ITTV20120014A1 - COMBINED EQUIPMENT FOR COOKING FOOD AND MAINTENANCE IN TEMPERATURE WITH ACCESSORY SMOKER SYSTEM - Google Patents

Description

COMBINED EQUIPMENT FOR COOKING

OF FOOD AND KEEPING IN TEMPERATURE WITH

ACCESSORY SMOKER SYSTEM

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for cooking food, which comprises an electric oven but also possibly a gas oven of the convection or mixed type for cooking food with an accessory smoker system. The innovation finds particular if not exclusive application in the sector of equipment for collective catering and large kitchens in general.

Field of application

[0002] In the field of collective catering, there is often a proven need to resort to equipment for cooking food, such as ovens, provided on the one hand with a good heat output for faster cooking and uniform minimizing consumption, but on the other hand above all able to ensure in a single integrated oven, a good versatility of use according to the growing and variable needs of the chef, such as the fact of being able to opt for roasting, braising , grilling, browning or browning the food being cooked, and so on.

[0003] In principle these functions are entrusted to the logic unit of the oven, which operates in such a way as to make certain values measured inside the cooking chamber interact with these other values, selected by the manufacturer, what allows you to achieve preordained cooking methods with good quality. In addition, the ovens currently existing integrate or make use of auxiliary devices capable of offering other cooking modes at the same time, such as the steam cooking function.

[0004] In the field of the culinary art there is sometimes the need to smoke the dishes, before being served or simply for their conservation. Usually some chefs, such as those dedicated to molecular cuisine, prefer to use cold rather than hot fumes, and consequently they equip themselves empirically to flavor / treat the dish in such a way that it results with organoleptic characteristics similar to the conventional smoking process and which is usually used to improve the conservation process.

In principle, it can be agreed that the artisanal smoking process is obtained by exposing foods to the smoke generated by the slow combustion of aromatic wood sawdust, and is a food preservation technique used by man since ancient times.

Smoking has antiseptic, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. The appearance and taste of smoked foods are modified in such a way as to be aromatic, and those most frequently subjected to treatment are meat, for example salmon, swordfish. Finally, the cheeses that are usually subjected to a quick and superficial smoking.

[0005] It can be correctly stated that some companies in the sector, for their cooking equipment in the field of collective catering, have long ago introduced the smoking function, associating or integrating the cooking equipment, in this case a traditional oven, devices capable of generating smoke in a controlled manner so that it can be introduced, as needed, into the cooking chamber.

State of the art

[0006] A brief search in the field of patent literature, although not in-depth, made it possible to identify the following prior documents:

DI EP200583 1 (Bassoli)

D2 US6142066 (Anders et al.)

D3 W02004000027 (Chan)

D4 US2005051 038 (Bartelick)

D5 W02009026877 (Leuschner)

DI, in particular, describes a cooking and smoking apparatus for cooking and smoking foods which comprises cooking chamber means for containing said foods, heating means, positioned in said cooking chamber means, for heating said foods, chamber means for smoking said foods and conduit means for connecting said cooking means to said smoking chamber means.

D2, proposes an equipment and a method for cooking and smoking food. Basically it describes a cooking apparatus which comprises a smoke generator upstream of a first means of ventilation which precedes the burner and which introduces hot air inside the cooking chamber. The smoke thus generated by the said smoke generator is sucked in by a second fan half and then sent through the said first fan half into the cooking chamber.

D3 deals with an apparatus for transforming food with electric heating means, as well as the ability to generate smoke so that food products can be smoked and cooked simultaneously. The food processing apparatus is equipped with means to circulate the seasoning food substances (the flavoring smoke) inside a closed food processing compartment. It also includes an exhaust air passage equipped with a controllable valve and connected to valves and a means for absorbing and deodorizing to purify the exhaust air when the smoke is removed from the closed food processing compartment.

D4 is an oven indicated with a first food preparation apparatus in the form of a convection heat source and / or a steam production assembly and / or a radiant heat source, and a second apparatus for food preparation in the form of a smoke generator. The oven can work with at least one of the food preparation appliances or simultaneously with the smoke generator or separately from the smoke generator.

