KR20070120529A - Air fryer - Google Patents

Abstract

An accelerated cooking air fryer is disclosed comprising a cavity, controller, thermal heating source, blower assembly, gas directing means and a vent assembly. Hot gas is circulated by the blower motor assembly into the air fryer cavity where the hot air is directed in a manner wherein a conflicting, colliding turbulent gas flow is directed at a food product providing for the accelerated cooking of the food poduct.

Description

Air fryer {AIR FRYER}

Cross Reference to Related Application

This application claims U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 661,591, filed March 14, 2005, entitled "Air Fryer," and International Patent Application No. PCT / US2005 / 035605, filed October 5, 2005. , And US Patent Application No. 11 / 098,280 filed April 4, 2005.

Upon entering the national phase in the United States, the present application is filed with U.S. Patent Application No. 11 / 098,280 filed April 4, 2005, U.S. Patent Application No. 10 / 614,268 filed July 7, 2003, 2003 US Patent Application No. 10 / 614,532, filed July 7, and US Patent Application No. 10 / 614,710, filed July 7, 2003.

This application is issued to International Patent Application No. PCT / US2003 / 021225, filed July 5, 2003, International Patent Application No. PCT / US2005 / 007261, filed March 7, 2005, and July 5, 2002. US Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 394,216, PCT / US2004 / 035252, filed Oct. 21, 2004, US Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 513,110, filed Oct. 21, 2003, 2003 U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 513,111, filed Oct. 23, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 164,877, filed Sep. 30, 2004, U.S. Provisional Patent Application, filed Mar. 8, 2004 60 / 551,268, US Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 615,888, filed Oct. 5, 2004, and US Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 550,578, filed March 5, 2004. do.

All of the foregoing applications are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in their entirety.

The present invention relates to a recirculating air fryer which is particularly useful for preparing food products to a taste, chewing taste, and appearance level that are consistent with foods traditionally fried in oil, lard, or fat in fatty oils.

The present invention relates to an air fryer which is an improvement of fatty oil frying. In restaurant operations, fatty oil fryers are traditionally used to cook french fries and many other food products (eg whole chicken, onion rings). Such food products may be prepared from frozen, refrigerated, room temperature, or warmed temperature conditions. A typical high efficiency fatty oil fryer used in a fast food environment cooks about 1½ pounds (0.68 kg) of frozen 0.25 inch (0.64 cm) fries in about 3 minutes 30 seconds. The throughput of such a fat fryer is about 60 pounds / hr (27.22 kg / hr).

Consumers place a high value on healthy foods prepared using less oil or fat, and replacement by air frying in the fat frying process eliminates significant amounts of oil and fat absorption into food products. However, while consumers want healthy food prepared with less fat and oil, they still want the taste, chewy taste, and mouthfeel associated with the fat oil frying process.

It has now been found that this object is achieved in an air fryer employing a gas flow to cook or warm food products. The air flow to the food product is such that overlapping and impinging gas flows produce high heat transfer at the food product surface. The air fryer may also use microwave energy, or other means such as radio frequency, induction, and other heating means to further heat the food product. Although microwave generating magnetrons are used in sidewall mounted microwave waveguides employing the use of slotted antennas, the microwave system need not be oscillated from the air fryer cavity sidewalls, and in practice it may be employed to oscillate microwaves from other air fryer cavity surfaces. . The air fryer can normally operate as a speed, acceleration, or high speed cooking air fryer, which is described as an exemplary embodiment or version in the present invention. Gas flow and microwave energy (when microwaves are used) are distributed in the food product in a manner that produces uniform cooking and heating, with typical cooking cavity temperature ranges from approximately 375 ° F. (190 ° C.) to approximately 500 ° F. (260 ° C.). Cooking cavity temperatures of less than 375 ° F. (190 ° C.) and greater than 500 ° F. (260 ° C.) may be used. Cooking control allows a wide variety of food products to be moved sequentially through an air fryer, with each food product having a unique cooking profile or recipe that can be executed in a sequential format as the food product moves into and out of the cooking cavity. Have

The present invention provides an air fryer capable of preparing a 'fried' food without the need for fatty oil frying of the food product. The air fryer is (1) an automatic food dispensing unit of refrigeration, refrigeration, room temperature, warm temperature, or combined temperature, (2) an air fryer for cooking and / or warming food, and (3) consumer desired taste, chewing. A frying system that may further include an oil spray device for lightly coating the food product to provide taste and appearance characteristics (without significant additional oil).

The air fryer is comparable to the current main fat fryer for throughput, can produce 1.5 pounds (0.68 kg) of frozen french fries once in about 30 minutes compared to conventional fat fryer, and produces little oil for operation. Will not be required (ie, a large amount of shortening, no lard), and therefore hot oil filtration is not required. Indeed, one of the major drawbacks in fatty oil fryer is the labor required to filter the oil used and the safety issues associated with filtration and cooking (ie frying) in very hot oil.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an air fryer capable of cooking a wide variety of food products having various sizes and volume profiles without using fat, lard, or other traditional fatty oil frying cooking media.

Another object is to provide an air fryer which is energy efficient, simple to operate and safe, simple to clean, easy to service, easily serviceable and with low manufacturing costs.

Another object is to provide an air fryer capable of cooking high quality food products in metal food baskets and other metal cooking devices commonly found in residential, commercial, industrial and vending areas.

A further object is to provide an air fryer with a microwave distribution system that is more cost effective to manufacture and easy to clean and maintain.

Another object is to provide a reliable microwave distribution system due to improvements and simplifications.

Yet another object is to provide an air fryer which can be easily and quickly programmed by an operator to cook various food products at the touch of a button or an air fryer that automatically enters a recipe into the controller without human intervention.

Further objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments, when like reference numerals are taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the several views.

Features believed to be novel features of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. However, the invention itself and its preferred modes of use, further objects, and advantages will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

1 is a front view of an air fryer of the present invention showing a gas flow supply.

2 is a plan view of an air fryer.

3 is a side view of the air fryer.

4 is a front view of the left side of the air fryer showing the gas flow deflecting means.

5 is a front view of the right side of an air fryer showing gas flow deflecting means.

6 is an exemplary top view of a gas flow in a catalyst system.

While the air fryer of the exemplary embodiment is shown as a single cooking cavity, accelerated cooking commercial air fryer, the air fryer can be formed in other embodiments as the scale can be scaled up or down. The term " scale adjustable " means that additional large or small, high speed or low speed cooking versions can be developed in the present invention, and each embodiment or version can have different size characteristics and use different voltages. And other heat sources such as various forms of electrical resistance heating means or other heating means for heating gas, propane, or gas.

