GB2606132A

GB2606132A - Baby food maker

Info

Publication number: GB2606132A
Application number: GB2103588.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Charles Gort-Barten Alexander
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2021-03-15
Filing date: 2021-03-15
Publication date: 2022-11-02
Also published as: GB202103588D0

Abstract

A baby food maker having a heater and a main body 1 with a water chamber 10 and a food chamber 16. The food chamber comprises a basket 11 which engages with the main body, wherein a seal 13 is provided between the food basket and wall of the main body. The basket may have a stepped profile and a plate 17 with a plurality of holes 20 to evenly distribute the steam throughout the basket. The basket may have a flat annular portion adjacent the side walls 12 of the basked, and a central frustoconical portion with an opening 15. The maker may be o provided with a blade and an actuator (fig. 1, 5).

Description

Baby Food Maker The invention relates to a baby food maker Baby food makers are countertop appliances with steamer, blender, warmer and defroster functions which can be used by parents to prepare fresh, healthy meals for baby.

Known devices are designed to cook vegetables, fruits, fish, starchy foods and meats in less than 15 minutes, while preserving as much of the nutrients and flavours of each piece of food. The baby food maker can blends or puree foods to a desired consistency, which can help introduce solids and flavours into a baby's diet. Baby food makers can also be used for reheating or defrosting precooked foods.

An example of such a baby food maker can be found in US2010116145. The baby food maker comprises a base including a steam generator leading to a chamber and a drive shaft. A container assembly is mounted to the base in use in an inverted position for steaming the food and in an upright position for blending the food.

This known device in common with other devices on the market suffers from the problem that the steam tends to leak around the sides of the food containing baskets and collect in cavities in the lid of the device. The consequence of this is that the food is cooked unevenly, which in the case of certain foods such as chicken, could potentially lead to food poisoning and water collects in the interior of the lid where it can promote bacterial growth. Although the uneven cooking can be addressed with increased cooking times, this will tend to lead to tougher meat but also a greater likelihood of steam collecting in the lid.

The present invention seeks to provide a baby food maker with an even cooking performance According to the invention there is provided a baby food maker having a heater and a main body having a side wall, which main body comprises a water chamber and a food chamber, wherein the heater is arranged to heat water in the water chamber to form steam, which steam is passed to the food chamber to cook food ingredients in the food chamber, wherein the food chamber comprises a basket, which basket is located above the water chamber, the basket having a side wall, which engages with the side wall of the main body, wherein a seal is provided between the side wall of the basket and the main body.

Preferably, the side wall of basket has a stepped profile at its proximal end, the seal being located in the stepped profile.

Preferably the basket is provided with a plate for supporting food, wherein the plate is provided with a plurality of holes across its surface to enable steam from the water chamber to be distributed substantially evenly to ingredients in the food chamber.

Preferably, the lower surface of the basket comprises a substantially flat annular portion adjacent to the side walls of the basket with a central frustro-conical portion, which. frusto-conical part has an opening at its upper end through which steam from the water chamber can pass.

Preferably, the plate rests on the step of the stepped profile of the side wall.

The arrangement of the invention provides a thermally efficient baby food maker that provides even cooking of ingredients placed in the food chamber and avoids the problems of steam escape of the known designs.

An exemplary embodiment of the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the drawing in which: Fig. 1 shows a baby food maker; Fig. 2 shows a cross-section of the main body of the baby food maker Fig. 3 shows a schematic top view of the interior of the main body Figure 1 shows a baby food maker. The baby food mixer comprises a main body or jug 1, described in greater detail in Figure 2, which has a handle 2 and spout 3 to facilitate the pouring out of a pureed food produced in the maker. The baby food mixer can be provided with a blade for chopping food that is cooked in the food chamber in the main body. The lower part of the baby food maker 4 houses the heater and control electronics. An actuator 5 is provided to actuate the baby food maker. The actuator can be used to actuate several functions of the maker. The main jug is closed by a lid 17.

