Patent Application
20180116462
The present invention relates to the stylizing of foodstuff. More specifically, the present relates to the formation of designs on foodstuff through the intentional positioning of stylizing implement during cooking.
In the culinary field, the aesthetic appeal of food items is of growing emphasis relative to the elements of taste and texture. As such, there is the emerging trend towards cooking foods with attractive and entertaining designs. Stylizing food through shaping, coloring and texturing among other things can be accomplished in a variety of ways such as adding food dyes, using cut-outs or molds, or by layering. This is particularly useful when cooking items that having defined surfaces can be used as a canvas for expressive or interesting designs. For instance, some bake products, such as for example, pancakes and waffles are formed from poured batters and as they are cooked, develop visible surfaces that can provide an easily viewable and attractive canvas for stylizing. In addition, bread can be cooked for example in preparing grilled cheese sandwiches or French toast wherein the viewable bread surface also makes an attractive canvas. Finally, certain cuts of meat such as, for example, steaks and pork chops are also typically cut so as to have easily viewable surface
In the case of pourable batters such as used in pancakes, children and adults alike enjoy designing pancakes and other bakery items with entertaining designs such as a cartoon mouse or smiley faces. Generally, the designs can be attempted by pouring the batter in a desired shape or through the use of a mold or “cookie cutter.” While pouring or molding the batter into a desired shape can provide a basic perimeter shape for a pancake, this does not contribute anything to the appearance of the cooked portions; i.e., the top and bottom surfaces of the cooked item. Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide a mechanism that serves as an effective means of stylizing viewable surface of food products.
The present invention addresses these issues by providing a stylizing member formed of a heat resistant polymer that is capable of absorbing heat with minimal conduction, while still remaining solid when exposed to hot cooking surfaces, thus having the ability to emblemize or stylize food in the shape of a polymer cutout. As a result of being positioned between the hot cooking surface and the food, the stylizing member can effectively eliminate surface browning on the food whereby a distinct color contrast is visually identifiable between the portion of the food in contact with the cooking surface and the portion of the food that is separated from the cooking surface by the styling member. Based on the type of food, for example, products formed from a pourable batter, the resulting cooked product can be left with an indent where it was poured over the stylizing member in addition to a difference in color shading. The stylizing member can be cut or stamped from sheets or molded to resemble a specific design, logo, and/or shape. Generally, the heat resistant polymer is chosen of a material suited for food contact and that possesses a melting point high enough to resist melting when placed directly on a griddle or pan and cooked at conventional baking temperatures. The stylizing member is capable of being reused and can be cleaned or sanitized for reuse by simple hand washing or through placement in a dishwasher. In some embodiment, the heat resistant material can be selected of materials such as, for example, silicone rubber and PTFE.
One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a styling member that is capable of emblemizing food stuff by minimizing direct heat application to a surface of the food stuff such that a difference in color, i.e. reduction in surface browning, is visibly observable. Specifically, the stylizing member can comprise a heat resistant material, for example, silicone rubber or PTFE, that is cut, stamped, molded or otherwise formed into various shapes and designs. The stylizing member can comprise shapes such as circles, squares or triangles, various patterns including, logos and emblems. By placing the stylizing member directly on a cooking surface and then placing or pouring (in the case of a batter such as, for example, pancakes, the foodstuff over at least a portion of stylizing member, the cutout minimizes the flow of heat to food surfaces in contact with the stylizing member resulting in a color difference as compared to food surfaces in direct contact with the cooking surface. In certain embodiments, the stylizing member can be formed to have a pronounced thickness or width that results in the formation of a more pronounced indent in the food surface in addition to a color difference. As such, the stylizing member can provide an observable surface appearance on a foodstuff that includes visual elements related to both differences in depth and coloration.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of stylizing foodstuff that includes the use of a stylizing member in order to indent and/or or vary color on a food surface so as to depict a visual design. Specifically the method can comprise forming a stylizing member from a suitable high temperature polymer so as to have a specific shape or figure. In some embodiments, the stylizing member can be formed by cutting or molding the stylizing member from the high temperature polymer. The method can further comprise placing the stylizing member directly on a cooking surface, for example, a griddle surface, a glass range surface, a frying pan, a cookie sheet and the like, whereby a foodstuff is placed at least partially on top of the stylizing member. The method can further comprise minimizing heat transfer to a selected surface of the foodstuff, such that visible difference, i.e., browning is visually identifiable between the portion of the foodstuff in direct contact with the cooking surface and the portion of the foodstuff separated from the cooking surface by the stylizing member. In some embodiments, the method can further comprise forming an indent in the selected surface of the foodstuff, where the foodstuff is separated from the cooking surface by its placement on the stylizing member. The method can further comprise removing the foodstuff from the stylizing member and cooking surface whereby a stylized color design and/or imprint is visibly identifiable on the selected surface of the foodstuff.
In another specific embodiment, the present invention can be directed to methods for stylizing pancakes. Generally, the method can comprise placing a stylizing member directly on a cooking surface, for example, a griddle surface, a glass range surface or a frying pan. The method can further comprise pouring a pancake batter directly over a top surface of the stylizing member such that as the pancake batter spreads, at least a portion, preferably a center portion, of the poured batter covers the stylizing member. The method further comprises minimizing heat transfer to the portion of the poured batter that is covering the stylizing member such that as the poured batter is cooked, a color difference, i.e., level of browning, is visually identifiable between the portion of the poured batter in direct contact with the cooking surface and the portion of the poured batter separated from the cooking surface by the stylizing member. In some embodiments, the method can further comprise forming an indent in the portion of the poured batter that is separated from the cooking surface by its placement on the stylizing member. The method can further comprise flipping the poured batter to cook a second side of the poured batter, wherein at least a portion of the second side is positioned on top of the stylizing member so as to impart color differences and/or imprints to the second side. The method can further comprise removing a cooked pancake from the cooking surface whereby one or more sides of the cooked pancake includes visible color differences and/or imprints that correspond to a shape of the stylizing member.
The above summary is not intended to describe each illustrated embodiment or every implementation of the subject matter hereof. The figures and the detailed description that follow more particularly exemplify various embodiments.
Subject matter hereof may be more completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments in connection with the accompanying figures, in which:
While various embodiments are amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the claimed inventions to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the claims.
As illustrated generally in
According to another embodiment of the present invention, the heat-resistant material can include, metal, silicon, or an organic polymer such as PTFE and combinations thereof. The invention can also comprise of materials compatible with machine washing and sanitation for reuse.
Body 102, and more specifically, the perimeter wall 104 can define various body shapes 114, such as, for example a circle as seen in
Referring now to
Following use, stylizing member 100 can be cleaned and/or sanitized for reuse using conventional washing techniques. Generally, stylizing member 100 can be hand washed or placed in a dishwasher for cleaning. Following washing, the stylizing member 100 can be stored for reuse in the future.
Various embodiments of systems, devices, and methods have been described herein. These embodiments are given only by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed inventions. It should be appreciated, moreover, that the various features of the embodiments that have been described may be combined in various ways to produce numerous additional embodiments. Moreover, while various materials, dimensions, shapes, configurations and locations, etc. have been described for use with disclosed embodiments, others besides those disclosed may be utilized without exceeding the scope of the claimed inventions.