As used herein, the terms "magnetron", "magnetron tube", and "tube" have the same meaning, and the terms "slot", "slots", and "antenna" have the same meaning, The term "commercial" includes, but is not limited to, the commercial food service industry (restaurants), restaurants, fast food establishments, fast service restaurants, convenience stores, and other bulk meal facilities. That is to say residential use (home use), but the term refers not only to residential use but also to non-commercial use for air fryers, and this air fryer is not limited to commercial use, and is intended for automatic sales, residential, industrial, and other cooking purposes. The same is applicable for the application, and the terms "air fryer cavity", "air fryer chamber", and "cooking cavity" have the same meaning. The term "gas" refers to any fluid mixture, including air, nitrogen, and other mixtures that may be used for cooking, and applicants will be developing existing or future applications that perform the same functions within the language. It is intended to include any gas or gas mixture. The terms "normal cooking" and "normal means" have the same meaning and refer to cooking at a quality level and speed that are currently widely used. By way of example, in a fat fryer used today, the "normal cooking time" for 1½ pound (0.68 kg) ¼ inch (0.64 cm) long french fries is approximately three minutes and thirty seconds, or approximately sixty pounds (27.22 kg). It's an hour for French fries). The terms "cooking profile" and "cooking recipe" have the same meaning. The term "cooking by-product" refers to smoke, grease, steam, small suspended grease particles, odors, and other products produced by the cooking process, and the term "odor filter" does not refer only to filtration of odors, but instead Generally refers to filtration, reduction, removal, or catalytic cracking of by-products of the cooking process. The terms "cooking", "air frying", and "frying" have the same meaning herein.

As used herein, the terms "fast cooking" and "fast cooking" have the same meaning and refer to cooking that is 5 to 10 times faster, and in some cases more than 10 times faster than normal cooking. The term "accelerated cooking" has the meaning of cooking at a speed that is faster than normal cooking but not as fast as high speed cooking.

Exemplary embodiments employ the use of a gravity fed air fryer in which the food product falls from above into the cooking chamber, although other means of introducing the food product into the air fryer chamber may be used. The cooking time can be variable or fixed, can be changed manually or by the controller 334 (FIG. 1), and is not limited. The control of the energy applied to the food product is particularly important when the air fryer is to continuously cook various food products, and the cooking profile or recipe must be adjusted when different food products enter the air fryer chamber. An air fryer can operate as a normal, accelerated or high speed cook air fryer.

The device 301 includes a cooking cavity 302 (FIG. 1). Cooking cavity 302 is generally formed by top wall 303, bottom wall 304, left side wall 305, right side wall 306, and back wall 307 (FIG. 2). The left wall 305 is composed of an upper gas discharge plate 323a, a microwave oscillator 320a (when microwaves are used), and a lower gas discharge plate 327a. The right sidewall 306 consists of an upper gas discharge plate 323b, a microwave oscillator 323b (when microwaves are used), and a lower gas discharge plate 327b (FIG. 1). If no microwave energy is used in the air fryer, the left and right sidewalls 305 and 306 may be composed of metal plates instead of the left and right waveguides 320a and 320b.

The device 301 has a food storage unit associated therewith, shown as a remote storage unit 360 (FIG. 1), which may use various means to convey the food product 310 to the food holding chamber 375 (FIG. 1). Can have A movable food storage isolation door 374 (shown in the open position) (FIG. 1) and a movable upper air fryer isolation door 361 (shown in the closed position) (FIG. 1) from the storage unit 360 of the food product. Allow transportation to the air fryer chamber 302. Food product 310 (FIG. 1) may be located in food storage unit 360, which may be maintained at refrigerated, frozen, room temperature, or warm temperature, or in some cases, food may be maintained in storage unit 360 at various temperatures. Can be. When microwave energy is used, the upper isolation door 361 forms a microwave seal with the air fryer cavity 302. Although doors 361 and 374 (and doors 369 described in detail herein) are shown as horizontally movable relative to the top wall 303, side hinged doors, top hinged doors, or other attachments Other door opening and closing means, such as doors using other opening and closing means such as means or openings, may be employed, and the applicant is not intended to be limiting, but rather with the doors 361, 374, 369 within the language. It is intended to include any structure that currently exists or will be developed in the future that performs the same function.

The air fryer is comprised of two independent gas delivery systems described herein as a left gas delivery system and a right gas delivery system, the left gas delivery system 317a being a gas to and from the left of the cooking cavity 302 (FIG. 1). And the right gas delivery system 317b delivers gas to and from the right of the cooking cavity 302. The cooking cavity 302 may also have an exhaust tube 371 (FIG. 2) associated therewith that allows the passage of exhaust gas from the cooking cavity 302 to the atmosphere. In the exhaust tube 371, an exhaust odor filter 372 can be attached that provides for removal of cooking byproducts. Exhaust odor filter 372 may be made removable for cleaning or replacement, and various materials, including catalytic materials, may be used to achieve odor removal. In some cases, the variable efficiency of the material can also be employed to allow various amounts of odor to escape the air fryer cavities.

Referring again to FIG. 1, gas is delivered to cooking cavity 302 via left gas delivery conduit 317a. A back wall gas release opening 312 (FIG. 1), which is opened through and is in fluid communication with the air fryer cavity 302 through the back wall 307, is in fluid communication with the upper gas delivery section 317a. The rear gas release opening 312 is substantially circular, but other geometries may be employed and located within the rear wall 307 and from the air fryer cavity 302 into the return conduit means 389 (FIG. 3). Provides a passage of gas, and the return conduit means removes the gas from the air fry cavity 302 when it is removed from the air fry cavity 302 through the rear gas discharge opening 312; Return to 2). Within the rear gas discharge opening 312, a grease extractor 313 (FIG. 2) may be located. When gas is aspirated through the gas release opening 312, the gas passes across a grease extractor 313 that removes large grease particles. By extracting large grease particles, managing grease accumulation in the downstream conduit and heater area is simplified. It may be desirable for the cooking cavity to use a grease extractor 313, or alternatively, there may be no grease extractor, or alternative additional grease extractors may be located throughout the gas flow path. The gas then passes over heating means 314 (FIG. 2).

During normal cooking, it may be desirable for one food product to be cooked after another different type of food product in a continuous continuous cycle. For example, a food product such as shrimp may be cooked first, followed by french fries. Without proper filtration, cooking by-products can contaminate potato products, producing undesirable flavors and odors in frying. Although a grease extractor 313 may be used, additional gas filtration may be desirable, and the odor filter 343 (FIG. 2) is a gas in the cooking cavity or upstream of the blowers 316a and 316b described in detail herein. It may be located within conduit 389 and may be made from a variety of materials, including catalyst materials such as corrugated foils coated with catalyst or catalyst coated screens. The catalyst acts to burn (oxidize) cooking byproducts. Such catalytic materials may also include, but are not limited to, activated carbon, zeolites, or ultraviolet wavelength light. It is advantageous that the odor filter consists of a material or materials that effectively clean or clean the gas flow with minimal amount of interference with the gas flow rate, and that the odor filter is easily removed, easily cleaned, and inexpensive for operator replacement. . The most efficient use of the hot gas used from the cooking cavity 302 is by recycling the gas returned to the air fryer cavity 302 through the filter and heater during the cooking cycle. In some applications, it may be desirable to use additional odor filters that can be located anywhere in the gas flow path. To minimize cooking by-products within air fryer cavity 302, depending on the food product being cooked, the specific use of the air fryer, or the various levels of cooking by-product control that may be needed depending on the requirements of the regulatory agency, or other factors. The gas flow supply and return conduit may comprise one odor filter or one or more odor filters.

