Apparatus and method for cooking food products
AssigneeMarshall Air Systems, Inc.
InventorRobert M. Stuck
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Burning and other overcooking of sensitive areas of food products, e.g., a chicken's fatty thigh and back area or a pizza's crust area, is prevented in broiling, baking or otherwise cooking food products on an automated conveyorized commercial restaurant basis by interposing a screen, cover, or like element between a heater panel or other source of cooking energy and the sensitive area of the food product to selectively modify the cooking energy received by the food product's sensitive area in order to subject such area to a modified amount of cooking.
Claims27
Apparatus for cooking food products comprising means for generating cooking energy, means for supporting a food product in disposition to receive cooking energy from said generating means, and means for selectively modifying the cooking energy received by a predetermined portion of the food product to be subjected to a modified amount of cooking without correspondingly modifying the cooking energy received by other portions of the food product, said cooking energy modifying means comprising means for partially filtering cooking energy directed at the predetermined portion of the food product, said cooking energy modifying means being arranged to be out of contact with the food product.
A method for cooking food products comprising the steps of applying cooking energy to a food product and selectively modifying the cooking energy applied to a predetermined portion of the food product to be subject to a modified amount of cooking without contacting the food product and without correspondingly modifying the cooking energy received by other portions of the food product, said cooking energy modifying step comprising partially filtering cooking energy directed at the predetermined portion of the food product.
Means for preventing overcooking of a crust area of a pizza-type food product, comprising a cover member having a cover portion for disposition in covering relation to the crust area during cooking to partially filter cooking energy applied to the crust area in comparison to cooking energy applied to other portions of the pizza food product, said cover portion comprising a generally flat plate adapted to overlie the peripheral crust area of the pizza food product, said cover portion being arranged to be out of contact with the peripheral crust area of the pizza food product.
Means for preventing overcooking of a crust area of a pizza-type food product, comprising a cover member having a cover portion for disposition in covering relation to the crust area during cooking to partially filter cooking energy applied to the crust area in comparison to cooking energy applied to other portions of the pizza food product, said cover member having a secondary cover portion for disposition in covering relation to another area of the pizza-type feed product, said cover portion and said secondary cover portion being arranged to be out of contact with the pizza-type food product.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.