GB2539515A - Improvements in oven used roasting trays and dishes - Google Patents

Abstract

A single roasting tray and 1 for meats and savoury puddings may be formed from metal to house meat joints and also includes circular moulds 2 for savoury puddings such as Yorkshire puddings to be cooked in each corner of its body 8. A meat joint may be placed in the centre of the tray 3 whilst savoury puddings or Yorkshire puddings are being cooked at the same time, or the joint may be removed first and the puddings may then be cooked, using the one single roasting tray. The tray may be perforated with drainage holes (15, figure 5) to enable meat juices to drain into a receiving dish (H, figure 5) below and may also provide an area for cooking other food items beneath the single roasting tray whilst the single roasting tray is cooking meat and puddings above.

Description

PATENT APPLICATION OF

ANNA MICHELLE CARROLL FOR

IMPROVEMENTS IN OVEN USED ROASTING TRAYS AND DISHES

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the use of the dishes or trays used in domestic and commercial ovens in which various meat joints, vegetables and savoury batter puddings, known also as Yorkshire puddings, are placed for cooking.

Background

The use of roasting trays are common and known throughout certain areas of the world where this type of cooking is desired, moreover countries such as the United Kingdom and the USA.

A roasting tray is a piece of cookware used for roasting meat in an oven, either with or without vegetables or other ingredients. A roasting tray or also known as a dish or pan, may be used with a rack that sits inside the body and lets the meat sit above the fat and juice drippings.

A shallow roasting tray is normally used for roasting small cuts of meat, but large-size roasting trays are also used for cooking large poultry such as turkey or goose, or for larger cuts of meat. A deep roasting pan can hold vegetables and other ingredients that meat can sit on rather than a rack, letting the vegetables absorb the fat and juice from the meat while cooking. A deep roasting pan can also be used as a baking dish or basin, holding smaller baking dishes that must be surrounded by boiling water A tray of metallic nature, usually with a none stick coating is derived with a deep surrounding lip to ensure any liquids remain within. The meat, for example a joint of cattle beef is prepared and placed into the tray, the tray is then placed into the oven.

The tray is designed to withstand very high temperatures as cooking proceeds within the oven and tin foil may be placed over the top opening and the meat to help with the roasting process. It is also known to place some other articles around the meat when cooking, these include vegetables, to enhance their glazing or add to their taste and cooking outcome.

Covering or uncovering a roasting tray will depend upon the type of meat being roasted, or the recipe being followed. Generally, meat that is high in fat content, such as duck, has no need of being covered during roasting. A lean cut of meat, however, will benefit from being covered during a long roasting time, to retain juices and soften the meat (for example, in using a tajine for roasting meat).

For roasting, the food may be placed on a rack, in a roasting pan or, to ensure even application of heat, may be rotated on a spit or rotisserie. If a pan is used, the juice can be retained for use in gravy, Yorkshire pudding, etc. During oven roasting, hot air circulates around the meat, cooking all sides evenly. There are several plans for roasting meat: low-temperature cooking, high-temperature cooking, and a combination of both. Each method can be suitable, depending on the food and the tastes of the people.

A low-temperature oven, 95 °C to 160 °C (200 °F to 325 °F), is best when cooking with large cuts of meat, turkey and whole chickens. This is not technically roasting temperature, but it is called slow-roasting. The benefit of slow-roasting an item is less moisture loss and a more tender product. More of the collagen that makes meat tough is dissolved in slow cooking. At true roasting temperatures, 200 °C (400 °F) or more, the water inside the muscle is lost at a high rate. Cooking at high temperatures is beneficial if the cut is tender enough-as in filet mignon or strip loin-to be finished cooking before the juices escape. A reason for high temperature roasting is to brown the outside of the food, similar to browning food in a pan before pot roasting or stewing it. Fast cooking gives more variety of flavour, because the outside is brown while the center is much less done.

The combination method uses high heat just at either the beginning or the end of the cooking process, with most of the cooking at a low temperature. This method produces the golden-brown texture and crust, but maintains more of the moisture than simply cooking at a high temperature, although the product will not be as moist as low-temperature cooking the whole time. Searing and then turning down to low is also beneficial when a dark crust and caramelized flavor is desired for the finished product. Note that searing in no way prevents loss of moisture: moisture loss is simply a function of heat and time. The outside is brown and the rest is done fairly uniformly.

In general, in either case, the meat is removed from heat before it has finished cooking and left to sit for a few minutes, while the inside cooks further from the residual heat content, known as carry over cooking.

