BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1(
a), 1(b) and 1(c) show a waffler, a tunnel forming device and a filling injector of a waffle maker set according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2(
a) shows the waffler in an open state.
FIG. 2(
b) is a partial schematic top view of the top grill of the waffler.
FIG. 3(
a) illustrates a process of forming tunnels in a waffle mix.
FIG. 3(
b) is a cross-sectional view illustrating the grooves formed in the waffle mix.
FIG. 4 illustrates a filling injector inserted into a hole of the waffler.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As shown in FIGS. 1(a)-(c), the waffle maker set according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a waffler 10, a tunnel forming device 20 and one or more filling injectors 30 (only one is shown). FIG. 2(a) shows the waffler 10 in an open state. FIG. 2(b) is a partial schematic top view of the top grill of the waffler (a half of the top grill of FIG. 2(a) is shown). As shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 2(a)-(b), the waffler 10 includes a top shell 11a and a bottom shell 12a joined by a pair of hinges 13. Mounted inside the top and bottom shells 11a and 12a are top and bottom grills 11b and 12b, respectively, each of which is shaped as a tray with a rim and a plurality of protruding blocks 14 on the bottom. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2(a)-(b), the blocks 14 are rectangular in shape with a trapezoidal cross section and are arranged in a regular array, but other shapes and arrangements of the blocks can also be used. The heights of the blocks are lower than the height of the rim of the top and bottom grills, and the blocks in the top grill are located above the corresponding blocks in the bottom grill when the waffler 10 is closed. The top and bottom shells 11a and 12a may be made of any suitable materials, such as plastic or metal, while the top and bottom grills 11b and 12b are made of a material suitable for a cooking surface, such as metal. The top and bottom grills 11b and 12b are heated by electrical heating elements disposed inside the shells (not shown). The waffler also has a cable (not shown) for plugging into an electrical outlet, and optionally, switches and/or working condition indicators (not shown).
The tunnel forming device 20 has a plurality of intersecting blades 21 forming a grid 22 mounted on a handle 23. The grid 22 has a size and shape such that when it is placed over the top or bottom grill, the hollow parts of the grid correspond to the blocks 14 and the blades 21 correspond to the space between the blocks. The tunnel forming device 20 is made of plastic or other suitable materials. The tunnel forming device may have other shapes than that illustrated in FIG. 1(b), depending on the shape of the grills. The filling injector 30 is an applicator with a hollow tube 31 for containing a filling material, a plunger 32 fitted inside the tube, and a pointed nose 33 at the bottom end of the tube. The filling injector 30 is made of a plastic or other suitable material. Alternatively, instead of a using plunger 32, the filling injector may be a re-sealable squeeze tube having an opening for loading a filling material, where the opening can be re-sealed so that the filling may be injected from the nose by squeezing the tube.
One or more through holes 15 are provided in the top shell 11a and top grill 11b to form a tunnel connecting the inside of the top grill 11b to the exterior of the waffler 10. Two holes 15 are shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1(a) as seen from the exterior. As schematically shown in FIG. 2(b), the hole 15 is located between the blocks 14 on the inside of the top grill 11b. The size of the holes 15 is sufficiently large to allow the nose 33 of the filling injector 30 to be inserted into the hole and reach the inside of the waffler. Optionally, the top shell 11 a may have one or more support structures 16 on the outside around the holes to support the filling injector 30 when it is inserted into the holes. Preferably, the interior sidewall of the through hole 15 is a continuous piece of material, which may be an extension of the top grill 11b (i.e. an upwardly extending tube formed integrally with the top grill 11b and fitted in the hole of the top shell 11a), an extension of the top shell 11a (i.e. a downwardly extending tube formed integrally with the top shell 11a and fitted in the hole of the top grill 11b), or a separate piece (i.e. a tube fitted into the holes in the top shell 11a and top grill 11b). This provides the advantage of preventing the filling material that may leak from the filling injector from entering into a crack that may exist between the top shell 11a and the top grill 11b when the filling injector 30 is inserted into and withdrawn from the hole.
