Patent Application
20180125302
The present invention generally relates to cooking utensils, and particularly relates to cooking utensils for flavoring or brining a whole chicken or other bird as it is being cooked.
Brining is a known technique for flavoring or tenderizing poultry and other meat using salt. Brining is similar to the process of marination and involves steeping meat in a salt and water solution before cooking. The meat is soaked anywhere from 30 minutes to a few days, the amount of time varying based on the amount of meat being prepared and the intensity of flavor and tenderness desired. In many instances, the addition of salt is also desirable as a method of preserving the meat. The brining process is time consuming and demands considerable planning and preparation.
Alternative techniques for flavoring or tenderizing poultry with salt include the use of a brining egg or a salt slab. A brining egg is an egg-shaped nugget of salt that after being pre-heated is inserted by hand into the body cavity of a whole bird, where it dissolves as the bird is being cooked, providing added flavor. (If the egg is not pre-heated it will act as a heat sink and lose its effectiveness.) After cooking, the brining egg is removed, washed and dried in order to be reused with another bird. This process may be repeated with several birds until the brining egg is mostly dissolved. A salt slab is a large, flat chunk of salt that is placed on a stove or grill to be heated. Sliced poultry can then be cooked on the salt slab for added flavor. Like the brining egg, the salt slab can be washed and dried after cooking to be reused with other poultry, vegetables or meat until the salt slab is mostly dissolved. Both of these techniques eliminate the need to soak the poultry in a salt and water solution prior to cooking, which cuts down on planning and preparation time.
However, use of a brining egg generally involves a whole bird being laid horizontally as it is being cooked. This results in unbalanced heat exposure and requires the bird to be constantly monitored and rotated during the cooking process. The salt slab, on the other hand, requires poultry to be sliced into pieces to be cooked on the salt slab and thus the salt slab cannot be used to flavor or brine a whole bird. Use of brining eggs has another particular disadvantage, in that pre-heated eggs are hot and must be carefully handled when inserting them into the cavity of the bird.
Briefly, the present invention provides a cooking utensil for efficiently flavoring or brining a whole chicken or other bird while it is being cooked in an upright position. The cooking utensil includes a salt block configured to fit into the body cavity of a bird and a base pan having a holder for holding the salt block in an upright position on the base pan. The utensil permits a whole bird to be inserted over a pre-heated salt block for brining without having to handle a pre-heated block of salt in any shape or form, as is the case with brining eggs.
In an illustrated embodiment of the invention, the salt block holder includes an anchor post extending upwardly from the base pan. The salt block, in turn, has an anchor hole in its bottom end that is sized to receive the anchor post. The salt block can thus be detachably anchored to the base pan by placing the salt block bottom end down over the anchor post such that the anchor post of the base pan inserts into the anchor hole of the salt block. A bird can be placed over the anchored salt block such that the anchored salt block inserts into the body cavity of the bird to hold the bird in an upright position. Holding the bird upright during the cooking process allows for balanced heat exposure and eliminates the need to regularly monitor and rotate the bird.
In the illustrated embodiment, the anchor post can either be permanently affixed to the base pan, such as by spot welding, or can be removably attached to the base pan. The anchor post can be removably attachable to the base pan directly or can be contained in or on a holding structure, which in turn is removably attachable to the base pan. For example, in one aspect of the invention the anchor post is preferably contained in a holder cup sized and shaped to receive the bottom end of the salt block. The holder cup can be provided with attachment means for removably attaching the holder cup to the base pan.
It will be understood that the salt block holder could also be provided without an anchor post. For example, a plane holder cup—one without an anchor post—could be provided on the bottom of the base pan. The plane holder cup would be configured to receive and hold the bottom end of the salt block so as to anchor the salt block to the pan and in an upright position. The plane holder cup could be permanently affixed to the bottom of the base pan or removably attached to the base pan.
A cooking utensil in accordance with the invention is thus suitable for both holding a whole bird upright and flavoring the bird as it is being cooked. By removing the salt block, the pan can be used for cooking (including barbecuing) any food items for which brining is not required or desired.
Referring now to
Height (H)—150 mm (5.9 inches)
Bottom diameter (D1)—65 mm (2.56 inches)
Top diameter (D2)—45 mm (1.77 inches)
A tapering of the salt block from a narrower diameter at the top to a wider diameter at the bottom allows for the salt block to fit different cavity openings within a range of diameters. An elongated shape also serves to maximize the surface area of the salt block, allowing for maximum heat transfer and salt transfer into the bird. For example, the salt block of
It should be understood that the dimensions of the salt block can also be configured to fit larger whole birds, such as turkeys, or smaller whole birds, such as Cornish hens or quails.
