CA2244943C - Kitchen and table-ware for steam cooking - Google Patents

Kitchen and table-ware for steam cooking Download PDF

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Publication number
CA2244943C
CA2244943C CA002244943A CA2244943A CA2244943C CA 2244943 C CA2244943 C CA 2244943C CA 002244943 A CA002244943 A CA 002244943A CA 2244943 A CA2244943 A CA 2244943A CA 2244943 C CA2244943 C CA 2244943C
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CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
baskets
wall elements
edge
utensil
serving
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Fee Related
Application number
CA002244943A
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French (fr)
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CA2244943A1 (en
Inventor
Christoph Messerli
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
SIGG Switzerland AG
Original Assignee
SIGG Switzerland AG
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from CH00003/97A external-priority patent/CH691564A5/en
Application filed by SIGG Switzerland AG filed Critical SIGG Switzerland AG
Publication of CA2244943A1 publication Critical patent/CA2244943A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA2244943C publication Critical patent/CA2244943C/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47JKITCHEN EQUIPMENT; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; APPARATUS FOR MAKING BEVERAGES
    • A47J27/00Cooking-vessels
    • A47J27/04Cooking-vessels for cooking food in steam; Devices for extracting fruit juice by means of steam ; Vacuum cooking vessels
    • A47J27/05Tier steam-cookers, i.e. with steam-tight joints between cooking-vessels stacked while in use

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Food Science & Technology (AREA)
  • Cookers (AREA)

Abstract

The utensil consists of wall elements (1), separate baskets (2) for insertio n therein and associated serving plates (3), into which the baskets (2) can also be inserted. The wall elements (1) have a top handling edge (4), and their bottom edge has an indentation (5) all round the outside so that the wall elements (1) can be stacked together with identical wall elements (1). In the vicinity of the bottom edge there is a rim (7) on the inside of the wall elements (1). The associated baskets (2) have a perforated or slotted bottom (10), are made from chromium-nickel steel and have a perpendicular edge (8) with a horizont al rim (9). They can be inserted by means of this edge onto a rim (7) inside the wall elements (1). They have two folding handle attachments (11) for this purpose. In the separate serving plates (3) there is a recess (13) into which the baskets (2) made of chromium-nickel steel can be snugly inserted.

Description

Kitchen and Table-Ware For Steam Cooking This invention relafes to a utensil for steam-cooking and serving food. Gentle steam-cooking enhances the flavour of the food, preserves the vitamins and nutrients in the food, and reduces cooking times. But despite the fact that cooking in rising steam is very easy and beneficial, it is a technique that is usually only used by very well equipped kitchen chefs.
There are, however, a number of prior art systems designed to allow the use of this healthy cooking method in private households, too. The systems in question are steam cookers comprising an electric evaporator and several chromium-nickel steel baskets for assembly on top of it. The flat bottom of each chromium-nickel steel basket is perforated so that the steam can rise up through the baskets. The baskets, which are round or oval in a plan view, have an approximately perpendicular side wall which is formed into a horizontal, outwardly directed edge at the top which serves as a means of grasping the basket. The bottom edge of the basket, i.e. where the side wall runs into the flat, perforated bottom, has ~ an indentation all round the outside so that several identical baskets can be stacked on top of each other. The evaporator unit itself comprises a die-cast aluminium liquid reservoir which is open at the top and an electric heating device. These elements of the evaporator are accommodated in a housing made from e.g. a thermoplastic. One or several chromium-nickel steel baskets is or are then placed on top of this housing, with the topmost basket being closed by a lid. The lid is advantageously made from glass or a transparent, shock=
resistant plastic so that the food in the top basket is visible. To operate the steam cooker, the liquid reservoir, which can hold about 1 to 2 litres of water, is filled and the electric heating device is then turned on. The water then evaporates slowly and the steam rises upwards through the perforated bottoms of the baskets containing the food to be cooked. A
buzzer built into the evaporator emits an acoustic signal when the water boils dry and the electric heating device is switched off. As soon as the food is cooked, the baskets are removed from the evaporator and the food can then be served.
A prior art fish cooker also exists, with an additional insertable perforated bottom on which the fish is cooked. The fish cooker forms an elongated pan with a lid, and the additional bottom can be lifted in and out of the pan by means of two pivoting handling attachments.
Before serving, the fish is lifted off the additional bottom and arranged on a serving plate.
The problem of the systems described above is that before serving, the food always has to be lifted out of the hot baskets and arranged on a separate serving plate, or on dinner plates.
This is a delicate process because the cooked food tends to disintegrate. It also takes up valuable time, during which the food inevitably grows cold.
The task, therefore, of this invention is to provide a utensil for steam-cooking and serving, which can be used both for cooking and for serving the cooked food immediately afterwards, thereby eliminating the need to lift the food off the perforated bottom of the basket used in the steam cooker.
This task is solved by a utensil for steam-cooking and serving .
Accordingly, in one aspect the invention provides a utensil for steam-cooking and serving, the utensil comprising a plurality of wall elements, a plurality of baskets for one insertion in and assembly on the wall elements, each of the baskets having one of a perforated and a slotted bottom and a plurality of handles on edges of the baskets, the wall elements being stackable one of on top of each other and in alternation with the baskets and a plurality of serving plates with a recess, wherein the baskets can be snugly inserted in the serving plates.

