The present invention relates to splatter screens for use in cooking, and more particularly relates to disposable splatter screens made of perforated foil.
Splatter screens are used during cooking to minimize splattering, particularly when foods are being fried or cooked. However, conventional splatter screens are difficult to clean, may not be of the desired size, and can be relatively expensive.
The present invention has been developed in view of the foregoing and to remedy other deficiencies of the prior art.
An aspect of the present invention is to provide a splatter screen useful for cooking comprising a foil sheet with a pattern of openings through the foil sheet structured and arranged to allow gas vapor to pass through the openings while blocking splattered liquid droplets from passing through the openings. In one embodiment, the openings comprise slits through the foil that may be widened when the foil is pulled in an expansion direction in the plane of the foil to thereby expand the foil in the expansion direction. In another embodiment, the openings comprise flaps in the foil that are movable to positions out of the plane of the foil to thereby allow gas vapor to escape through the flaps while blocking splattered liquid droplets from passing through the foil.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method of minimizing splattering during cooking by positioning a splatter screen as described above over a cooking pan or pot.
These and other aspects of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description.
The present invention provides disposable splatter screens for use in cooking. The screens may be placed over frying pans, pots or the like in order to minimize oil, grease and liquid splattering that normally occurs while frying and cooking various types of foods. The disposable splatter screens comprise perforations or openings that are sized and arranged to reduce oil, grease and liquid splattering while allowing water vapor to escape.
The splatter screens are made of relatively thin foil having a typical thickness of less than about 0.2 mm (0.008 inch), typically from about 0.006 to about 0.1 mm (0.0002 to 0.004 inch). In certain embodiments, the foil screens are made of metal such as aluminum, parchment paper, or any other suitable material that can withstand relatively high temperatures encountered during cooking. For example, the splatter screen may be made of standard gauge aluminum foil having a thickness of from about 0.02 to about 0.05 mm. In a particular embodiment, the aluminum foil may be a standard heavy duty gauge foil having a thickness of about 0.04 mm.
The slits 12 may be formed in the foil by die cutting, laser cutting, or any other suitable forming technique. The length, spacing and pattern of the slits 12 may be selected in order to provide the desired opening sizes and ratio of opening surface area to foil material surface area when the foil is subsequently expanded. For example, each slit 12 may be from about 1 to about 15 mm long, typically from about 1.5 to about 8 or 10 mm long. The slits 12 may be spaced a distance of from about 1 to about 10 mm from each other, typically from about 1.5 to about 5 mm from each other.
In
In the expanded condition, the perforated openings 14 of the disposable splatter screens of the present invention typically comprise from about 10 to about 80 percent of the surface area of the foil, with the remaining surface area comprising the solid foil material. For example, the perforated openings may comprise from about 20 to about 50 percent of the surface area. The width of each opening 14 typically ranges from about 0.1 to about 5 mm, for example, from about 0.2 to about 1 or 2 mm, as measured in the horizontal direction in
In the embodiment shown in
In the alternative embodiment shown in
Although the disposable splatter screens shown in the foregoing figures are made of expandable foil, it is to be understood that the splatter screens of the present invention may alternatively be provided in the foam of foil having perforated openings without the necessity of pulling or otherwise expanding the foil. In this embodiment, a pattern of openings having any desired shape such as rectangular, round, etc. may be provided through the foil.
The disposable splatter screens of the present invention provide many advantages over conventional splatter screens. For example, the present screens avoid the necessity of cleaning reusable screens, may be cut or formed to the desired size depending upon the particular cooking need, and are relatively inexpensive. Furthermore, when the present disposable screens are made of a material such as aluminum foil, they can be recycled. In addition to use as splatter screens, the present disposable screens may be used for other purposes such as light duty colanders and strainers. Also, the foil screens may be used for grilling to allow smoke and drippings to pass through the foil, while supporting the food items being grilled and preventing certain types of small foods from falling through conventional grill gratings (such as chicken wings, shrimp, vegetables, fruit and the like) or certain types of delicate foods from falling apart while being grilled (such as fish and the like).
Whereas particular embodiments of this invention have been described above for purposes of illustration, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that numerous variations of the details of the present invention may be made without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/180,959 filed May 26, 2009, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61180959 | May 2009 | US |