GB2464534A

GB2464534A - Barbecue utensils and method

Info

Publication number: GB2464534A
Application number: GB0815901A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Hugh Dalrymple Paterson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-09-02
Filing date: 2008-09-02
Publication date: 2010-04-28
Anticipated expiration: 2028-09-02
Also published as: GB2464534B; GB0815901D0

Abstract

An improved method of barbecuing uses two elongate forks that have elongate, substantially parallel prongs. A plurality of food items 18, 24 to be barbecued is placed upon the prongs 12, 14 of one of the forks 10. This fork 10 is placed onto a grill to allow a first side of the items of food to be cooked and is then flipped over to allow a second side to be cooked. The items of food are then transferred to the second fork 22, which can be used in a similar manner similarly to allow third and fourth sides to be cooked. The forks 10, 12 can be used to cook large numbers of elongate items of food, such as sausages, or irregularly shaped items, extremely efficiently and quickly. The forks can be sold individually or can be provided in a kit comprising at least such two forks together with instructions for use. The fork may be provided with a temperature sensor in at least one of the prongs and a plurality of temperature sensors may be provided at intervals along a prong. The prong spacing may be different between the first and second forks.

Description

Barbecue utensi1s. methods and kits The present invention relates to methods, utensils and kits that are useful for cooking, especially for barbecuing. More specifically, the present invention relates to forks, kits and methods that are useful for cooking large numbers of items of food over a barbecue in an efficient manner.

Barbecues have been used for many thousands of years. Initially barbecues were simply open fires over which animal carcasses or parts thereof were roasted, either directly or using a spit.

Barbecue grills have improved significantly over the last hundred years. Modem barbecue grills are available that are inexpensive, portable, and efficient and simple to use.

In contrast, however, there has been relatively little improvement in the nature of the utensils used for barbecuing.

For example, if sausages are cooked on a standard barbecue system a cook will typically place the sausages on the barbecue grill and use a standard small barbecue fork (or barbecue tongs) to turn the sausages periodically. The cook may also use the fork to prick the sausages to aid in cooking and in allowing fat to drain.

Typically a standard barbecue fork will have prongs that are no more than about 10 cm long.

Indeed long prongs are generally not desired because they can make the fork more difficult to store. They can also make it more difficult to remove an item of food from the fork if it becomes located high up the prongs of the fork.

Each sausage is normally turned individually. However, in many instances, a sausage that has been placed upon a grill at a given position will roll slightly so that it is no longer in the position in which it was placed for cooking. This can result in uneven cooking, unless the position is carefully adjusted.

A further difficulty is that the cook can easily lose track of which sausages have been turned and also of how many "sides" of each sausage has been cooked. This is of course a major problem if a large number of items is to be cooked.

If items are overcooked then they are often thrown way or are simply not eaten by guests attending the barbecue, resulting in significant wastage. If they are undercooked, then there is a possibility that pathogens (such as E. coil) may be might be present that are not killed.

This can result in health problems and in some cases even in fatalities.

Unfortunately, a person arranging the barbecue can never be absolutely sure that that food to be cooked is not contaminated. Indeed there have been several well reported cases of contaminated meats being sold by suppliers who were considered at the time to be highly reputable. It is therefore important to ensure proper cooking of all uncooked foodstuffs, especially foodstuffs containing meat. Thus proper cooking is very important.

It is of course now possible to use temperature gauges to check that items are thoroughly cooked. Such gauges are widely available. However, in practice, many cooks at barbecues simply do not use them. Indeed, even if a temperature gauge is used, the cook is often under pressure to barbecue a large number of items quickly will not always check every item with a gauge to ensure that it is properly cooked.

It is therefore common practice for a barbecue cook simply to judge by eye whether or not an item is perceived to be properly cooked. This is normally assessed by judging whether an item is browned by cooking, but is not black due to overcooking.

In the case of a sausage, for example, many cooks will aim to cook the sausage on at least four sides. They will cook each side until a browned appearance become visible. This involves turning each sausage at least for times. In practice, however, the number of operations required is often much greater than this, because of the tendency of the sausages to roll to undesired positions, as discussed above.