D5 The invention relates to a display and control device for adjusting a food treatment program, in particular a kitchen program, of a cooking appliance, which comprises a plurality of control elements, each of the which allows the adjustment of at least one parameter of that program to be adjusted. The display and control device is characterized by the fact that a program parameter is graphically displayed on each control element in order to control the cooking appliance regardless of the product and language. A specific module of the cooking appliance symbolizes a preparation of a product to be cooked, such as the roasting flash, toasting, icing, sautéing, flash grilling, grilling, cooking, game, steaming, cooking, stewing, roasting, finishing , frying, browning, fermenting, drying, or the like, and at least temporarily displayed on at least a first number of control elements, and a variable which refers to the way in which the product to be cooked is prepared and which is determined by a intensity, quantity and / or duration, at least temporarily displayed on at least a second number of control elements.

[0007] Having said all this, it is therefore reasonable to consider an oven for cooking food to be known, comprising a device for generating smoke such as a smoker, so as to introduce said smoke in a controlled manner inside the cooking chamber, see for example D1 -D4 as also known are means for controlling the smoking function, see for example D5.

Drawbacks

[0008] It is certainly possible to agree on the fact that the solutions described in the preceding paragraph are all in all effective, since in any case they ensure that smoke is introduced into the cooking chamber in order to treat and / or flavor the However, the fact remains that the known appliances do not guarantee in a versatile and rapid way an optimal production of smoke in such a way as to feed the cooking chamber environment in a controlled and effective way. This can be traced back both to the classic cooking oven-smoker configuration, in which case the smoker is most of the time substantially integrated in the cooking appliance itself, and to the fact that in smokers of the known type, the smoke as conveyed substantially affects the optimal functioning of the smoker itself.

[0009] Secondly, conventional appliances equipped with a smoker device, in a smoking cycle, require the operation, in the cooking chamber or in the smoker device, of the suction fan or alternatively suck from the rear area with respect to said fan, ultimately resulting in inefficient, in need of maintenance, complex in their operation and substantially unsuitable for immediate use for collective catering as the response times are not fast enough.

For these and more below stated reasons, ultimately, there is a need to identify improvement proposals with respect to the techniques in place up to now.

Brief description of the object of the invention

[001 0] These and other purposes are achieved with the present innovation according to the characteristics of the annexed claims by solving the problems set forth by means of an apparatus for cooking food and maintaining the temperature with an accessory smoker system, consisting of an oven of the electric type and with a smoker device that communicates with the cooking chamber in such a way as to introduce in a controlled way a quantity of smoke inside the said cooking chamber, said smoker device which is removable with respect to the oven and interfaced with respect to the logic control unit of said oven which detects its presence, said smoker device being provided with fan means in such a way as to collect the smoke generated in the combustion chamber of the smoker device and to convey the flow of smoke without this passing through the blades of the fan, towards and along the connection manifold with the a duction / venting of said furnace equipped with shut-off valves.

Aims

[001 1] In this way, through the remarkable creative contribution whose effect constitutes an immediate and not negligible technical progress, various and remarkable aims are achieved.

A first purpose was to obtain an appliance for cooking, in particular an oven, combined in a versatile way with a smoking system which, through a smoking device, exploits an original system of aspiration of the smoke flow to convey inside the cooking chamber the smoke produced by the smoker device.

More in detail, the smoker device is completely removable with respect to the oven, so that it can only be used when the user needs it, while ensuring the containment of the overall dimensions. The installation of the said smoker device takes place in a very easy and quick way, first placing it in the upper part, shelf or top of the oven, making sure that the smoke outlet manifold of the smoker device is coupled with a male connection female to the supply pipe thus prepared and which protrudes slightly from the top of the oven. The connection for interfacing with the oven logic unit is obtained by means of a cable which is unwound and simply connected to the relative socket located in the immediate vicinity of the oven top, also providing for the relative power supply. . By aspirating the smoke generated by the smoker device and conveying it towards the cooking chamber of the oven, the smoke smoker device is placed in a slight depression, obtaining an inflow of external air that feeds the combustion, improving the ignition ensuring a continuous, rapid and uniform production of smoke.

[001 2] A second purpose, typical of the smoker device, consists in preventing the flow of smoke to be conveyed into the oven from interfering with the fan blades, so as to prevent them from getting dirty, which causes a progressive decrease efficiency in the feeding action with the flow of smoke from the cooking chamber, forcing the user to carry out constant maintenance.

[001 3] Another object is to allow a smoking function even when cold, therefore with the cooking chamber of the oven not necessarily at temperature. In conventional ovens, the smoking function can only be performed when hot, this is because the inflow of smoke into the cooking chamber is allowed by the ventilation function present inside the cooking chamber which originates a depression which thus calls up the flow of smoke generated by the smoker device. In the case of the equipment and system in question, the smoker device generates smoke which is pushed inside the cooking chamber regardless of the cooking chamber ventilation activity.