As used herein, the term "upstream" refers to a location in the gas flow path that precedes the gas flow means 316a, 316b, 391a, 391b. For example, the gas supplied to the gas flow means 316a and 316b is upstream of the gas flow means 316a and 316b, and the gas discharged from the gas flow means 316a and 316b is downstream of the gas flow means. While the exemplary embodiment shows the gas flow means as blower wheels 391a and 391b, the present invention may utilize a single gas flow device such as a single blower wheel, and the applicant has the same functionality as 316a and 316b in language. It is intended to include any structure currently performing or that will be developed in the future. Blower wheels 391a and 391b act very similarly to centrifuges that separate and coalesce small grease particles within the blower vortex region and discharge large particles into the feed region.

In an alternative embodiment, part of the gas flow leaving the gas flow means 316a, 316b, 391a, 391b is diverted to the inlet side of the gas outlet chambers 365a, 365b in which the odor filters 340a, 340b are located therein. do. The portion of the gas flow that is converted to the outlet chamber is referred to herein as an "outflow gas flow." The effluent gas flow passes through odor filters 340a, 340b (FIG. 6), shown as catalytic converters, where some of the cooking by-products are oxidized. Cleaner gas leaving odor filters 340a and 340b is reintroduced into the gas flow stream or is exhausted through an exhaust tube 371 to the atmosphere. Odor filters 340a and 340b will remove the desired amount of grease during one pass as the small effluent gas flow will continue to remove grease generated during cooking. Indeed, in some embodiments, it may be desirable for an odor filter to remove all cooking by-products or as much cooking by-products as possible. The variable decomposition efficiency of the odor filters 340a, 340b will produce variable results, and when the odor filters 340a, 340b are catalytic, it has been demonstrated that more than 50% decomposition efficiency produces acceptable results. . In some cases, it may be desirable for the odor filter 340a to be of various types other than 340b. For example, one odor filter may be catalytic and the other may be noncatalytic. In some cases, it may be desirable for odor filters 340a and 304b to be made to catalyze or otherwise filter variable amounts of cooking byproducts, and therefore to decompose the byproducts at different rates. The effluent gas flow is configured as an internal scrubbing gas loop operating separately from the main gas flow to the air fryer cavity 302. In the case where the odor filters 340a and 340b are high efficiency catalytic filter for high cooking byproduct decomposition efficiency, a large pressure drop can occur across the odor filters 340a and 340b. The space velocity range for the catalytic converter is typically in the range of approximately 60,000 / hr to 120,000 / hr, depending on the catalyst material used, the amount of cooking byproducts contained in the gas stream, and the temperature around the odor filter 340 inlet. . Unlike the arrangement of the odor filter 343 in the main gas flow, which causes a significant pressure drop over the entire recycle gas flow, the use of effluent gas catalyzed filters or other odor filters does not significantly reduce the gas flow system pressure. The small effluent gas flow allows the use of the catalytic material required for high decomposition efficiency, based on one pass through the odor filter 340, using almost the entire pressure capacity of the gas flow means through the gas effluent system. . Additionally, the compact effluent gas odor filter 340 can be easily installed, located in a convenient location, and readily accessible. The effluent gas flow is a fraction of the main gas flow to the air blower, and therefore significant inlet gas temperature preheating can be achieved. Positioning the small gas preheaters 341a, 341b (FIG. 6) before the odor filters 340a, 340b in the effluent gas flow system may further provide a substantial improvement in the decomposition efficiency of the odor filters 340a, 340b. . The preheaters 341a and 341b can increase the gas inlet temperature by at least 100 ° F. (37.78 ° C.), and this increase in temperature of the effluent gas to the odor filters 340a, 340b helps to achieve the desired decomposition efficiency with less catalytic material. Make it possible. In some cases, the main gas flow odor and cooking byproduct cleaning system may have difficulty cleaning gas when the air fryer set point is below approximately 425 ° F. (218.3 ° C.). Preheater 341 may generate cooking byproduct control at air fryer temperatures below 350 ° F. (176.67 ° C.). Additional instrument flexibility is achieved by allowing low air fryer cooking temperature settings while providing grease control.

The effluent gas flow is approximately 10% of the total gas flow blowers 316a and 316b, and the preheaters 341a and 341b each provide approximately 600 watts of heat for a 100 ° F. (37.78 ° C.) rise of the gas inlet temperature. The combined 1200 watts of heating is less than one third of the total heat required for each air fryer cavity of the air fryer, and the standby losses of the air fryer (i.e. heat loss due to conduction, radiation, exhaust to ambient) Very close to the heat needed to meet the loss). As such, the preheater can be a preliminary gas heater in a large (3000 W for this example) main gas heater used to meet cooking needs.

As described above, the left gas flow means, shown as left blower wheels 316a, 391a (FIG. 2), is in fluid communication with the return conduit means 389 and located therein. The present invention may utilize a variable speed blower motor and a variable speed blower motor controller, but there is no requirement for their use, and in practice the air blower of the present invention is a fixed gas flow or alternatively substantially fixed gas through an air fryer cavity. Maintaining the flow rate can avoid the problems and complexity of the variable speed blower motor. The gas flow may be very aggressive or less aggressive, depending on the cooking requirements for each food product, and one means for achieving gas flow modulation is a controller or to allow switching of the blower motor speed in a certain fixed increment. By the use of gas pumping means such as blower motors, blower wheel combinations using multiple speed switches. Other gas flow means may be used to accelerate the gas flow, and Applicants now or in the future perform the same functions as 316a, 390a, 391a and 316b, 390b, 391b described in detail herein within the language. It is intended to include any structure to be developed. A blower motor shaft 390a, driven directly by the electric motor 316a (FIG. 2), is connected to the left blower wheel 391a. Other means, such as a belt drive, may be employed to couple the blower wheel 391a to the electric motor 316a, and the drive means is not limited to direct drive, and the present applicant currently exists to perform the same function in the language. Or any structure that will be developed in the future. Blower wheel 361a takes the gas from return conduit means 389 and delivers the gas to air fryer cavity 302 via conduit 317a.

