Turning mechanism

An implement for use in cooking a food item such as a steak, fish filet or the like, said implement being used with a drive shaft rotating about a horizontal axis for automatically turning over said food item during cooking, comprising:

• support means for supporting said food item during turning;
• a turning member having a generally rectangular shape and adapted at the midportion thereof for connection to said drive shaft for rotation about an axis generally parallel to an edge of said generally rectangular shape, a first portion of said rectangular shape extending away from said horizontal axis for connection to said support means and a second portion extending opposite to said first portion for providing a lever arm for lifting said food item during turning;
• and
• first and second flexible filamentous linking members connected to the first portion of said rectangular shape at a position spaced apart from said horizontal axis and to said support means at a position proximate an end of said food item, whereby rotation of said turning member by said drive shaft rotates said food item over said horizontal axis.

An implement for use in cooking a food item such as a roast, chicken or the like, said implement being used with a drive shaft rotating about a horizontal axis for automatically turning over said food item during cooking, comprising:

• support means for supporting said food item during turning;
• a turning member adapted at the midportion thereof for connection to said drive shaft so as to rotate about said horizontal axis, said turning member having first and second oppositely extending portions perpendicular to said horizontal axis for providing moment arms for turning said food item;
• and
• linkage means flexibly linking said support means to said turning member, said linkage means connecting the distal ends of said first and second portions to said support means at positions proximate an end of said food item and spaced apart from said horizontal axis, whereby rotation of said turning member by said drive shaft rotates said food item about said horizontal axis.

A method of automatically turning a food item such as a steak, fish filet or the like about a horizontal axis during cooking comprising the steps of:

• providing a moment arm extending generally perpendicular to said horizontal axis;
• flexibly linking said food item at an end thereof to said moment arm at at least one position spaced apart from said horizontal axis;
• and
• automatically rotating said moment arm about said horizontal axis so as to drag said food item about said horizontal axis.