The objective in any case is to retain as much moisture as possible, while providing the texture and color. As meat cooks, the structure and especially the collagen breaks down, allowing juice to come out of the meat. So meat is juiciest at about medium rare while the juice is coming out. During roasting, meats and vegetables are frequently basted on the surface with butter, lard, or oil to reduce the loss of moisture by evaporation.

In recent times, plastic oven bags have become popular for roasts. These cut cooking times and reduce the loss of moisture during roasting, but reduce flavor development from Maillard browning, somewhat more like (boiled or steamed) stew or pot roast. They are particularly popular for turkeys.

From vegetables, to meats and seafood, roasting can be used to cook a variety of food groups. Roasting help preserve nutrients, too.

Until the late 19th century, roasting by dry heat in an oven was called baking. Roasting originally meant turning meat or a bird on a spit in front of a fire. It is one of the oldest forms of cooking known.

Traditionally recognized roasting methods consist only of baking and cooking over or near an open fire. Grilling is normally not technically a roast, since a grill (gridiron) is used. Barbecuing and Smoking differ from roasting because of the lower temperature and controlled smoke application. Grilling can be considered as a low fat food preparation, as it allows any fat in the food to drip away. Before the invention and widespread use of stoves, food was primarily cooked over open flames from a hearth. To roast meat racks with skewers, or, if accessible, complicated gear arrangements, would be utilized to turn the piece(s). In the past, this method was often associated with the upper class and special occasions rather than customary meal times because it required freshly killed meat and close attention during cooking. It was easy to ruin the meat's taste with a smoky fire or negligence to rotate it at regular intervals. Thus, elite families who were able to afford quality meat, appointed this task to servants or invested in technology like automatic turning devices. With further technological advances, cooking came to accommodate new opportunities. By the 1860s, working families were able to afford low-priced stove models that became sufficiently available. However, the key element of observation during roasting became difficult and dangerous to do with the coal oven. Hence, traditional roasting disappeared as kitchens became no longer equipped for this custom and soon thereafter, "baking" came to be called "roasting".

Roasting can be applied to a wide variety of meat. In general, it works best for cooking whole chickens, turkey, and leaner cuts of lamb, pork, and beef. The aim is to highlight the flavor of the meat itself rather than a sauce or stew, as it is done in braising or other most-heat methods. Many roasts are tied with string prior to roasting, often using the reef knot or the packer's knot. Tying holds them together during roasting, keeping any stuffing inside, and keeps the roast in a round profile, which promotes even cooking.

Red meats such as beef, lamb, and venison, and certain game birds are often roasted to be "pink" or "rare", meaning that the center of the roast is still red. Roasting is a preferred method of cooking for most poultry, and certain cuts of beef, pork, or lamb. Although there is a growing fashion in some restaurants to serve "rose pork", temperature monitoring of the center of the roast is the only sure way to avoid foodborne disease.

In Britain, Ireland, and Australia a roast of meat may be referred to as a joint, or a leg, if it is a leg.

These roasting tray or tins tend to duplicate themselves during the cooking process. Thus one tray is required for the meats and possibly some surrounding vegetables and a further differently designed tray is needed for savoury batter puddings or the Yorkshire puddings.

The Yorkshire pudding is achieved by mixing a batter and heating a tray to a high temperature, the tray has many circular concave moulds of the same or alternative sizes, which collectively cover the entire surface area, into which the batter is poured individually to each, following a greasing of each to aid cooking and release.

However, these have to be prepared in a separate tray which creates more washing up for the user and they are directed toward a group of people or a family eating.

The present invention claims to combine the meat roasting tray or dish with a capacity to provide at least 4 Yorkshire puddings in a single tray. This reduces the amount of trays needed for a luncheon, therefore less washing up and caters also for a single person or a couple who require less volume of meat and/or Yorkshire puddings, reducing waste, improving efficiency and having a solution that is new for this wider market.

This new design of roasting tray or dish allows you to cook a maximum of 4 Yorkshire puddings, one in each corner of the dish, this leaves space in the middle for a small to medium roasting meat and space for your roast potatoes around the edge. The dimensions are: Length 40cm Width 36cm Depth 8cm. The Yorkshire pudding compartments would make up to the total dimensions as listed above.

They would not be extra as this would make the dish too large for the oven. The dimension of the Yorkshire pudding compartments would be: 7cm in diameter and a depth of 3cm. 4 compartments in all one in each corner Material: lightweight non-stick suitable for ovens and dishwasher safe.