Left gas delivery section 317a (FIG. 1) is in fluid communication with left lower gas delivery section 318a via left vertical gas delivery section 319a. The left vertical gas delivery section 319a is formed by the left sidewall 305, the left microwave waveguide section 320a and the outer wall 366 when microwave is used. When microwaves are not used, waveguide oscillator 320a may be replaced by metal. As can be seen in FIG. 1, when gas is supplied into the left upper gas delivery section 317a, the gas passes through the opening 300a through the left upper gas discharge plate 323a and into the air fryer cavity 302. Discharged onto the upper left and left side portions of the food product 310 contained within the food basket 364 described in detail herein. The opening 300a may be a slotted, regularly formed or irregularly formed opening, shown herein as nozzles 300a, 300b, 329a, 329b (FIG. 1), and Applicants herein herein It is intended to include any structures presently or developed in the future that perform the same functions as 300a, 329a and 300b, 329b described in detail in the following. Gas not discharged through the left upper gas discharge plate 323a flows through the vertical delivery section 319a to the left lower gas delivery section 318a. The gas dispensed into the lower left gas delivery section 318a causes the gas to be discharged in the air fryer cavity 302 onto the left bottom and left side portions of the food product 310 in the rotary screen food basket 364. Before passing through the slotted or perforated left bottom gas discharge plate 327a through the opening 329a, it may be reheated by the left bottom heating means 303a (Figs. 1, 4 and 5) if necessary. . The lower left heating means 303a may be present in some embodiments and not in other embodiments, depending on the particular requirements for the air fryer. While the lower left heating means 303a is shown as an electric open coil heater, other means for heating a gas such as other types of electrical heating means, electrical resistance element, natural gas, propane, or other heating means can be used. And Applicant intends to include any structure present in the language or to be developed in the future that performs the same functionality as the language 303a and 303b described in detail herein within the language. Openings 300a and 329a provide sufficient gas in the range of approximately 2000 ft / min (609.6 m / min) to approximately 6000 ft / min (1828.80 m / min) to properly cook food products as described herein. It is sized for low pressure drop while providing and maintaining speed. In some cases, speeds below 2000 ft / min (609.6 m / min) or above 6000 ft / min (1828.80 m / min) may also be applied to the particular food product being cooked or the particular recipe executed by the controller described in detail herein. It may be used depending on, and the applicant does not intend to limit the present invention to the gas velocity within a specific range. The opening 300a is sized to allow the majority of the gas to be supplied from the left upper gas discharge plate 323a. The resulting imbalance of the gas flow between the left upper gas discharge plate 323a and the left lower gas discharge plate 327a aggressively removes moisture from which the upper flow is generated from the upper and upper side surfaces of the food product 310. It is preferable because it must. Gas flow imbalance also serves to bake, bake, and / or heat the food product 310.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the gas is delivered to the right side of the cooking cavity 302 via the right gas delivery conduit 317a (FIG. 1). The aforementioned back gas release opening 312, in fluid communication with the return conduit means 389, is in fluid communication with the upper gas delivery section 317b. Return conduit means 389 is in fluid communication with the right gas flow means, shown as right blower wheel 391b (FIG. 2). As with the blower wheel 391a, other devices may be used for the gas flow means 316b, 391b to accelerate the gas flow, and the present applicant now or in the future develops the same function within the language. It is intended to include any structure that will be. A blower motor shaft 390b directly driven by the electric motor 316b is connected to the right blower wheel 391b, and as in the electric motor 316a, other means connects the blower wheel 391b to the electric motor 316b. May be employed for coupling. Blower wheel 316b takes gas from air fryer cavity 302 via return conduit means 389 and pulls gas across heating means 314 to deliver gas to upper delivery section 317b.

Right upper gas delivery section 317b (FIG. 1) is in fluid communication with right lower gas delivery section 318b via right vertical gas delivery section 319b. The right vertical gas delivery section 319b is formed by the right sidewall 306, (with the right microwave waveguide section 320b when microwave is used), and the outer wall 366. As can be seen in FIG. 1, when gas is supplied into the right upper gas delivery section 317b, the gas passes through the opening 300b through the right upper gas discharge plate 323b and into the air fryer cavity 302. Discharged onto the upper right and right side portions of the food product 310. The opening 300b may be a slotted, regularly formed or irregularly formed opening, shown herein as nozzles 300b, 329b (FIG. 1), and Applicants have the same functionality as 300b and 329b in the language. It is intended to include any structure that currently exists or will be developed in the future. Gas dispensed into the right lower gas delivery section 318b is slotted through the opening 329b such that the gas is discharged onto the right bottom and right side portions of the food product 310 in the air fryer cavity 302. Before passing through the perforated right bottom gas discharge plate 327b, it may be reheated by the right bottom gas heating means 303b (Figs. 1, 4, 5) if necessary. The lower right gas heating means 303b may be present in some embodiments and not in other embodiments, depending on the specific requirements for the air blower and, as in the gas heating means 303a described above, heating of the gas. It can be made of any material that achieves this. Openings 300b and 329b provide sufficient gas in the range of approximately 2000 ft / min (609.6 m / min) to approximately 6000 ft / min (1828.80 m / min) to properly cook the food product as described herein. It is sized for low pressure drop while providing and maintaining speed. In some cases, speeds below 2000 ft / min (609.6 m / min) or above 6000 ft / min (1828.80 m / min) may also be used. The opening 300b is sized to allow most of the gas to be supplied from the right upper gas discharge plate 323b. As in the left gas system, the resulting imbalance of gas flow between the right upper gas discharge plate 323b and the right lower gas discharge plate 327b is such that the upper flow is generated from the upper and upper side surfaces of the food product 310. This is preferable because it must aggressively remove the escaping moisture. The imbalance also serves to bake, bake, and / or heat the food product 310.

The left and right gas supply systems are described independently herein, but in the same configuration, uniformly circulating the hot gas flow across the top and top sides and bottom and bottom sides of the food product, and passing the gas to the air fryer cavity. To return to the heating mechanism and gas flow means for re-delivery. Although the same configuration is shown in the exemplary embodiment, there is no requirement for such a system, the left gas supply system can be configured differently from the right supply system, and the upper gas supply system can be configured differently than the bottom system. . In practice, each cooking cavity may be configured differently from other cooking cavities, and many combinations of configurations may be desirable for a particular air fryer.

As discussed above, gas flow is delivered through four gas delivery sections 317a, 317b, 318a, and 318b located within the top and bottom corners of each air fryer cavity 302 as shown in FIG. Gas flow delivery sections 317a, 317b, 318a, 318b extend the width of each air fryer cavity 302, but it is not required that the gas flow delivery sections extend the full length of the air fryer cavities. Gas delivery section 317a is located in the upper left corner of air fryer cavity 302 (FIG. 1), where top wall 303 intersects air fryer cavity left sidewall 305, and gas delivery section 317b is top An air fryer cavity 302 is located in the upper right corner, where the wall 303 intersects the right sidewall 306, and the gas delivery section 318a intersects the bottom wall 304 with the left sidewall 305. Located in the lower left corner of the gas delivery section 318b is located in the lower right corner, where the bottom wall 304 intersects the right side wall 306. Each gas delivery section is of a size and configuration that delivers the proper gas flow for the particular air fryer used. For example, in a small air fryer, the gas delivery section, in fact the entire air fryer, may be of small size in proportion to the small footprint of the particular requirements, and the large air fryer may have a gas delivery section that is proportionally large.

As shown in FIG. 1, the left and right gas flows converge on the food product 310, creating an aggressive gas flow field on the food product surface that removes the moisture boundary layer. This turbulent mixed gas flow induced in the food product results in a rubbing, overlapping, colliding gas flow that optimizes cooking by spatially averaging gas flow over the surface area of the food product that produces high heat transfer and moisture removal at the food product surface. Best described as a pattern. Gas flow is directed from the left and right sides of the air fryer cavity towards the top, bottom, and side of the food product, and the left and right gas flows through the rear gas discharge opening 312 before exiting the air fryer cavity. They overlap, collide, and rub past each other on the product surface. As used herein, the term "mixing" meets on and above the top surface, bottom surface, and left and right surfaces of a food product, resulting in the normal and accelerated cooking of the food product due to the spatial averaging of gas flow heat transfer. Refers to a rubbing, overlapping, and colliding gas flow pattern that produces a high heat transfer for. Mixed gas flow patterns are produced in air fryer cavities and produce high quality cooked food products that can be cooked very quickly when properly guided and deflected. Accelerated cooking of a high quality food product can be achieved in the present invention, but normal and high speed cooking may also be achieved by adjusting the gas flow and microwave energy (if microwave energy is used) or without the microwave energy. Can be achieved by use. Enhancing highly stirred, rubbing, overlapping, and colliding gas flows is shown in FIG. 1 through the rear gas release opening 312 as the gas exits the rear of the air fryer cavity 302. A general upward flow path followed by gas before exiting 302. This gas flow also draws gas from the lower gas discharge sections 318a and 318b, thereby attracting gas flow around the sides of the food, thereby rubbing the bottom of the food product, further improving heat transfer, while also providing air fryer cavity rear wall The air rubbing the upper surface upwards.

