Cooker/rethermalizer
First Claim
1. A food preparation cooker/rethermalizer comprising:
- a food heating vessel having sides and a bottom for retaining an aqueous bath, and including heat supply for heating the aqueous bath;
a food locator rack in said vessel having a plurality of defined locations for supporting packaged food items to be heated;
said rack having fluid outlets to said vessel beneath all of said locations to cause fluid to exit into the bath and agitate the bath over and past food items in said locations of said food locator rack; and
a fluid connector on said rack for connection to a pressurized source of fluid.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A food cooker/rethermalizer especially suited for cooking or for reheating of prepared, packaged meat and sauce entree items, and optionally for cooking vegetables. The apparatus includes a multiple of food item receiving locations defined by a locator rack, and fluid ejecting tubes beneath the locations to eject fluid such as air therefrom, which rise over the package surfaces for bath mixing and efficient and uniform heat transfer. The tubes include a pair of upwardly sloped conduits oriented in opposite directions and which eject fluid at the upper ends of the tubes, on opposite sides of the bath, to cause circulation of the heated liquid bath. The bath is heated by resistance coils embedded in rubber bonded to the outside of the vessel. The bath level is controlled by a dual temperature sensor device, one sensor above the other, to detect a predetermined temperature differential and activate a water supply valve to inject only small quantities of water. The heating chamber is separated from the electronics control chamber by a space which has a thermally generated convection cooling action. The defined locations of the locator rack have a geometric arrangement matching the geometric arrangement of controls on a control panel.
If the unit is used to cook pasta, the rising fluid not only assists with bath mixing and cooking action, but also keeps the pasta from sticking together, while the sloped ejection tubes of the basket function to eject starch floating on the bath out of the vessel.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. A food preparation cooker/rethermalizer comprising:
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a food heating vessel having sides and a bottom for retaining an aqueous bath, and including heat supply for heating the aqueous bath; a food locator rack in said vessel having a plurality of defined locations for supporting packaged food items to be heated; said rack having fluid outlets to said vessel beneath all of said locations to cause fluid to exit into the bath and agitate the bath over and past food items in said locations of said food locator rack; and a fluid connector on said rack for connection to a pressurized source of fluid. - View Dependent Claims (2, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 29, 30, 31)
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3. A food preparation cooker/rethermalizer comprising:
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a food heating vessel having sides and a bottom for retaining an aqueous bath, and including a heater for heating the aqueous bath; open food support means in said vessel defining a plurality of separate locations for supporting food items to be heated, and having upper and lower portions; said food support means including gas conducting tubes having outlets at said lower portion to said vessel, beneath all said locations, to cause gas bubbles to exit into the bath and move up along and past food items on said food support means; connectors from said gas conducting tubes to a pressurized source of gas; said gas conducting tubes including upwardly sloped gas conducting ramps at opposite sides of said vessel sloped upwardly, in opposite directions. - View Dependent Claims (4, 24, 25, 26)
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5. A food preparation cooker/rethermalizer comprising:
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a food heating vessel having sides and a bottom for retaining an aqueous bath, and including a heater for heating the aqueous bath; a food support in said vessel; fluid conducting tubes in said vessel at an angle along said sides comprising an outlet oriented at an angle along said sides to cause bath circulation by fluid ejected from said outlet; said fluid conducting tubes comprising a pair of fluid outlets oriented in opposite directions along said opposite sides to cause bath circulation by fluid ejected from said outlets. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33)
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6. A food preparation heating vessel for an aqueous bath, comprising:
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a food heating vessel having sides and a bottom for retaining an aqueous bath, and having a heat source; an open food support means in said vessel for supporting food items to be heated; said food support means including fluid conducting tubes and having outlets from said tubes to said vessel for causing fluid to leave said tubes and flow between the food items; and at least one upwardly, diagonally ramped conduit adjacent one of said vessel walls, having an upper end with an outlet thereat, to cause fluid flow therefrom for circulation of the aqueous bath in said vessel. - View Dependent Claims (7, 27, 28)
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14. A pasta cooker comprising:
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a pasta heating water vessel having sides, bottom, and an at least partially open top with a top outlet for starch cooked off the pasta in said vessel; a pasta support in said vessel, comprising fluid conducting tubes including at least one diagonally upwardly extending tube oriented toward said top outlet and having a fluid outlet adjacent the upper end thereof, so that ejection of fluid from said outlet causes floating starch cooked off the pasta to be ejected through said top outlet; and said tubes having means for connection to a fluid source. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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16. The pasta cooker in claim 14wherein said pasta support includes a pair of said diagonally upwardly extending tubes adjacent opposite sides of said vessel and having upper end outlets oriented in opposite directions to cause water circulation in said vessel, as well as starch ejection.
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17. A pasta cooker comprising:
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a pasta heating vessel having side and bottom walls for retaining an aqueous bath; a pasta support in said vessel; a pressurized gas conducting and emitting conduit in said vessel for causing gas bubbles to pass through pasta in said pasta support; and a fluid conducting, bath circulating conduit in said vessel having an outlet oriented to cause bath circulation.
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Specification