Taking into account the number of sausages that may be required for a barbecue for family and friends and also the number of operations required in turning the sausages, it will be appreciated that the procedure can become very tedious. There is therefore a significant risk of error, especially if a cook is under pressure. This can result in undercooking or overcooking. Indeed in some cases part of an item may be overcooked and another may be undercooked.

Furthermore, in the case of fatty foods, such as sausages, fat can occasionally splutter and cause a localised fire (sometimes known as a "fat fire"). It can then be very difficult to remove items quickly and hygienically from the barbecue grill before they become excessively charred. This is a particular problem if many items are being barbecued at once.

In any event, even if cooking is performed well and there are no fat fires, the number of individual turning operations required for barbecuing can detract from the enjoyment of barbecuing and can also leave little time for the cook to socialise with guests.

Of course, the above problems occur not only when cooking sausages, but also when barbecuing many other items, especially if the items are not generally flat in shape and are normally cooked on more than two sides. Thus for example problems can also arise with pieces of chicken, of lamb, meatballs, vegetables, etc. It is of course now possible to purchase automated barbecue systems (sometimes known as "rotisseries") whereby items are placed on a skewer and the skewer is automatically rotated close to the heat source of the barbecue. Such systems are well known and often come with timers and alarms, so as to allow different items to be cooked easily.

However automated systems are relatively expensive. They can also take the fun out of barbecuing. Indeed part of the attraction of barbecuing for many people of a barbecue is the simplicity of the procedure. There is therefore a general reluctance to adopt automated systems for barbecuing amongst a large proportion of the public.

An alternative method is to impale items to be cooked along a long skewer, which is placed down on a barbecue grill and then turned over to try to cook two sides. However, items often rotate along the axis of the skewer when it is moved so that in some cases a side may be cooked twice and a side may be cooked not at all. In any event this does not cook four sides.

It is theoretically possible to remove items from the skewer of the sausages, individually turn each one to a desired degree, replace the items on the cooker at new positions and then cook the other two sides. However this is an extremely cumbersome procedure and is also error prone.

Indeed, it is simpler not to use the procedure at all, but to cook each sausage individually, as described earlier.

As an alternative to using a skewer, it is possible to use a fork to hold a plurality of items to be cooked.

For example, in Belgian patent application BE1008785 such a fork is described. This has a stop that is provided to prevent sausages moving along the fork beyond a given point. A "Y" shaped arrangement for the fork is shown, with the intersection point of the anns of the "Y" providing a stop. BE1008785 contains no discussion of the length of the prongs. It is however clear that the effective length is limited by the stop that is provided.

Furthermore, there is no detailed information provided in BE 1008785 in respect of the manner of using the fork. If the fork is simply held over a barbecue flame and turned periodically then it is very difficult for a user to accurately control cooking. Even if it is intended for the fork to be placed down on one side to grill one side of an item and then turned over, this will only allow cooking of two sides, whereas for many items, such as sausages, it is desirable to cook four sides.

Indeed BE 1008785 is not particularly concerned with the technical problem of cooking more than two sides of a piece of food. The main problem that is discussed therein is that of preventing food rotating undesirably on a single skewer or of certain foods breaking and falling off the skewer.

Thus BE1 008785 neither addresses nor solves solve the technical problem of simultaneously barbecuing large numbers of food items (such as sausage) on more than two sides in a simple, yet efficient manner.

This long-standing problem has not been successfully solved despite a large increase in the popularity of barbecuing over many decades.

The present invention provides a solution to this problem and does so in a surprisingly simple and elegant manner.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of simultaneously cooking a plurality of items of food comprising the steps of: i) using a first fork to secure the items of food so that they can be retained on prongs of the first fork during cooking ii) using a heat source to cook one side of the items of food on the first fork iii) turning the first fork so as to turn the pieces of food and to allow another side of the items of food to be cooked iv) using a second fork to remove one or more of said items of food from said first fork and v) using the second fork to cook one or more further sides of the items of food.

Preferably the method is used to cook at least four sides of the items of food.

Any desired foodstuffs can be cooked. These include meats. For example, chicken, beef, turkey or lamb pieces can be cooked. Sausages are also included.