Returning to Fig. 1, the upper gas discharge plates 323a and 323b have a horizontal top wall where the gas flow from the upper gas delivery section 317a overlaps and collides with the gas flow from the upper gas delivery section 317b on the food product surface. Positioned in the air fryer cavity 302 to strike the food product at an angle between 0 ° and 90 °, where 0 ° is parallel to the horizontal top wall, and lower gas discharge plates 327a, 327b. ) Overlaps and collides with the gas flow from the lower gas delivery section 318b on the lower surface of the food product at an angle between 0 ° and 90 ° relative to the horizontal bottom wall. Air fryer cavity (302). Various cooking requirements may be adjusted after manufacturing to allow the angle of the gas discharge plates 323a, 323b, 327a, 327b to be adjusted during manufacturing, or to allow the chef or cook to change the gas flow rate angle (vector) to perform different cooking profiles. It may be required to be adjustable in an air fryer.

The number and placement of the openings 300a, 300b, 329a, 329b will vary depending on the particular air fryer desired. The operator may want more cooking flexibility, and in such a situation, the gas discharge plates 323a, 323b, 327a, 327b may be manufactured in a manner that allows for quick replacement of the plate by the operator. As used herein, the term "opening" refers to an irregular slot, irregular hole, or irregular nozzle, regularly formed slot, regularly formed hole, or regularly formed nozzle, or regularly formed slot, hole. Or a mixture of nozzles and irregularly formed slots, holes or nozzles. Figure 1 illustrates the use of three rows of openings 300a, 300b on upper gas delivery sections 317a, 317b, and two rows of openings on lower gas delivery systems 318a, 318b, but with more or fewer rows. And any number of openings may be used, and Applicant intends to include any structure presently or developed in the future that performs the same function within the language. The gas delivery system as shown in FIG. 1 produces aggressive rubbing, overlapping, and colliding gas flow patterns 330a, 330b, and the aggressive top grazing, overlapping, and colliding gas flow patterns 330a are also used for food products ( A gaseous, flowing, overlapping, and colliding gas flow pattern 330b that interacts with the upper left and upper left side portions of 310 similar to the upper right and upper right side portions of the food product 310. Works. Aggressive rubbing, overlapping, and colliding gas flows 331a interact with the lower left and side portions of the food product, and gas flows 331b interact with the lower right and side portions of the food product. This cooking profile creates high heat transfer capacities by the use of food product surfaces and interference of the flow field to minimize boundary layer growth. After the aggressive rubbing overlapping gas flow patterns 330a and 330b come into contact with or strike the food product, they are discharged through the back discharge section 312 and circulated through the air fryer, as described herein. The highly turbulent flow of overlapping gas patterns described herein has several advantages. First, overlapping gas flow patterns produce a spatially averaged cooking cavity gas flow, or flow conditions that are easy to average the elevation of flow fluctuations for a given point in the cooking cavity are required to add a uniform flow field to the cooking cavity. Significantly reduce design complexity. When gas delivery sections 317a, 317b, 318a, and 318b are used, the overlapping gas flow creates an "X" style gas flow in which the high heat transfer rates required for the air blow out average the flow conditions over space and time. Thereby producing uniform cooking and baking. Basket pivot point 364 allows rotation of food screen basket 368 by food product stirrer 363. In some embodiments, a single screen basket may be used, and in other embodiments, the air fryer may consist of one or more such baskets.

Gas flow in the air fryer and other functions of the cooking appliance 301 are directed by the controller 334 (FIG. 1). Air frying of individual food products generally requires a separate cooking profile or recipe for such food products. The air fryer can continuously cook various food products, so the air fryer keeps track of when the food product is selected from the food storage unit 360 and moves through the air fryer cavity 302, and for each food product The gas flow energy and microwave energy (when microwave energy is used) of the cooking cavity can be adjusted according to a recipe input by or input by a scanning device or other device. Cooking profiles for food products, also referred to herein as “cooking recipes”, can be quite complex, and the time and labor consumption associated with entering recipes can be based on certain recipes from smart cards, or automated product identification devices. May be minimized by the use of a controller 334 loaded from, or other scanning and reading apparatus may be used. An alternative embodiment allows the operator to select a food product from the food storage means 360 (FIG. 1), and a unique product identification code can be used to deliver the recipe to the air fryer controller, eliminating manual recipe input. . Alternatively, manual single button input or multiple button input may be made by the operator to enter the recipe, and the applicant does not intend to limit the use of the control system for the recipe. In practice, optical scanners can be used. An example embodiment describes a unique product identification code encoded with the correct recipe setting for each food product, and the transfer of information is radio frequency identification (“RFID”) located on a food, food container, or food package. Is achieved using a tag. The RFID tag can be programmed from a point-of-sale system of the restaurant and read by the air fryer controller by any known means such as cabled one-way communication, two-way communication, wireless, or other means. Applicant intends to include any structure that exists or will be developed in the future that performs communication functions within the language. Reading of the RFID tag by the controller 334 minimizes errors associated with an operator entering an incorrect air fryer recipe, and when the air fryer controller communicates with the point of sale system during the cooking cycle for each food product, Allow to optimize consumer services. The controller 334 is, among other things, the speed of the gas flow, which may be fixed or variable over the cooking cycle, or may vary constantly, and whether the gas is delivered to the cooking cavity 302 through the cooking node described above. Determine. Can cook food products at one speed throughout the entire cooking cycle, or change the gas velocity depending on conditions such as certain recipes, or be located within a cooking cavity, air fryer gas path or various other locations within the air fryer It may be necessary to change the gas velocity in response to various sensors. The location and placement of the sensor will be determined by the particular use of the air fryer. Additionally, data may be sent to the controller 334, after which the controller 334 may use other means to adjust the recipe in an appropriate manner. For example, sensors (temperature, humidity, speed, time, and suspended chemical mixture level sensors) can be used to continuously monitor cooking conditions and adjust microwave energy when used with gas flow within the cooking cycle, Other sensors not described in the above may also be used, and air blowers are currently commercially available due to cost or other limitations (such as lasers, non-invasive temperature sensors, and other sensors that are currently too expensive and not commercially feasible). Non-substantial sensors may be used, and air fryers are not limited to what is described herein because many sensing devices are known and used, and applicants may now or may develop in the future performing the same functions within the language. It is intended to include any structure. Additionally, controller 334 can control the amount of effluent air flow through each odor filter 340a, 340b, as described above. For example, the air fryer cavity 302 may contain food products that produce greater amounts of floating grease, smoke, and odors, usually during cooking or accelerated cooking. In such a case, the controller 334 allows more gas flow to pass through the odor filters 340a, 340b of the air fryer cavity 302 and adjust the preheaters 341a, 341b.