Prior Art

Accordingly patent applications have been filed to provide general solutions, including the following: United States patent ref: US6293 458 (NORTON) Discloses a disposable roasting tray which is made of a foil to enable it to provide sufficient single or lower numbers of use and then disposed of.

Korean publication ref: 1020060030829 (PANG) Discloses a roasting pan capable of roasting food and cooking other items at the same time. This is achieved by having a roasting member and a sub-cookng member.

Summary of the invention

According to the present invention there is provided a metal variant roasting tray or dish which has provision for a joint of meat to be placed within it centrally. To this central area are graduating levels that form member areas providing a sloping wall apparel, collectively forming a walled shape around it.

The graduation of the walled areas is actuated by raised sections to add structural portions to each corner and these form four comers of the square tray.

To each corner area are equally proportioned and spaced, circular Yorkshire pudding moulds, numbering four. To the planar areas around the opening to the Yorkshire pudding moulds is a rim that becomes the squared edging of the subject tray throughout its surface.

The central area has a level and flat surface to seat selected meat joints successfully. Its surface may or may not have perforations in the form of spaced holes to allow meat juices to drain freely, these may be collected in a dish or tray into which the subject tray is seated.

The meat Is placed centrally after preparation and may be inserted and cooked for a period inside the oven prior to Yorkshire pudding batter being added to each comer of the subject tray or dish. The dish temperature must be sufficient for the Yorkshire puddings to cook and rise and therefore in the case of some meats the joint may need to be removed prior to the Yorkshire puddings being inserted and the tray heated further.

The dish may then be left in the oven with the four savoury batter / Yorkshire puddings mixes poured in and it may be possible that there could be other foods left centrally to be finished or browned further, in some cases. During all cooking processes it may be desired to allow meat juices to drain from the tray into a receiving dish onto which the tray is mounted, as shown in the Figures. This is made possible via holes which are made in the flat or level area in the centre of the tray, as shown. Therefore, a single tray or roasting dish has been able to provide the cooking of meat, savoury batter or Yorkshire puddings, as well as providing provision to cook or finish roast potatoes and possibly selected vegetables. The single tray has possibly reduced the need for two or three trays or dishes being used for these processes by providing the solution in a single item. The whole tray may also be made as a disposable version and made from a tin foil variant to achieve this, as appose to the permanent none-stick metal version.

Brief description of figures

Figures 1 show an example of the roasting tray or dish with inclusive Yorkshire pudding moulds, as a dimensional view.

Figures 2 show an example of the roasting tray or dish with inclusive Yorkshire pudding moulds, as an underside dimensional view.

Figures 3 show examples of the roasting tray or dish as an end view E and side view F. Figures 4 show an example of roasting tray or dish as an enlarged plan view seated on the drainage receiving dish.

Figures 5 show an example of the roasting tray or dish with draining holes, as a dimensional view G and the underside view of the drainage receiving dish H.

Detailed description of figures

A typical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figure 1. The roasting tray 1 is dimensionally shaped and formed to provide provision for the placement of meats, savoury batter puddings and possibly some vegetables. Four savoury batter pudding moulds 2 with surrounding rim and their underside 9 are provided to each corner of the arrangement which is centrally adorned by a level area for meat 3, which may or may not be perforated.

The shaping enables the juices or liquids that are created when cooking to remain within the tray as they erupt during the process and encouraged to drain or return into the tray via various curvatures 4, 5 and 6, these being repeated in exterior planar, convex and concave forms, as demonstrated as 7, as shown in Figure 1.

The very shaping of these forms are functional in their origin and are created by need to perform various functions when the cooking process is underway.

Figure 2 shows an underside dimensional view of the 'meat and savoury pudding tray' as 1A. Its savoury pudding mould undersides 9A form the shape of the required and known type and the various shaping elements which contribute to the overall shape of the tray are also shown from this angle, 3A, 4A, 7A, 10 and 11.

The end view E and the side view F of the tray are shown in Figure 3.

Shaping elements are detailed in an expanded plan view of the tray 1C in Figure 4. This shows the savoury pudding mould 2C and its formed rim area 8C, the shaped wall areas made up from 4C, 5C and 6C with incremental structures 13 which aid direction of heat reflections and drainage of condensation and cooking liquids and juices.

The central level area where meats may be placed for roasting is shown 3C and the associated concave moulding to the side areas adjacent to this 10C and 14.

The tray 1C may be seated into a receiving dish 12 and the dish may be used to duel cook other food items underneath or may be used to this and/or to receive drainage from the above tray 1C as shown in Figure 5.

The tray G may have drainage holes 15 which allow cooking liquids and juices to pass through them into the receiving dish H below it.