Foods and beverages: apparatus – Cooking – Automatic control
Patent
1987-10-19
1989-09-26
Simone, Timothy F.
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Cooking
Automatic control
99331, 99352, 99403, 99407, A47J 2704, A47J 2716, A47J 2721
Patent
active
048691607
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a process for the fast cooking of pasta and the like, in particular of dry "spaghetti" and other kinds of filamentary pasta to be consumed immediately and to the automatic apparatus to put the process into practice.
2. Prior Art
In known apparatus food is usually cooked during two steps, the first one taking place in a so-called cooking or pre-cooking chamber which is hydraulically brought into contact with a boiler to receive hot water therefrom in order to carry out the cooking. Then food is discharged into an expansion chamber, under atmospheric pressure, in which cooking terminates during a period substantially as long as the first step. Food ready to be consumed is then unloaded into an appropriate earthenware vessel put at the outside.
This process however is adapted to give an acceptable cooking degree only if it takes place within a period of 10 to 20 seconds longer than one minute. From a commercial standpoint this time is too long and it is difficult to reduce it owing to an improper operation during the first cooking step. This is mainly due to the high differential values in pressure and temperature existing between boiler and cooking chamber that give rise to the formation of dry and/or overheated vapour while water is introduced into said cooking chamber The presence of overheated vapour alters the molecular structure of gluten present in the pasta and it also makes the pasta surface immediately impervious to penetration by water, which remarkably hinders the absorption of water by the latter during the different cooking steps. It is clear that in this way the cooking operation is delayed and in many cases even endangered.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to eliminate the above drawbacks by providing a process and an apparatus that, by suitable devices, are adapted to allow pasta to be cooked in very reduced times, shorter than one minute.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus having a simplified structure as compared to that of known apparatus.
These objects are substantially achieved, in accordance with the process in reference, by the use of an appropriate thermodynamic process initially providing a moderate-speed expansion of the water coming from the boiler and flowing into a pasta-containing chamber, in order to ensure a quick and homogeneous heat exchange between water saturated vapour and food. The true cooking of pasta takes place during a controlled pause step which is partly carried out in a chamber under atmospheric pressure and partly in the consumer's vessel when withdrawn from the apparatus and while dressing is applied.
The apparatus adapted to carry out this process and to meet the proposed requirements uses a low-evaporation-index boiler, into which is partly plunged and penetrated a containing chamber where the heat exchange between water, vapours flowing thereinto and food takes place.
Advantageously the apparatus does not use any electric valve but a new type of combined-effect valve mechanically controlling the introduction of water and vapour into a containing chamber, the discharging of the softened food into a pause chamber and the thermal expansion of the water contained in the boiler by effect of heat applied in order to heat said water.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Further features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the detailed description of a preferred embodiment of a process for the fast cooking of pasta and the like and of an apparatus for putting the process into practice, according to the present invention, given hereinafter by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of the apparatus in question sectioned along different vertical planes;
FIG. 2 is a top view of the metering device for said apparatus;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the apparatus taken along line I--I of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is an interrupted view on an enlarged
REFERENCES:
patent: 3592668 (1971-07-01), Denk
patent: 3937135 (1976-02-01), Pratolongo
patent: 4543878 (1985-10-01), Luchetti
patent: 4635812 (1987-01-01), Mueller
patent: 4732080 (1988-03-01), Vita
Electronics For Industry, Ltd.
Simone Timothy F.
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