Gas flow can also be adjusted as a function of available power. For example, if the heating means of any electric air fryer requires or utilizes a large amount of power (greater than the available power level, which may vary according to local and local ordinances and regulations), controller 334 may use available power. It may be desirable to reduce power to the heating means or other electrical components in order to save money. In an air fryer, some systems can be powered by an electric current, but the power requirement is as much as required for all electric air fryer, since the energy required for gas heating and cooking will be provided by the combustion of hydrocarbon-based fuel. Will not be high. In the case where a controller may not be required, a knob or dial may actually be used.

In an alternative embodiment, gas flow control can be achieved by gas flow control means (FIGS. 4, 5). When gas is discharged into the upper left gas delivery section 317a, the selected portion of the gas is opened by the gas deflecting means 324a shown in the open position (Figure 4) in the opening 300a in the gas discharge plate 323a. Can be induced through. Although gas deflection means 324a are shown pivotally attached to gas discharge plate 323a, other means for achieving the gas deflection may be used. For example, means such as a normally open, normally closed, or normally partial open and normally partially closed switchable plate may be used, where the plate may be used to limit the opening opening 300a of the discharge plate 323a. Sliding along the interior of perforated plate 323a), and Applicant intends to include any structure presently present or to be developed in the future that performs the same function as gas deflection means 324a in language. Gas that is not discharged or deflected through the opening 300a flows through the vertical delivery section 319a to the lower left gas delivery section 318a. Lower gas delivery deflection mechanism 352a (FIG. 4), which operates to limit the amount of gas delivered to lower gas delivery section 318a, is used in waveguide section 320a (when waveguide is used) and when waveguide is not used. ) It is attached to the metal plate pivotally. As described herein, the terms "flow control means", "gas deflection means", "transmission deflection mechanism", and "flow control means" all have the same meaning and within and between various parts of the air fryer. Refers to means for controlling gas flow. Indeed, certain cooking tasks may require more gas flow to the bottom of the air fryer, while other tasks will require little or no gas flow to the bottom side of the air fryer for delivery to the bottom of the food product. . If gas flow is little or no need for the bottom surface of the food product, the gas delivery deflection mechanism 352a may be closed to allow all or substantially all of the gas flow into the left upper gas delivery section 317a. .

Gas flowing into the left lower gas delivery section 118a can be reheated by the left lower heating means 303a (FIG. 4), if desired. After passing over the heating element 303a, the gas can be further deflected by the deflection means 328a (FIG. 4) shown in the open position. When the gas deflecting means 328a is rotated, the direction control of the gas flow can be further improved, so that the gas flow is at the top of the lower gas plate 327a at various positions along the bottom surface of the food product 310 (Figure 4). Or through the lower opening row. Although gas deflection means 328a is shown pivotally attached to the left side slotted or perforated gas discharge plate 327a, gas deflection means 328a is limited to the pivotal attachment means shown herein. Rather, as described elsewhere herein, Applicants currently perform the same function as gas deflection means 324a, 352a, 328a, 324b, 352b, 328b, which are described in detail herein within the language. It is intended to include any structure that exists or will be developed in the future.

When the gas is discharged into the right upper gas delivery section 317b, the selected portion of the gas is opened by the gas deflecting means 324b shown in the open position (Fig. 5) in the opening 300b in the gas discharge plate 323b. Can be induced through. The gas deflection means 324b is pivotally attached to the gas discharge plate 323b, but other means for achieving the gas deflection may be used, as in 323a. For example, means such as a normally open, normally closed, or normally partial open and normally partially closed switchable plate may be used (where the plate may limit opening opening 300b of discharge plate 323b). Sliding along the interior of perforated plate 323b), and Applicant intends to include any structure presently present or to be developed in the future that performs the same function as gas deflecting means 324b in language. Gas that is not discharged or deflected through the opening 300b flows through the vertical delivery section 319b to the lower left gas delivery section 318b. Lower gas delivery deflection mechanism 352b (FIG. 5), which operates to limit the amount of gas delivered to lower gas delivery section 318b, is used in waveguide section 320b (when waveguide is used) and when waveguide is not used. ) Pivotally attached to a metal plate. As with the left gas delivery system, certain cooking operations may require more gas flow to the bottom of the air fryer, while other operations may almost eliminate gas flow to the bottom side of the air fryer for delivery to the bottom of the food product. Or will not require at all. If gas flow is little or no need for the bottom surface of the food product, the gas delivery deflection mechanism 352b may be closed to allow all or substantially all of the gas flow into the left upper gas delivery section 317b. .

Gas flowing into the right bottom gas delivery section 118b may be reheated by the left bottom heating means 303b (FIG. 5), if desired. After passing over the heating element 303b, the gas can be further deflected by the deflection means 328b (Fig. 5) shown in the open position. When the gas deflecting means 328b is rotated, the direction control of the gas flow can be further improved, so that the gas flow can be improved at the various positions along the bottom of the food product 310 (FIG. 5) of the lower gas plate 327b. Allow to pass through the top or bottom opening rows. Although gas deflection means 328b are shown pivotally attached to the left side slotted or perforated gas discharge plate 327b, gas deflection means 328b is limited to the pivotal attachment means shown herein. Rather, as described elsewhere herein, the Applicant is any present or future development that will perform the same function as gas deflection means 324a, 352a, 328a, 324b, 352b, 328b within the language. It is intended to include the structure of.

If direction control of gas flow is required, gas deflection means 324a, 324b, 328a, 328b, 352a, 352b (FIGS. 4 and 5) can be rotated to divert the gas flow to the selected opening, thus allowing the gas flow to be turned on the food product surface. And different gas flow patterns and gas mixing are performed thereon. In addition, where floor side gas flow is not required, the gas deflecting means 352a, 352b may be closed, allowing little or no passage of gas flow to the bottom of the air fryer cavity. Various other adjustments of the gas deflection means are possible, and Applicants currently present a combination of open and closed positions of the openings 300a, 300b, 329a, 329b by various gas flow control means described herein within the language. It is intended to include any structure that exists or will be developed in the future. Gas deflection means 324a, 324b, 328a, 328b, 352a, 352b are manually controlled, automatically controlled via controller 334, or controlled by other mechanical or electrical means, or a combination of automatic and manual controls. Applicable via the Applicant, the Applicant intends to include any structure presently or in the future that will perform the functions described herein with respect to the adjustment of gas deflection means within the language. If gas deflection means 324a or 324b allows little or no gas through gas discharge plates 323a and 323b, and gas flow is rarely needed through lower gas discharge plates 327a and 327b, A bypass return gas flow conduit can be provided to return gas flow to the gas return conduit means 389. Additionally, if gas guide means 328a, 328b allow little or no gas through gas discharge plates 327a, 327b, and less gas flow is required through gas discharge plates 323a, 323b, the conduits Means may be provided to return the gas flow to return conduit means 389, or alternatively to the atmosphere or to the gas outlet system described above for additional odor and grease cleaning. Indeed, various, multiple combinations of gas flow control are present depending on the particular air fryer needed, and the gas flow can be directed to many different openings throughout the air fryer to achieve the desired final cooked product 310.