The present invention is not however limited to cooking meat or meat containing products.

Vegetables or other non-meat products can be cooked. For example vegetarian sausages can be cooked. Indeed the present invention is particularly suitable for cooking large quantities of sausages (of whatever nature).

In the preferred embodiment of the method of the present invention (where at least four sides of a set of items of food are cooked), it is desired that in step iv) the prongs of the second fork are positioned at substantially a right angle relative to the prongs of the first fork whilst one or more items are transferred from the first fork to the second fork..

It is however possible to vary the angle depending upon the number of sides to be cooked.

For example, if it is desired to cook three sides then an angle of substantially 1200 can be used.

The prongs of the forks are preferably not bent or curved along their lengths to form a stop that prevents food items from moving further along their length. Thus it is preferred that the prongs do not have stops as described in BE1008785.

Preferably the prongs are substantially parallel over a length of over 15 cm.

More preferably they are substantially parallel over a length of over 20cm For example, they may be substantially parallel over a length of over 30 cm or over 40 corn.

There is no maximum length.

Indeed if there are several helpers to turn a fork, or if the fork is relatively lightweight, then very long lengths can be used.

However in most cases it desired that the overall length of the prongs (or at least of the substantially parallel portion thereof) is less than 75cm. More preferably it is less than 60 cm. Most preferably it is less than 50 cm.

Desirably the prongs are substantially parallel over at least 70%, at least 80% or at least 90% of their exposed lengths. More desirably they are substantially parallel along all of their exposed length, so that they have the maximum capacity for impaling items to be barbecued.

This also prevents damage (e.g. tearing or breakage of foodstuffs) that might otherwise occur due to items being forced along substantially diverging or converging prongs.

It is preferred that the forks are not rotatably mounted. Thus it is preferred that they are used in a relatively simple barbecue system rather than being used in a rotisserie. Jn the preferred embodiment, they are therefore very different from paired rotisserie skewers of the type described in US 3939761, for example.

Once food items have been cooked, the first fork (from which the food items have been transferred at an earlier stage onto the second fork) can be used to displace one or more items of cooked food from the second fork.

For example such items can be displaced from the second fork into/onto a receptacle, a cooling area or onto another food item (e.g. a breadstuff, such as a roll or a bun). This can be done in a controlled manner and does not require the food items to be touched at any stage.

Thus the process is not only efficient but is very hygienic.

It is preferred that the handles of the forks are made of a different material from the prongs.

The prongs will normally be made of a metallic material (e.g. a metal alloy). Steel is preferred, especially high grade stainless steel. Other materials can of course be used. For example cast iron forks can be used, but this tends to be relatively heavy and brittle and is therefore less preferred. Aluminium forks are a good alternative, but can be expensive.

If desired the prongs of the forks may be coated with a low friction material. For example, PTFE (often sold under the trade mark of name of Teflon TM) may be used The prongs may be two individual elongate components. However for ease of manufacturing it is preferred that the prongs are a single unit comprising an elongate material that is bent back on itself; whereby a bend is provided that interconnects two substantially parallel regions. The bend is preferably hidden within the handle structure so that it is not visible in the finished article; whereas two parallel portions are exposed as prongs that extend from the handle.

The prongs can have any desired cross-section, For example they any have a round, oval or polygonal (e.g. triangular, square or rectangular) cross-section. Indeed in some cases a polygonal cross section is preferred, because this can assist in retaining items on the fork until it is desired to remove them.

Desirably the handle comprises or consists of a material that is heat resistant but that also insulates a user from heat -e.g. a resilient plastics material. This may for example be a moulded, resilient plastics material. Indeed the handle may be directly moulded onto the prongs.

Alternatively it may be fixed to the prongs by other means (e.g. riveting, by screws, by the use of adhesive, etc.).

The forks are preferably sold in finished form.

However, in an alternative embodiment, they may be sold in kit form. This can for example reduce manufacturing costs and can also aid in reducing the size of packages to be sold.

Here a handle may be initially supplied in a form that is separate from the prongs but can be attached to the prongs by a user. For example, the handle and prongs may be shaped so that they can simply be joined together via a press-fit or a snap-fit arrangement.

