Electric heating – Microwave heating – Cookware
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-29
2001-01-23
Walberg, Teresa (Department: 3742)
Electric heating
Microwave heating
Cookware
C099SDIG014, C099S410000, C099S413000, C219S732000, C426S076000, C426S107000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06177663
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to a cooking device, specifically to such device which mold a bread product around a skewer during cooking of the product which optionally may contain skewered ingredients embedded in the batter.
DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART
Fast foods have become common in our society in part to help people better manage their time. Fat and caloric content of the fast food item are also becoming increasingly important. Corndogs, also called hot dogs on a stick, are an example of a fast food item. They are a hot-dog or sausage skewered and dipped in batter, not limited to cornbread batter. The assembly is then cooked so that the batter adheres to the skewered meat. They help busy people eat breakfast because they can be prepared prior to breakfast and reheated when needed. Their convenience also comes in part from the use of the skewer. The inclusion of a skewer eliminates the need for a plate or flat surface to cut food into sufficiently small pieces to eat. A traditional pancake and sausage breakfast often needs a flat surface for cutting, so is less convenient than the skewered corndog.
Corndogs are also more convenient than pancakes because corndogs do not need to be flipped with a spatula to ensure even cooking. This eliminates the opportunity to dirty the surrounding cooking area, which is possible when flipping a pancake.
The skewer that comes with the corndog is easier to use than a fork. The skewer unlike the fork does not require the person eating to repeatedly pierce the food with a utensil. Food-utensil contact was already achieved when the skewer was inserted into the filling portion before cooking. The convenience of a skewer can then benefit a person walking or driving to work, allowing then to focus their vision on the changing environment. Skewers can also help a care giver give more eating independence to the people they care for. For example, a parent does not need to cut and possibly feed a young child unfamiliar with how to use a fork. A care giver also does not need to cut and feed food to a person who has difficulty holding a fork for medical reasons.
Corndogs or hot-dogs on a stick are more convenient than pancakes served with sausage, but corndogs are fried and this often make them less healthy than pancakes and sausage. For some people the convenience of a corndog does not outweigh the fat grams and calories it brings, so they opt for other alternatives. These people are looking for the convenience of a corndog, but with no excess calories from frying oil. One example of a nonalternative is U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,240 to Dinh (1984), because this patent describes the frying of a fast food item. Frying is also found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,103 to MacGeorge et al (1999).
Another disadvantage of U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,240 is the lack of a skewer being used through preparation and consumption. Italian patent 264,521 to Pagano (1929) also does not offer the convenience of eating a skewered product on a stick.
If the corndog alternative is a bun which is filled with filling later, a detraction to their convenience is the separate preparation of the filling and bun. Patents which are known to include this downside are U.S. Pat. No. 13,455 to Lenier et al (1912), U.S. Pat. No. 1,879,146 of Estrin (1932), U.S. Pat. No. 2,125,589 to Shuman (1938), U.S. Pat. No. 2,267,213 to Newcom (1941), U.S. Pat. No. 3,424,076 to Bernatz et al (1969), U.S. Pat. No. 3,466,999 to Yanex-Pastor et al (1969), U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,234 to DeCourcy (1980), U.S. Pat. No. 4,542,684 to Cantrell (1985), U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,513 to Carbon (1989), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,981 to Pettit (1996).
Another alternative to a fried corndog which also used the separate preparation of filling is U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,924 to Roberts et al (1994). The patent includes the convenience of using a skewer during parts of preparation and during consumption. It can also be described as providing the convenience of a corndog but with less calories from frying oil. Both features appeal to people who want the convenience of a corndog but not the heath drawbacks.
The patent describes one or a plurality of cylinders for receiving a skewered cooked sausage. The cylinder is then filled with a pancake batter thick enough to hold the sausage and stick in upright position. The cylinders is then submerged in a hot oil for a few minutes or heated in an electrical appliance to cook the batter and produce a breakfast on stick. By preventing food from direct contact with frying oils U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,924 accomplished an object to provide a breakfast item such as a sausage on a stick embedded in a pancake batter which allows the sausage to be cooked in the batter and free of oils and fats. The decrease in oils and fats makes the item more appealing to consumers wishing to cut back on cholesterol and calories while enjoying the convenience of a breakfast item of this type.
A detraction from U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,924 health benefit is the requirement that the batter be thick enough to support the skewered sausage in an upright position. With some of today's commercial pancake mixes it is not possible to follow pancake manufacture instructions for preparation of batter and obtain the desired result of thick enough batter needed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,924. In order to obtain the thick enough batter, more mix and thus more calories would be needed to add to the batter. The altering of manufacturer directions can leave a consumer unknowing of the caloric content of the food they are preparing. This is not healthy for people who need to watch their caloric intake.
Convenience was another goal of U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,924. For office use the requirement of a fryer or separate electrical appliance is a disadvantage. Some consumers might find difficulty using U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,924 in a workplace that does not have adequate ventilation for frying or facilities to store fryer or its waste. Storing an electrical appliance with the physical dimensions described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,924 within the workplace desk or locker can also be difficult.
Convenience is further compromised in U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,924 by requiring that the sausage be precooked before being coated with batter and cooked. This requires additional time not only in cooking, but also cleaning of materials used in cooking.
Objects and Advantages
Accordingly, several objects and advantages of my invention of a food mold for microwave use to produce a batter product on a stick or a batter wrapped filling on a stick are:
(a) to provide a cooking device with a support to hold a skewer in an upright state.
(b) to provide a cooking device with a support to hold the skewer so that batter intended to cover the skewer and filling does not have to be thick enough support the skewer, thereby allowing batter to be prepared according to batter manufacturer directions and making clear the caloric content of the batter.
(c) to provide a cooking device that uses microwave energy to evenly cook all contents of the apparatus at the same time in the same container.
(d) to provide a cooking device that can be used with the same accessibility as a microwave.
(e) to provide a cooking device that produces a food item capable of being eaten without the use of a flat surface for cutting and or utensils such as fork or knife.
(f) to provide a cooking device that can be easily stored in a workplace desk, refrigerator, or locker.
(g) to provide a cooking device that cooks all ingredients at the same time in the same container without the use of a fryer or a electric heating coil.
(h) to provide a cooking device that does not transfer calories to food product from cooking oils.
(i) to provide a cooking device that can organize the ingredient flavors of the product formed.
(j) to provide a piercing device with a detachable end.
Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4416906 (1983-11-01), Watkins
patent: 4491601 (1985-01-01), Bernal
patent: 4781109 (1988-11-01), Wiebe, Jr. et al.
Pwu Jeffrey
Walberg Teresa
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