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French fry vending machine

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A Just Fries brand French fry vending machine at Central Station in Montreal, Canada (2009)
A Just Fries brand French fry vending machine at Central Station in Montreal, Canada
Side view of a Just Fries brand vending machine in Valenciennes, France (2008)
Side view of a Just Fries brand vending machine in Valenciennes, France
Integra Saratoga French fry machine delivers fries in 35 seconds at Köln, Germany, at exhibition Eu'Vend and coffeena 2019.

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.

Brands, manufacturers and prototypes

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Historical

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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]

Contemporary

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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]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Cushing, Belle (November 14, 2013). "This French Fry Vending Machine Is Poised for Global Domination". Grub Street. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d Fuhrmeister, Chris (September 3, 2015). "Finally, a Vending Machine That Dispenses Hot French Fries". Eater. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c Taylor, Kate (September 4, 2015). "There's Now a Vending Machine That Dispenses Hot French Fries". Entrepreneur. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d Grindlay, Danielle (January 29, 2015). "Hot chip vending machine invented in SA 32 years ago". ABC Rural. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c McClendon, Kristi (September 27, 1990). "Mixed reviews for Mr. Crispy". The Daily Collegian. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  6. ^ Eagle, Jenny (November 25, 2013). "French fries vending machine 'get rich quick' scam?". Food Production Daily. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  7. ^ a b c d Blaustein, Michael (August 19, 2013). "Belgium gets Rolls Royce of vending machines – fresh french fries in 90 seconds flat". New York Post. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  8. ^ Krader, Kate (April 29, 2014). "How Well Do You Know Your Vending Machines? Take the Quiz!". Food & Wine. Archived from the original on April 8, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  9. ^ "About us". E-Vend Technology. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  10. ^ "Automated French Fry Vending". E-Vend Technology. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  11. ^ "French Fries Vending". FOTOLOOK. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  12. ^ a b c d Katzmaier, David (September 9, 2015). "Vending machine dispenses fresh, hot fries". CNET. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  13. ^ a b Chang, Lulu (September 7, 2015). "This French fry vending machine is the stuff dreams are made of". Digital Trends. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  14. ^ Bruno, Audrey (September 8, 2015). "This French Fry Vending Machine Might Change Fast Food Forever-You've Got to See What This New Vending Machine Does". Delish. Retrieved April 5, 2016.

Further reading

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  • "Shuttle insulation keeps machine cool, too". Volume 67, Issues 11-15. Machine Design. 1995. p. 50. 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)
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