Dunbar & Co. Peanut Roasters
By Bruce Wm. Anderson
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Peanut roasting was mechanized prior to the mechanization of popping popcorn due to its simplicity. The early mechanized peanut roasters used a windup spring to power them throughout the roasting cycle. In the early years of Dunbar & Co., it appears it was more important to be known as the manufacturer of peanut roasting equipment then corn popping equipment as the early catalogs list the name peanut roasters before corn poppers. In the 1905, Dunbar & Co. catalog the first page is titled “Chicago Steam Peanut Roasters and Corn Poppers.” The first Dunbar & Co. catalog not to feature peanut roasting equipment before corn popping equipment was in 1929. These peanuts were of the unsalted variety and were required to be roasted for approximately 20 minutes (? Somewhere we have a description of this process) and then tests were made with the peanut tester by removing a sample of the peanuts until the peanuts appeared golden brown. The operator had to pay close attention to prevent burning the peanuts.
The Cylinder is described in this summary of the early catalogs as the peanuts are placed in the cylinder by opening the upper peanut roaster enclosure door (see picture X) and removing the inner cylinder cover (see picture X) with the special inner cylinder lid handle (see picture X). The peanut cylinder is arranged so that peanuts can be tested while roasting through a hole in the end of the cylinder with the roasted peanut tester (see picture X). When roasted the peanuts are discharged directly into the warming pan through the lower peanut roaster enclosure door (see picture X) and likewise removing the inner cylinder cover with the special inner cylinder lid handle. This peanut warming pan will hold many times the amount of peanuts that can be roasted during one cycle and they are kept warm by the water tank, which is directly underneath it. On one model the warming pan had an optional glass cover (Model 1). The water tank is kept warm by the condensing steam from the steam engine as it is returned to the water tank. This tank is made of copper. The peanut roasting cylinder can be rotated by either steam or electric power and can be heated by either gas or electricity.
The Cylinder is described in this summary of the early catalogs as the peanuts are placed in the cylinder by opening the upper peanut roaster enclosure door (see picture X) and removing the inner cylinder cover (see picture X) with the special inner cylinder lid handle (see picture X). The peanut cylinder is arranged so that peanuts can be tested while roasting through a hole in the end of the cylinder with the roasted peanut tester (see picture X). When roasted the peanuts are discharged directly into the warming pan through the lower peanut roaster enclosure door (see picture X) and likewise removing the inner cylinder cover with the special inner cylinder lid handle. This peanut warming pan will hold many times the amount of peanuts that can be roasted during one cycle and they are kept warm by the water tank, which is directly underneath it. On one model the warming pan had an optional glass cover (Model 1). The water tank is kept warm by the condensing steam from the steam engine as it is returned to the water tank. This tank is made of copper. The peanut roasting cylinder can be rotated by either steam or electric power and can be heated by either gas or electricity.
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The peanut roasters on the automobile and horse wagon designs came in many different sizes. They were described by the inner diameter and length of the inner cylinder both in inches and by the number of pounds of peanuts they could roast during one cycle. From the 1904 catalog to the 1934 catalogs that we are able to review we find nine different sizes of peanut roasters. These include a 8 x 15 peanut roasting cylinder for a corn popping case of approximately 5 pounds capacity, a 9.5 x 20 peanut roaster cylinder of 9 pounds capacity, an unknown sized cylinder of 10 pounds capacity, a 11 x 24 peanut roasting cylinder of 15 pounds capacity, a 11 x 36 peanut roasting cylinder of 20 pounds capacity, both a 12 x 26 and 15 x 22 peanut roasting cylinder of 22 pounds capacity, a 12 x 28 peanut roasting cylinder of 25 pounds capacity and finally a 15 x 36 peanut roasting cylinder of 40 pounds capacity.
We have pieces of a very early peanut roaster that show tumbling action of the peanuts was assisted by fastening interrupted pieces of very coarse screen to the inner cylinder (see picture X). In later peanut roasters the tumbling of the peanuts was assisted by the use of (?) (See picture X).
We have pieces of a very early peanut roaster that show tumbling action of the peanuts was assisted by fastening interrupted pieces of very coarse screen to the inner cylinder (see picture X). In later peanut roasters the tumbling of the peanuts was assisted by the use of (?) (See picture X).
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Picture X