FR2704729A1 - Device for collecting the juices exuded by one or more hams during their cooking - Google Patents

Abstract

The device comprises support means (20) provided in order to support the ham or hams above the bottom (11) of a collection container (10) and to enable the exuded juices to drip into the collection container (10). The support means (20) consist of a tray (21) on which the ham or hams rest and which is provided with sides (22, 23) which rest on the bottom of the said container. The tray (21) is provided with drip means in order to drain the juices exuded by the ham or hams into the bottom (11) of the container (10).

Description

 The present invention relates to a device for recovering juices exuded by one or more hams, in particular in cooking and cooling installations.

 Conventionally, the hams are cooked with adjuvants, in particular polyphosphate, which make it possible to recover the cooking juices. Even if this solution gives satisfactory results, it cannot be applied for high quality hams.

Indeed, there is a specific regulation for these hams which must be cooked without any adjuvant. Moreover, there is a strong increase in the market for these hams due to their taste quality, the consumer being sensitive to their natural character.

 Manufacturers are therefore led to seek solutions to cook these hams in good conditions. The cooking and cooling of the hams without additives will therefore require numerous manipulations until consumption.

 Currently, the ham is bagged and then cooked under vacuum. During cooking, the ham releases the exudates which represent 3% of the weight of the ham, i.e. 480 g for a 6 kg ham, the casing is pierced at a temperature of around 400 to avoid during cooling. the cooking juices do not turn into jelly. The cooking juices are drained away. The envelope is then completely removed to place the ham in a cold room for two to three days. The ham is bagged again and is ready to go through the distribution channels. All these manipulations require good hygienic conditions and involve relatively heavy investments which increase the cost of the ham.

 There is also known a process and an installation for cooking and cooling food products, such as in particular hams, known as "THERMIX" (trademark registered by the present applicant).

This cooking installation provides for soaking in a hot liquid, followed by cooling by soaking in one or more cold liquids. On this subject, reference may be made to the methods and installations described in documents EP-A-0176462 and EP
A-0334782.

 The "THERMIX" process therefore forces the user to take out the hams, previously bagged, between cooking and cooling to release the exudates. According to this process, the cooling being done in a cold liquid, another envelope must be put in place.

 Some users have also tried to cook and cool in the "THERMIX", keeping the ham in the same envelope during cooking and cooling. But the exudates released during cooking form a jelly during cooling. So we must scrape or brush the hams before making them fit for consumption which causes degradation of the hams and gives them a poor presentation. In addition, this requires additional investments which are often expensive.

 The object of the invention is therefore to propose a device for recovering the cooking juices of the hams during their cooking which makes it possible to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks.

 To this end, a recovery device according to the invention is remarkable in that it comprises support means provided to support the ham or hams above the bottom of a recovery tank and to allow the flow of juice. exuded into the recovery tank.

 According to another characteristic of the invention, said support means consist of a plate on which the ham or hams rest and which is provided with legs resting in the bottom of said tank, said plate being provided with flow means for draining the juices exuded by the ham or hams at the bottom of said tank.

 According to another characteristic of the invention, said drainage means are constituted by channels on the surface of said tray, said channels being provided so that the juices which flow there flow into the recovery tank.

 According to another characteristic of the invention, the side walls of said channels also form legs resting in the bottom of said recovery tank.

 The invention also relates to a method of cooking one or more hams consisting in subjecting them to at least one heat treatment. It is remarkable in that, during said heat treatment (s), the ham or hams are enclosed in an envelope at the same time as a recovery device according to one of the preceding claims.

 The characteristics of the invention mentioned above, as well as others, will appear more clearly on reading the following description of an exemplary embodiment, said description being given in relation to FIG. single attached which represents in perspective a recovery device according to the invention.

 There is shown in FIG. unique recovery device according to the invention. It includes a recovery tank 10 which can be parallelepiped, like the one shown, or of another shape as soon as it has a bottom 11 and is open on top.

 It further comprises support means 20 provided for supporting a ham 30 above the bottom li of the recovery tank 10. The support means 20 consist of a plate 21, substantially rectangular in the embodiment which is shown , on the upper side of which the ham 30 can rest.

The plate 21 comprises lateral legs 22 and 23 respectively made up of wings which are folded down and whose end edges 22a and 23a are intended to rest in the bottom 11 of the recovery tank 10.

 It will be noted that the legs 22 and 23 could be formed by means other than those which are shown when they allow the ham 30 to be placed above the bottom 11 of the container 10.

 The tray 21 is provided with flow means provided for draining, when the support 20 is in the tank 10, the juices exuded by the ham 30 towards the bottom of the tank 10. These flow means consist of channels 24 at the surface of the tray 21 which can be, but not necessarily, parallel to each other and parallel to the edges of the tray 21. The channels 24 are provided so that the juices flowing there flow into the bottom of the tray 10. the embodiment which is shown, the longitudinal dimension of the channels 24 is less than the corresponding dimension of the container 10. One could also provide other means, such as ends of chamfered channels, as shown in dotted lines with the reference 25. One could also provide holes in the bottom of the channels 24.

 In the embodiment shown, the depth of the channels 24 is such that their side walls 24a and 24b also form legs resting in the bottom 11 of the recovery tank 10.

 The support 20 is for example made of plastic material resistant in particular to heat. It can be polyvinyl chloride, or polyethylene.

 It will be noted that the invention also applies to devices for recovering juice exuded by several hams, the dimensions of the support 20, in particular of its plate 21, and those of the recovery tank 10 then being increased accordingly.

 We can also provide means of identification (logos, brands, ...), etc. on the upper face of the support 20. Thus, the ham 30 is marked by molding.

 In some cases, the support 20 can be placed vertically on the opening side.

 The invention also relates to a method of cooking hams which uses a recovery device such as that which has just been described. it consists in subjecting them to at least one heat treatment during which the j ambons are enclosed in an envelope at the same time as the recovery device.

Claims (5)

 1) Device for recovering the juices exuded by one or more hams during their cooking, characterized in that it comprises support means (20) provided for supporting the ham or hams above the bottom (11) of a recovery (10) and to allow the drainage of the exuded juices in the recovery tank (10).  2) recovery device according to claim 1, characterized in that said support means (20) consist of a plate (21) on which rest or the hams and which is provided with legs (22, 23) resting in the bottom of said tray, said tray (21) being provided with flow means for draining the juices exuded by the ham or hams in the bottom (11) of said tray (10).  3) Device according to claim 2, characterized in that said drainage means are constituted by channels (24) on the surface of said plate (21), said channels (24) being provided so that the juices which flow therein pour into the recovery tank (10).  4) Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the side walls (24a and 24b) of said channels (24) also form legs resting in the bottom of said recovery tank (10).  5) A method of cooking one or more hams consisting in subjecting them to at least one heat treatment, characterized in that, during said heat treatment (s), the ham or hams are enclosed in an envelope at the same time as a recovery device according to one of the preceding claims.