Tortilla cooking apparatus and method
OwnerRoy Hustoninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for cooking a tortilla for use, e.g. as a taco shell, produces an edible wrapper, preferably having a narrow partially cooked flexible strip across the central diameter and a fully cooked firm and crispy texture adjacent the flexible area, that can be folded into the typical taco shell U-shape. Preferably, the tortilla is cooked in a microwave oven using two perforated rigid and reusable microwave energy transparent frame members between which a flat fresh uncooked tortilla is positioned. Selective microwave attenuation by a conductive screen strip means, and controlled expansion and distortion of the tortilla by the frame members provide the double textured food end product with desirable surface bubbling, blistering and delamination.
Claims12
A radiant energy cooking apparatus for holding round or oval shaped uncooked flexible tortillas, comprising:
- two opposing frame members having support surfaces constructed to constrain the tortilla therebetween while placed in an electromagnetic radiation field;
- a series of raised surfaces located on said support surfaces for partially contacting the tortilla, said raised surfaces maintain tortilla flatness while selectively controlling the size of the tortilla surface delamination artifacts, or bubbles;
- a plurality of apertures in said support surfaces, said apertures being formed in selected regions in conjunction with said raised surfaces, which permits venting of vapors generated during cooking in symmetrical portions of the tortilla creating two fully cooked hardened, crispy and rigid regions;
- and a control member positioned in close proximity to at least one side of either of said frame members so as to lie along a symmetrical center of the tortilla, reducing, in a controlled manner, the amount of radiant energy available to a third center region of the tortilla, said third region remaining relatively uncooked and flexible, allowing folding of the tortilla into a U-shaped edible taco shell with both crispy and flexible regions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.