The air fryer of the present invention may also utilize microwave energy to at least partially cook a food product. A standard 2.45 GHz magnetron tube can be used to generate a maximum power level for an air fryer of about 2000 watts or 1000 watts (delivered as food) per tube. Typical microwave and convective heat transfer energy patterns are tailored so that uniform cooking conditions can be achieved on the top and bottom of the food product. As shown in FIG. 1, the left microwave oscillating waveguide 320a is attached to the left side wall 305 in the air fryer cavity 302 between the left upper gas discharge plate 323a and the left lower gas discharge plate 327a. do. The right microwave oscillating waveguide 320b is attached to the right side wall 306 in the air fryer cavity 302 between the right upper gas discharge plate 323b and the right lower gas discharge plate 327b. The microwave waveguide is designed to distribute the microwave power from the magnetron 100 (FIG. 3) uniformly from the right side to the left side of the air fryer cooking cavity 302. The vertical distance above the cavity bottom wall 304 of the waveguides 320a and 320b is such that under normal cooking conditions, approximately one third or more of the microwave energy may be used under the food product 310, and the remainder of the microwave energy may be used in the food product. It is designed to be used above 310. Waveguides 320a, 320b (with slotted antennas) are located along the left and right cavity walls. The microwave supply is centered above the basket level, slightly below gas discharge plates 323a and 323b.

As shown in FIG. 1, microwave energy 351a, 351b (FIG. 5) is sent from the waveguides 320a, 320b through the slotted antenna 370 (FIG. 3) into the air fryer cavity 302, where three Or four narrow openings 370 (slots) are spaced along the waveguide. Various configurations for the microwave distribution have been used to produce a variety of results, and fewer than three slots may be used or more than three slots may be used, and applicants now or presently perform the same functions within the language. It is intended to include any structure that will be developed in.

Slots 370 in waveguides 320a and 320b are open to the cooking cavity and must be covered or protected to prevent grease and other contaminants from entering the waveguide, and a durable and inexpensive slot antenna cover protects such slots 370. It can be used to. The slot antenna cover 106 (FIG. 3) is configured to cover the slots 370 in the waveguides 320a and 320b. Slot antenna cover 106 is bonded to stainless steel around waveguides 320a and 320b using a high temperature silicone rubber room temperature curing (“RTV”) sealant. This sealed approach creates a high temperature waterproof seal between the cover and the surrounding metal. Although an RTV sealant has been described in the exemplary embodiment, other sealant means may be used to adhere the antenna cover 106 to the waveguides 320a and 320b. The cover material should be suitable for high temperature operation, have low loss characteristics for microwave transmission, be easily cleaned, durable and inexpensive. For good microwave compatibility, materials with dielectric constants less than 6 and loss tangents less than 0.2 have been found to provide such characteristics. Such materials should generally be thin, less than 0.015 inch (0.038 cm) thick, and should be suitable for adhesion with RTV. Teflon (polytetrafluoroethylene ("PTFE")) / glass fiber cloth (Chempab) manufactured by Saint Gobain, 0.01 inch (0.025 cm) thick, with one side treated with acceptable silicone rubber. ChemFab) Product No. 10 BT) is described in the illustrative examples and has proven to have little effect on the microwave characteristics of the magnetron and microwave waveguide systems. Impedance test (Smith chart) of impedance of waveguide and waveguide antenna for slot angles greater than 17 ° (measured along centerline 379 of slot 370 (measured along FIG. 3)) with and without antenna cover 106 And the results of the level rise experiments are largely the same.

Although two microwave waveguides 320a, 320b and two magnetrons 100 have been described per cooking cavity, in other embodiments, the waveguides may be supplied by one large magnetron, or alternatively a varying number of magnetrons may be It can be used, and the present invention is not limited to two magnetrons per cooking cavity, and Applicant intends to include any structure presently present or to be developed in the future that performs the same function in the language.

For optimal air frying cooking, food product 310 falls into rotary screen food basket 368 (FIG. 1) in air fryer cavity 302. The screen basket 368 is located at a distance of at least 2.4 inches (6.10 cm) from the left side wall 305 and the right side wall 306 (for optimal cooking uniformity). The 2.45 inch (6.10 cm) measurement corresponds to half of the microwave wavelength (for optimal cooking uniformity) or 2.4 inch (6.10 cm) (no electric field) for the 2.45 GHz microwave tube (microwave) frequency. This spacing allows the electric field to expand and become more uniform before combining with the food product. Other lateral spacing arrangements may be used in other types of magnetron systems.

The right microwave waveguide is the same as the left system, and microwave energy is directed from the right waveguide 320b to the air fryer cavity 302 via the slotted antenna 370, as described above for the left side. Waveguides 320a and 320b are configured in the same manner, but an infinite combination of slot design, slot configuration, slot width, slot length, number of slots per waveguide, and slot orientation is possible per waveguide, depending on the type of air fryer needed. . Therefore, the microwave energy field propagates through the air fryer cavities in a uniformly distributed pattern, combining with the food product in all directions and uniformly distributing electromagnetic energy across the air fryer cavities without the need for a mechanical stirrer to propagate the electromagnetic fields. To provide. Waveguides 320a and 320b are located on the left and right sidewalls of the air fryer and therefore do not interfere with air fryer common use gas discharge. Because microwave waveguides are located on the sidewalls of the air fryer cavities, they are not affected by food leaks, grease contamination, cleaning fluid contamination, or other contamination that normally affects the bottom oscillating microwave system. Therefore, the microwave system of the present invention is not easy to penetrate by grease, leaks, cleaning materials, and other contaminants since the system is not located directly below the food product where the hot contaminants are loaded. No side oscillation microwave waveguide is required to be employed, and indeed microwave oscillation can be achieved from any air fryer cavity surface with varying degrees of efficiency. Microwave waveguides 320a, 320b with slotted antenna 370 (FIG. 3) (FIG. 1) are positioned along the left and right cavity walls such that food basket 368 is slightly below slot 370. In this way, microwave energy is directed towards the top and bottom of the food product. For safety, microwave energy must be restrained in the cooking cavity 302, and therefore the air fryer cavity 302 is equipped with a microwave sealed lower isolation door 369 (FIG. 1).

An exemplary food product flow is shown in FIG. The food storage unit 360 distributes the food allocated for preparation into the air fryer cavity 302. Storage unit 360 may dispense a large product or a plurality of products, such as chicken and fry. The storage unit dispenses a quota of food product into the closed food basket 368 when the upper air fryer isolation door 361 is in the open position. The food product may fall directly from the storage unit 360, or alternatively may be retained in the holding area 375. When the food product 310 falls into the basket 368, the upper door 361 is closed and the cooking process begins. As described herein, cooking includes warming. If used, microwave energy and convective heat transfer are controlled during the cooking cycle. Convective energy is modulated via a variable speed blower or flow control attenuator as described above, and the microwaves are operated alternately to achieve the desired energy level. In an exemplary embodiment, one food basket stirrer 363 (FIG. 1) per basket agitates the layered product (eg, layers of french fries) during the cooking cycle. Before, after, and during the cooking cycle, an oil or oil mixture, or other spray, may be sprayed or applied onto the food product by dispenser 373 (FIG. 1). Upon completion of the cooking cycle, the lower air fryer door 369 is open and the basket 368 is rotated open to distribute the cooked food product to the holding area below the air fryer cavity. Cooking settings for product 310 may be automatically or manually entered into controller 334 as described above. After the door 361 is closed, the second food product may fall into the holding chamber 375. In the case where microwave energy is used, microwave sealing must be achieved between the air fryer cavity 302 and the holding chamber 375 by the microwave door 361 described above made of microwave reflective material.