The base pan 20 preferably has a substantially flat bottom 21 and suitably has an upturned rim 23. A vertically standing anchor post 22 preferably extends from the bottom 21 of the base pan 20 and can be either permanently affixed to the base pan 20, such as by spot welding, or detachable from the base pan.
The bottom end 16 of the salt block 12 can have an anchor hole 18 (shown in
As shown in
In this example, a centering hole 28 and a set of key tab receiving slots 24 are provided in the center portion of the bottom of the base pan 20. Each key tab receiving slot 24 is generally L-shaped, having an inwardly curved slot portion 25 and a wider opening 27 at one end of the slot.
The holder cup 41 can be removably attached to the center portion of the base pan 20. The holder cup 41 has upright sidewalls 43 terminating at an open top end, and has a closed bottom end 45.
As shown in
The base pan 20 and holder cup 41 are fabricated from known thermally conductive materials, and can be constructed from punched or cut pieces of sheet metal and spot-welded in the desired configuration.
The holder cup 41 can be attached to the base pan 20 by holding the holder cup 41 in an upright position over the center portion of the base pan 20, aligning the horizontal part 49 of each of the key tabs 42 directly over the openings 27 of the key tab receiving slots 24, and aligning the positioning post 47 over the centering hole 28 in the base pan 20 as shown in
It should be understood that the holder cup 41 can be removably attached to base pan 20 by other known means, including alternative key tab configurations or fastening mechanisms or a threaded attachment.
It should also be understood that the holder cup 41 can be designed without an anchor post, so long as the holder cup 41 is otherwise configured to receive the bottom end of the salt block 12 and to hold the salt block 12 upright. For example, the holder cup could be configured as a cylindrical cup having sidewalls as illustrated in
Holder cup 41, as well as the base pan, is suitably fabricated as a stamped metal part, and its upright sidewalls can suitably have a height of about 145 mm (5.7 inches). It is believed this height would also be suitable for a holder cup without an anchor post; however, somewhat higher sidewalls might be selected for greater stability. Generally, it is desirable to have a holder cup with sidewalls as low as possible to minimize the coverage of the salt block but of sufficient height to maintain the stability of the salt block in its upright position. For holding a truncated cone-shaped salt block having the dimensions above-described, the holding cup would preferably be a cylindrical cup as illustrated with a suitable inside diameter of about 68 mm (2.7 inches). It will be understood that, while the shape of the holder cup would preferably conform to the shape of the base of the salt block, this is not required, so long as the cup is capable of holding the elongated block of salt in its upright position.
When using any of the example cooking utensils described, it is preferable that the salt block be pre-heated. This can be done by placing an empty utensil with its upright salt block on a barbecue grill or in an oven preheated, for example, to 350 degrees or more. Preheating the salt block provides the additional benefit of faster cooking times when compared to traditional vertical cooking of a whole bird since the hot salt block provides improved conductivity and radiant heat transfer to the inside of the bird. This added heat is usually not provided when flavoring liquids are used.
Once the salt block 12 on the base pan 20 is preheated, a whole bird F can, as best illustrated in
The upright whole bird F can then be cooked on the barbecue grill or in the oven (or on or in some other cooking appliance). Vegetables, herbs, and other food items (not shown) can be placed on the bottom 21 of the base pan 20 to cook alongside the bird. As the juices in the bird F heat up during the cooking process, the salt block 12 will dissolve, infusing the bird with salt flavor. Again, preheating the salt block 12 serves to expedite this process. Additionally, any other food items surrounding the bird will absorb drippings from the bird for added flavor.
After the cooking process is finished, the salt block 12, 32 can, after it has cooled, be removed from the base pan 20, washed and then dried in order to be reused with another bird. This process may be repeated until the salt block 12, 32 is substantially dissolved, at which point the salt block can be replaced.
It will be understood that the base pan can be used either with or without the salt block and/or holder cup to cook food items placed in the base pan, thereby adding flexibility to the cooking utensil.
The cooking utensils with removable elements as described herein can be efficiently packaged in stackable containers by removing the salt block 12, 32 and/or holder cup 41 from the base pan 20 and by laying the salt block 12, 32 on its side, in or next to the relatively flat base pan 20 and/or stacking multiple of the holder cups 41.
While the invention has been described in considerable detail in the foregoing specification and the accompanying drawings, it will be understood that it is not intended that the invention be limited to such detail, except as may be necessitated by the following claims.
