GB2472868A

GB2472868A - A device to steam food within a pan

Info

Publication number: GB2472868A
Application number: GB0914719A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Simon Belmont
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-08-22
Filing date: 2009-08-22
Publication date: 2011-02-23
Also published as: GB0914719D0

Abstract

This invention is a device that can be placed within a pan (see figure 2) and can steam as well as fry the food. It comprises a clear heat and shatter proof lid 4, a handle 6, steam vents 1, drainage slots 3, and base rim 2. Different depths of interchangeable rim 7 can be used to adjust the depth of the steaming vessel, thus catering for a variety of sizes of food. The device creates an intense localised heat within the vessel, turning moisture within the food source into steam.

Description

Frying Pan Steamer

Background

This invention relates to a device that allows you to steam and fry food at the same time on any heated cooking surface (i.e. frying pan, wok, griddle, pan, etc -this will be referred to for the rest of this application as a pan).

The frying pan is used daily in the home and restaurants all around the world. It is one of the most common items found in the kitchen. At the moment it is usually only used for one thing, frying.

Frying Pans either come without a lid or if one is included, the area within is too large to steam and effectively turns the frying pan into a normal pan with no added benefits.

Frying food may be seen as an unhealthy method of cooking.

When cooking meat/poultry it is hard to judge when the food is cooked through or has reached an adequate temperature. This often leads to meat being over cooked and that in turn dries out the food, or worse, it can be cooked on the outside and raw in the middle (e.g. sausages or king prawns). This can lead to food poisoning.

When frying there is only heat on one side the food takes longer to cook and needs to be turned over.

Frying can be time consuming to cook certain foods and after a certain time the food can become soggy (i.e. onions, peppers or meat).

This invention covers a niche in the market and offers a new way to cook food.

Statement of invention

The invention uses the moisture within the food or a small amount of added water to create concentrated steam that is then trapped within the pan steamer. The steam created, quickly and efficiently steams the food within the vessel, whilst the pan fry's from underneath as normal. The invention creates an area of intense localised heat within any conventional pan.

Once the food is sufficiently cooked the steamer device is removed and the food is fried for a few seconds to brown the exterior. The steam holes allow for pressure build up to escape safely away from the user. The drainage holes allow the excess waterIjuices to drain away.

The invention uses a transparent lid to allow the user to assess how the food is cooking, without the need to remove the lid and allow steam build up to escape.

Advantages The frying pan steamer reduces the chance of food poisoning as the food reaches higher temperatures quicker and for longer. The food is heated from all sides, frying from underneath and steaming elsewhere.

The steam holes allow any pressure build up to escape and also provide an indicator that the pan is hot enough by steam piping out of the vents.

The frying pan steamer reduces food shrivel because the moisture is locked in, consequently more vitamins and goodness may remain within the food.

The frying pan steamer creates crisper vegetables, juicer tender meat pieces, and cooks through food in a much shorter cooking time compared to a conventional pan. This leads to less energy (electric/gas) being used for the same cooking outcome. (environmentally friendly and energy efficient) The heat that normally escapes from the pan to atmosphere is trapped within the pan steamer and is used to cook the food, which is also more energy efficient.

Drainage slots allow for easy drainage of excess water or juices once the food is sufficiently cooked. One slot either side allows for right or left handed users. The water/juice can be drained by holding the frying pan and frying pan steamer over a sink at an angle. The food can then be flash fried to brown the exterior if desired.

The user can see the food cooking through the clear lid.

The handle keeps the user's hand away from the heat source, splatter and escaping steam.

The food is covered so the chance of hot liquids splashing the user is reduced.

The device is a lot cheaper to manufacture than the traditional electric steamers.

The device can be used with almost any heated cooking surface. It will be mainly aimed at the frying pan/griddle.

The base of the invention will be ideally non-scratch.

The invention is simple and one piece so will be more robust and last longer than the more complex steamers on the market.

A variety of sizes (diameter) could be made available to cater for different size and amounts of food.

Different depths of inter-changeable rim can be set inside the steamers rim to adjust the depth of the steam vessel. This will cater for bigger types and sizes of food.

The steamer is ideal for pre-cooking meats prior to putting them into curries, stews, sauces etc. Iuture improvements The bottom of the integral rim or additional rims could include a lip that faces to the interior of the device and flips the food over when the steamer is shaken from side to side. The advantage of this is the food is fried on all sides without losing the build up of steam and heat within the vessel.

brawing Legend.

1 Steam vents 2 Scratch and heat-proof base rim 3 Cut away drainage slot (both sides) 4 Clear shatter-proof glass/plastic lid Metal/plastic rim 6 Ergonomic Heat-proof handle 7 Differing depth attachment ring 8 Attachment clip 9 Attachment clip hinge Page 1/6 shows Fig 1, the pan steamer Page 2/6 shows Fig 2, the process of applying the pan steamer Page 3/6 shows Fig 3, pan steamer side view Page 4/6 shows Fig 4, pan steamer plan view Page 5/6 shows Fig 5, interior view with differing depth attachment ring Page 6/6 shows Fig 6, process of applying the attachment clip 6 Pages of drawings are included.

Claims

Claims 1. The steamer device can be used with any pan to create an area of intense steam heat to cook food from all around, comprising of a clear lid with a method of retaining interchangeable differing depth of rims, steam vents, drainage slots and a handle.
2. The steamer device according to claim 1, in which a shatter and heat-proof clear lid is incorporated to allow the user to see the food cooking within.
3. The steamer device according to claim 1, in which 2 drainage holes in the base (one either side) allow the user to safely drain excess water or juice from the food, allowing for right or left handed users.
4. The steamer device according to claim 1, in which the handle is light weight so as not to effect the centre of gravity of the device ensuring contact with the pan at all times.
5. The steamer device according to claim 1 and 6, allows for differing depths of rims to be fitted by utilising a shoulder, collar or clip within the integral rim of the device.
6. The steamer device according to claim 1 and 5, the differing depth of rims will also have drainage slots and be made of a heat resistant, scratch proof material.
7, The steamer device according to claim 1, has steam holes placed on the lid away from the handle.
8. The steamer device according to claim 1 and 7, has more than one steam hole allowing any build up of pressure to escape even in the event of one becoming blocked.
9. The steamer device according to claim 1, 7 and 8, whereby the steam holes allow the user to see when sufficient heat is applied by steam piping out of the holes.
10. The steamer device according to claim 1, 5, and 6, in which the differing depth rims will have a retaining clip on both sides that secure the rim to the steamer.
11. The steamer device according to claim 1, 4 and 5, will have a base rim made of heat and scratch proof materialS