The process of making a filled waffle using the waffler 10, the tunnel forming device 20 and the filling injector 30 is described now.
First, close the waffler and apply electricity to heat the top and bottom grills 11b and 12b. Then open the waffler and add a waffle mix to the inside of the top and bottom grills until the mix just covers the tops of the blocks 14. Preferably, the inside surface of the grills is coated with butter, margarine, vegetable oil, a non-stick spray or other suitable materials before the waffle mix is added. The mix is allowed to bake in the grill slightly. The purpose of this pre-baking step is to ensure that when the tunnel forming device is used (described below), the mix is sufficiently rigid so the mix will actually form grooves instead of running and collapsing the grooves. The time duration of this pre-baking step may be difficult to determine beforehand as it depends on various factors such as the temperature of the grill, the nature of the waffle mix, etc., but a user can readily observe the mix to determine whether it is sufficiently baked. If the tunneling device is used before the mix has sufficient rigidity, the user needs only wait a few seconds a try again. Then, use the tunnel forming device 20 to form grooves 42 in the waffle mix 41 by pressing the blades 21 into the mix at locations corresponding to the spaces between the blocks 14, as shown in FIG. 3(a). Preferably, the blades 21 of the tunnel forming device 20 are dipped in butter or some other oil before pressing to prevent the waffle mix from sticking to the blades. The blades 21 of the tunnel forming device 20 have appropriate thicknesses to give the grooves 42 a desired width. FIG. 3(b) illustrates a cross-sectional view of the grooves 42 formed in the waffle mix.
When the waffler is then closed, the waffle mix in the top and bottom grills 11b and 12b are joined together and the grooves 42 in the two grills form interconnected tunnels inside the mix for the filling material. Bake the waffle mix for an appropriate length of time (e.g. a few minutes) with the waffler closed, then use the filling injector 30 to form holes in the waffle mix by pressing the nose 33 into the holes 15 on the top grill (see FIG. 4, but preferable with the injector empty). The length of the nose 33 of the filling injector 30 is such that it will pass through the waffle mix and reach the tunnels formed inside the mix. Bake the waffle mix for an additional length of time (e.g. a few minutes), then disconnect the electricity and allow the waffle to cool for a length of time (e.g. a few minutes). Fill the filling injector 30 with a desired filling material, such as jelly, syrup, jam, frosting, custard, pudding, etc. This is done by removing the plunger 32, filling the tube 31 with the filling, re-placing the plunger, and removing air from the tube by turning it upside down and push the plunger until air is pushed out. A squeeze tube can be similarly filled. After the appropriate cooling time, insert the nose 33 of the injector 30 into the holes 15 on the waffler, and inject the filling into the tunnels in the waffle by slowly pushing the plunger 32 down (see FIG. 4) or squeeze the tube. The filled waffles are now finished and can be removed from the waffler.
From the above descriptions, it can be seen that a baking or cooking device (e.g. a waffle maker) according to embodiments of the present invention can be used to create passages internal to a closed cooked or baked item. Additionally, it can be used to inject a secondary substance into the passages while the cooked or baked item is still in the baking or cooking device.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modification and variations can be made in the waffle maker filled-waffle making method of the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. For example, the tunnel forming device 20 and the blocks 14 inside the grills 11b and 12b may have different shapes than those shown in FIGS. 1(b), 2(a) and 2(b), so long as their shapes correspond to each other so that tunnels can be formed in the waffle mix. The shape of the inside tray of the top and bottom grills can be different than those shown in FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b), and their bottom surfaces can be concave so the top/bottom shape of the waffle product can vary. In addition, although a waffle maker is described and illustrated in detail, the invention can be applied to other devices with heated two-part (top and bottom) cavity for making other food items, such as donuts, etc. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations that come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
Patent Application
20070283821
