Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6192791
-
Patent Number
6,192,791
-
Date Filed
Monday, November 15, 199924 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, February 27, 200123 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
- Diederiks, Jr.; Everett G.
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 099 403
- 099 407
- 099 410
- 099 330
- 219 432
- 219 428
- 219 429
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A cooking system includes a sink having a basin recessed within a kitchen countertop. The sink is provided with a water inlet, a water outlet and an energy source for heating water introduced into the basin. The cooking system also includes a container that preferably has bottom and side wall portions provided with a plurality of through holes. The container is adapted to house food and to be positioned within the heated water of the basin in order to enable the food items in the container to be cooked.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of cooking and, more particularly, to the incorporation of a boiling sink and matching basket system in a kitchen.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Modern day kitchens, in both commercial and residential settings, are typically provided with various different cooking appliances that can be used individually or in combination to perform a wide range of cooking operations. Some of these cooking operations are performed in boiling water. For instance, poultry, shrimp, eggs, pasta and vegetables are often cooked in boiling water. Although some of these cooking operations can be performed in a microwave oven, most commonly a pot is filled with water and heated upon a surface element of a cooktop in order to boil water for such cooking operations. Obviously, the use of a surface element to perform this operation makes this surface element unavailable for another cooking operation to be preformed at the same time.
There is also a tendency to provide certain cooking units which have dedicated functions. For instance, steamers and deep-fry cookers are fairly popular cooking appliances. Such type of appliances generally enable a single type of cooking operation to be performed on a variety of different food items. However, providing individualized appliances for various different cooking operations would be quite cumbersome. Therefore, there is considered a need in the art for a cooking appliance dedicated for use in cooking food items which need to be boiled in water, but wherein the appliance is integrated into a kitchen countertop.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a kitchen cooking system including a sink having a basin which is recessed within an elongated work surface of a countertop. The sink includes a water inlet opening into the basin at a level below the work surface for supplying water into the basin. An outlet is also provided in the sink for draining the water. Around a body portion of the basin is arranged an energy source that can be activated to boil water supplied into the basin.
Also provided in accordance with the invention is a cooking container including a main body which is preferably shaped to conform to the basin. The container is adapted to hold food items to be cooked in the boiling water of the basin. In the most preferred form of the invention, the container constitutes a colander having bottom and side wall portions provided with a plurality of spaced through holes. The colander includes an elongated handle which projects along the countertop to enable the container and food items to be readily removed from the sink following the completion of the cooking operation.
With this arrangement, water directly enters the basin from the internal water inlet in order to avoid any spillage on the countertop. The energy source is then activated to heat the water, preferably to a boiling point. Food items, such as pasta or vegetables, can be placed in the container and then submerged in the water boiling in the basin. In this manner, the food items can be cooked. After a prescribed cooking operation has been completed, the container can simply be lifted out of the basin, with any water dripping from the food items being simply caught in the sink. Thereafter, the cooked food items can be directly transferred to another serving container, platter or the like. Once the cooking operation is complete, the water can be readily drained from the sink in preparation for a subsequent cooking operation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is an upper perspective view of a kitchen island incorporating the cooking system of the present invention; and
FIG. 2
is a partial cross-sectional view generally taken along line II—II of FIG.
1
.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With initial reference to
FIG. 1
, a workstation for a cooking environment that is generally illustrated to take the form of a kitchen island is indicated at
2
. Island
2
includes an overall countertop
6
having a work surface
8
that is preferably provided with a peripheral lip
11
. Also located around first work surface
8
, at a position slightly outwardly and below lip
11
, is railing trim
13
. As shown, countertop
6
also includes a raised platform
16
having a central zone
17
and an associated, intermediate tier
18
. In the embodiment shown, island
2
is provided with a pair of spaced sinks
30
and
31
, as well as a cooking appliance shown in the form of an electric cooktop
34
. For the sake of simplicity of the drawings, a faucet for sinks
30
and
31
, as well as controls for cooktop
34
have not been illustrated. However, cooktop
34
is shown to include multiple, spaced heating elements
35
-
38
. Although the structure and arrangement of cooktop
34
is not considered part of the present invention, cooktop
34
preferably defines a substantially smooth working surface across countertop
6
.
