Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Processes – Treatment with aqueous material – e.g. – hydration – etc.
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-12
2001-01-09
Bhat, Nina (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Processes
Treatment with aqueous material, e.g., hydration, etc.
C426S511000, C099S468000, C099S477000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06171630
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to a method and a food cooking/finishing apparatus and in particular to a method and a food cooking apparatus using steam heat to rapidly heat food products. The invention also involves a method and a generator for producing steam for food cooking equipment and to a water supply device and process for the steam generator.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
In the fast food industry there is a need to prepare a large number and broad menu of food products in a short period of time with high quality. When the food products include dough products such as bread or buns, it is particularly important to maintain moisture and temperature without making the bread soggy. It is also important to maintain color, texture and mouth feel of the bread product for the consumer.
The use of steam heat in food cooking apparatus is described in U.S. patent application, Ser. No. 08/929,716, filed Sep. 14, 1997, entitled “Apparatus and System for Conditioning Food Products” and assigned to the owner of this application. This application introduces steam from the bottom of a cooking chamber intended to condition and carmelize buns. The application mentions that one of the things to avoid in the use of steam heat is direct contact of water or condensate with the bun as this can cause unappealing whitish, gray or faded spots on the bun surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,701,340 discloses a pizza oven having three in line cooking chambers. Hot air impingement heating is used in the first and third chambers. The second or middle chamber uses hot air impingement on the bottom surface of the pizza and impingement by high velocity steam jets on the top surface of the pizza. The steam jets are provided from a plurality of apertured tubes arranged in parallel and above the pizza. Steam is provided to the apertured tubes from a conventional steam generator. The apertures are located between 1.5 and 2.5 inches above the pizza. The patent states that if the spacing is too close, the high velocity steam jets may blow the toppings off the pizza. In the cooking process, the steam condenses to form a layer of water on the top surface of the pizza. The layer of water is evaporated in the third cooking chamber.
Other patents, of which the inventor is aware, that disclose cooking equipment using steam heat include U. S. Pat. Nos. 4,159,675, 4,179,985, 4,197,791, 5,240,730, 5,367,951, 5,395,623, 5,501,142 and 5,603,255.
Another prior art cooking/finishing appliance cooks or finishes a food product by applying steam from above the food product. This appliance has a manual pump that pumps water from a reservoir to a steam generating chamber located above a cooking chamber. The water flashes onto a heated surface in the steam generating chamber. The steam escapes through an orifice on the heated plate into a distribution chamber. The distribution chamber has a distributor plate situated above the food product in the cooking chamber. The steam is then distributed through holes in the distributor plate into the food cooking chamber. Because the orifice is located on the same surface where the water is flashed, water that does not convert to steam may escape through the orifice into the distribution chamber and then through the distributor plate holes into the cooking chamber where it drips onto the food product.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved method and food cooking apparatus particularly suited to melting cheese on a food product without the disadvantage of discoloring the food or degrading its texture.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and a food cooking apparatus that uses steam heat to melt cheese or heat food portions without forming a layer of water on the food product.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method and a food cooking apparatus that uses steam heat to melt cheese on a food product that contains bread without making the bread soggy.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an improved method and a generator for producing steam for food cooking apparatus.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved steam generator that is compact enough for table top cookers.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved steam generator with a recirculating water supply system.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved cooking apparatus with a recirculating water supply system.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
Food cooking apparatus according to the present invention is provided to rapidly heat a food product for cooking and/or finishing purposes. It is especially useful to melt a quantity of cheese on a food product such as a burger patty disposed on a bun half, bread, pizza and the like. The cooking apparatus includes a cooking chamber, a transport for holding the food product, a transport medium along which the transport is movable between first and second positions into and out of the cooking chamber and a means for dispensing steam into the cooking chamber from a location above the food product during a cook cycle when the transport is within the chamber.
In a preferred embodiment, the transport has a surface upon which the food product is situated. The surface contains at least one hole to drain any water condensed by the steam. A set of wheels is mounted on the transport to form a trolley that is movable along the transport medium. A spring is provided to automatically eject the trolley at the end of the cooking cycle. The trolley medium is shaped to provide gravity assisted removal of the trolley from the cooking chamber.
The means for dispensing steam is a heated platen having a top and a bottom surface. The bottom surface forms the ceiling of the cooking chamber. The top surface and a lid form a steam generating chamber. One or more bosses extend from said top surface toward said lid. Water is injected into the steam chamber onto the heated top surface of the platen in a small enough quantity that substantially all of the water is substantially instantaneously converted to steam. The steam is forced through narrow passageways that have entrances in the tops of the bosses and exits in the bottom surface of the platen.
In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, the food cooking apparatus has a cooking chamber for receiving a food product to be heated and a steam generator for dispensing steam into the cooking chamber to heat the food product. A water recirculating loop develops a water volume at a pressure of about 0 psi. A pump is operable to pump a quantity of water from the water volume to the steam generator. The water recirculating loop includes a water supply that provides water at a relatively high pressure and flow rate, a flow controller that converts the high pressure and flow rate to a relatively low pressure and flow rate, and a reservoir that contains the water volume. The reservoir is filled with water from the flow controller at the relatively low pressure and flow rate with any water in excess of a set reservoir volume being drained off and returned via a drain line to the water supply.
A method of melting cheese on a surface of a food product according to the present invention comprises inserting the food product into a cooking chamber and then applying pressurized steam to said cheese during a first part of a cooking cycle. The food product is held in the cooking chamber after said steam has been applied until the end of the cooking cycle. Preferably, the steam is applied for a time in the range from about 1.5 to 5.0 seconds. Preferably, the first part of the cooking cycle is about 20 to 25% of the cooking cycle.
The method also may include the steps of automatically ejecting the food product at the end of the cooking cycle, removing condensation from the cooking chamber or forming the steam by applying a quantity of water to a hot plate in a steam chamber.
A steam generator for food cooking apparatus according to the present invention includes a platen having top and bottom surfaces. T
Bedwell Donald Ross
Henke Mitchell C.
Stanger Keith A.
Wenzel Robert J.
Bhat Nina
Lincoln Foodservice Products Inc.
Ohlandt Greeley Ruggiero & Perle LLP
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