food are cooked simultaneously.
In cuisine, an omelette is a dish made from eggs, fried with butter or oil in a frying pan. It is quite common for the omelette to be folded around fillings such as chives, vegetables, mushrooms, meat, cheese, onions or some combination of the above. Whole eggs or egg whites are often beaten with a small amount of milk, cream, or water.
A vending machine is an automated machine that dispenses items such as snacks, beverages, cigarettes, and lottery tickets to consumers after cash, a credit card, or other forms of payment are inserted into the machine or otherwise made. The first modern vending machines were developed in England in the early 1880s and dispensed postcards. Vending machines exist in many countries and, in more recent times, specialized vending machines that provide less common products compared to traditional vending machine items have been created.
A schnitzel is a thin slice of meat. The meat is usually thinned by pounding with a meat tenderizer. Most commonly, the meat is breaded before frying. Breaded schnitzel is popular in many countries and is made using veal, pork, chicken, mutton, beef, or turkey. Schnitzel is very similar to the dish escalope in France and Spain, panado in Portugal, tonkatsu in Japan, cotoletta in Italy, kotlet schabowy in Poland, milanesa in Latin America, chuleta valluna in Colombia, and chicken-fried steak and pork tenderloin of the United States.
Kettle Foods, Inc. is an American manufacturer of potato chips, based in Salem, Oregon, United States, with a European and Middle East headquarters in Norwich, United Kingdom. As of 2006 they were the largest natural potato chip brand in the U.S.
Ghanaian cuisines refer to the meals of the Ghanaian people. The main dishes of Ghana are organized around starchy staple foods, which goes with either sauce or soup accompanied with a source of protein. The main ingredients for the vast majority of soups and stews are; tomatoes, hot peppers and onions. Most Ghanaian soups and stews are red or orange in appearance as a result of the main ingredients used.
Potato cake is a name given to various shaped potato dishes around the world, including a patty of hashed potatoes, a fried patty of mashed potato, a fried and battered slice of potato, or a flatbread made with mashed potato and flour. In Northern England and some states in Australia, a thin slice of potato that is battered and deep fried may be called a potato scallop. In Australia and New Zealand the terms potato cake, potato flip and potato fritter may be used.
Fried potatoes are a dish or a component of other dishes essentially consisting of potatoes which have been fried or deep-fried in hot cooking oil often with the addition of salt and other seasonings. They are often served as a side dish.
Gentle frying or low-temperature frying is an oil- or fat-based cooking method used for relatively fragile or starchy foods. While gentle frying is most notably used to cook fried eggs, it is also used for delicate fish, tender cuts of meat, sausages, and as a first step in fried potatoes.
Shallow frying is a hot oil-based cooking technique. It is typically used to prepare portion-sized cuts of meat, fish, potatoes and patties such as fritters. Shallow frying can also be used to cook vegetables.
A croquette is a deep-fried roll originating in French cuisine, consisting of a thick binder combined with a filling, which is then breaded. It is served as a side dish, a snack, or fast food worldwide.
Regional street food is street food that has commonalities within a region or culture.
Triple-cooked chips are a type of chips developed by the English chef Heston Blumenthal. Blumenthal began work on the recipe in 1993, and eventually developed the three-stage cooking process. The chips are first simmered, then cooled and drained using a sous-vide technique or by freezing; deep fried at 130 °C (266 °F) and cooled again; and finally deep-fried again at 180 °C (356 °F). The result is what Blumenthal calls "chips with a glass-like crust and a soft, fluffy centre".
Apple chips are chips or crisps that are prepared using apple. When stale, apple chips become drier and crispier. Contrary to modern belief, apple chips do not become chewier when stale, only harder. Apple chips may be fried, deep fried, vacuum fried, dehydrated or baked. Apple chips may have a dense and crispy texture, or may be puffed, yet still crispy. Microwave vacuum-drying may be used to prepare apple chips with a puffy and crispy texture. They may be seasoned with cinnamon and sweetened with confectioners sugar. Apple chips may be consumed as a snack food, and may be accompanied with various dips and other foods. Apple chips are mass-produced in the United States.
Kripik or keripik are Indonesian chips or crisps, bite-size snack crackers that can be savoury or sweet. They are made from various dried fruits, tubers, vegetables, and fish that have undergone a deep frying process in hot vegetable oil. They can be lightly seasoned with salt, or spiced with chili powder and sugar.
A new french-fry vending machine works more like a hot-air corn popper than a deep fryer. One of the biggest challenges in designing the machine was insulating the oven ...(subscription required)
Media related to French fry vending machines at Wikimedia Commons
