enrober

thumb|An enrobing machine in operation An enrober is a machine used in the confectionery industry to coat a food item with a coating medium, typically chocolate. Frequently enrobed foods include nuts, ice cream, toffee, chocolate bars, biscuits and cookies. In addition to its effects on the taste and mouthfeel, enrobing with chocolate extends a confection's shelf life.

== Process == thumb|right|Chocolate-covered cherry|Chocolate coated cherry The process of enrobing involves placing the items on the enrober's feed band, which may consist of a wire mesh or containers in which the confection to be enrobed are placed, with each container having drain holes to recover excess chocolate. The enrober maintains the coating medium at a controlled constant temperature and pumps the medium into a flow pan. The medium flows from the flow pan in a continuous curtain and bottoming bed that the food items pass through, completely coating them. A wire mesh conveyor belt then transports the coated confection to a cooling area.