Patent Application
20050214415
Pizza is one of the most popular food items in the United States. Pizzas come in many different shapes and sizes, with virtually unlimited variation in the types of toppings, meats, vegetables, cheese, doughs/crusts and other ingredients used. Pizza makers select and assemble these ingredients to create a taste, aroma, texture and consistency in accordance with the desires of their selected audience. Commercial pizza makers with national and international presence, especially pizza restaurants, typically select, develop and promote a number of different pizzas, varying at least in the number and type of toppings.
So that one or more consumers can enjoy different styles or types of pizzas in one sitting, it is often desired to provide pizzas made-to-order in one way on one portion of the pizza, and in another way on another portion of the pizza. A customer or group customers in a pizza restaurant, for example, might order one topping on one-half of the pizza and another topping on another half of the pizza. Potential difficulties arise, however, in that different topping types may not be distributed or maintained exactly as desired. For example, one topping type intended for one portion of the pizza may spill over to the other portion of the pizza when the pizza is made, or toppings may slide off their intended portion of the pizza when the pizza is cut. Additionally, pizza may not be cut exactly at the division line between the differently prepared portions. It can also be operationally difficult to combine certain pizza variations into a single pizza.
Accordingly, an apparatus for holding and preparing multiple pizzas from a single or multiple sheets of dough has been developed. See, for example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/775,753, filed Feb. 10, 2004, priority to which is claimed under 35 U.S.C. §120 and which is incorporated herein by reference. Pizza sauce is applied to each of the multiple pizzas, by a utensil such as a spreader or ladle.
A method of distributing fluid material on a food item includes providing a spreader having a shape substantially corresponding to the shape of the food item, and using the spreader to spread the fluid material evenly on the food item, edges of the spread fluid material being substantially parallel with and substantially evenly spaced from edges of the food item, the using occurring free of twisting, turning or rotation of the spreader or the food item. A spreader for spreading fluid material on a food item includes a handle and a bowl having a shape substantially corresponding to a shape of the food item.
Embodiments of the invention are described with respect to the figures, in which like reference numbers denote like elements and in which:
Handle 15 defines different angles between portions 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40. The angles between, and relative lengths and dimensions of, the portions of handle 15 illustrated in
Bowl 50 is substantially square-shaped, according to the illustrated embodiment, and includes four upstanding sidewalls 55, four substantially rounded corners 60, and bottom 65. Bowl 50 is intended to deposit and then spread pizza sauce evenly to four corners of substantially square-shaped pizza dough portions, or other substantially square-shaped food items. According to embodiments of the invention, then, the shape of bowl 50 substantially corresponds to the shape of the food item to which ladle 10 is to apply and/or spread a liquid or fluid material such as pizza sauce. As will be described, however, embodiments of the invention are by no means limited to square-shaped bowls, or square-shaped pizza dough portions or food items.
Ladle 10, including the relative dimensions of and angular relationships between the portions of handle 15 described above, is adapted to spread sauce toward, to, and/or into the corners of e.g. a substantially square piece of pizza dough or other food item with corners, without twisting and turning the pan, and without twisting and turning ladle 10. Ladle 10 also is adapted for carrying pizza sauce or other material to the pizza dough or other food item and for depositing the sauce or material thereon. Ladle 10 is simply moved toward the four corners of a substantially square or substantially rectangular pizza dough or other food item, for example, to spread the pizza sauce or other material evenly over the entire pizza dough or other food item, and/or into the corners thereof, without applying the material undesirably to an edge of the food item, e.g. to and onto the outer crust of pizza dough.
Embodiments of the invention thus broadly relate to a utensil that is adapted to (1) carry or otherwise transport fluid material to a food item, such as pizza sauce to pizza dough, (2) deposit the material on the food item, and (3) spread the material on the food item substantially without having to twist and turn the utensil, the food item, or a container in which the food item is supported. By way of contrast, if a typical rounded-bowl ladle were used, it would be more difficult for a user to use the rounded edge of the bowl to evenly and accurately spread pizza sauce into a corner of pizza dough, without turning the ladle on edge or otherwise manipulating ladle or the food item in an awkward or undesirable manner, for example by twisting, turning and/or rotation.
