WO2006114578A2

WO2006114578A2 - Device for the preparation of food

Info

Publication number: WO2006114578A2
Application number: PCT/GB2006/001411
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michael Stuart Minton
Original assignee: Michael Stuart Minton
Priority date: 2005-04-27
Filing date: 2006-04-19
Publication date: 2006-11-02
Also published as: WO2006114578A3; CA2606071A1

Abstract

A cutting device has a main body (2) which has on a face, a first set of cutting edges (3) and a second set of cutting edges (4a & 4b). The positioning of the cutting edges allows for areas of the food to be cut while other areas are compressed to leave interconnected areas. The food can be handled in one piece and separated into different pieces by pulling on the interconnected areas, which are frangible so allow for the food to be separated into predefined portions.

Description

Devicβ For The Preparation Of Food

The present invention relates to a device for the preparation of food and in particular but not exclusively to a device for at least partially cutting a food product into discrete sections.

The preparation of food and articles such as sandwiches or toasted articles have the drawback that the product has to be cut into regular sections during the course of preparation. In particular, in the case of bread or dough based articles, which are not solid and which can be frangible due to aeration of the product, it can be difficult to cut such items into regular shaped articles due to the inherent flexibility of the product. This can mean that there is wastage of food due to poor cutting and also if the final product is poorly cut and hence badly presented, this can lead to wastage because, if the food if irregularly cut, this can alter the desirability of the final product because of its aesthetic appeal .

An example of the disadvantages is where bread is toasted and cut into thin elongate sections so that it can be dipped into sauces or spreads or even into eggs . If the toasted bread is irregularly shaped, there is a disadvantage that the toasted finger of bread may not be of regular dimensions which means that it may not be possible to insert the whole section into a predefined aperture that may have been cut into an egg. Also where the food product has been cut into relatively thin sections, due to the thinness of the food product produced, lengths of the food product may become detached when carrying an extra food item into which the product has been dipped which can lead to spillage. A further problem associated with toasted food products that are ultimately to be cut into sections or units is that because of toasting, the food product becomes brittle and when it is cut, crumbs are formed, which can fall onto surrounding surfaces during cutting. This is not only undesirable due to food wastage but can also be unhygienic because any waste food needs to be cleaned up from a food preparation area in order not to attract pests which can have food hygiene implications, especially in commercial food preparation establishments.

In addition, if a food item is for consumption by a child, the food product often needs to be cut into smaller sections for ease of consumption. This necessitates the food being cut with a knife, which is undesirable because children are less dextrous and careful than adults and may cut themselves when using the knife . Hence an adult needs to be on hand to prepare the food which may not always be possible, leading to health and safety implications for known methods of food preparation involving the cutting of food into portions.

The present invention seeks to overcome the problems associated with the prior art by providing a food preparation device that can be used to safely and cleanly separate a food product into discrete sections. The product may be a product that is in the process of being prepared such as a par baked dough product or it can be a product in its final form, such as a toasted article that is ready for consumption. According to the present invention, there is provided a device for food preparation comprising a main body adapted for coming into contact with a food product to be prepared, the device having an array of discrete cutting edges extending from the main body, said cutting edges being spaced from one another to provide a series of discrete cuts in the product which are spaced from one another leaving areas of the food product joined together, where no cutting occurs. Preferably, the array of spaced cutting edges comprises a first set of cutting edges extending in a first direction and a second set of cutting edges extending in a second direction.

It is envisaged that the first set of cutting edges comprises a series of parallel edges with the second set of cutting edges extending a distance along each end of said first set of cutting edges.

Preferably, the second set of cutting edges comprises two cutting edges, with one of said cutting edges extending substantially perpendicular to and along a first end of the first set of parallel cutting edges, being arranged in spaced linear alignment, and the second cutting edge of said second set of cutting edges, extending at the other end of said spaced linear arrangement of first cutting edges.