[001 4] With respect to the solutions mentioned in the state of the art, the following can be noted. DI, substantially suggests that the connection duct or supply pipe, between the device that generates smoke and the furnace, is distinct from other functions of the furnace, and configured in such a way as to enter with its second end substantially facing the blades of the fan . The reference figure of the descriptive text is more explanatory, it follows that in the case of DI, the fan works on suction. The proposed object of the present invention, on the other hand, always uses an independent duct for the smoke-oven-generating device, but said smoke-generating device is connected to the oven through the connection of the supply pipe in such a way as not to use the fan on the suction side. , positioned in the technical compartment, and avoiding suction from the area behind the fan itself.

[0015] As regards the solution described in D2, it has been observed that it essentially requires two cascade fans of which the first draws in the smoke generated by the smoker and the second emits the said smoke together with the hot air generated by the burner, inside the cooking chamber. In this case, the object of the present invention uses a single fan and otherwise, it does not work in direct suction, but exploits the depression originated at the inlet of the smoker device in the supply pipe of the oven, avoiding the passing through the fan positioned immediately downstream of the smoke generator. This condition allows to keep the fan blades clean and to significantly reduce its maintenance, with a high and constant efficiency.

[0016] D3 and D4, similar, comprise the smoke generator device integrated in the oven, whereas, conversely, the solution proposed by the present invention allows the smoke generator to be separated from the oven itself so that it can be used only in the case of actual need. Ultimately, the present invention relates to a less complex, minimal maintenance and versatile solution, with the possibility of significantly reducing the overall dimensions.

In conclusion, these advantages have the not negligible advantage of obtaining an oven with a good technological content, functional for its high performance and extremely reliable, even in particular working conditions.

These and other advantages will appear from the following detailed description of a preferential embodiment solution with the help of the enclosed schematic drawings whose execution details are not to be intended as limiting but only and exclusively exemplary.

Contents of the drawings

â – ¡Figure 1 is an overall view of the appliance for cooking food equipped with an accessory smoker system; â – ¡Figure 2 is a sectional view of the appliance for cooking food equipped with an accessory smoker system, showing the inlet manifold to the oven supply duct;

â – ¡Figure 3 is a block diagram of the smoking program;

â – ¡Figure 4 is a block diagram of the smoking program with the cooking and holding function.

Practical execution of the invention

[001 7] The object of the present invention refers to an apparatus for cooking food (Fig. 1) and maintaining the temperature composed of an electric oven (10) to which a smoke generator device (20) also conventionally called smoker.

[001 8] The oven (10) comprises a cooking chamber inside which the dishes are placed, by accessing through a door, generally positioned in the front part with respect to said oven (10). On the bottom of said cooking chamber there is a hole for collecting exhausted or cooking liquids, which hole is connected to an underlying drainage pipe for exhausted liquids. A vent and lateral safety pipe (1 10) is also provided, which releases the pressure that forms inside the cooking chamber due to its heating and the entry of smoke, and is equipped with a valve interception (1 1 1) suitable for opening / closing the outlet of the flow of smoke and / or hot air present inside the cooking chamber of the oven (10).

[001 9] An inlet pipe (1 20) connects the cooking chamber of the oven (10) with the smoke generator device (20), so that while a second end of the inlet pipe (1 20) It is positioned in correspondence with said cooking chamber, the first end (1 21) protrudes slightly with respect to the top or upper shelf (100) of the external cladding of the oven (10) in such a way as to facilitate the connection between the smoke generator device (20) and the oven (10). An interception valve (200) is positioned in correspondence with said first end (121) of the adduction pipe (120) so as to allow to open / close the flow of smoke from the smoke generator device (20 ) to the cooking chamber of the oven (10).

[0020] Also in correspondence with the upper shelf (100) of the said oven (10) there is a socket (300) which is connected to the power supply system of the appliance and includes slots for communication with the ™ oven logic unit (10). A cable (400) with relative plug connected on one side to said smoke generator device (20) can be connected to said socket (300) in such a way as to interface and power said smoke generator device (20) with respect to the oven (10 ).