2a The drawings show Figure l: a partial section of the three different elements of the utensil for steam-cooking and serving;
Figure 2: a partial section of another variant of the three different elements of the utensil for steam-cooking and serving;
Figure 3: a partial section viewed from the side of several transparent wall elements with inserted baskets, assembled on top of an evaporator in operation;
Figure 4: A basket being lifted out of a viall element;
Figure 5: A basket with inwardly directed handling edges;
Figure 6: A basket inserted in an associated serving plate.
Figure 1 shows the three basic elements of the utensil for steam-cooking and serving according to the invention, namely the wall elements l, the baskets 2 with perforated or slotted bottom 10 and an associated serving plate 3. The wall elements 1, which are made from transparent, shock-resistant plastic, have an outwardly directed rim at the top which forms a handling edge 4 for the purpose of grasping the wall element 1. The bottom edge portion of the wall elements 1 has an indentation all round the outside, which is designed so that the outer dimension of the bottom edge coincides with the inner dimension of baskets 2, so that the wall elements 1 can be stacked up with the baskets 2 in-between. The baskets 2 have a perpendicular edge 8, which is bent outwards horizontally at the top, thereby forming an outwardly projecting rim 9. Furthermore, baskets 2 have a perforated or slotted bottom 10. The outer dimension of baskets 2 coincides with the inner dimension of wall elements 1 in such a way that the rims 9 of the baskets 2 inserted in wall elements 1 rest snugly on top of the rims 4 of the wall elements 1. In this way a steam-tight stack can be built up from a number of alternately assembled wall elements 1 and baskets 2.
The baskets 2 are advantageously made from chromium-nickel steel, because this material remains neutral with respect to the food during cooking. In the version of the baskets 2 shown here, handles 18 are disposed at two opposite points on the projecting basket rim 9.
Serving plates 3 are provided to receive the baskets 2 when not inside the utensil, and for serving. These serving plates 3 have a recess 13 in which the baskets 2 can be snugly inserted, with the rim 9 of baskets 2 lying flush with the top edge 14 of recess 13 in serving plates 3. Suitable materials for manufacturing the serving plates 3 are ceramic, an appropriate stone or plastic, or even wood.
Figure 2 shows an alternative variant for the three elements of the utensil for steam-cooking and serving according to the invention. Here, the wall elements 1 made from transparent, shock-resistant plastic are bent outwards along their top edge to form a handling edge 4 which serves as a means of grasping the wall element 1. The bottom edge portion of the wall elements I has an indentation 5 all round the outside, which is designed so that the outer dimension of the bottom edge coincides with the inner dimension of wall elements 1, so that wall elements of the same size can be stacked up. If two or more such wall elements 1 are stacked on top of each other, then the indentation 5 of the upper wall element rests on the inside edge 6 of the handling edge 4 of the wall element underneath. In the vicinity of the bottom edge of wall element 1 there is an inside rim 7, which serves as a support for a basket 2 that can be inserted in wall element 1. Instead of a continuous rim, a rim in the form of several supporting elements projecting from the wall element could also be used.
Baskets 2 have a perpendicular edge 8, which is bent horizontally outwards at the top, thereby forming an outwardly projecting rim 9. Furthermore, baskets 2 have a perforated or slotted bottom 10. The outer dimensions of baskets 2 are matched to the inner dimensions of wall elements 1 so that the rims 9 of baskets 2 inserted in wall elements 1 rest snugly on the rims 7 of wall elements 1. The baskets 2 are advantageously made from chromium-nickel steel, because this material remains neutral with respect to the food during cooking.
In the version of baskets 2 shown in Figure 2, two handle attachments 11 are pivotingly disposed opposite each other at two sets of points 12 in the edge 8 of the basket. Once the basket 2 is inserted in a wall element 1, the handle attachments 11, which are folded down outwardly towards the edge of basket 2, run along the edge of basket 2. As already described in connection with Figure 1, an associated serving plate 3 is provided to receive basket 2 when not inside the cooking utensil, and for serving.
Figure 3 shows a partial section of the embodiment of Figure 2 of the cooking utensil in operation, seen from the side. In the example shown, the utensil consists of three transparent wall elements 1, each with an inserted basket 2. To cook different food simultaneously, the evaporator 15 is first filled with water, and the food 17 to be cooked is placed on the separate baskets 2. The baskets 2 are then placed inside the wall elements 1, and the wall elements 1 are assembled over the evaporator 15 so that they form a tower-like stack as shown here, which prevents any rising steam from escaping. A lid 16 is placed on top of the uppermost wall element and the cooking process can begin. At the end of the cooking time, the wall elements are lifted away from the evaporator 15 and the individual baskets are lifted out and inserted in associated serving plates. The food is then ready to be served.
Figure 4 shows how the basket 2 can be lifted out of a wall element 1. The handle attachments 11, which are folded down horizontally during cooking, are brought up into the vertical position to extract the basket. Using both hands, basket 2 with food 17 can now be lifted vertically out of wall element 1. Basket 2 is then inserted directly into the waiting serving plate 3, which constitutes part of the utensil, and the handle attachments are folded down onto the edge of basket 2.
Figure 5 shows an alternative basket 2 for inserting into wall elements 1.
Here, the two handles 11 are each formed by an inwardly directed rim in the top edge 8 of basket 2. It is also conceivable that, instead of the inwardly bent edge, sheet-metal strips or sheet-metal profiles could be fixed to basket 2 in this area to form handles 11. Another way of designing the handles 11 would be to mould on arch-shaped handles rigidly connected to the top edge of basket 2, although the arches serving as handles 11 could not be allowed to project outwards beyond basket 2 to ensure that basket 2 can easily be inserted into wall elements 1.
Figure 6 shows a serving plate 3 in which a basket 2 containing food 17 is inserted. After cooking, the food 17 does not have to be lifted out of the basket and arranged on a serving plate, but can be positioned directly with the basket 2 inside the serving plate 3 and served immediately. Hence there is no longer any need for the troublesome lifting off of cooked food from the basket bottom for subsequent arrangement on another plate. Fish in particular, for example, is relatively tricky to move about because it tends to break up during the manoeuvre. With this new utensil, the raw food can be arranged prior to cooking in just the way it is to be served afterwards. This saves work on the one hand, and, on the other hand, the food can be served hot and time is no longer lost in arranging the food whilst it inevitably grows cold.