When the first food product 310 is in the basket 368, the controller 334 starts a recipe for the food product 310, and the second food product may be selected and placed into the holding chamber 375. , Wherein the second food product may be thawed or pre-cooked, depending on the recipe selected. Indeed, in some embodiments, it may be desirable for the isolation door 361 to be made of microwave transmitting material to allow microwaves to penetrate into the holding chamber 375. If microwaves are allowed to penetrate the holding chamber 375, thawing of the frozen cooked product may occur, or heating of the cold but not frozen food product may begin. If the isolation door 361 is microwave transmissive, the door 374 is microwave reflective and must form a microwave seal with the chamber 302. The cooking settings of the second food product may now be entered into the controller 334 if the operator has not previously entered a cooking program or if the program has not been automatically loaded as described above. After cooking is complete, the lower isolation door 369 is opened and the food product can be dispensed under the air fryer into the holding area or held for further cooking. Thereafter, the door 369 is closed and cooking of the second food product is resumed.

Although the exemplary embodiment shows the use of two blower designs with one blower providing gas flow to the left of each cooking cavity and a second blower for gas flow to the right of each cooking cavity, such as a blower Only one flow means may be used, or two or more gas flow means may be used, and Applicant intends to include any structure presently present or to be developed in the future that performs the same function within the language.

Gas heating power requirements for the cooking cavity of an exemplary embodiment are between about 3 to 7 kw for electrical appliances and between 12 and 30 Kbtu / h for direct ignited natural gas powered heaters. For each power source, a standard temperature controller can be employed (i.e. maintain the blower discharge temperature). For gaseous fueled or electric appliances, as described above, the appliance 301 may be on a scale that allows the use of available power sources. In addition, common gas heating means are ideal for ease of installation, service, and the ability to burn grease particles in contact with very hot combustion products. Naturally, the hot product of cooking byproduct combustion is mixed with the gas returning to the blower, creating a moderate gas temperature increase between 20 ° F. (-6.67 ° C.) and 60 ° F. (15.56 ° C.) and including a plurality of surface burners. Combustor types are suitable for this application.

Although the invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to its particular preferred version, other versions are possible. For example, various sizes of air fryers, and various speed air fryers, may be made in embodiments for commercial, residential, industrial, or vending machines. In such cases, large or small component parts may be used, and fewer or more components may be employed. If it is desired to make a small air fryer, one gas flow acceleration means may be used instead of two, one microwave system may be used instead of two, and smaller or more of electrical resistance or gas ignition. Less heating devices can be used. If a large air fryer is desired, larger gas flow systems and microwave systems can be added to achieve cooking of more food products.

In summary, the present invention is substantially effective by utilizing hot gas flow or hot gas flow combined with microwave energy to achieve air fry of food products to a quality, taste, and appearance level beyond that obtained by conventional cooking. Offer less air or less air frying. Air fryers are operable on a variety of power sources, are simple to manufacture, use, and maintain, are economical, and can be scaled directly to large or small embodiments. The air fryer may operate as a gas igniter, an electric resistance ignited air fryer, a microwave air fryer, or a combination gas and microwave air fryer. An air fryer may use means for injecting or spraying various oils, spices, or other cooking additives onto the food product to provide a final food product having the taste, chewing taste, and appearance characteristics of the fried food product with fatty oil. have. In addition, the present invention may be practiced with no gas deflection means as in the exemplary embodiment, and with gas deflection means as in the alternative embodiments described herein.

Other variations and improvements to the present invention will be readily apparent. Accordingly, the spirit and scope of the invention should be considered broadly and limited only by the appended claims and not by the foregoing specification. Any element in the claims that do not expressly state "means" for performing a particular function or "step" for performing a special function is 35 U.S.C. It should not be interpreted as the phrase "means" or "steps" as defined in §112, ¶6. In particular, the use of "steps" within the scope of the claims herein is 35 U.S.C. It is not intended to violate the provisions of § 112.

Claims (18)

AJI air fryer for cooking food products, A housing forming a cooking chamber, Conduit means for circulating gas to and from the cooking chamber; Flow means for causing gas circulation, Means for heating the gas, First gas guiding means disposed on the food product and operable in conjunction with conduit means; Second gas guiding means disposed on the food product and operable in conjunction with the conduit means; A first bottom gas guide means disposed below the food product and operable in conjunction with the conduit means; A second lower gas guide means disposed below the food product and operable in conjunction with the conduit means, The first and second gas guiding means are configured to cause gas from the first gas guiding means to collide with gas from the second gas guiding means on the surface of the food product, The first and second bottom gas guide means are configured to cause gas from the first bottom gas guide means to collide with gas from the second bottom gas guide means on the bottom surface of the food product. The air fryer of claim 1, further comprising at least one food basket disposed within the cooking chamber to maintain the food product. The air fryer of claim 2, further comprising a right food basket and a left food basket. The air fryer of claim 2, wherein at least one of the food baskets can be rotated to empty the food product from the food baskets. The air fryer of claim 2, further comprising at least one food product stirrer operable in conjunction with the at least one food basket to agitate the food product while the food product is maintained in the at least one food basket. The air fryer of claim 5, wherein the at least one food product stirrer comprises a rotary paddle assembly. The air fryer of claim 1, further comprising means for dispensing at least one food additive to the food product while the food product is in the cooking chamber. 8. The air fryer of claim 7, wherein the food additive is from the group consisting of an oil and an oil mixture. 8. The air fryer of claim 7, wherein the food additive is from the group consisting of liquid and dry seasonings. 8. The air fryer of claim 7, wherein the food additive adds the taste, chewing taste, and feel of the fried food to the food product. The air fryer of claim 1, further comprising an upper opening disposed on top of the housing and configured to cause the food product to be positioned from above into the cooking chamber. The air fryer of claim 1, further comprising a bottom opening disposed at the bottom of the housing and configured to cause the food product to be emptied from the cooking chamber. The air fryer of claim 1, further comprising a food storage unit operable in conjunction with the cooking chamber to maintain the food product before the food product is introduced into the cooking chamber. The air fryer of claim 13, wherein the food storage unit comprises an adiabatic chamber that maintains the food product at a selected temperature. The air fryer of claim 13, wherein the food storage unit includes a microwave permeable portion in communication with the cooking chamber, such that microwave energy can travel from the cooking chamber into the food storage unit to selectively heat the food product in the food storage unit. The air fryer of claim 15, wherein the food product in the food storage unit is thawed by the same microwave energy while the food product in the cooking chamber is at least partially cooked by the microwave energy. The air fryer of claim 1, further comprising a control system configured to receive a signal indicative of cooking instructions from a radio frequency identification system associated with packaging associated with the food product. How to cook food products, A housing forming a cooking chamber, conduit means for circulating gas into and out of the cooking chamber, flow means for causing gas circulation, means for heating the gas, disposed over the food product and associated with the conduit means Providing an air fryer having a first gas guiding means operable and a second gas guiding means disposed over the food product and operable in conjunction with the conduit means; Positioning the food product in the cooking chamber; Cooking the food product by causing gas from the first gas inducing means to collide with gas from the second gas inducing means on the surface of the food product; Distributing oil to the food product to add the taste, chewing taste and feel of the fried food to the food product, Removing the cooked food product from the air fryer.

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