Figure 2 shows a cross-section of the main body or jug 1 of the baby food maker. The walls of the main body 1 are substantially vertical with a spout portion 11 at the upper open end which is curbed away from the vertical. The interior of the main body comprises a water chamber 10 at its lower end in which is located a basket 11. The basket 11 has in cross-section a stepped profile. The distal end of the side walls of the basket are shaped to engage with the upper interior wall of the main body. The side walls of the basket are angled slightly away from the interior wall of the main body so that there is a gap below the distal end of the basket walls in engagement with the interior wall of the main body. The angle of this wall section provides a slight resilience to the distal end to aid with the engagement with the wall. The main body is closed by a lid 18.

The side walls 12 are stepped away from the interior wall of the main body at the lower end. A U shaped seal 13 which engages with the stepped portion 14 of the side wall 12 is provided with the respective upper and lower arms of the seal engaging with the interior side walls of the main body 1. In use, the seal 13 substantially prevents steam from escaping from the water chamber 10 up the side of the basket 11. An exemplary material for the seal is silicone. The lips of the seal are long enough to touch the inside of the outer jar at a variety of temperatures and tolerances. The height of the silicone seal band provides a good grip to the basket to reduce the likelihood that this will fall off in use, in the dishwasher or whilst being stored.

The lower surface of the basket comprises a substantially flat annular portion adjacent to the side walls with a central frustro-conical portion. The frusto-conical part has an opening 15 at its upper end. The height of the opening is such that it is a below the height of the stepped portion 14 of the side wall 12. The opening 15 enables, in use, steam from the water chamber 11 to enter the food chamber 16.

The food chamber 16 is provided with a plate 17 which rests on the annular wall 18 provided by the interior of the stepped profile 14. The plate 17 can therefore easily be removed if required for cleaning separate from the basket 11. The plate 17 is provided with a plurality of holes across its surface shown schematically in greater detail in Figure 3.

In use the food to be cooked and processed is placed in the basket 11 on the plate 17. Water in the water chamber 10 is heated to form steam which then passes through the opening 15 of the basket floor. The plate 17 then disperses the steam across its lower surface so that the heat provided by the steam is transmitted more evenly across food placed in the food chamber. The seal 13 substantially prevents steam from escaping up the side walls of the jug where it would unnecessarily heat the side walls of the baby food maker and collect in the lid 17. The condensed steam collects in the cavity between the inner and outer jar at the bottom. The consumer can then choose whether to dispose of the left over condensation or use it (along with any juices let out by the cooked food) to loosen the consistency of the baby Puree.

Figure 3 shows a schematic top view of the interior of the main body. The plate 17 is shown and is provided with a plurality of holes 20 across its surface. The holes 20 enable steam in use to be provided evenly across the food chamber 16.

Although the holes 20 are shown as circular, other shapes would be possible to enable even heating of the contents of the food chamber.

Claims

Claims 1. A baby food maker having a heater and a main body having a side wall, which main body comprises a water chamber and a food chamber, wherein the heater is arranged to heat water in the water chamber to form steam, which steam is passed to the food chamber to cook food ingredients in the food chamber, wherein the food chamber comprises a basket, which basket is located above the water chamber, the basket having a side wall, which engages with the side wall of the main body, wherein a seal is provided between the side wall of the basket and the main body.
2. A baby food maker according to Claim 1, wherein the side wall of basket has a stepped profile at its proximal end, the seal being located in the stepped profile.
3. A baby food maker according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the basket is provided with a plate for supporting food, wherein the plate is provided with a plurality of holes across its surface to enable steam from the water chamber to be distributed substantially evenly to ingredients in the food chamber.
4. A baby food maker according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the lower surface of the basket comprises a substantially flat annular portion adjacent to the side walls of the basket with a central frustro-conical portion, which. frusto-conical part has an opening at its upper end through which steam from the water chamber can pass.
5. A baby food maker according to Claim 3 when dependent on Claim 2, wherein the plate rests on the step of the stepped profile of the side wall.