Alternatively, one or more screws, bolts, clamps, rivets (or other securing means) may be provided for joining the handle and prongs together.

In a further alternative the handle may be secured to the prongs by using an adhesive. The adhesive may be provided in the kit Thus a wide rage of kits comprising a handle, prongs and means for joining them together may be provided. Such kits preferably include instructions for use in joining the handle and prongs together to form a fork of the present invention.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing description that a wide range of different types of fork of the present invention can be provided.

A premium version of the fork can even be provided in which at least one of the prongs comprises a temperature sensor. A temperature display may also be provided. For example this may be integrated into the handle structure. A battery compartment for the sensor may also be provided (e.g. in the handle).

This version is advantageous in that there is no need to provide a separate temperature sensor. Furthermore, it avoids damage to food that might otherwise arise by inserting a separate sensor into it.

Indeed, if desired, a plurality of temperature sensors may be provided at intervals along a prong (e.g. at marked intervals). These allow the temperature of items of food positioned at the relevant points to be determined. In this embodiment a plurality of temperature displays may also be provided. Alternatively, a single display may be provided that can provide read-outs from the different sensors (e.g. by switching between them).

Whatever the precise nature of the fork, it should be suitable for use in the method of the present invention, as described earlier. In this method items of food are transferred from one fork to another.

Desirably this is done by pushing a prong of one fork through a food item (e.g. a sausage) that is being held by the other fork (see e.g. Figures 6 and 7, as described later). This prong passes between the prongs of the fork holding the item, whilst the other prong passes to one side of said prongs.

In this preferred embodiment the forks are desirably of generally the same shape and size.

The gap between the prongs is sufficient to allow the above operation to occur.

Thus the gap must be greater than the width of one prong. More preferably, the gap is at least two prong widths, at least three prong widths or even at least four prong widths. A large gap allows the transfer operation to be achieved relatively simply.

An alternative embodiment is however possible in which the two forks are shaped slightly differently. Here one fork may be shaped so that all of its prongs can be pushed into a gap between prongs of the other fork (or vice versa). This embodiment is of course also within the scope of the present invention, but is less preferred because of the higher cost of manufacturing different shaped items.

It will be appreciated that the forks of the present invention are extremely useful in providing a method in which many items of food can be cooked simultaneously.

For example at least three, at least five, or at least ten items may be cooked simultaneously.

The items may be the same or may be different.

In the method of the present invention at least two forks of the present invention are used in a co-operative manner.

The present invention therefore includes a kit comprising at least two forks of the present invention.

In many cases however more than two forks may be provided in the kit. This is advantageous for scaling up the process.

Here a plurality of forks can be used for cooking and one or more additional forks may be used for transfer. One or more spare forks may also be provided Kits may for example include 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or even more forks. Indeed kits of more than 15 or more than 20 forks may even be provided A preferred number is 2, where n is an integer greater than 1. This allows for several forks to be used for cooking at the same time and the same number of forks to be used for transfer and subsequent cooking.

For example, if a kit of 10 forks is provided and each fork has a capacity for 5 sausages, 5 forks can be used initially to cook 2 sides of a total of 25 sausages. Another five forks can be used for subsequent transfer and cooking of the other 2 sides. The total number of turning operations is only 2 for each fork. Thus a total of only 20 turning operations are required.

This contrasts with a minimum of 100 turning operations that would be required if each sausage was turned individually. (In practice many more than 100 would be required because of the tendency for sausages to roll out of place if forks of the present invention are not used.). Thus the efficiency of the operation is increased by at least 500 %.

The kit may optionally also include one or more other components (e.g. one or more knives.

tongs, skewers, timers, etc.).

The kit preferably comprises instructions for using the forks in a co-operative manner so as to cook more than two sides (e.g. four sides) of a plurality of items of food.

Desirably it includes instructions for performing a method of the present invention.

Having described the invention in general terms it will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying non-limiting drawings; wherein: Figures 1 to 3 show a first barbecue fork of the present invention being loaded with sausages.

Figure 4 shows the first fork loaded with sausages being used to grill a first side of the sausages.

Figure 5 shows the first fork loaded with sausages being used to grill a second side of the sausages.

