Cooking apparatus

• US 7,726,234 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2005
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daniel William Glier
• Original Assignee: Daniel William Glier
• Inventors: Glier, Daniel William
• Primary Examiner(s): Campbell; Thor S
• Application Number:
  US11/181,328
• Publication Number:
  US 20070012198A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,783 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 99/348
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 27/004 with integral electrical heating means drinking cups with integral heating means A47J36/2466
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 36/2483 with electrical heating means

Abstract

A cooking apparatus comprises a trough, a well, and a pot. The trough is configured to hold a first cooking medium. The trough has insulated floors, insulated walls, and a steam pipe as a heating element to directly heat the first cooking medium. The well is joined to a cover plate. The cover plate is configured to fit over the trough with a seal, such that at least a portion of the well extends into the trough for submersion into the first cooking medium. The pot is inserted in the well. A second cooking medium may be introduced in the well adjacent to the pot. A food product such as goetta may be introduced to the pot for cooking. Heat may be transferred from the heating element, to the first cooking medium, to the well, to the second cooking medium, to the pot, and then to the goetta.

Claims

1. A device for cooking food products comprising:

(a) a trough, wherein the trough comprises

(i) a plurality of insulated walls, wherein each of the insulated walls has a top portion and a bottom portion,

(ii) a floor joining the bottom portions of the insulated walls of the trough, and

(iii) an outwardly extending lip joining the top portions of the insulated walls;

(b) a top member, wherein the top member comprises a cover plate sealed to the outwardly extending lip of the trough and a well extending into the trough, wherein the well comprises;

(i) a sidewall having a top portion and a bottom portion, wherein the top portion of the sidewall is joined to the cover plate, wherein the sidewall of the well and the plurality of insulated walls of the trough together define a gap between the sidewall of the well and the plurality of insulated walls of the trough, and

(ii) a floor joined to the bottom portion of the sidewall of the well, wherein the floor of the well and the floor of the trough together define a gap between the floor of the well and the floor of the trough;

(c) a heating element pipe contained within the trough, wherein the heating element pipe is located in the gap defined between the floor of the well and the floor of the trough;

(d) a heated fluid contained within the heating element pipe;

(e) a stock pot inserted in the well, wherein the stock pot comprises;

(i) a sidewall having a top portion and a bottom portion, wherein the sidewall of the stock pot and the sidewall of the well together define a gap between the sidewall of the stock pot and the sidewall of the well,

(ii) a floor joined to the bottom portion of the sidewall of the stock pot, wherein the floor of the stock pot and the floor of the well together define a gap between the floor of the stock pot and the floor of the well, and

(iii) an annular lip, wherein the annular lip extends outwardly from the top portion of the sidewall of the stock pot, wherein the annular lip is engaged with the cover plate, wherein the stock pot;

(f) thermal oil positioned between the trough and the well, wherein the thermal oil is contained in the gap between the sidewall of the well and the plurality of insulated walls of the trough, wherein the thermal oil is further contained in the gap between the floor of the well and the floor of the trough, such that at least a portion of the well is immersed in the thermal oil, wherein at least a portion of the heating element pipe extends through the thermal oil such that the portion of the heating element pipe extending through the thermal oil is immersed in the thermal oil such that the thermal oil directly contacts the heating element pipe, wherein the heated fluid is configured to be communicated through the heating element pipe to heat the thermal oil; and

(g) a cooking medium positioned between the stock pot and the well, wherein the cooking medium is contained in the gap between the sidewall of the stock pot and the sidewall of the well, wherein the cooking medium is further contained in the gap between the floor of the stock pot and the floor of the well, such that at least a portion of the stock pot is immersed in the cooking medium, wherein the cooking medium comprises water.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the trough further comprises an insulation board.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein each insulated wall of the trough further comprises a respective first wall and a respective second wall.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein each insulated wall of the trough further comprises an insulation board positioned between the corresponding respective first wall and second wall.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising a gasket positioned between the lip of the trough and the cover plate of the top member.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the gasket comprises a buna material.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the heating element pipe comprises a steam pipe.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein the heated fluid contained within the heating element pipe comprises steam or thermal oil.

17. The device of claim 1, further comprising goetta located in the stock pot.

8. A cooking device, comprising:

(a) a trough, wherein the trough comprises;

(i) a plurality of sidewalls,

(ii) a floor joining at least a first portion of the plurality of sidewalls,

(iii) a lip, wherein the lip and at least a second portion of the plurality of sidewalls define a top opening of the trough, wherein the lip extends transversely outwardly from the sidewalls,

(iv) a heating element positioned adjacent the floor, wherein the heating element comprises a pipe, and

(v) a first cooking medium, wherein the pipe of the heating element is immersed in the first cooking medium such that the first cooking medium directly contacts the pipe of the heating element and such that the first cooking medium is in thermal communication with the heating element, wherein the first cooking medium has a boiling point that is higher than the boiling point of water;

(b) a cover plate, wherein the cover plate is configured to fit on the lip of the trough, wherein the cover plate is configured to cover the top opening of the trough;

