The present invention relates generally to cooking devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to cooking devices that assist in the heating of taco shells and like food items.
When preparing tacos or similar food items requiring a shell, it is desirable to heat the shell prior to inserting the food items therein. Frequently, the taco shells are placed on one side and heated in an oven on a baking sheet or similar plate. Too often, the sides of the taco shells move close to each other, or “collapse”, as they are heated. Additionally, the taco shells become more stiff, as is the point of heating the shells. However, the decreased flexibility of the shells hinders moving the sides of the shell apart from each other so that the ingredients may be inserted therein. As well, the decreased flexibility of the shells all too often leads to breakage of the shells rendering them unusable.
The present invention recognizes and addresses considerations of prior art constructions and methods.
One embodiment of the present disclosure provides a cooking insert for use with a taco shell having a pair of side portions defining an interior, including a bottom wall having an elongated rear edge, a front wall extending upwardly from the front edge of the bottom wall, and a rear wall extending upwardly from the rear edge of the bottom wall, wherein the front wall and the rear wall define an acute angle therebetween, and the cooking insert is disposed within the interior of the taco shell.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended drawings, in which;
Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent same or analogous features or elements of the invention according to the disclosure.
Reference will now be made in detail to presently preferred embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation, not limitation, of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope and spirit thereof. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment may be used on another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
As used herein, terms referring to a direction or a position relative to the orientation of the multi-function lawn tool, such as but not limited to “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,” “above,” or “below,” refer to directions and relative positions with respect to the taco cooking insert's orientation shown in
Further, the term “or” as used in this application and the appended claims is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or.” That is, unless specified otherwise, or clear from the context, the phrase “X employs A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, the phrase “X employs A or B” is satisfied by any of the following instances: X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B. In addition, the articles “a” and “and” as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from the context to be directed to a singular form. Throughout the specification and claims, the following terms takes at least the meanings explicitly associated herein, unless the context dictates otherwise. The meanings identified below do not necessarily limit the terms, but merely provide illustrative examples for the terms. The meaning of “a,” “and,” and “the” may include plural references, and the meaning of “in” may include “in” and “on.” The phrase “in one embodiment,” as used herein, does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although it may.
Referring now to the figures, an embodiment of a taco cooking insert 10 in accordance with the present disclosure is shown in
Referring now to
Referring now to
While one or more preferred embodiments of the invention are described above, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope and spirit thereof. It is intended that the present invention cover such modifications and variations as come within the scope and spirit of the appended claims and their equivalents.
This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/956,704 filed Jan. 3, 2020, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
62956704 | Jan 2020 | US |