In a preferred arrangement, one or more of each of the first set of cutting edges has a recess along the length of said cutting edges. Preferably, the recess is substantially towards the centre of the cutting edge, however, a series of recesses may be positioned at separate points along a cutting edge.

Preferably, one or more of the edges forming the second set array of cutting edges has a raised edge extending outwardly from said cutting edge. Preferably, the raised edge or extension is positioned to be spaced between two parallel cutting edges of the first array. It is envisaged that the raised edge is substantially at a point equidistant between two of the parallel cutting edges of the first array.

The arrangement of an array of first and second cutting edges with raised and recessed areas on the edges, forms a series of cutting and pressing edges which come into contact with the surface of a food product . The second set of cutting edges, which are positioned along and perpendicular to the parallel edges of the first set of cutting edges form a section having alternate recessed and raised edges.

It is envisaged that each of the second set of cutting edges has a cutting edge which does not extend the whole distance between the cutting edges of the first array thereby forming two uncut areas between the areas cut by the first array, these uncut areas being at the junction where the first and second cutting edges meet. By having a series of uncut areas, this maintains the portions of the food products that are being cut as a one-piece product with the uncut areas of the food product providing links or bridges to hold the food product together prior to further treatment . The areas where the cut sections of food product are held together are relatively thin and provide weakened areas in the product where sections of the product can be separated relatively easily. It is preferred that the first and second cutting edges are arranged such that a series of parallel sections of a food product are produced and two perpendicular food sections are produced are either end of the parallel sections of product. These outer sections can be pulled from the ends of the first sections and separated, while the parallel sections of the food product can be separated from one another by pulling the sections which will break from one another at the bridge areas that remain after areas along a line separating the sections have been cut.

It is envisaged that all cutting edges are chamfered. This provides a sharper cutting edge to cut sections. However, areas of the cutting edge may be flat faces to provide a simple pressing surface.

Preferably, the device is formed of one or more or a combination of rubber, metal or food grade plastic.

It is envisaged that in a preferred arrangement, the main body includes a handle so that the cutting edges can be impressed upon a food product .

In a preferred arrangement, the main body forms a convex curve with the cutting edges extending outwardly from the curved surface. This allows for the device to be placed on an object and rocked back and forth thereby providing a cutting action.

It is envisaged that the first set of cutting edges extends substantially perpendicular to the curved surface. This means that the cutting edges do not fan out to match the curve of the main body. However, if desired the cutting edges can be angled such that they fan out in accordance with the curve of the main body.

Preferably, a handle extends from a rear surface of the device, remote from the cutting edges, said handle preferably having grip regions so that a firm force can be applied to the device as it is being rocked back and forth over the surface of a product .

Preferably, the food product is a farinaceous product, for example bread or dough product. However, it is envisaged that the device is suitable for other types of food products for example meat products, or other products to be baked. According to a further embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method of cutting a food product, by a cutting device having cutting edges and recess edges is pressed against the food product so that the product is cut in similar localities while cutting does not occur in other localities so that a complete product remains can be processed for example by toasting.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying figures in which;

Figure 1 shows a cutting device according to an embodiment of the invention;

Figures 2 shows in detail an area of the cutting device as shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 shows the cutting pattern of a device as shown in Figure 1 ;

Figure 4 shows how the array of food sections as shown in Figure 3 can be separated from another; Figure 5 shows an alternative arrangement of a cutting device, complete with handle; and

Figure 6 shows the cutting array as produced by the device of Figure 5.

Figure 7 shows a plan view of a section through the device .

Figure 8 shows a side view of a cutting device according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 9 shows an end view of a cutting device according to an embodiment of the invention; and Figure 10 show a plan view of an array of first and second cutting edges of a device as shown in Figures 8 and 9.

A cutting device according to an embodiment of the invention is generally shown as 1 in Figure 1. The device, which is used to prepare food products comprises a main body 2 which is of a convex shape, although the face may be flat . A convex shape allows the device to be rocked back and forth over the surface of a food product so less force is needed to be applied to ensure cutting.