Countertop
6
is shown to be supported by a base
40
having a lowermost section
42
and an upper section
44
that includes an outwardly extending portion
46
. Therefore, upper section
44
, with outwardly extending portion
46
, supports countertop
6
such that first work surface
8
extends in a substantially horizontal plane. At this point, it should be noted that outwardly extending portion
46
need not extend entirely across the longitudinal side of countertop
6
but could simply be constituted by various spaced, cantilevered beams if enhanced leg room or the like is desirable under countertop
6
. In any event, upper section
44
of base
40
is further used to support a table
49
that is adapted to be used in connection with chairs or the like as a small breakfast or other eating area while the portion of countertop
6
located on the opposite side of platform
16
from table
49
would generally be located in the kitchen area. Again, this arrangement is merely presented in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention and for the sake of completeness. For the same reason, island
2
is shown to include an upper tabletop
51
that is spaced above platform
16
by means of pillars
52
and
53
.
The present invention is particularly directed to a cooking system
60
that includes a boiling sink
62
. More specifically, sink
62
includes a basin
65
defined by a floor portion
68
and side walls
70
-
73
as collectively shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
. Side walls
70
-
73
terminate in an upper rim zone
76
of basin
65
. In the most preferred form of the invention, basin
65
is integrated into countertop
6
. For instance, countertop
6
can be made of Corian, marble, granite or the like, and is integrally formed with basin
65
. On the other hand, sink
62
can be defined by an insert for countertop
6
. In either case, basin
65
is recessed within countertop
6
below work surface
8
.
Sink
62
incorporates a water inlet
80
that is shown to be provided in side wall
72
. In the most preferred embodiment, water inlet
80
is located directly below upper rim zone
76
. Water inlet
80
has attached thereto a water pipe
82
. Pipe
82
can essentially be constituted by a hot water pipe or it can be a common outlet pipe for a controlled flow of hot and cold water in a manner analogous to the faucet of a conventional sink. In any event, the manner in which water is supplied to pipe
82
will be described more fully below. Basin
65
is also provided with a water outlet
86
that has an associated drain pipe
88
. Drain pipe
88
is preferably connected to a common drain with sinks
30
and
31
. However, a dedicated drain could be equally provided. Regardless, basin
65
can be filled with water from pipe
82
and can also be selectively drained through water outlet
86
.
As clearly shown in
FIG. 2
, basin
65
includes an inner surface
92
and an outer surface
93
. Extending across floor
68
and portions of side walls
70
-
73
in accordance with the invention is an energy source
97
. In the most preferred form of the invention, energy source
97
takes the form of an electric resistance heating element that extends around basin
65
in a generally serpentine path. Energy source
97
is provided for the purpose of boiling water introduced into basin
65
through inlet
80
. At this point, it should be recognized that various types of energy sources could be equally utilized in accordance with the invention.
Although manual controls could be provided to selectively introduce water into basin
65
in a manner similar to that of a conventional faucet and a simply plug or the like could be associated with water outlet
86
, in the preferred form of the invention, these functions are performed electronically through a control panel
105
. More specifically, in the exemplary embodiment, control panel
105
is shown to include a water supply button
108
that preferably functions to alternately open and then close an electric solenoid valve (not shown) associated with water pipe
82
. Control panel
105
also includes a drainage control button
109
that can switch the position of a valve (not shown) used to open and close drain pipe
88
. Finally, control panel
105
includes a heat control button
110
used to regulate the activation of energy source
97
. Although the successive pressing of control button
110
could simply switch energy source
97
between activated and deactivated positions, control button
110
could also switch energy source
97
between low, medium and high settings, as well as also providing a deactivated position. In any event, it should be readily apparent that control panel
105
can take various forms without departing from the invention. The electrical wiring associated with control panel
105
has not been shown herein since this wiring is not considered part of the present invention and can take various forms which would be readily obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art. Instead, it is important to note in accordance with the invention that sink
62
has an integrated water supply which enters basin
65
at a level below work surface
8
, incorporates a drain for the water and further includes a heating source for boiling the water provided into the basin. If desired, a water level sensor or the like could be provided as part of control circuitry to mandate a prescribed level of water within basin
65
prior to enabling the activation of energy source
97
.
Cooking system
60
in accordance with the invention also preferably incorporates a food container
120
which can be used in combination with sink
62
in order to cook many different types of food items, including poultry, shrimp, eggs, pasta and vegetables. In the most preferred form of the invention, container
120
takes the form of a wire mesh colander having an upper peripheral rim
128
and a body portion
130
. Body portion
130
is sized and shaped to conform to basin
65
such that placing food items within container
120
while container
120
is arranged within basin
65
is substantially the same as placing the food items directly into basin
65
, at least for the purpose of a given cooking operation. For convenience of removing the cooked food items, container
120
preferably incorporates a handle
138
which is adapted to extend along and preferably over a portion of countertop
6
.
