Foods and beverages: apparatus – Cooking – Spit or impaling type
Reexamination Certificate
2002-07-02
2004-06-01
Alexander, Reginald L. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Cooking
Spit or impaling type
C099S416000, C099S418000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06742446
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed at a rack device particularly well suited for outdoor deep frying of meat, poultry, fish or other deep fryable food products. For example, the invention is well suited for deep frying of a plurality of cuts of meat such as steaks or pork chops, deep frying smaller poultry items such as Cornish Hens, deep frying seafood such as fish filets, or deep frying vegetables or the like. The present invention is also directed at a frying apparatus which includes a deep fry container(s) and the rack device in combination as well as a method of using the rack device and the frying apparatus with the rack device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed at a frying apparatus which comprises a rack device that is particularly well suited for the deep frying of more than one meat, poultry, fish item or similarly sized food item in oil or the like at the same time. Further the present invention is directed at a frying apparatus that features a rack device that provides for deep frying a variety of items while maintaining desired relative spacing both amongst the items being cooked and the container of the frying apparatus which receives the rack device (preferably a deep fry basket which is received in a deep fry pot which receives the oil or directly in the deep fry pot). One preferred embodiment of the rack device of the present invention is in the form of a two grill rack device assembly (preferably each grill being comprised of round wire grill with each having crossing food supports, such as horizontal, parallel crossing wires) and a food support rack. The food support rack is preferably releasably or fixedly attached or positioned relative to a first (preferably lower in use) grill such that a plurality of food support prongs of the food support rack extend up away from the first grill. In a preferred embodiment the food support rack is supported or attached to the lower grill (e.g., welded to the crossing supports thereof). While a preferred embodiment features a rack support with its own base section, the lower grill can also provide, in and of itself, the base for the food support rack.
The food support rack has prongs that have a vertical extension component (preferably vertical, e.g. a vertical rise extension greater than its run extension or a true vertical, transverse to the supporting grill relationship) onto which a meat, poultry, fish or other food product can be fastened or skewered onto each prong. Each prong preferably has an intermediate protrusion such as an integral curved bend that curves out away from the main axis of the prong and preferably toward the periphery of the device. This intermediate protrusion can function both as a food blockage member and food support member when desired (e.g., slipping a first steak cut past and below the protrusion by way of extra force application and letting a second steak cut rest on or, more preferably, above the limiting upper surface of the protrusion) and also serves to support the upper grill when an upper grill is used (e.g., passing the prongs through openings in the grill and threading the grill down into supporting contact with the protrusions which are preferably equally located in a common intermediate area of the prongs such as a 25% to 75% range of the total height of the prong. The lower grill and/or fluid support rack also has a lifting extension which is attached radially outward of a central axis of the food support rack and preferably radially outward of a periphery contacting each of the prongs. For example, the lifting extension is preferably positioned radially within an annular ring formed between the periphery contacting each of the prongs and the grill's outer ring or even more radially external to the outer ring of the grill rack (e.g. the annular ring representing the 50% to 100% radius range of the grill and 100% to 135% representing the outward of the grill ring radius range) with the food support rack preferably being connected or made as one unit with the lower grill. The lifting extension is preferably external to the periphery defined by the prongs which are preferably three or more in number with four equally spaced prongs being preferred. The lifting extension is provided to provide a grasping component with which the rack device can be pulled out from a container and is of a sufficient height to clear, for example, the upper level of a body of oil in a cooking pot. Preferably the lifting extension is in the form of a vertical bar that has a loop portion at its free end (to facilitate lifting hook engagement) and a wing extension that is positioned intermediate of the lifting extension. The wing extension is preferably positioned on the lifting section at a common intermediate position as the above noted prong protrusion such that it functions as an underlying grill support member with the protrusion thereby stabilizing the upper grill when utilized with the rack or for added direct food support such as an end of steak support in association with two prongs through a steak cut. With this arrangement the lifting extension is preferably positioned within 5% outward and 25% inward of the radius of the outer grill ring so as to enable the wing extensions to be positioned for contact with either food cuts or an upper grill. The wing extension preferably comprises a bar or bars extending to opposite sides of the lifting extension so as to contact the upper grill to opposite sides of the lifting extension.
In a preferred embodiment, the upper grill additionally has a round centrally located ring which contacts the curve bend portions on the prongs of the food support rack (e.g., the inner ring has a circumference which matches that defined by the protrusions upper support surface). In a preferred embodiment the protrusions extend radially outward relative to the prongs such that the grill ring passes externally around the prongs. This arrangement places the prongs in contact with the interior of the ring so as to provide a stable arrangement with no horizontal sliding (due to prong/ring contact in a horizontal plane) and no vertical sliding due to the protrusion/ring engagement (preferably with the assistance of the wing extension underlying support). An alternate arrangement features the prongs arranged to have a greater circumference (but still a sliding arrangement) relative to the inner ring for horizontal stabilization in which case inwardly extending protrusions can be provided. Alternatively, an arrangement can be made wherein rather than an inner ring, the protrusion can contact linear section of the upper grill (e.g. the main grill bars or linear, transverse stabilizer bars.
The device is particularly suited for deep frying meat products outdoors in conjunction with an outdoor gas burner which supports a deep fry pot and depending on its size an additional deep-fry basket may be utilized as part of the frying apparatus or kit to support the rack device at a level above or on the floor of the pot. In a preferred embodiment the rack device is permanently fixed to a lower grill and the use of the upper grill is optional depending upon the intended use. For example, if there is a desire to deep fry steaks and/or chops the bottom rack can be utilized to support one or more steaks (with the steaks contacting or more preferably lifted, slightly above the lower grill's upper surface but below the protrusions in a generally horizontal arrangement and either in a sandwich relationship with a later positioned upper grill or, more preferably, in a spaced above end below relationship relative to the lower and upper grills, respectively (for improved cooking fluid contact on all exposed surfaces of the food item). Alternatively, the food piece is placed in a one, two or more prong skewer relationship with the racks prongs with or without an above positioned grill. Additional steaks, pork chops or other food items can then be supported on the upper portion of the prongs without an added upper grill (pieces placed above and in c
McLemore Don
McLemore John D.
Alexander Reginald L.
Smith , Gambrell & Russell, LLP
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