IL106752A

IL106752A - Cooking appliance and method of frying food articles therewith

Info

Publication number: IL106752A
Application number: IL10675293A
Authority: IL
Inventors: Masel Ruben; Valdshtein George
Original assignee: M V Res & Dev Ltd
Priority date: 1992-11-20
Filing date: 1993-08-20
Publication date: 1998-07-15
Also published as: IL106752A0

Description

COOKING APPLIANCE AND METHOD OF FRYING FOOD ARTICLES THEREWITH COOKING APPLIANCE AND METHOD OF FRYING FOOD ARTICLES THEREWITH This application is for a patent-of-addition to our Application 1 0381 5 , and relates to improvements in or modifications to a cooking appliance and method of frying food articles therewith described in that patent application.

Our Patent Application 1 0381 5 describes a cooking appliance, comprising: a housing having a cooking compartment for containing a liquid to be heated when cooking food articles; a drum for receiving the food articles to be cooked; the drum being formed with a plurality of openings smaller than the size of the food articles to be received therein, and being rotatably mounted about a horizontal axis in said cooking compartment such that the lower part of the drum is immersed in the liquid in the cooking compartment; heating means for heating the liquid in the cooking compartment; and a drive for rotating the drum.

Patent Application 1 0381 5 also describes a method of frying food articles, comprising: introducing the food articles in a drum having openings smaller than the food articles; immersing the bottom of the drum with the food articles therein in a quantity of hot cooking oil; and rotating the drum such that the food articles tumble into and out of the hot cooking oil to cause the food articles to become fried to a crisp without absorbing significant quantities of the oil. The method described therein also includes the further step, after the food articles have become fried to a crisp, of rotating the drum and the food articles therein at a higher speed to remove excess oil from the food articles. In the device described in that patent application, the drum is withdrawn from the cooking oil before it is rotated at the higher speed.

According to one aspect of the present application, there is provided a cooking utensil as described above, wherein the drive is controlled to rotate the drum in one direction at a slow speed for cooking the food articles, and in the opposite direction at a higher speed for removing excess oil from the cooked food articles; and wherein the cooking compartment includes oil receptacle means laterally of the drum to receive the excess liquid when the drum is driven at the higher speed in the opposite direction.

According to another aspect of the present application, the drum is not withdrawn from the cooking oil, but rather is retained immersed in the cooking oil when the drum is rotated at the higher speed in said opposite direction in order to remove the excess liquid from the food articles .

The improved apparatus and method of the present application will be better understood by reference to the single accompanying drawing figure which is an end elevational view of the cooking appliance corresponding to the end elevational view of Fig. 2 in Patent Application 103815.

The cooking appliance illustrated in the accompanying drawing also includes a housing 202 containing a receptacle 204 defining a cooking compartment 206.

Receptacle 204 is adapted to receive a relatively small quantity of frying oil 208 so that the oil assumes only the level shown at 208' in the drawing.

The food articles to be fried are introduced into a drum 210 formed with a plurality of openings 212 smaller than the size of the food articles to be fried. Drum 210 is rotatably mounted about a horizontal shaft 213 such that the lower part of the drum is immersed in the frying oil 208.

The drum 210 illustrated in the accompanying drawing may be of similar construction, and similarly mounted, as described in Patent Application 103815, except that in the present case, the drum is rotatable only about one axis, namely that defined by horizontal shaft 213, rather than two axes as in Patent Application 103815.

Following is a second difference in the construction of the cooking utensil of the accompanying drawing over that described in Patent Application 103815: The drive in Patent Application 103815 rotates the drum in one direction at a slow speed during the cooking cycles, and in the same direction but at a higher speed and with its axis of rotation raised so as to remove the bottom of the drum from the cooking oil, during the excess-oil removing cycle. In the present application, however, the drive is controlled to rotate the drum during the excess-oil removing cycle at the higher speed but in the opposite direction, as compared to the cooking cycle. For this purpose, the cooking compartment includes an oil receptacle laterally of the drum to receive the excess oil when the drum is driven at the higher speed in the opposite direction.

Thus, as shown in the drawing, the bottom wall 21 4 of receptacle 204 defining the cooking compartment 206 is of partial circular configuration conforming to the curvature of the drum 21 0 . This bottom wall, however, is formed with a channel formation 21 5 at one side to serve as a receptacle for receiving the excess oil when the drum is driven at the higher speed during the excess-oil removing cycle.

Arrow 20 illustrates the direction of rotation of the drum 21 0 during the normal cooking cycle, and arrow 21 illustrates the direction of rotation of the drum during the excess-oil removing cycle. During the cooking cycle, the drum is rotated in the direction of arrow 20 at a low speed, generally from 0 . 5- 1 0 RPM, preferably about 1 -3 RPM; whereas during the subsequent excess-oil removing cycle, the drum is rotated in the direction of arrow 21 at a much higher speed, generally from 50-250 RPM, preferably about 1 20- 1 50 RPM.

It will be seen that during the latter cycle when the drum is rotated at a relatively high speed in the direction of arrow 21 , the oil will tend to be splattered against the right side wall of receptacle 204 and will drain into the channel 215. Such a construction, therefore, obviates the need for raising the drum during the excess-oil removing cycle.

In all other repects, the cooking utensil illustrated in the attached drawing is constructed and operates in the same manner as described in Patent Application 103815.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. The cooking appliance according to any one of Claims 1-12 of Patent Application 103815, wherein said drive is controlled to rotate the drum in one direction at a slow speed for cooking the food articles, and in the opposite direction at a higher speed for removing excess oil from the cooked food articles; and wherein said cooking compartment includes oil receptacle means laterally of the drum to receive the excess liquid when the drum is driven at said higher speed in said opposite direction.

2. The cooking appliance according to Claim 1 , wherein said oil receptacle means includes a channel formed in the bottom wall of said cooking compartment receiving the oil in which the lower part of the drum, and the food articles therein, are immersed during the rotation of the drum in said one direction at said slow speed for cooking the food articles.

3. The method of frying food articles according to Claim 14 in Patent Application 103815, wherein said drum is retained immersed in the cooking oil when it is driven at said higher speed in said opposite direction.

4. The method according to Claim 3, wherein said drum is rotated at a speed of about 0.5-10 RPM in said first direction, and at a speed of 50-250 RPM in said opposite direction.

5. The method according to Claim 4, wherein said drum is rotated at a speed of 1-3 R?M in said first direction, and 120-150 RPM in said opposite direction.