Other bowl shapes and other food-item shapes are contemplated. For example, for substantially triangle-shaped pizza dough portions or other substantially triangle-shaped food items, a ladle with a substantially triangle-shaped bowl is advantageous for reaching into corners of the substantially triangle-shaped food item, again without undesirable twisting, turning, and/or rotation. According to one embodiment, a base of the triangle-shaped bowl is substantially centered on handle portion 40, and an apex of the bowl is disposed substantially opposite the base. Other bowl shapes and food-item shapes are contemplated, and are not limited to shapes having corners or straight edges.
In the illustrated square-shaped embodiment and in other-shape embodiments, edge(s) 55 of bowl 50 are substantially parallel to or otherwise substantially correspond to edges of the food item, and corners 60 of ladle 10 to corners of the food item. Accordingly, the edge of a portion of sauce or other material, once spread with ladle 15, will also be substantially parallel to or otherwise substantially correspond to corners 60 of ladle 10. Additionally, bowl 50 is of such dimensions that an amount of sauce or other material to be deposited on the food item is the same as or corresponds to the volume of bowl 50, or some even multiple of the volume of bowl 50. For example, one “scoop” or two “scoops” of pizza sauce effectively carried by bowl 50 of ladle 10 is just enough to evenly and adequately cover the pizza dough on which the sauce is being deposited and spread.
According to one embodiment, the sauce to be deposited and spread is relatively thick, and is shaken and/or scraped and/or gently thrown or flung from ladle 10 onto the pizza dough or other food item. The bottom of bowl 50 of ladle 10 then is used to spread the sauce evenly over the pizza dough and into the corners thereof. Thus, ladle 10 is adapted more for spreading operations than for pouring operations, according to certain specific embodiments of the invention, although pouring also is contemplated.
With reference to
The ingredients placed on multiple dough portions 160, 165 also optionally include bottom cheese, meats, vegetables/fruits, top cheese, or any other food items or toppings suitable for placement on pizza products. Meats adapted for use optionally include pepperoni, sausage, ham, and/or bacon, to name several examples, and vegetables/fruits optionally include green peppers, mushrooms, black olives, and/or tomatoes, to name several examples. The placing of ingredients according to a method embodiment of the invention includes placing different types and/or combinations of ingredients on multiple dough portions 160, 165 such that multiple pizzas of different kinds are created. Embodiments of the invention extend to pizzas created by methods using ladle 10.
Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that a wide variety of dimensions, relative angles, and other shape features are contemplated for ladle or spreader 10. For example, angles between portions 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 of handle 15 and between portion 40 and bowl 50 are, respectively, as taken along a lower outside edge of ladle 10 as viewed in
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/775,753, filed Feb. 10, 2004, priority to which is claimed under 35 U.S.C. §120, discloses an apparatus for holding and preparing multiple pizzas. According to one embodiment, a single dough sheet settles into different portions of the apparatus and is upturned and angled in a manner to provide a “separate-pizza” appearance, i.e. to create an appearance of multiple, separately prepared pizzas in the finished, baked product. Embodiments of the present invention are especially, though not exclusively, applicable to applying pizza sauce to such multiple pizzas.
Embodiments of the invention are specifically directed toward pizza-type food products. Embodiments of the invention have wide application for use in cooking and preparing other foods and food products, however, including pies, cookies, pastries, etc. Thus while certain embodiments have been described with respect to pizza, the invention is not limited to those embodiments. Additionally, those of ordinary skill will appreciate that the invention contemplates a large number of variations and modifications beyond those specifically disclosed herein, including but not limited to additional dimensions, materials, shapes, and other features not specifically described herein.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/592,033, filed Jul. 28, 2004, priority to which is claimed under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) and which is incorporated herein by reference; this application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. Design Patent Application No. 29/199,098, filed Feb. 10, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. D504,056, issued Apr. 19, 2005, and which is incorporated herein by reference; this application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/775,753, filed Feb. 10, 2004, which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60592033 | Jul 2004 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 29199098 | Feb 2004 | US |
| Child | 11109486 | Apr 2005 | US |
| Parent | 10775753 | Feb 2004 | US |
| Child | 11109486 | Apr 2005 | US |