Figures 6 to 10 illustrate the transfer of sausages from the first fork to a second fork.

Figure 11 shows the second fork loaded with sausages being used to grill a third side of the sausages. The sausages are then flipped to grill a fourth side (not shown).

Figure 12 shows the second fork being unloaded with cooked sausages.

Figure 13 shows a sausage that has been cooked on all four sides by using the first and second barbecue forks.

Turning now to Figure 1 in further detail, a first barbecue fork 10 of the present invention is shown.

It can be seen that the two prongs 12, 14 of the first fork 10 are relatively elongate, compared to the prongs of standard barbecue forks, and are substantially parallel to one another over their lengths.

The prongs 12, 14 are supported by a handle 16, which allows the first fork 10 to be comfortably held by a user (not shown) when the first fork 10 is use.

The handle 16 is formed of a moulded, heat resistant plastics material, as is well known in the art, and the prongs 12, 14 are made of high grade stainless steel.

Figure 1 shows the first fork 10 in a position where it is just about to impale and releasably secure a first sausage 18 onto its prongs 12, 14. The first fork 10 is held by a user and the sausage 18 is located upon a supporting surface (e.g. a grill or a chopping board). For ease of reference the user and the supporting surface are not shown.

Once a first sausage 18 has been loaded onto the first fork 10, subsequent sausages can also be loaded in the same manner. In practice, a set of sausages to be cooked will often be laid out on the supporting surface ready to be impaled. (If the sausages are initially supplied as a string the sausages will of course first be separated from one another by cutting the skin of the strong of sausages at intervals between the sausages.) The sausages can be conveniently laid out in a pre-prepared row so as to speed up the impaling operation.

As subsequent sausages are loaded onto the first fork 10, the earlier sausages are forced back along the prongs 12, 14 in a direction towards the handle 16. The prongs 12, 14 are however much longer than is usual for barbecue forks and therefore a large number of sausages can be loaded onto them.

It can be seen that the first and last sausages to be loaded onto the first fork 10 have been labelled as 18 and 24 respectively. This allows the relative positions of the sausages to be easily ascertained throughout the various figures.

Figure 2 shows two sausages loaded onto the first fork 10, with a third sausage about to be added.

Figure 3 shows four sausages loaded onto the first fork.

Eventually six sausages are loaded onto the first fork 10 and are placed upon a barbecue grill 20, as shown in Figure 4. Here it can be seen that the first fork 10 has capacity for even more sausages if desired (up to ten of the sausages shown in this example).

It can also be seen that the first fork 10 is long enough so that the handle 16 can be located away from the grill surface 20, whilst the sausages are being cooked upon the grill 20.

This allows a user to use the handle 16 without becoming burnt by the heat from the grill 20.

The user can of course use a protective glove also, if desired, but normally this will not be necessary.

The centre of gravity of the fork 10 (taking into account the weight of the sausages upon the fork) is located so that it lies over the grill when the fork is in use. Thus the handle 16 should not be excessively heavy compared to the prongs loaded with one or more sausages. In practice this is not a major problem because the handle 16 will normally be formed of a relatively lightweight plastics material.

When one side of the sausages has been cooked the first fork 10 is used to lift the sausages clear of the barbecue grill and is ten turned through 180° so as to also turn the sausages. The two prongs 12, 14 of the fork 10 serve to keep the sausages in place during this operation.

The first fork 10 is then used to place the sausages back down on the grill surface 20 so that a second (uncooked) side of the sausages is exposed to the grill 20. The browned, cooked first side is then facing upwards, as can be seen in Figure 5. This side is therefore then facing away from the heat source and will not be overcooked. FurthenTnore,there is no danger of the cooked side of the sausages accidentally rolling back towards the heat source because the sausages are secured by the two prongs 12, 14 of the first fork 10. Thus the problem of sausages rolling over once positioned on a grill by a user is avoided.

Figure 6 illustrates an important aspect of the method of the present invention. This is the transfer of sausages from the first fork 10 to a second fork 22 of the present invention. The second fork 22 is substantially the same size and shape as the first fork 10 When two sides of the sausages have been cooked the first fork 10 is removed form the grill and any excess exudate from the sausages is allowed to drain. This can be aided by a slight shaking motion.

