Inventors:
Viguen Ter-Minassian - Falls Church VA
International Classification:
A22C 900
Abstract:
An apparatus for tenderizing meat comprising a reciprocable head for releasably holding knife blades for force-limited insertion into meat to be tenderized, the reciprocable head comprising a guide plate, a friction plate and an orientation plate, the guide plate having a plurality of guide apertures formed therein, the friction plate having a plurality of friction apertures formed therein, and the orientation plate having a plurality of orienting apertures formed therein, and said plates being assembled in spaced, parallel relationship with the apertures in each plate being in alignment, a plurality of elongated knife blades having cutting edges formed on one end thereof and positioned in the aligned apertures such that each blade passes through an aperture in each of the plates, the cutting blades each having a friction member formed therein and releasably retained in an aperture in the friction plate by a pre-determined non-magnetic frictional force for holding the blades independently in a fixed position as the blades are inserted into the meat to be tenderized.