Claims (10)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A utensil for steam-cooking and serving, the utensil comprising:
a plurality of wall elements, a plurality of baskets for one insertion in and assembly on the wall elements, each of the baskets having one of a perforated and a slotted bottom and a plurality of handles on edges of the baskets, the wall elements being stackable one of on top of each other and in alternation with the baskets and a plurality of serving plates with a recess, wherein the baskets can be snugly inserted in the serving plates.
2. The utensil of claim 1, wherein the baskets have two of the plurality of handles projecting outwardly and can be assembled snugly on a top edge of one of the wall elements so that a bottom edge of each of the wall elements fits snugly on one of the baskets so that the alternately stacked wall elements and the baskets form a steam-tight stack.
3. The utensil of claim 1, wherein the wall elements have a top handling edge with a bottom edge indentation all round an outside of the wall elements so that the wall elements can be stacked on top of each other, in a vicinity of the bottom edge there is a first rim on an inside of the wall elements, the baskets have a horizontal rim insertable in the wall elements in such a way that the horizontal rim rests on the first rim of the wall element, and the baskets have two folding handle attachments.
4. The utensil of claim 3, wherein the handles on the baskets are pivotably disposed opposite each other at two sets of points in a basket edge of one of the baskets so that when the one basket is inserted in one of the wall elements, the handles are folded down outwardly towards the basket edge and follow a contour of the one basket.
5. The utensil of claim 1, wherein the wall elements have a top handling edge with a bottom edge indentation all round an outside of the wall elements so that the wall elements can be stacked on top of each other, in a vicinity of the bottom edge there is a first rim on an inside of the wall elements, the baskets have a horizontal rim insertable in the wall elements in such a way that the horizontal rim rests on the first rim of the wall element, and the baskets have a plurality of inwardly directed handles on an edge of each of the baskets.
6. The utensil of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the wall elements are made from a transparent, shock-resistant plastic and the baskets and the handles are made from a chromium-nickel steel.
7. The utensil of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the serving plates are made from a ceramic material and the baskets fit into the recess in the serving plates so that a horizontal rim of each of the baskets is flush with a top edge of the recess in the serving plates.
8. The utensil of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the serving plates are made from wood and the baskets fit into the recess in the serving plates so that a horizontal rim of each of the baskets is flush with a top edge of the recess in the serving plates.
9. The utensil of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the serving plates are made from stone and the baskets fit into the recess in the serving plates so that a horizontal rim of each of the baskets is flush with a top edge of the recess in the serving plates.
10. The utensil of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the serving plates are made from plastic and the baskets fit into the recess in the serving plates so that a horizontal rim of each of the baskets is flush with a top edge of the recess in the serving plates.
CA002244943A 1997-01-02 1997-12-22 Kitchen and table-ware for steam cooking Expired - Fee Related CA2244943C (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CH3/97 1997-01-02
CH00003/97A CH691564A5 (en) 1997-01-02 1997-01-02 Dishes for cooking in steam and ready to serve.
PCT/CH1997/000478 WO1998029014A1 (en) 1997-01-02 1997-12-22 Kitchen and table-ware for steam cooking

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2244943A1 CA2244943A1 (en) 1998-07-09
CA2244943C true CA2244943C (en) 2006-10-03

Family

ID=37101796

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA002244943A Expired - Fee Related CA2244943C (en) 1997-01-02 1997-12-22 Kitchen and table-ware for steam cooking

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CA2244943A1 (en) 1998-07-09

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