The present invention relates to an improved pan for baking brownies or other food.
One embodiment of the present invention comprises a baking pan comprising a plurality of sidewalls comprising a plurality of sidewall segments, wherein each sidewall segment is offset to each adjacent segment, a bottom surface support network comprising a plurality of bottom surface support segments and a plurality of holes, a plurality of towers joined to said bottom surface support network, the sides of said towers not in contact with any of the sidewalls, a removable bottom surface having a plurality of holes and cutouts for engaging said towers and sidewalls; and a baking cavity formed by the removable bottom surface, the plurality of sidewalls and the plurality of towers, wherein said bottom surface, towers and sidewalls define a plurality of baking compartments and a plurality of passages connecting said baking compartments.
In at least one embodiment, the towers are substantially square in cross section.
In at least one embodiment, the towers and sidewalls are arranged such that food or batter placed in each baking compartment is in contact with a side of said tower or a sidewall segment on each side.
In at least one embodiment, the towers are substantially shaped like a parallelogram in cross section and said sidewall segments are substantially arcuate.
In at least one embodiment, the towers and sidewalls are inclined such that said baking compartments are generally frustoconical in shape.
Another embodiment of the present invention comprises a method of baking a food item or baked good, comprising: (a) providing a baking pan comprising: a plurality of sidewalls comprising a plurality of sidewall segments, wherein each sidewall segment is offset to each adjacent segment; a bottom surface support network comprising a plurality of bottom surface support segments and a plurality of holes; a plurality of towers joined to said bottom surface support network, the sides of said towers not in contact with any of the sidewalls; a removable bottom surface having a plurality of holes and cutouts for engaging said towers and sidewalls; and a baking cavity formed by the removable bottom surface, the plurality of sidewalls and the plurality of towers, wherein said towers and sidewalls define a plurality of baking compartments and a plurality of passages connecting said baking compartments; (b) depositing a batter or food product into said baking cavity; (c) baking the batter or food product; (d) forming a food product with crisp edges; and (e) removing the baked food product from the baking pan by lifting or pushing the removable bottom surface from the baking pan.
Exemplary embodiments of this invention will be described with reference to the accompanying figures.
The present invention is directed to a single-pour baking pan for baking brownies or other foods in which substantially each side of the baked good has a crisp edge.
Referring to
The towers 50 may be integrally formed with the bottom surface 20 of the baking pan 10. In embodiments, the towers 50 have four sides and an open top, although different numbers of sides (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, etc.) can be used without departing from the scope of the present invention. In embodiments, the towers 50 are detachable from the bottom surface 20 and can be rearranged in any pattern desired by the user.
In embodiments, the plurality of sidewalls 40 comprise a plurality of sidewall segments that are offset from one another at an angle α not equal to zero degrees. In embodiments, angle α is equal to 90 degrees, although other angles may be used (e.g., 70, 75, 80, 85, 95, 100, etc.).
The towers 50 and sidewalls 40 (including sidewall segments) define a series of passages through which liquid batter can flow prior to baking. The towers and sidewalls (including sidewall segments) further define a plurality of baking compartments, each of which will provide an individual baked good after baking. In the embodiment shown in
To use, liquid batter or a food product is poured into the baking cavity 15. The passages formed by the towers and sidewalls allow for the batter to flow evenly into each baking compartment. The baking pan may then be placed in the oven and baked for the time called for by the recipe or manufacturer's instructions.
During baking, the liquid batter solidifies and batter in contact with a sidewall segment or tower forms a crispier texture than batter not in contact with a sidewall segment or tower. The batter that remained in the passages during baking can form a thin connector between adjacent pieces. As shown in
Referring to
The bottom surface support segments 225 each comprise a flat protrusion that may extend outward from the sidewalls and towers giving support to the towers. A removable bottom surface 220 may be placed in the pan and is supported by the bottom surface support segments 225. The batter or food product may then be poured into the baking cavity 215 and the pan placed in the oven and baked for the time called for by the recipe or manufacturer's instructions.
During baking, the liquid batter solidifies and batter in contact with a sidewall segment or tower forms a crispier texture than batter not in contact with a sidewall segment or tower. The batter that remained in the passages during baking can form a thin connector between adjacent pieces. The removable bottom surface 220 can be lifted or pushed from the baking pan to aid in the removal of the cooked mass. The cooked mass can then be broken into pieces at the connector(s) adjacent to each piece. Each individual piece, having been baked adjacent to a plurality of towers and/or sidewall segments that impart additional heat to the batter, can have multiple crisp edges.
In addition to square and circular cross sections, the cross section of the baking compartment may generally take other shapes including elliptical, triangular, trapezoidal, or any other parallelogram. The shape of the baking compartments is not limited to shapes with a consistent cross section. For example, in embodiments, the sides of the towers and sidewalls are inclined slightly such that the finished baked goods are generally frustoconical in shape. In embodiments, the baking compartments may be formed that the finished baked goods take the shape of a character such as an animal or cartoon character. It will be appreciated by persons of skill in the art that the removable bottom surface can be used with pans having baking compartments of any cross section (e.g., elliptical, triangular, trapezoidal, or any other parallelogram) or pans in which the sides of the towers and sidewalls are inclined slightly such that the finished baked goods are generally frustoconical in shape.
In addition to brownies, the present invention may be used to prepare cornbread, muffins, meatloaf, stuffing or any other food product on which a crisp edge is desirable. Food that is not in a liquid form prior to baking may be firmly pressed into the baking pan of the present invention. The force of the pressing motion can then move the food product through the passages to evenly fill the baking compartments.
The baking pan of the present invention may be made from non-stick cast aluminum, although other suitable materials could be substituted including cast iron, aluminum, ceramic, glass, and the like.
Now that exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described in detail, various modifications and improvements thereon will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the spirit and scope of the present invention is to be construed broadly and limited only by the appended claims, and not by the foregoing specification.
This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Provisional Application No. 61/210,881, filed Mar. 23, 2009, the contents of which is herein incorporated by reference and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/695,587, the contents of which is herein incorporated by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61210881 | Mar 2009 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 12695587 | Jan 2010 | US |
Child | 12720998 | US |