Electronic cooking utensil for setting cooking time with cooking status indicator
OwnerFred Wetzelinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A battery powered microprocessor-controlled fondue fork has a thermal sensor, a timer, a color LED display for indicating degree of doneness, and a control switch for selecting a predefined cooking time. When the fondue fork is placed into a heated liquid for cooking, the thermal sensor activates the microprocessor-controlled timer which then illuminates the LED display. The LED displays flashing green to indicate the food is cooking, yellow to indicate the food is cooked rare, steady green to indicate the food is cooked medium, red to indicate the food is well-done, and flashing red to indicate an overdone stage of cooking.
Claims22
A cooking utensil comprising:
- a) a fondue fork having a handle portion;
- b) a fork portion extending from said handle portion;
- c) a power source comprising a battery in said handle portion;
- d) a thermal sensor for detecting when said fork portion is heated or cooled;
- e) a microprocessor in said handle portion, said microprocessor powered by said power source and in circuit communication with said thermal sensor;
- f) a timer controlled by said microprocessor and being started when said thermal sensor detects a predetermined amount of heat entering said fork portion;
- g) a color LED display controlled by said timer and powered by said power source;
- and
- h) a manually operable control in said handle portion for selecting one of a plurality of predefined cooking times.
A method of cooking food in a heated liquid comprising the steps:
- a) providing a cooking utensil comprising a fondue fork having a handle portion, a fork portion extending from said handle portion, a battery in said handle portion, a thermal sensor for detecting when said fork portion is heated or cooled, a microprocessor in said handle portion, said microprocessor powered by said battery and in circuit communication with said thermal sensor, a timer controlled by said microprocessor, a color LED display controlled by said timer and powered by said battery, an on/off button, and a manually operable control in said handle portion for selecting one of a plurality of predefined cooking times;
- b) turning said cooking utensil on with said on/off button;
- c) attaching a piece of food to said fork portion of said utensil;
- d) selecting one of said plurality of predefined cooking times with said manually operable control;
- e) placing said fork portion, with said piece of food attached thereto, into a heated liquid for cooking, and starting said timer when said thermal sensor detects a predetermined amount of heat entering said fork portion;
- f) removing said fork portion, with said piece of food attached thereto, from said heated liquid when said LED display indicates said food is cooked to a user's desired degree of doneness.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.