Patent Application
20080220132
The present invention relates to food and food processing, and more particularly relates to molds and a method of cooking conical tortilla shells.
Taco shells filled with foods, and other types of cooked tortilla wrapped foods are advantageous in that they provide edible containers for eating other foods, can simply and readily be cooked at home, and when cooked and filled with other foods, can be picked up and eaten without utensils. However, children commonly have difficulty eating a filled taco or other tortilla wrapped food in their hands, since they frequently will eat the taco or other tortilla wrapped food from the middle first, leaving the ends of the taco or other tortilla wrapped food unsupported, making it difficult to eat even when the food is held in two hands. Children and adults typically find it easier to eat ice cream or other foods in cones from the top down, even when the food is held in one hand.
One conventional kit and method for cooking conically shaped tortilla cones includes conical molds, and involves wrapping a special tear shaped tortilla patty in a cone shape about the exterior surface of a first mold. The mold is then inserted into another conical mold to secure the wrapped tortilla between the two molds, after which the tortilla is cooked between the two conical molds by deep frying in hot cooking oil. A clip may be used to secure any number of assembled molds and tortilla cones together in a stack during cooking, and removed afterwards.
With another type of conical form, a flat tortilla is first formed or cut in a particular shape with a bottom round side and a flatter top side. The shaped tortilla is wrapped into a conical form, and placed into a hollow interior of a conical perforated mold. A metal conical form is then placed into the conical perforated mold over the tortilla. Several such conically wrapped tortillas held between these inner and outer forms may be placed into a wire cage which is lowered into hot oil for frying the conically wrapped tortillas.
Another method of cooking dough in the shape of edible cones utilizes male and female cone-shaped molds. The dough is placed on an upper portion of the male mold, and the two cone-shaped molds are locked together with the dough in a cone-shaped space defined between the molds. The molds remain locked together during cooking of the dough, such as by immersion in hot oil. An aperture in the conical tip of the female mold allows escape of excess dough as well as steam during cooking. The resulting edible cone may be filled with food to serve as an edible serving container for the food.
It would be desirable to provide a pair of molds with handles that may be grasped and manipulated together by a user for cooking a typical round flat tortilla in a conical shape, so that it can be used as an edible container and filled for serving and eating a wide variety of foods. The present invention fills this and other needs.
Briefly, and in general terms, the present invention provides for an apparatus and method for forming and cooking a tortilla in a conical shape. The apparatus includes a first and second conically shaped hollow molds having an inside surface and an exterior surface defining a plurality of apertures therethrough. The first mold has a narrow end with a closed apex, a widened end with an opening having a lip, and a handle mounted to the inside surface and extending a predetermined distance sufficiently beyond the lip of the first mold to allow the handle be grasped by a user. The second mold has a narrow end with an apex with an opening, a widened end with an opening having a lip, and a handle mounted to the exterior surface and extending a predetermined distance corresponding to the handle of the first mold and sufficiently beyond the lip of the second mold to allow the handle be grasped by a user, whereby a tortilla may be placed between the first and second molds for cooking. In a presently preferred aspect, the handles of the first and second molds are rods, although in another variation, the handles of the first and second molds may be formed in the shape of a loop. In another presently preferred aspect, the first and second molds are made of a thin planar material.
The present invention also provides for a method for forming and cooking a tortilla in a conical shape. The method involves providing the first and second molds, placing a round, flat tortilla on a flat surface, placing an external side of the first mold on a top surface of the tortilla with the closed apex of the first mold approximately at a first outer portion of a radial edge of the tortilla, wrapping a second outer portion of the radial edge of the tortilla over the exterior surface of the first mold, wrapping a third outer portion of the radial edge of the tortilla over the exterior surface of the first mold and overlapping the second outer portion of the radial edge of the tortilla, and pressing the tortilla to the exterior surface of the first mold. The apex of the first mold with the tortilla wrapped thereon is inserted into the interior of the second mold, and the handles of the first and second molds are placed together so that the first and second molds and the tortilla therebetween can be manipulated together by a user. The tortilla is then cooked between the first and second molds, and the cooked tortilla may then be removed from between the first and second molds.
These and other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, which illustrate by way of example the features of the invention.
With reference to the drawings, which are exemplary and are provided for illustration and not by way of limitation, the present invention accordingly provides for an apparatus and method for forming and cooking a typical round flat tortilla in a conical shape so that the tortilla can be used as an edible shell for containing foods such as are typically eaten in tacos or burritos, and desserts such as ice cream, for example. Referring to
The first, inner mold is preferably made of a thin planar material, such as aluminum or stainless steel, for example, in a hollow conical shape, perforated by a plurality of apertures 16, and having a closed apex 18, and an opening or mouth 20 at the widest portion of the mold, with a lip 22. A handle 24 is mounted to the inside surface 26 of the first, inner mold, typically extending a predetermined distance sufficiently beyond the lip of the mold to allow the handle be grasped by a user with a hot pad or glove, as will be further explained below. In a presently preferred aspect illustrated in
The second, outer mold is also preferably made of a thin planar material, such as aluminum or stainless steel, for example, in a hollow conical shape, perforated by a plurality of apertures 36, and having an apex with an opening 38, such as approximately ½ inch or ⅜ inch in diameter, for example, and an opening or mouth 40 at the widest portion of the mold, with a lip 42. A handle 44 is mounted to the outside surface 46 of the second, outer mold, typically extending sufficiently beyond the lip of the mold a predetermined distance, typically corresponding to the length of the handle of the first, inner mold, to allow the handle be grasped by a user with a hot pad or glove, as will be further explained below. In a presently preferred aspect illustrated in
In the method of the invention, as is illustrated in
With reference to
It will be apparent from the foregoing that while particular forms of the invention have been illustrated and described, various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited, except as by the appended claims.