(c) a well extending downwardly from the cover plate and into the trough, wherein wherein the well comprises;

(i) a sidewall having a top portion and a bottom portion, wherein the top portion of the sidewall is joined to the cover plate, wherein the sidewall of the well and the plurality of sidewalls of the trough together define a gap between the sidewall of the well and the plurality of sidewalls of the trough, wherein the first cooking medium is contained in the gap between the sidewall of the well and the plurality of sidewalls of the trough, and

(ii) a floor joined to the bottom portion of the sidewall of the well, wherein the floor of the well and the floor of the trough together define a gap between the floor of the well and the floor of the trough, wherein the first cooking medium is further contained in the gap between the floor of the well and the floor of the trough, such that at least a portion of the well is immersed in the first cooking medium;

(d) a gasket positioned between the cover plate and the lip to form a seal between the trough and the cover plate;

(e) a heated fluid contained within the pipe of the heating element, wherein the heated fluid is configured to be communicated through the heating element pipe to heat the first cooking medium that is contained between the trough and the well;

(f) a stock pot inserted in the well, wherein the stock pot comprises;

(i) a sidewall having a top portion and a bottom portion, wherein the sidewall of the stock pot and the sidewall of the well together define a gap between the sidewall of the stock pot and the sidewall of the well,

(ii) a floor joined to the bottom portion of the sidewall of the stock pot, wherein the floor of the stock pot and the floor of the well together define a gap between the floor of the stock pot and the floor of the well, and

(iii) an annular lip, wherein the annular lip extends outwardly from the top portion of the sidewall of the stock pot, wherein the annular lip is engaged with the cover plate, wherein the stock pot; and

(g) a second cooking medium, wherein the second cooking medium is positioned between the stock pot and the well, wherein the cooking medium is contained in the gap between the sidewall of the stock pot and the sidewall of the well, wherein the cooking medium is further contained in the gap between the floor of the stock pot and the floor of the well, such that at least a portion of the stock pot is immersed in the second cooking medium, wherein the second cooking medium comprises water.

9. The cooking device of claim 8, wherein the trough has a plurality of sides, wherein each of the sides has a pair of sidewalls of the plurality of sidewalls.

10. The cooking device of claim 9, wherein the trough further comprises insulation positioned between each of the pairs of sidewalls.

11. The cooking device of claim 8, wherein the pipe of the heating element comprises a steam pipe.

12. The cooking device of claim 8, wherein the first cooking medium comprises a thermal oil.

13. The cooking device of claim 8, wherein the well is integral with the cover plate.

18. The cooking device of claim 8, further comprising goetta located in the stock pot.

14. A method of cooking a food product, the method comprising:

(a) providing a cooking device, wherein the cooking device comprises;

(i) a trough, wherein the trough comprises;

(A) a plurality of sidewalls,

(B) a floor joined to the plurality of sidewalls of the trough, and

(C) a heating element, wherein the heating element comprises a pipe,

(ii) a cover plate sealed to the trough, wherein the cover plate comprises a port, wherein the trough and the cover plate together define an enclosed space, and

(iii) a well extending through the cover plate into the trough, wherein the well comprises;

(A) a sidewall, wherein the sidewall of the well and the sidewalls of the trough together define a gap between the sidewall of the well and the sidewalls of the trough, and

(B) a floor joined to the sidewall of the well, wherein the floor of the well and the floor of the trough together define a gap between the floor of the well and the floor of the trough;

(b) introducing a first cooking medium into the enclosed space via the port, wherein the first cooking medium is configured to transfer heat from the heating element to the well, wherein the act of introducing a first cooking medium into the enclosed space via the port comprises immersing the pipe of the heating element in the first cooking medium such that the first cooking medium directly contacts the pipe of the heating element, wherein the introduced first cooking medium occupies at least part of the gap between the sidewall of the well and the sidewalls of the trough, wherein the introduced first cooking medium further occupies at least part of the gap between the floor of the well and the floor of the trough, such that at least part of the well is immersed in the introduced first cooking medium;

(c) introducing a second cooking medium into the well, wherein the second cooking medium is contained within the sidewall of the well and the floor of the well, wherein the second cooking medium comprises water;

(d) inserting a stock pot into the well, wherein the inserted stock pot is placed in contact with the second cooking medium, such that the second cooking medium is located between the stock pot and the sidewall and floor of the well and such that at least part of the inserted stock pot is immersed in the second cooking medium;

(e) heating the first cooking medium with the heating element, wherein the act of heating the first cooking medium with the heating element comprises communicating a heated fluid through the pipe of the heating element while the pipe is immersed in the first cooking medium, wherein the well and the second cooking medium are configured to transfer heat from the heated first cooking medium to the stock pot; and

(d) introducing a food product into the stock pot to heat the food product, such that heat is transferred from the heating element to the first cooking medium to the well to the second cooking medium to the stock pot to the food product.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first cooking medium comprises oil.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the food product comprises goetta, wherein the act of introducing a food product into the stock pot comprises introducing goetta into the stock pot.