Extending from a convex face of the device, there is a series of cutting edges 3 forming a first set of cutting edges arranged parallel to one another and extending width-ways down the length of the device 2. Perpendicular to and at either end of the first set of cutting edges 3 is a second set of cutting edges provided as two cutting edges 4a and 4b. The height of the cutting edges 3 is substantially that of the height of the cutting edge 4a and 4b. Figure 2 shows a detailed arrangement of the cutting edges 3 and 4, which include not only cutting sections but pressing sections too. The cutting edges 3 and 4 are perpendicular to one another and meet at a series of points 20 along the length of edge 4. One or more of cutting edges 3 have recesses or cutouts 5 along their length, while cutting edges 4 have extended edges or portions 6a and 6b along their length. The extended edges are positioned between the point 20, where the cutting edges 3 meet cutting edges 4. Cutting edge 3 has therefore alternate cutting, pressing and cutting edges while for edge 4a of the array, there are alternate pressing, cutting and pressing edges as can be seen from Figure 2. The first array of cutting edges 3 are substantially perpendicular to edges 4 and the cutting edge 3 is positioned at a point between cutting portions 6a and 6b.

Figure 3 shows an array of cuts formed on a slice of bread. The device simultaneously cuts and compresses the surface of the bread into a series of elongated or finger shapes . This is achieved by rocking the device until the bread is either cut or compressed at points defined by the recesses 5 and the cutting portions 6a and 6b. As there are areas of connection between the separate fingers of bread, the slice of bread remains in one piece and can be carried and toasted in a normal manner without the risk of separation of the fingers from the main slice. Once the bread is toasted, because there is already a pre-cut formation in the bread, the fingers of bread can be separated easily by simply pulling the fingers apart from one another without the need for a knife. This is shown in Figure 4 where the elongate fingers of bread have been separated. Figure 5 shows a further embodiment of the invention, whereby the device Figure 1 has a handle 8 with a grip region 9. The handle allows for ease of rocking of the device over a food surface . In the device shown, there is a further cutting edge 7 positioned between outer cutting edges 4a and 4b. Although one extra cutting edge 7 is shown, there may be more than one extra cutting edge. Having further cutting edges allows for an increase degree of cutting to a food product as shown in Figure 6. This means that the fingers of food can be cut into smaller pieces and in the case of a bread product, the pieces can be squares, which can allow for the preparation of croutons. As shown in Figure 6, the combined cutting and pressing provides cut areas 11, 12, 13 and 14 together with pressed areas 16, 17, 18 and 19. In these pressed areas, there is no actual cutting through the product . This provides frangible bridges which hold sections of the food product together. The bridges formed weakened lines which allow the product to be separated, for example once the product is toasted.

Figure 7 shows a plan view of a section through a device according to the embodiment of the invention. A first cutting edge 3 is shown having side cutting edges 4a and 4b. A handle 8 is attached to the device for ease of operation. The cutting edge of the device has distinct sections, these being an extended section 5b and a recess section 5a. The recessed section 5a allows for pressing on the food product by the cutting edge, while section 5b actually causes cutting through the product. As can be seen, edge 5a is flattened to provide a blunt edge to simply perform pressing while edge 5b is chamfered to provide cutting. At the ends of each cutting edge 3, there is, shown in cross section, cutting edges 4a and 4b. For each of these cutting edges, there is a cutting portion 6a.

As shown in figure 8 the main body of the device 2 comprises an arcuate structure having a handle 8 with a grip region 9. The grip region allows a person using the device to push downwardly on an object and to rock the device back and forth so that impressions or cuts are made. Side cutting edges one of which is shown as 4a extend along the length of the body. There are also cutting edges 3 which are substantially perpendicular to the side edges and form in effect contact points about which the device can be rocked. The edges 3 and 4 meet at points 20.

Figure 9 shows an end view of the device of Figure 8, with cut away portion 5a in cutting edge 3. The cutting edge 3 has a step like profile with cut outs 5a.

