Electric heating – Microwave heating – Tunnel furnace
Reexamination Certificate
2003-04-14
2004-11-23
Campbell, Thor (Department: 3742)
Electric heating
Microwave heating
Tunnel furnace
C219S678000, C219S656000, C198S804000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06822207
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to the field of baking equipment and processes and more specifically to an apparatus and method for a continuous product conveyor having a brick-like baking hearth.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A number of oven technologies are known for the production of food substances including pizza, flat breads, traditional breads, and the like. These technologies include common deck ovens, brick ovens, and conveyor ovens, as described below.
Common Deck Ovens
Common deck ovens are predominantly utilized by start-up and low volume independent operations producing food substances with limited resources. This is primarily due to the common deck oven's lower cost when compared to alternative brick ovens and conveyor ovens. Common deck ovens employ thermostatically controlled cooking chambers of various sizes and dimensions that have interior walls and baking surfaces of various types of metal. Most commonly, these ovens employ a primary heating means of electricity, natural gas, or propane. Baking food substances in a common deck oven usually includes placing the food substance on a heavy pan or similar device. This is necessary because the placement of food substances directly on the metal floor of the cooking chamber can cause sticking, burning, and uneven cooking due to the floor's metal construction and uneven heat distribution. The baking pan is usually lined with oil that serves to reduce the probability of sticking and to promote browning. The use of a pan also allows the food substance to be easily placed in, manipulated within, and removed from the cooking chamber. The process of pan cooking is generally considered to produce a less crispy, doughy and sometimes soggy crust or product when compared to hearth baking. These beliefs are well-founded as a pan serves as a barrier which hinders the release of steam and moisture during the baking process. The introduction of oil to the pan further inhibits the purging of this moisture and saturates the crust.
In an attempt to produce a more crisp crust from a pan, the prior art has reported removing food substances from the pan near the end of the baking process and placing them directly on the cooking chamber's metal floor in an attempt to quickly crisp the bottom of the crust via a short period of direct high heat transfer. However, due to the presence of oil in the pan, this practice can result in a slightly foul or sour taste/smell as the oil present in the bottom of the crust can deteriorate when exposed directly to the hot oven floor, thereby imparting the undesirable taste. To obtain a crisp crust on its pan pizza, one national pizza chain places an excessive amount of oil in the pan prior to placing the dough in it. This practice can produce a more crisp crust by causing the bottom portion to fry in the oil during the cooking process, but results in a high fat product.
Pans with holes, screens and similar devices (“screens”) which serve to support food substances expose a greater portion of the food substance to the ambient heat of the oven and allow excess moisture to escape during the baking process thereby enhancing crispness. Employing screens can produce a somewhat effective result when utilized in a faster baking, evenly heated convection oven. However, they produce mixed results when used in conjunction with common deck ovens, as they fail to remedy the inherent uneven heat distribution throughout the oven's floor. Furthermore the sticking of food substances to such screens is a problem as penetration of the apertures of the screens can result before baking occurs.
Production personnel, bakers, operators of restaurants and production equipment, and individuals familiar with the art (“bakers”) who utilize common deck ovens report that the task of producing a consistent product is labor intensive and requires significant training as optimum baking time varies with fluctuating temperatures within the cooking chamber. These fluctuations are the result of bakers repeatedly opening the door to shift food substances cooking on pans or screens to other areas of the cooking chamber floor in an attempt to compensate for uneven heat distribution. This practice results in inconsistent product quality, decreased energy efficiency, and an uncomfortably hot work environment. Also noted was an increased risk of injury due to the intensive interaction with the oven.
When an operation utilizing a common deck oven experiences increased demand, additional deck ovens can be added beside or stacked on top of the existing oven if space allows. The stacking of ovens is considered by some bakers to be a less preferred option as it involves placing the cooking chamber apertures at levels that may not be at an optimum access height.
For various examples of common deck ovens, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,635 to Willett; U.S. Pat. No. 4,757,184 to Swanson et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,266 to Smith et al., the teachings of all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Brick Ovens
“Brick” ovens fall into a number of categories including: (1) common deck ovens enhanced with a supplemental ceramic, brick, firebrick, stone, baked clay, transite, quarry tile, or other non-metallic materials which serve as a baking surface (“hearth”) that is placed on the cooking chamber's metal floor and sometimes on racks within the cooking chamber; (2) deck ovens designed and manufactured with an incorporated baking chamber floor of a material which serves as a hearth; and (3) custom-built brick ovens which contain a hearth, walls and ceiling of one or more of the above mentioned materials. Food substances that are baked in direct contact with a hearth may be referred to as “Brick Oven”, “New York Style”, “Neapolitan”, or “Old World” products.
Brick ovens are considered by many bakers to produce a product that is superior to that which can be produced in ovens utilizing a conventional, convection or impingement cooking chamber but lacking a hearth. Most commonly, these ovens employ a primary thermostatically controlled heating means of electricity, natural gas, or propane. In some applications, wood or coal is used. However, temperature within the cooking chamber of a wood or coal fired oven is often difficult to control and preheat times are lengthy. New wood-burning brick ovens, featuring a primary heating means via natural gas, electricity or propane with wood incorporated mainly for its visual appeal, have attempted to remedy this shortcoming.
There are many reasons why a brick oven produces superior baked food substances. Superior quality is generally attributed to the fact that food substances are placed directly on a pre-heated hearth. The hearth also has a tendency to absorb moisture during the baking process due to its porous qualities. Although the food substances are subjected to heat from all sides thereby simultaneously baking from all sides, the most intense and rapid heat transfer takes place from beneath due to the direct contact between the pre-heated hearth and the food substance. This degree of heat transfer can not be achieved in ovens where direct contact with a pre-heated hearth is not possible.
Other technologies that improve heat transfer include hot air convection cooking and forced hot air impingement, which serve to reduce the cold zone that surrounds food substances. These technologies increase the rate at which heat transfer takes place; however, these technologies still fail to achieve the same rapidity of heat transfer that is achieved via the direct contact with a pre-heated hearth.
The rapid heat transfer that takes place between a pre-heated hearth.and food substances results in a reduced bake time and a baking process that effectively causes food substances to bake from the bottom-up. This yields a more crisp, lighter, and puffy crust on baked food substances. Additionally, because any toppings that may be placed on the dough bake more slowly than the crust, there is less opportunity for the toppings to dry out. Liquids contained in toppings also have less o
Campbell Thor
Choate Hall & Stewart
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