The first fork 10 laden with sausages is then held by a user in one hand pointing in a generally upwards direction and the second fork 22 is held by the user in the other hand.

The user then transfers sausages one at a time from the first fork 10 to the second fork 22, as illustrated by Figures 6 to 10.

It can be seen from Figure 6 that the second fork 22 is positioned at roughly 90° to the first fork 10 when it is used to impale a sausage.

As can best be seen from Figure 7 one prong 12 of the second fork 22 passes through a sausage 24 between the two prongs 12, 14 of the first fork 10 and the other prong 14 of the second fork 22 also passes through the sausage 24, but to one side of the prongs 12, 14 of the first fork 10.

The sausage 24 can then be lifted off the first fork 10 by pushing the second fork 22 (upon which the sausage is now also impaled) n along the direction of the prongs 12, 14 of the first fork. This can again be best seen in Figure 7, where a sausage 24 is about to be lifted off the first fork. 10 by the second fork 22.

The procedure is repeated until all the sausages are transferred from the first fork 10 onto the second fork 22, as illustrated in subsequent Figures 8 to 10, with Figure 10 showing the final sausage 18 about to be transferred from the first fork 10 to the second fork 22.

It will be recalled that at this stage two sides of the sausages have been grilled. This leaves two sides still to be cooked, assuming a normal cooking regime in which four sides of the sausages are to be cooked.

However, the sausages are now ideally located on the second fork 22 for cooking the two remaining sides (the third and fourth sides).

The second fork laden with sausages is then placed onto the grill 20, as shown in Figure 11.

This automatically positions one of the uncooked sides face down over the heat source.

It does not matter which of these sides is placed face down onto the grill 20 first, because both are uncooked. Thus the procedure is very simple for a user.

Once a third side has been cooked, the second fork 22 is used to flip the sausages over again in a maimer analogous to that shown in Figures 4 and 5, This exposes the final uncooked side (the fourth side) of the sausages to the heat source.

Once the final side has been cooked the sausages are lifted off the grill 20. The first fork 10 can then be conveniently used to push the sausages off the second fork 22 along the direction of the tines 12, 14 of the second fork 22.

Typically, a this stage, the sausages are pushed onto a receptacle where the sausages are allowed to cool before eating. Alternatively they may be placed onto a breadstuff (e.g. a

bun) for example.

It can be seen the first sausage that is released from the second fork 22 following cooking corresponds to the first sausage 18 that was placed onto the first fork 10.

The whole operation can be performed extremely efficiently. In the procedure shown six sausages are cooked on approximately the same time it would take to cook a single sausage using standard procedures. Furthermore all of the sausages are cooked to the same degree and there is no risk of the sausages accidentally rolling over during the cooking procedure.

There is also no need for additional cooking utensils such as tongs, etc. The procedure can of course be scaled up for commercial scale barbecues. For example a fork with prongs one metre long could be used to grill fifty sausages having an average diameter of 2 cm.

In the case of very long forks it may be desirable to temporarily provide a releasable handle at one end (in addition to the normal handle at the base of the fork) so that one user can hold the fork by its normal handle at one end and another user can hold it at the opposing end by its releasable handle.

For example, the releasable handle may be in the form of a heat resistant plastics material with channels that allow it to be slid onto the ends of the prongs and then be slid off once the turning process has been completed. Alternatively it may be releasably clamped to the ends of the prongs and removed later on. Such releasable handles are however normally not required.

The procedure described herein is ideally suited to cooking elongate or irregular shaped food items, especially if cooking is required on many sides.

The forks 10, 22 can be constructed very inexpensively. Indeed, even allowing for a reasonable mark-up on sales, the cost of the forks 10, 22 to a purchaser is likely to be outweighed by the savings in food costs due to reduced wastage. Furthermore, there are also major additional benefits of increased food safety, increased efficiency and reduced stress.