[0021] With reference to Figure 1, the appliance for cooking food includes the smoke generator device (20) which is removable and rests on the upper shelf (100) of the oven (10 ). More specifically, said smoke generator device (20) consists of a container (21) with a lid (22) of the type that can be opened to access the combustion chamber (23) of the perforated and removable metal type. Below the said combustion chamber (23) by means of an electric resistance (24) some sawdust shavings are heated which are positioned inside the said perforated combustion chamber (23). When heated, the wood chips develop smoke in the perforated combustion chamber (23), from which through a duct (25), through the fan (26), it allows the smoke flow to be collected and transported inside. the cooking chamber of the oven (10).

[0022] Even more particularly, the smoke generator device (20) conveys the flow of smoke inside the said cooking chamber of the oven (10) through the action of the fan (26) which is It is positioned above the conical connection manifold (27) which in turn is in communication with the duct (25). In this case, the conical connection manifold (27) has the function of originating a Venturi-Bernoulli effect and for this purpose it has been configured in such a way as to be of the double-coated type, in practice two coaxial conical liners (271, 272) so To obtain, between said first internal (271) and second external lining (272), the interspace (270) where the second end of the duct (25) is connected, the first end of which is in communication with the combustion chamber (23) of the smoke generator device (20). The fan (26) which is positioned in the upper part with respect to the conical connection manifold (27) pushes the air drawn from the outside downwards, inviting it to pass through the conical connection manifold (27), so that that at the outlet sucks down the flow of smoke (f) which through the duct (25) is conveyed inside the interspace (270) to be sucked along the connection inlet (280 ) to the supply pipe (1 20) of the oven (10). Even more in detail, to originate the Venturi-Bernoulli effect which determines the aspiration of the smoke flow (f) from the combustion chamber (23), the first internal lining (271) has a greater development than the second lining external (272) to which the duct (25) is connected, so that the outflow duct (281) that circumscribes the end of the first lining (271) is below the second end of the duct (25) .

In this way the said supply pipe (120) of the oven (10) through the said connection opening (280) puts the cooking chamber of the oven (10) in communication with the smoke generator device (20) in order to to convey in its interior the flow of smoke (f) generated by the said smoke generator device (20).

[0023] Once the smoke generator device (20) has been connected to the oven (10), inserting the plug of the cable (400) into the corresponding socket (300) of the oven (10), the logic unit of the oven (10) it will make available through information displayed for example on a display suitable for carrying out a smoking program (Fig. 3) or a smoking program implemented with the cooking and / or holding function (Fig. 4). Said information can be represented on the display or other visualization system in written form or consisting of graphic symbols and can be selected through conventional selection means, whether they are keys, knob type selector, even in the touch version. screen.

[0024] In a possible solution, from the main menu of the graphic interface of the oven logic unit (10), which for example has at least the following indications SMOKING, PREHEATING, COOKING, MAINTENANCE, COMBINED, the item SMOKING is selected ( Figure 3), which in turn has the following sub-functions SOFT, MEDIUM and FIARD which correspond to three different degrees of smoking. By selecting each of the three levels, you enter a submenu where the smoking temperature and the smoking time can be set. In this case, the smoking temperature can go from the minimum ambient value (AMB) for which smoking will be done without heating the cooking chamber of the oven (10), up to the maximum value of 100 ° C. As for the smoking time, it can be up to a maximum of 48 hours. By selecting the start, the set time and possibly remaining time until the completion of the smoking cycle will be displayed.

[0025] Figure 4 is a block diagram of the electronic management of the equipment object of the present invention, From the main menu of the graphical interface of the logic unit of the oven (10), which for example has at least the following indications SMOKING, PREHEATING, COOKING, MAINTENANCE, COMBINED, the COMBINED item is selected, which in turn has the following sub-functions SMOKING, PROGRAM. By selecting SMOKING you are connected to the selections described in the previous paragraph, while by selecting PROGRAM you can select one of the programs stored in the memory which can in turn be composed of a cooking program plus a temperature maintenance program once the desired cooking is reached. itself. By selecting the start, the set time and possibly remaining time until the completion of the smoking cycle will be displayed.