Figure 10 shows a plan view of the device with the cutting edges 3 forming a series of cutting edges across the face of body 2. There is a recess 5a so that no cut is made substantially in the centre of the cutting blade.

Edges 4a & 4b have extensions 6a and 6b, which press into a substrate being cut to form the cuts . The extensions 6a and 6b are on either side of the point 20, where the cross blade 3 meets side blades 4a Sc 4b.

The device can be used by performing an additional press by rotating the stamp through 90° . The food squares would then be separated by pulling the sections apart. The squares are able to be used to make fresh croutons . After compressing the bread and subsequently placing the bread in the toaster, the rate at which bread browns differs, with the compressed bread taking longer to brown than the uncompressed bread due to the increased density of the compressed areas. This also assists in a person being able to separate areas of the compressed food product more easily.

The present invention is directed not only to the individual embodiments as discussed but also to combination of embodiments that have been described. Modifications and variations of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art and it is intended that all such modifications will be included in the scope of the present invention as claimed.

Claims

1. A device for food preparation comprising a main body adapted for coming into contact with a food product to be prepared, the device having an array of discrete cutting edges extending from the main body, said cutting edges being spaced from one another to provide a series of discrete cuts in the product which are spaced from one another leaving areas of the food product joined together, where no cutting occurs.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the array of spaced cutting edges comprises a first set of cutting edges extending in a first direction and a second set of cutting edges extending in a second direction.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first set of cutting edges comprises a series of parallel edges with the second set of cutting edges extending a distance along each end of said first set of cutting edges .

4. A device as claimed in claims 2 or 3 , wherein the second set of cutting edges comprises two cutting edges, with one of said cutting edges extending substantially perpendicular to and along a first end of the first set of parallel cutting edges being arranged in spaced linear alignment and the second cutting edge of said second set of cutting edges, extending at the other end of said spaced linear arrangement of first cutting edges .

5. A device as claimed in any of claims 2 to 4, wherein one or more of each of the first set of cutting edges has a recess along the length of said cutting edges .

6. A device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the recess is substantially towards the centre of the cutting edge .

7. A device as claimed in claim 5, wherein a series of recesses are positioned at separate points along a cutting edge.

8. A device as claimed in any of claims 2 to 4 , wherein one or more of the edges forming the second set array of cutting edges has a raised edge extending outwardly from said cutting edge.

9. A device as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the raised edge or extension is positioned spaced between two parallel cutting edges of the first array.

10. A device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the raised edge is substantially at a point equidistant between two of the parallel cutting edges of the first array.

11. A device as claimed in any claim 4, wherein each of the second set of cutting edges has a cutting edge which does not extend the whole distance between the cutting edges of the first array thereby forming two uncut areas between the areas cut by the first array, these uncut areas being at the junction where the first and second cutting edges meet.

12. A device as claimed in any of claims 2 to 4 , wherein the first and second cutting edges are arranged such that a series of parallel sections of a food product are produced and two perpendicular food sections are produced are either end of the parallel sections of product .

13. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein all cutting edges are chamfered.

14. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the device is formed of one or more or a combination of rubber, metal or food grade plastic.

15. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the main body includes a handle so that the cutting edges can be impressed upon a food product.

16. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the main body forms a convex curve with the cutting edges extending outwardly from the curved surface .

17. A device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the first set of cutting edges extend^' substantially perpendicular to the curved surface.

18. A device as claimed in claim 16 or 17, wherein the cutting edges can be angled such that they fan out in accordance with the curve of the main body.

19. A device as claimed in any of claims 16 to 18, wherein a handle extends from a rear surface of the device, remote from the cutting edges, said handle having grip regions so that a firm force can be applied to the device to rock the device back and forth over the surface of a product.

20. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the food product is a farinaceous product, for example bread or dough product.

21. A method of cutting a food product using a cutting device having cutting edges and recess edges, said method comprising pressing the device against the food product so that the product is cut in similar localities while cutting does not occur in other localities so that a complete product remains that can be processed, for example by toasting.