Of course this example only shows two forks being used for ease of illustration. As discussed earlier many more forks can be used for even greater efficiency. \Vhilst it is preferred to use an even number of forks even this is not essential. For example three forks may be used. Here two of the forks may (fork I and fork 2) may be used for cooking at the same time. Then items cooked on two sides may be transferred from one of these two forks (e.g. fork 1) to the third fork (fork 3) for cooking the other two sides. This then makes the fork from which the items have been transferred (fork 1) available to receive food items from the other fork (fork 2).

The forks may be modified. For example means may optionally be provided for maintaining the prongs in a substantially parallel orientation (e.g. a spacer, a clamp, or another means allowing the orientation to be maintained). This may be located close to the handle or within the handle. It may be releasable (e.g. slidably mounted), but is preferably fixed.

Glossary The meaning of various terms that are used herein is set out below: "Side" This term is used herein simply to indicate a portion of a piece of food that is cooked whilst the piece of food is in a fixed position on a grill. Preferably a side is visually identifiable by a degree of browning. In the case of sausages for example it is generally desirable to ensure that cooking of at least four sides occurs. Sides may of course overlap to some degree, as is usual when using a grill. The term "side" is of course therefore not used in a strict geometrical sense, but in a sense that would be understood by those skilled in the art of barbecuing.

"Cook" The term "cook" when used herein as a noun indicates a person who performs cooking using a barbecue or other cooking apparatus. The person need not of course be a professional cook. Indeed in practice many people cooking at barbecues are not professional cooks but cook for friends and/or family.

"Fork" This term is used herein to mean a multi-pronged instrument having a handle. Thus instruments with 2 or more prongs are covered (e.g. 2, 3, 4 or more prongs). Desirably the prongs are substantially parallel over most of their length. Whilst they do not need to be exactly parallel, if they converge or diverge significantly this can make difficult to load food without tearing it, as it is pushed along the prongs.

Thus it is preferred that the prongs are within 150, more preferably within 100 of being exactly parallel. Most preferably they are within 5 0 of being exactly parallel. (Prongs that are exactly parallel are of course included.) "Barbecue" This term is used as a verb to cover outdoor cooking. It includes cooking over a flame, a grill, an open fire, embers, etc. The fuel for the barbecue can be any desired source including charcoal, wood, coal, gas artificial fuels etc. In some cases electricity may be used (e.g. from a generator or from a lead connected to a mains supply.) However this is less preferred.

When used as a noun the term "barbecue" covers the apparatus used in outdoor cooking.

Preferred barbecue apparatuses comprise a grill for placing items to be cooked thereon, a support for the grill and a receptacle for the fuel source. A protective cover may also be provided, as may a receptacle for collecting oils or other liquids that may emerge from food as it is barbecued.

It is however important to appreciate that the present invention is not limited to barbecue cooking but can also be used for indoor cooking.

"Substantially a right angle" or "Substantially 900 This term is used to describe the preferred angle at which the prongs of the first fork are held relative to the second fork allow items of food to be transferred so that four sides can be cooked. The ideal angle is 90°. However a degree of leeway is of course necessary because in practice a user will not measure the angle accurately. It is sufficient if the angle allows four sides to be cooked. Indeed there will often be a degree of overlap when sides are cooked. Thus, for example a tolerance of +1-30%, preferably of +1-15%, +1-10% or +1-5% can be allowed.

Such % tolerances are also allowed for other angles discussed herein and are inferred where the term "substantially" is used. "Kit"

This describes a plurality of items packaged together. Preferably the items are packaged in a sealed container (e.g. a bag, box, pack or other container). For example the container may be formed of paper, cardboard, wood, or a plastics material. It may be sealed by any appropriate means, including tape, staples, adhesive, tabs and slots, etc.