Legend

(10) oven

(100) top or upper shelf

(1 10) vent and safety pipe

(1 1 1) shut-off valve

(1 20) supply pipe

(121) first end

(200) shut-off valve

(300) taken

(20) smoke generator device

(21) container

(400) cable with plug

(22) lid

(23) combustion chamber

(24) electrical resistance

(25) duct

(26) fan

(27) conical connection manifold (271, 272) coaxial lining (270) cavity

(f) smoke flow

(280) connection inlet (281) outflow channel

Claims (7)

CLAIMS 1. An appliance for cooking food, consisting of an oven (10) and a smoker device (20), which communicates with the cooking chamber of the oven (10) in such a way as to introduce a controlled quantity of smoke inside of said cooking chamber, said smoker device (20) of the removable type with respect to the oven (10) and interfaceable with respect to the logic control unit of said oven (10) which detects its presence, characterized by the fact that said device smoker (20) is equipped with fan means (26) and a conical connection manifold (27) so as to draw the smoke generated in the combustion chamber (23) of the smoker device (20) through the duct (25) and to convey the flow of smoke (f) without this passing through the blades of the fan (26), towards and along the connection manifold (27) connected to the supply / vent pipe (1 20) of said furnace (10). 2. An apparatus for cooking food, according to claim 1, characterized in that the smoke generator device (20) conveys the flow of smoke inside said cooking chamber of the oven (10) by means of the € ™ action of the fan (26) which is positioned above the conical connection manifold (27) which in turn is in communication with the duct (25) being that the conical connection manifold (27) has the function of originating a Venturi-Bernoulli effect, called connecting manifold (27) consisting of two coaxial conical liners (271, 272) so as to obtain, between said first internal (271) and second external lining (272) interspace (270) where the second end of the duct (25) is connected, the first end of which is in communication with the combustion chamber (23) of the smoke generator device (20). 3. An appliance for cooking food, according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the fan (26) is positioned in the upper part with respect to the conical connection manifold (27) in such a way as to push the air taken from the outside downwards, inviting it to cross the conical connection manifold (27), with the first internal lining (271) at the outlet, which has a greater development than the second external lining (272) at the which the conduit (25) is connected, originating the outflow channel (281) which circumscribes the end of the first coating (271) which is located below the second end of the conduit (25), so as to suck downwards the flow of smoke (f) which through the duct (25) is conveyed inside the cavity (270) and sent along the inlet (280) to the supply pipe (120) of the furnace ( 10). 4. An apparatus for cooking food, according to the preceding claims, characterized in that the oven (10) comprises a cooking chamber communicating with a lateral vent and safety tube (1 10) with respect to the cooking chamber, which leads to the external environment, said vent pipe and lateral safety (1 10) being equipped with an interception valve (1 1 1) designed to open / close the outlet of the flow of smoke and / or hot air present at the € ™ inside the cooking chamber of the oven (10), and with a supply pipe (1 20) which connects the cooking chamber of the oven (10) with the smoke generator device (20), so that while a second end of the supply pipe (1 20) is positioned in correspondence with said cooking chamber, the first end (121) is connected to the smoke generator device (20), in which in correspondence with said first end ( 1 21) of the supply pipe (1 20) is positioned u an interception valve (200) in such a way as to allow to open / close the flow of smoke from the smoke generator device (20) to the cooking chamber of the oven (10). 5. An appliance for cooking food, according to the preceding claims, characterized in that in correspondence with the upper shelf (100) of said oven (10) there is a socket (300) connected to the power supply system of the equipment and includes slots for communication with the oven logic unit (10); a cable (400) with relative plug connected on one side to said smoke generator device (20) can be connected to said socket (300) in such a way as to interface and power said smoke generator device (20) with respect to the oven (10 ). 6. An accessory smoker system, which includes an oven (10) and a smoke generator device (20), which smoke generator device (20) is interfaced with the logic unit of the oven (10), so such that from the main menu of the graphical interface of the logic unit of the oven (10) which presents at least the following information SMOKING, PREHEATING, COOKING, MAINTENANCE, COMBINED, the item SMOKING is selected, which has the following SOFT sub-functions, MEDIUM and FIARD which correspond to three different degrees of smoking, so that by selecting one, you enter a submenu where the smoking temperature and the smoking time are set; said smoking temperature between the minimum ambient value (AMB) up to the maximum value of 100 ° C, for a maximum smoking time of 48 hours. 7. An accessory smoker system, which includes an oven (10) and a smoke generator device (20), as per claim 6, characterized by the fact that from the main menu of the graphical interface of the oven logic unit (10 ), the COMBINED function is selected, which in turn has the following sub-functions SMOKING, PROGRAM, so that selecting SMOKING reconnects to the selections described in the previous paragraph, while selecting the PROGRAM function one of the programs can be selected present in the memory which can in turn be composed of a cooking program plus a temperature maintenance program once the desired cooking is reached.