When the overall cooking system
60
is utilized, water is supplied within basin
65
through water pipe
82
and water inlet
80
. When the water level reaches above energy source
97
, energy source
97
is activated to heat the water. Once the water reaches a sufficient temperature, food items arranged in container
120
are submerged in the water for a prescribed period of time in order to cook the items. Thereafter, food container
120
can be removed from basin
65
and any water dripping from container
120
will still fall into sink
62
. The food items can then be transferred to another container, platter or the like for serving purposes. Energy source
97
can be automatically de-activated through the use of a timer (not shown) or directly through control button
110
.
Based on the above, sink
62
represents an additional cooking appliance associated with island
2
that can be dedicated for use in cooking food items in boiling water. The presence of boiling sink
62
can effectively free up one or more of surface heating elements
35
-
38
of cooktop
34
for other cooking operations. In addition, since sink
62
is provided with its own water inlet
80
and drain outlet
86
, it can be readily cleaned as needed.
Although described with respect to a preferred embodiment of the invention, it should be readily understood that various changes and/or modifications can be made to the invention without departing from the spirit thereof. In general, the invention is only intended to be limited by the scope of the following claims.
Claims
- 1. A kitchen cooking system comprising:a countertop including a generally horizontal, elongated work surface; at least one of a cooktop, including multiple surface heating zones, and a sink positioned in the countertop; a secondary sink defining a basin recessed within the countertop; a water inlet opening into the basin at a level below the work surface, said water inlet being adapted to supply water into the basin; an energy source, integrated with the secondary sink, for heating water supplied into the basin, wherein food items placed in the basin can be cooked by the heated water; and an outlet provided in the secondary sink for draining the basin.
- 2. The cooking system according to claim 1, wherein the basin includes a floor and upstanding side walls extending from the floor towards the work surface, said water inlet being formed in one of the side walls of the basin, adjacent the work surface.
- 3. The cooking system according to claim 1, wherein the basin includes inner and outer surfaces, said energy source extending about a portion of the outer surface such that water supplied into the basin is heated through the basin.
- 4. The cooking system according to claim 3, wherein the basin includes a floor and upstanding side walls extending from the floor towards the work surface, said energy source extending along said floor and up at least a portion of the side walls.
- 5. The cooking system according to claim 4, wherein the energy source is constituted by at least one electric resistance heating element.
- 6. The cooking system according to claim 1, further comprising: a cooking container having a body shaped to conform to an interior of said basin, said cooking container being adapted to hold food items to be cooked within the secondary sink.
- 7. The cooking system according to claim 6, wherein the container constitutes a colander having bottom and side wall portions provided with a plurality of spaced through holes.
- 8. The cooking system according to claim 7, wherein the colander includes an elongated handle adapted to extend along the countertop when the container is positioned in the basin.
- 9. A kitchen cooking system comprising:a countertop including a generally horizontal, elongated work surface; at least one of a cooktop, including multiple surface heating zones, and a sink positioned in the countertop; a secondary sink defining a basin recessed within the countertop, said basin being adapted to be supplied with water; an energy source for heating water supplied into the basin; an outlet for draining the basin; and a cooking container having a body sized to fit within the basin, said cooking container being adapted to be placed within the basin while housing food items in order to cook the food items within the secondary sink.
- 10. The cooking system according to claim 9, further comprising: a water inlet opening into and sealed to the basin at a level below the work surface.
- 11. The cooking system according to claim 10, wherein the basin includes a floor and upstanding side walls extending from the floor towards the work surface, said water inlet being formed in one of the side walls of the basin, adjacent the work surface.
- 12. The cooking system according to claim 9, wherein the basin includes inner and outer surfaces, said energy source extending about a portion of the outer surface such that water supplied into the basin is heated through the basin.
- 13. The cooking system according to claim 12, wherein the basin includes a floor and upstanding side walls extending from the floor towards the work surface, said energy source extending along said floor and up at least a portion of the side walls.
- 14. The cooking system according to claim 13, wherein the energy source is constituted by at least one electric resistance heating element.
- 15. The cooking system according to claim 9, wherein the container constitutes a colander having bottom and side wall portions provided with a plurality of spaced through holes.
- 16. The cooking system according to claim 15, wherein the colander includes an elongated handle adapted to extend along the countertop when the container is positioned in the basin.
- 17. The cooking system according to claim 1, wherein the secondary sink is formed integral with the countertop.
- 18. The cooking system according to claim 1, further comprising: a control panel, provided on the countertop, including a plurality of control elements for establishing a desired water level and temperature in the secondary sink.
- 19. The cooking system according to claim 9, wherein the secondary sink is formed integral with the countertop.
- 20. The cooking system according to claim 9, further comprising: a control panel, provided on the countertop, including a plurality of control elements for establishing a desired water level and temperature in the secondary sink.
US Referenced Citations (13)