Foods and beverages: apparatus – Cooking – Boiler or deep fat fryer type
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-05
2001-03-06
Alexander, Reginald L. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Cooking
Boiler or deep fat fryer type
C099S450000, C126S369000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06196120
ABSTRACT:
FIELD
This invention relates to kitchen utensils, and in particular, to a steamer insert, a steamer assembly and related methods.
BACKGROUND
Using steam to prepare food is well known. The use of steam affords several benefits over other cooking methods, such as boiling, frying, etc., particularly because no fat (e.g., cooking oil, butter, margarine, etc.) is required in the process.
Conventional steamer inserts are designed for use in conventional saucepans having a capacity of about two quarts or greater. To use such an insert, the saucepan is first filled with an appropriate amount of water, and then the insert is placed within the saucepan. The bottom surface of the insert is maintained above the level of the water in the saucepan. In some configurations, the steamer has an outturned upper lip that engages the side of the saucepan to support the insert above the level of the water. In other configurations, the steamer insert has legs extending from its bottom surface that support the steamer above the level of the water.
Although these conventional steamer inserts are adequate for some steaming applications, e.g., steaming vegetables, they do not allow the preparer to access the food on the steamer surface easily and without injury (e.g., through burning or scalding). In particular, because conventional steamer inserts are designed with use in saucepans having a substantial depth, a preparer attempting to access food on the steaming surface must approach the steaming surface from directly above. U.S. Pat. No. 4,401,017 to Feld shows one example of a conventional steamer insert for use with a saucepan having a substantial depth.
Using a skillet as the container for the water in a steaming process has certain advantages. For one, a conventional skillet is arguably the most common kitchen utensil in modern kitchens. U.S. Pat. No. 4,677,905 to Johnson discloses a food steaming apparatus consisting of a plate that rests over the lip of a conventional skillet or, depending on the diameter of the skillet, within the skillet by engaging its inner side. The plate is perforated with specially designed holes suitable for using the plate to steam tortillas.
Because the plate is flat, however, it is difficult to maintain other foods, e.g., such as vegetables, on the steaming surface during preparation (i.e., during dispensing of the food onto the steaming surface and moving the skillet during preparation). Also, if the plate must be set down within the skillet to engage the side wall of skillet, the plate can be difficult to remove. Further, because the holes extend over the entire surface of the plate, there is no region where fully prepared food can be moved while continuing to steam other food.
Also known is a kitchen utensil or spatter guard designed to nest within and extend outward over a rim of a conventional skillet. Such a spatter guard is shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,439,603.
It would be desirable to provide a steamer insert and steamer assembly useful for steaming food in a conventional skillet and allowing the preparer to access and attend to the food during the steaming process. Further, it would be advantageous to provide an area on the steamer assembly that would allow the preparer to separate fully steamed food from food requiring further steaming.
SUMMARY
According to the invention, a kitchen utensil adapted for use with a cooking pan as a steamer includes an adapter and a steamer insert. The adapter has an inner periphery, an outer periphery and an intermediate region between the inner periphery and the outer periphery. The inner periphery defines an opening. The adapter is engageable with a lip of the cooking pan such that the outer periphery extends outward beyond the lip. The steamer insert is nestible within the opening in the adapter.
The steamer insert may have a perforated base. The perforated base may be spaced from a bottom of the cooking pan when the cooking pan, adapter and steamer insert are assembled together. The base may be substantially flat.
The steamer insert may have a rim, and a portion of the rim may contact the intermediate portion of the adapter when the steamer insert is inserted in the adapter. The steamer insert may have a lip extending upwardly from the rim, and an outermost portion of the lip may define an outer periphery of the steamer insert. The steamer insert may have a steaming surface on a first level and an intermediate surface on a second level above the first level.
The steamer insert may include an upwardly angled side extending from the base, an outwardly angled rim extending from the side and an upwardly angled lip extending from the rim. The side and the rim may be joined at a shoulder. The rim and the lip may also be joined at a shoulder.
The intermediate portion of the adapter may include an upwardly inclined section, and the steamer insert may include an inclined portion angled to rest against the intermediate portion when the steamer insert is inserted into the adapter. The opening in the adapter may be larger than a base of the steamer insert, such that play exists between the adapter and the steamer insert when the steamer insert is inserted into the adapter.
The adapter may be formed of aluminum. The steamer insert may be formed of steel, and preferably coated with a non-stick coating.
The inner periphery of the adapter may be shaped to fit within the rim of the cooking pan when the adapter and the cooking pan are assembled together. The inner periphery may be defined by a lower portion of an upwardly angled side, and the adapter may include an outwardly angled rim extending from the side and an upwardly angled lip extending from the rim. The side and the rim may be joined at a shoulder. The rim and the lip may also be joined at a shoulder.
According to another implementation, a steamer adapted for use with a cooking pan includes a perforated base and a peripheral portion extending outwardly from the base. The steamer is nestible in the cooking pan by resting the peripheral portion on an edge of the cooking pan. As a result, the perforated base is suspended below the upturned edge and above a bottom of the cooking pan, and the peripheral portion of the steamer extends substantially outward beyond the upturned edge.
According to still another implementation, a steamer insert suitable for use with a shallow cooking pan includes a perforated base and a solid peripheral portion extending outwardly from the perforated base, the peripheral portion having an intermediate area spaced above the perforated base.
According to yet another implementation, an easy access food steamer assembly for use with a skillet includes an adapter and a steamer insert. The adapter has an outer periphery sized larger than the skillet and an inner periphery that defines an opening. The opening is smaller than a cooking surface of the skillet. The steamer insert is coupleable with the opening in the adapter and has a perforated steaming surface. When the steamer insert is coupled to the adapter and the assembly is inserted into the skillet, the steaming surface is adjacent an upper edge of the skillet, thereby allowing access to the steaming surface.
According to a method implementation, food is prepared using steam by providing a cooking pan, an adapter and a steamer insert, inserting the adapter within a periphery of the cooking pan, inserting the steamer insert into an opening in the adapter, and heating water in the cooking pan to produce steam for preparing food on the steamer insert.
REFERENCES:
patent: 124494 (1872-03-01), Jones
patent: D. 249924 (1978-10-01), Fisher
patent: 401712 (1889-04-01), Motter
patent: 936965 (1909-10-01), Wells
patent: 1200741 (1916-10-01), Lindgren
patent: 1214992 (1917-02-01), Boleratz
patent: 2932293 (1960-04-01), Rassieur
patent: 3357342 (1967-12-01), Dreyfus
patent: 3427957 (1969-02-01), O'Reilly
patent: 3439603 (1969-04-01), Reames
patent: 3809281 (1974-05-01), Kalkowski
patent: 3847068 (1974-11-01), Beer et al.
patent: 3857381 (1974-12-01), Kato
patent: 3908534 (1975-09-01), Martin
patent: 4401017 (1983-0
Alexander Reginald L.
Klarquist Sparkman Campbell & Leigh & Whinston, LLP
LandOfFree
Steamer insert, steamer assembly and method does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Steamer insert, steamer assembly and method, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Steamer insert, steamer assembly and method will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2535532