Flip and drain pan

Details Flip and drain pan Flip and drain pan

2003-06-30

2004-12-14

Alexander, Reginald L. (Department: 1761)

Foods and beverages: apparatus

Cooking

Imperforate sheet or griddle type

C099S422000, C099S339000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06829984

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a cooking pan and, in particular, a cooking pan having flip or flip and drain capabilities.
Cooking pans are well known in the culinary utensil art and are, for the most part, quite satisfactory for their intended purposes. On the other hand, the conventional cooking pan lacks special features which might increase its versatility.
Most amateur cooks resort to use of a spatula or fork in order to flip (e.g., invert) the food being cooked in a conventional frying pan and regard as well beyond their capabilities the ability of a professional chef to flip food without use of a spatula, simply by a seemingly effortless jerk of the pan in a generally horizontal or tilted plane. With this simple movement, the chef is able to invert an omelet, pancake or the like so that the bottom surface thereof now becomes the top surface thereof, thereby to enable cooking of both sides of the food. Alternatively, in the case of an omelet, which is to be served in a semicircle (rather than a full circle) presentation, more-or-less the same hand motion of the chef is able to produce the desired folding of this omelet into a half-inverted configuration. Attempts of the amateur cook to duplicate such performances typically range from less than successful to downright messy.
While the mixing of particulate or comminuted food in the pan is less difficult than fully-inverting or half-inverting food, a spatula or fork is typically used by the amateur cook because a jerk of the pan which is too weak may fail to produce any significant mixing of the food within the pan, and a jerk of the pan which is too strong may result in a messy stove top due to food escaping from the pan. Unfortunately, the use of a fork, spatula or like cooking utensil also requires a certain skill if the amateur cook is to successfully mix the particulate or comminuted food in the pan without undesirably breaking up the particulate or comminuted food and producing, at least in part, mush.
The term “flipping” as used herein includes not only the full inversion and half inversion described above (typically in a case where the food is generally unitary and initially covers the full base of the pan), but also the simple mixing described above (typically in a case where the food is particulate or comminuted such as diced food, slices, chunks, and the like).
On the other hand, when it comes to an attempt to drain liquid from the pan (whether the liquid be water, melted butter, broth or the like) while keeping the solid food within the pan, the chef typically fairs no better than the amateur cook. Not only is it difficult to ascertain the appropriate angle at which the pan must be disposed to initiate the liquid drainage, but this angle must be increased during the draining process in order to continue draining additional liquid. Accordingly, both chefs and amateur cooks tend to use an auxiliary culinary utensil, such as a perforated cover or half-cover for the pan, to assist in the draining operation by retaining the solid food particles within the pan while allowing the liquid to drain through the drainage perforations of the utensil.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a pan wherein in a preferred embodiment the pan configuration facilitates the flipping—whether it be full inversion, half inversion or mixing—of food without use of a spatula or fork.
Another object is to provide such a pan which in a preferred embodiment facilitates draining of liquid therefrom, while retaining solid food therein, without the use of an auxiliary culinary utensil.
A further object is to provide such a pan wherein in a preferred embodiment both flipping and draining capabilities are provided.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide such a pan wherein in a preferred embodiment the pan is simple and economical to manufacture, use and maintain.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It has now been found that the above and related objects of the present invention are obtained in a pan according to the present invention. The flipping pan comprises a substantially flat and generally circular base, a peripheral rim upstanding from the base, a handle projecting outwardly from the rim, and a lip upstanding from a limited segment of a top of the rim generally opposite the handle. The lip has an arcuate cross section extending upwardly and inwardly from the segment of the top of the rim, whereby foodstuffs within the pan may be flipped against the lip by appropriate movement of the handle.
In a preferred embodiment the lip is imperforate and has a vertical radius of curvature less than that of the rim.
The flip and drain is similar, but the lip defines drainage perforations, and the pan additionally comprises a member movable relative to the lip and defining drainage perforations. Means are provided for moving the member relative to the lip between a draining position wherein the member perforations are aligned with the lip perforations, thereby to enable the passage of liquid outwardly successively through both of the lip perforations and the member perforations, and a blocking position wherein the member perforations are non-aligned with the lip perforations, thereby to block the passage of liquid outwardly from the pan through perforations.
In a preferred embodiment, the moving means slidably moves an inner surface of the member over an outer surface of the lip, preferably horizontally. The member is releasably lockable in each of the blocking and draining positions. The drainage perforations are configured and dimensioned to substantially block passage of solid foodstuff particles therethrough.
In another preferred embodiment, an upper portion of the rim segment defines additional drainage perforations, and a lower portion of the member extends downwardly over the upper portion of the rim segment, defines additional drainage perforations, and is movable with the remainder of the member between an auxiliary draining position, wherein the upper portion additional perforations and the lower portion additional perforations are in alignment, and an auxiliary blocking position, wherein the upper portion additional perforations and the lower portion additional perforations are not in alignment.


REFERENCES:
patent: 754310 (1904-03-01), Horine
patent: 1398655 (1921-11-01), Smith
patent: D380934 (1997-07-01), Alarid, Jr.
patent: 6237470 (2001-05-01), Adams
patent: 6497174 (2002-12-01), Cacace

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