Foods and beverages: apparatus – Cooking – Boiler or deep fat fryer type
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-28
2001-01-23
Alexander, Reginald L. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Cooking
Boiler or deep fat fryer type
C099S426000, C099S444000, C099S450000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06176175
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of cooking equipment. More specifically the present invention relates to a fry basket with a disposable liner for retaining items to be cooked as well as loose particles of fried matter while the basket is immersed in heated cooking oil within a fryer vat. When a substantial quantity of fried matter particles have accumulated, the liner and retained matter are removed from the basket and discarded, and a new liner is fitted into the basket for further frying. In this way the fryer itself is kept clean during virtually indefinite use. The basket preferably includes a basket lid and handle with a trigger mechanism for opening the lid.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have long been fry baskets for deep fryers which retain food items while they are immersed in heated oil. A problem with these prior baskets has been that they pass dislodged particles of fried matter such as batter into the fryer, so that these particles collect on the basket itself and on exposed fryer surfaces, making necessary periodic shut downs and difficult cleanings.
One prior attempt to solve this problem has been to taper the interior side walls of the fryer so that, at least in theory, particles abutting the walls slide down to a distant and narrow bottom wall where the oil is cooler. The cooler oil, again in theory, does not permit the particles to adhere firmly to fryer surfaces. Experience with these fryers has indicated that this approach simply does not work, and virtually the same cleaning frequency and effort is required.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a fry basket and liner apparatus such that the liner is formed of mesh sized to pass heated oil but to retain virtually all fried matter particles against passage into the fryer.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus in which the liner is easy to install and to remove for disposal when heavily encrusted with fried matter particles.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus in which the basket has a handle and a hinged basket lid which is opened with a trigger mechanism mounted adjacent to the handle.
It is finally an object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which is sturdy and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention accomplishes the above-stated objectives, as well as others, as may be determined by a fair reading and interpretation of the entire specification.
A fry basket and liner apparatus is provided for immersion in cooking oil within a fryer, the apparatus including a fry basket formed of wire basket mesh for retaining items to be cooked; a basket liner fit within the basket and including liner mesh having a grid finer than the basket mesh, for retaining particles of fried matter separated from the food items while the basket is immersed in the cooking oil within the fryer; so that the particles do not collect on interior surfaces of the fryer.
The basket preferably includes a basket bottom wall; a basket front wall; a basket rear wall; and two basket side walls, where the basket front wall, basket rear wall and two basket side walls have upper edges defining in combination a basket rim. The liner preferably includes a liner bottom wall; a liner front wall; a liner rear wall; and two liner side walls, where the liner front wall, liner rear wall and two liner side walls have upper edges defining in combination a liner rim.
The apparatus preferably additionally includes at least one resilient clip for fitting over and holding together the basket rim and the liner rim and thereby releasibly holding the liner within the basket. The at least one clip is preferably a longitudinally split resilient tube, longitudinal clip edges and having outwardly protruding radial flanges extending from longitudinal clip edges sized to fit longitudinally over and grip the basket rim and the liner rim. The liner mesh is preferably 500 or 600 mesh.
The fry basket preferably additionally includes a hinged mesh lid forming a basket lid; and a wire handle having a trigger mechanism including structure for opening the lid. The fry basket preferably additionally includes a lid biasing spring connected to the lid in such a manner as to close the basket lid automatically. The basket lid preferably includes a lid hinge and an overlapping lid end protruding beyond the basket rim and the lid hinge; and the basket lid opening trigger mechanism preferably includes a lever abutting or hingedly connected to the overlapping lid end; a lever fulcrum secured to a fulcrum point along the length of the handle creating a lever ratio swinging the basket lid open upon gripping and squeezing the handle and lever together to pivot the lever toward the handle.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2716938 (1955-09-01), Smith
patent: 3613553 (1971-10-01), Popeil
patent: 3933645 (1976-01-01), Keramidas
Alexander Reginald L.
Kubler Frank L.
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