GB2326331A

GB2326331A - Disposable grill tray

Info

Publication number: GB2326331A
Application number: GB9813444A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stephen Bennett
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1997-06-20
Filing date: 1998-06-22
Publication date: 1998-12-23
Anticipated expiration: 2018-06-22
Also published as: GB2326331B; GB9813444D0

Abstract

A grill plate is provided comprising a support surface (not shown) and a disposable pre-formed tray 1 of aluminium or aluminium alloy. Edge region 3, 4 of the tray 1 is ductile to permit the edge region 3,4 to be manually wrapped about the support surface so as to retain the tray 1 in a use position. A central grilling region 2 of the tray is rigid to receive, in use, a food item to be cooked.

Description

DISPOSABLE GRILL TRAY This invention relates to a disposable grill tray, that is a disposable tray for use in the grilling of foods, particularly in commercial grill installations.

A commercial grill installation typically comprises a grill plate and a source of radiant energy located above the grill plate in order to pre-heat the grill plate before the placing of a food item on the grill plate to be cooked. An item placed on the grill plate is cooked by a combination of the retained heat within the grill plate and the radiant heat from the source.

In the prior art, grill plates are typically cast metal structures and provide mechanical support for the product being cooked as well as providing a cooking surface. Such grill plates form a part of the grill structure and must, as a result, be subject to periodic cleaning. Such cleaning is difficult and time consuming.

According to the present invention a grill tray for use in a grilling machine comprises a pre-formed tray of aluminium or aluminium alloy, the tray being sufficiently rigid and robust to form a grilling surface of a grilling apparatus, and being sufficiently ductile to permit edge regions of the tray to be manually wrapped around an underlying support surface to retain the tray in its use position.

Typically, the tray may be formed as a pressing from an aluminium alloy foil material having a thickness of 80-150 microns or more. Typically, the material from which the tray is made may be an aluminium alloy of high (greater than 99%) aluminium content.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention the material from which the tray is made has a thickness of 150 microns. This thickness provides an optimum combination of structural rigidity and ductility and, at the same time, permits the tray to be trimmed to size using scissors so that a single tray may be adapted to a range of grill sizes.

Materials of a greater thickness than 150 microns may be used, but such materials offer no particular advantage to the invention and add to the basic material costs of the tray.

In practice, the grill tray may be used as a cover for an existing conventional grill plate, or may be supported on a support structure which is not itself a grill plate, but which provides the necessary mechanical support and structural integrity to the grilling machine.

It is a particularly desirable characteristic of grilling apparatus that the grilling surface has a plurality of raised ridges or bars which act to sear the product being cooked, thereby producing seared lines on the surface of the product.

The required searing effect can conveniently be produced using an embodiment of the invention if a multiplicity of grill bars, for example of steel or aluminium alloy, are secured in parallel spaced apart relationship on the upper surface of the grill tray. Preferably, the grill tray includes a multiplicity of recesses each for receiving an individual grill bar and, in one embodiment of the invention, edge regions of the grill plate can be manually ductilely deformed to overly the ends of the grill bars and retain the grill bars in position. The grill bars may have a plain circular cross-section, or may themselves be formed with some surface pattern or indicia so that a corresponding surface pattern or indicia is seared into the surface of the product to be cooked. For example, one or more of the bars may be formed with a raised pattern spelling out the name or reproducing the trade mark of a particular restaurant so that product cooked on the grill will have seared into the surface thereof the name or trade mark of the restaurant.

The invention will be better understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, given by way of example only, reference being had to the accompanying drawing wherein: Figure 1 is a plan view of a preferred embodiment of the tray according to the present invention; Figure 2 is an end view of the tray of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a side view of the tray of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, the grill tray 1 is formed by pressing a blank of 150 microns aluminium alloy to form a central grilling region 2, end flaps 3,4, a rear flap 5 and a front flap 6. By pressing the tray from the material indicated the tray has a substantial degree of rigidity and structural integrity, and can readily be handled without deformation. Preferably the rigidity is enhanced by forming a rolled safe edge around the periphery of the tray.

However, the ductility of the material from which the tray is made is such that, after the tray has been placed on a suitable support surface, for example an existing conventional grill plate or a specific tray support surface, the end flaps 3,4 may be ductily deformed to wrap around the ends of the underlying structure to retain the grill tray in position.

The grilling region 2 is formed with a multiplicity of depressions 7 each of which extends the full width of the grilling region and is substantially semi-circular in transverse cross-section. In use, a cylindrical steel grill bar is located in each of the depressions 7. The grill bars may be individual loose bars in which case the front and rear flaps 5,6 are manually bent to overly the ends of the grill bars and retain the grill bars in position. Preferably, however, the grill bars are connected together as a unitary assembly which can be readily positioned atop the grill tray.

If the grill tray is used on a conventional brander carrier it is preferably provided with holes 8,9 to permit back pins of the brander carrier to project above the grill tray to be received in alignment holes provided on the rod assembly.

The grill bars may be plain circular cross-sectional steel bars, or may be formed with a raised or impressed pattern defining the name of a restaurant, the trade mark of a restaurant, or some other indicia. In use, when the grill is pre-heated by the conventional radiant heater the grill bars will become extremely hot and when a food product, for example a steak, is placed on the grill tray the bars will immediately sear the surface of the steak. Any indicia on the grill bars will be produced on the surface of the product being cooked.

Preferably the front flap is shaped to provide fat drainage channels 10,11 which lead to a cut-out 12 in the front flap. A convenient fat receptacle may be placed beneath the cut-out to receive fat from the drainage channels.

When it is necessary to clean the grill, for example at the end of an evening's use, the grill bars removed for cleaning. The grill bars, being substantially of circular cross-section, are readily cleaned using conventional cleaning techniques. The end flaps 3,4 are then bent back to release the entire tray which is disposed of. The underlying support structure, which will be substantially undirtied by the use of the grill, will then be cleaned and a new grill tray positioned as described above for the next cooking session.

Accordingly, the present invention obviates the present arduous task of cleaning the complicated structure of a conventional grill plate.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A grill tray for use in a grilling machine, the grill tray comprising a support surface and a pre-formed tray of aluminium or aluminium alloy, at least one edge region of the tray being sufficiently ductile to permit said edge region to be manually wrapped about the support surface so as to retain the tray in a use position, and a central grilling region of the tray extending between edge portions of the tray, said grilling region being sufficiently rigid and robust to receive, in use, a food item to be cooked.

2. A grill tray as claimed in claim 1, wherein the central grilling region is provided with a multiplicity of depressions for the reception of grill bars of the support surface.

3. A grill tray as claimed in claim 2, wherein each depression is substantially semi-circular in transverse cross-section.

4. A grill tray as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the pre-formed tray has a thickness of at least 80 microns and preferably at least 150 microns.

5. A grill tray substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.