Foods and beverages: apparatus – Cooking – Slice toaster or broiler
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-17
2003-11-11
Alexander, Reginald L. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Cooking
Slice toaster or broiler
C099S395000, C099S397000, C099S418000, C099S426000, C099S450000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06644176
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to cooking tools and, particularly, to grill top cooking tools.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to grill top a cooking tool and the accompanying hardware. The term cooking tool as used herein is intended to define a device used in preparing and cooking of food and, particularly, one for use on a grilling surface.
Grill top cooking has been in existence for a very long time and many devices have been invented to aid a cook in cooking on a grill as it differs from cooking on a frying pan, electric skillet or stove top. This cooking tool functions in a way that contains and cooks food on a grill surface. It was invented to allow a chef or home cook a new way to enjoy grilled foods.
Grilling has become an incredibly popular way to cook foods. However, as with all cooking methods, there are limitations to the process. An uneven heat source and foods that do not all lie flat on the grill, make grill cooking a difficult thing to achieve with consistency. Flavorings applied externally to foods (e.g. spices, herb marinades) can easily burn off on a grill. The subject invention is a tool that provides a new way of cooking on the grill and addressing these problems. The subject invention is a round grilling tool that has removable slotted end caps. In order to use the tool, meats, fish or poultry are cut into strips or pieces allowing for more surface area to be coated and for the meat, fish, or poultry to be more easily molded into the subject cooking tool. The meat, fish or poultry can then be layered into the cooking tool offering interesting entrees that offer a variety of color, texture, and a blending of flavors. Any food such as vegetables or herbs may be layered with the main course and cooked together.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention responds to the problems presented and fills a need not addressed in the prior art by providing a grill top cooking tool which is round in shape and approximately a diameter of three and three-quarters (3 ¾) inches by two (two) inches high in the preferred embodiment other shapes could also be used to cook food but round would be preferred embodiment. Both the height and diameter can be increased or decreased depending on the type of cooking that needs to be done. The edges of preferred embodiment described in the drawings is sufficiently high to allow for vegetables placed in the center of the tool to be cooked al dente. A thinner version of the tool with more surface area, i.e. a larger diameter, would allow for more of the food to be directly exposed to the coals of the grill.
Many grilled foods are traditionally bathed or soaked in a marinade first. These marinades are often acidic in nature and usually contain lemon juice or a vinegar source, therefore, the surface of the tool that is exposed to the food should be non-reactive to acid. Additionally, high heat accelerates the acids' ability to dissolve out certain metals. The preferred embodiment is constructed of an eighty thousandths thickness of copper clad with a ten thousandths thickness of a non-reactive metal such as fine silver or stainless steel. Other non-reactive coatings can be used such as Teflon, vitreous enamel or some type of ceramic material-anodized aluminum may also be a possibility. The thickness described is used in the preferred embodiment but may also be changed. Clad copper and clad aluminum would be the most ideal materials from which to fabricate this grilling tool. The outer layer of copper or aluminum are great conductors of heat. The inner layer of stainless steel which is exposed to the food is non-reactive to acid and, therefore, safe to use with any food product. As previously mentioned, the tool can be made of other materials. Steel alloys coated with porcelain enamel or enameled copper would also work. Cast iron is another possible metal Thin gauge stainless steel will work but it is not as efficient as the more conductive metals. The tool should be constructed of a conductive metal on the outer layer and a non-reactive metal on the inner layer for optimum performance. Each of these possible choices is associated with different costs and, therefore, there could be two possible lines of the product: one low-end, low cost version for the back yard grilling cook and another high-end, high cost model for the professional chef The top and bottom end caps are constructed of similar materials as the main section. It should be noted that the top and bottom also serve to conduct heat to food contained within the tool.
The subject invention is a round or oval metal ring that has two perforated or slotted end caps which are removable. The first end cap is secured in place prior to layering food into the tool. In order to use the tool, meats, fish or poultry are cut into strips or pieces allowing for more surface area to be cooked and for meat, fish, or poultry to be more easily molded into the subject cooking tool. The meat, fish or poultry can then be layered into the cooking tool with a different vegetable, herbs, or other food thereby producing meals with a variety of color, texture, and blending of flavors. The containment of the foods in this grilling tool assures a more moist and flavorful result. The perforated or slotted end caps that fit both the top and bottom interchangeably allow for the penetration of smoke. The end caps that are perforated or slotted allow for turning over of the tool and create the signature grill marks that chefs and consumers like to see on grilled food. After the cooking is complete, the end caps are removed to allow for the easy removal of the food package. There are many uses for this tool in the grilling industry. There is no limitation as to the type of foods that can be grilled in this tool. Foods that are not traditionally grilled (such as fruit, polenta, or legumes) or too small to grill on traditional grill top can now be grilled in the subject invention.
Another feature of the grilling tool is that it allows for portion control. In the restaurant industry this is a very important concern. Profit margins in restaurants are slim and foods that can be marinated, weighed, and measured prior to cooking, can be prepacked in the grilling tool then placed in a walk-in refrigerator while waiting for customer orders.
Another benefit of the grilling tool is that it provides a beautiful presentation of the food contents. Again, in the restaurant industry, presentation is just as important as taste to many consumers. Often when a customer does not like the appearance of an entreé, it is sent back to the kitchen without being tasted. When the end caps are removed after grilling the resulting package of food maintains the shape of the grilling tool. Upon removal from the tool the layers of food are clearly visible and provide a beautiful display.
Another feature of the grilling tool is the detachable gripping device which allows for a cook or chef to place the grilling tool onto a hot surface and to turn over the tool so both sides are in contact with the grilling surface. Grill space in restaurants and even in back yards is often at a premium. A gripping device that attaches when the tool is being placed on the grill and during the flipping of the tool and then detached when the food is cooking leaves extra grill space available. The grilling tool could be flipped over with a spatula, however, food contamination is a concern with a spatula that has first come into contact with raw meats, fish and poultry and then into contact with cooked food. The detachable gripping device is a safe way to avoid contamination.
The invention provides a novel cooking tool that provides a new way of grilling food including the following novel features: 1) a tool that provides a non-reactive surface so that the food product may be marinated or coated; 2) a more moist and flavorful food package; 3) a meal with a variety of color, texture, and blending of flavors; 4) the containment of the foods allows for cooking foods that are traditionally difficult to cook
Alexander Reginald L.
Offenberg, Esq. Cristina M.
LandOfFree
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