EP--78232 A Machine has a cutting frame inside which a layer of meat etc. is laid horizontally on the tops of a set of vertical skewer tubes extending partway through perforations in a horizontal reception plate. A horizontal platen is pressed down on the layer so that the skewer tube projections pass through the layer into platen slots. The platen is raised, a further layer superimposed on the skewer tube projections and the platen brought down again. This process is repeated until a full complement of layers is impaled on the skewer tubes. Each skewer tube contains a skewer in its axial length extending through the layers. The skewer tubes are retracted vertically down through the reception plate, leaving the skewers in place in the layers. Each skewer is supported by a coaxial rod inside the retractable skewer tube. - A vertically and horizontally displaceable cutting head operates a blade through slots in the cutting frame, dividing up the layers, so that loaded skewers can be sepd. pref. the cutting frame can be rotated through 90 deg. about its central vertical axis. - The machine is for producing loaded skewers of meat blanks, and/or blanks of fruit, vegetable, meat and fish ready for cooking. EPAB- EP--78232 B Machine has a cutting frame inside which a layer of meat etc. is laid horizontally on the tops of a set of vertical skewer tubes extending partway through perforations in a horizontal reception plate. A horizontal platen is pressed down on the layer so that the skewer tube projections pass through the layer into platen slots. The platen is raised, a further layer superimposed on the skewer tube projections and the platen brought down again. This process is repeated until a full complement of layers is impaled on the skewer tubes. Each skewer tube contains a skewer in its axial length extending through the layers. The skewer tubes are retracted vertically down through the reception plate, leaving the skewers in place in the layers. Each skewer is supported by a coaxial rod inside the retractable skewer tube. - A vertically and horizontally displaceable cutting head operates a blade through slots in the cutting frame, dividing up the layers, so that loaded skewers can be sepd. pref. the cutting frame can be rotated through 90 deg. about its central vertical axis. - The machine is for producing loaded skewers of meat blanks, and/or blanks of fruit, vegetable, meat and fish ready for cooking. (46pp) - EP--78232 B Skewering device for the preparation of brochettes of foodstuffs such as meat, vegetables, fruit or fish, characterised in that it comprises - a receiving tray provided with passage holes, for receiving at least one layer of foodstuff products, - a pressing member, capable of being applied to the said layer resting on the said receiving tray, - a plurality of skewering tubes having a lengthwise axis and comprising at least one end section capable of receiving internally, coaxially, with a possibility of relative coaxial sliding, a small kewer or stick, each of the skewering tubes being itself capable of coaxial lengthwise sliding in a corresponding hole of the receiving tray, - means for producing a relative lengthwise movement of the skewering tubes and of the receiving tray, so as alternately to introduce the skewering tubes via the said end section into a position between the receiving tray and the pressing member, by means of a sliding of the skewering tubes in a determined direction in the holes of the receiving tray, and then freeing the skewering tubes by means of a sliding of the said tubes and of the said tray in a direction opposite to the said determined direction, and - means for immobilising the said small skewers or sticks against a sliding in the skewering tubes in the said opposite direction, the said means enabling the small skewers or sticks to be left free in respect of a sliding in the skewering tubes in the said determined direction. (35pp) USAB- US4604771 A Appts. for automatically preparing skewers holding food, comprises vertically movable array of piercing tubes housing skewers and below the array a food platform having holes for passage of the piercing tubes. - At least one layer of food is held against the platform by a pressing element, for piercing by the tubes and the spikes before the spikes are left in the food by operation of ejection rods inside the tubes. Pref. the food platform is the base of a skewing and carving basket, into which a blade holder is lowerable for carving piled slices.