Cooking facility

• US 6,085,639 A
• Filed: 10/19/1999
• Issued: 07/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Armor Inox SA (Middleby Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Armor Inox SA (Middleby Corporation)
• Inventors: Dreano, Claude
• Primary Examiner(s): SIMONE, TIMOTHY F
• Application Number:
  US09/420,586
• Time in Patent Office: 266 Days
• Field of Search: 99/325-330, 99/352-355, 99/402, 99/403, 99/359, 99/360, 99/416, 99/367-370, 99/470, 99/483, 99/516, 99/534, 426/506, 426/509, 426/520-524, 165/61, 165/104.14, 165/48.1, 165/232, 165/240, 62/82, 62/61, 62/282, 62/185
• US Class Current: 99/330
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 27/18 heated by water-bath , e.g. pasta-cookers

Abstract

Foodstuffs are cooked by soaking in a hot liquid followed by a soaking in at least one cold liquid. A tank or a plurality of cooking tanks is provided with a liquid inlet, a heating unit for obtaining hot liquid, a refrigeration unit for obtaining cold liquid and filling pipes for conveying the liquids to the respective inlets of the tanks. The installation has reversible pumps, each designed to permit the liquids to flow in a tank in the direction of the inlet and to permit the liquid to return from the tank inlet, via one of the filling pipes and in the direction of the units.

Claims

1. Installation for cooking foodstuffs by soaking in a hot liquid followed by a soaking in at least one cold liquid, the said installation comprising at least one cooking tanks each provided with a liquid inlet, a heating unit for obtaining a hot liquid, a refrigeration unit for obtaining a refrigerated liquid, filling pipes for conveying the liquids to respective inlets of the at least one tank, at least one reversible pump for causing the liquids in the at least one tank to flow in the direction of the inlet and for causing liquids to return from the tank inlet, via one of the filling pipes in the direction of said units.

2. Foodstuff cooking installation according to claim 1, of the type where each tank includes a liquid outlet above the inlet, the said outlet being connected to the filling pipe and a corresponding return pipe by a pipe including a solenoid valve.

3. Foodstuff cooking installation according to claim 1, wherein a portion of each filling and return pipe adjacent to the heating and refrigeration units is connected to each of the said units by two connecting pipes, each including a solenoid valve.

4. Foodstuff cooking installation according to claim 3, wherein free ends of the pipes connected to the said heating unit and free ends of the pipes connected to the said refrigeration unit are on the side of the said corresponding unit furthest away from the other unit.

5. Foodstuff cooking installation according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of aligned tanks are included, the two connecting pipes relating to one of the end tanks being connected to the same pipe for supplying liquid at ambient temperature, by means of two inlet pipes, respectively.

6. Foodstuff cooking installation according to claim 5, wherein each inlet pipe connects a connecting pipe to the supply pipe between the corresponding solenoid valve and free end of the connecting pipe for supplying the units.

7. Foodstuff cooking installation according to claim 5, wherein the ends of the said filling and return pipes which are adjacent to the units include solenoid valves connected to the supply pipe by a common pipe.

8. Foodstuff cooking installation according to claim 5, wherein the connecting pipes relating to the other end tank are connected to a discharge pipe by two outlet pipes respectively.

9. Foodstuff cooking installation according to claim 8, wherein each outlet pipe connects a connecting pipe to the discharge pipe between the solenoid valve and the corresponding free end of the connecting pipe.

10. Foodstuff cooking installation according to claim 1, wherein each filling and return pipe includes two solenoid valves mounted in parallel, one of the solenoid valves being of a flow rate regulation type.

11. Foodstuff cooking installation according to claim 1, wherein the heating and refrigeration units are installed at a height appreciably greater than that of each cooking tank.

12. Foodstuff cooking installation according to claim 2, wherein a portion of each filling and return pipe adjacent to the heating and refrigeration units is connected to each of the said units by two connecting pipes, each including a solenoid valve.

13. Foodstuff cooking installation according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of aligned tanks are included, the two connecting pipes relating to one of the end tanks being connected to the same pipe for supplying liquid at ambient temperature, by means of two inlet pipes, respectively.

14. Foodstuff cooking installation according to claim 6, wherein the ends of the said filling and return pipes which are adjacent to the units include solenoid valves connected to the supply pipe by a common pipe.