Claims

Claims 1. A method of simultaneously cooking a plurality of items of food comprising the steps of: i) using a first fork to secure the items of food in a manner so that they can be retained on prongs of the fork during cooking ii) using a heat source to cook one side of the items of food on the first fork iii) turning the fork so as to turn the pieces of food and to allow another side of the items of food to be cooked iv) using a second fork to remove one or more of said items of food from said first fork and v) using the second fork to cook one or more further sides of the items of food.
2, A method according to claim 1 that is used to cook at least four sides of the items of food.
3. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2; wherein in step iv) the prongs of the first fork are positioned at an angle relative to the prongs of the second fork whilst one or more items are transferred between the forks.
4. A method according to claim 3; wherein said angle is substantially 90°.
5. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the prongs are not bent or curved along their lengths to form a stop that prevents food items from moving further along their length.
6. A method according to any preceding claim, further comprising using the first fork to displace one or more items of cooked food from the second fork, once said one or more items are cooked
7. A method according to any preceding claim; wherein the method is a method of barbecuing, the forks utensils are barbecue forks and the heat source is a barbecue.
8. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the prongs of the forks are substantially parallel over a length of at least 15cm.
9. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the prongs of the forks are substantially parallel over a length of at least 20 cm
10. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the length of the prongs is less than 50 cm.
11. A method according to any preceding claim; wherein the prongs are substantially parallel along their exposed lengths.
12. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the handles of the forks comprise a different material from the prongs of the forks.
13. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the handle is formed of a resilient, heat insulating material
14. A method according to any preceding claim; wherein the handles of the forks are initially supplied in a form separate from the prongs but can be attached to the prongs so as to operably engage them.A method according to any preceding claim; wherein the handle engages the prongs via a press-fit or snap-fit arrangement.16. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the handle is secured to he prongs using releasable securing means.17. A method according to claim 16 wherein the releasable securing means comprise one or more screws, bolts or clamps.18. A method according to claim 14 wherein the handle is secured to the prongs using adhesive.19. A method according to any preceding claim; wherein at least one of the prongs of at least one of the forks comprises, or is operably connected to, a temperature sensor.20. A method according to clam 19, wherein a temperature display is also provided on the fork.21. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the distance between the prongs of the forks is greater than the width of a prong.22. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the distance between the prongs is greater than twice the width of a prong.23. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the forks are used to cook at least five items simultaneously.25. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the forks are used to cook a plurality of sausages simultaneously.26. A method according to any preceding claim that uses more than two forks of the present invention; wherein a plurality of forks laden are used to cook items of food on first and second sides and one or more additional forks are used to transfer the items of food and to cook third and fourth sides..27. A fork that is suitable for use in a method according to any preceding claim.28. A fork according to claim 27, wherein the fork comprises one or more of the features described in any of claims 4, 5, or 7 to 22.29. A kit comprising at least two forks as described in claim 27 or claim 28.30. A kit according to claim 29 wherein the forks are substantially the same size andlor shape.31. A kit according to claim 29; wherein the one fork is narrower than the other; so that, when inserted at an angle of 900, all of its prongs can be positioned between two prongs of the other fork without touching said two prongs.32. A kit according to any of claims 29 to 31; wherein the kit further comprises instructions for using the forks in a co-operative manner so as to cook more than two sides of a plurality of food items..33. A kit according to claim 32; wherein the kit comprises instructions for using the forks in a method according to any of claims ito 26.34. A kit for making a fork according to claim 27 or 28; wherein the kit comprises a handle and prongs separate from the handle.35. A kit according to claim 34; wherein the kit comprises instructions for use in connecting the handle and prongs.36. A kit according to claim 33 wherein the kit comprises securing means as described in claim 16 or claim 17, or adhesive as described in claim 18.37. A kit according to any of claims 29 to 36 comprising more than 2 forks.38. A kit according to claim 37 comprising 2 forks, where n is an integer of 2 or more.39. An item of food that has been cooked by a method according to any of claims Ito 26.40. The invention substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to the accompanying figures andlor example.Amendments to claims have been filed as follows I. A method of simultaneously cooking a plurality of items of food comprising the steps of: i) using a first fork to secure the items of food in a manner so that they can be retained on prongs of the fork during cooking ii) using a heat source to cook one side of the items of food on the first fork iii) turning the fork so as to turn the pieces of food and to allow another side of the items of food to be cooked iv) using a second fork to remove one or more of said items of food from said first fork and v) using the second fork to cook one or more further sides of the items of food.2. A method according to claim 1 that is used to cook at least four sides of the items of food.3. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2; wherein in step iv) the prongs of the first fork are positioned at an angle relative to the prongs of the second fork whilst one or more items are Q transferred between the forks.Cv') 4. A method according to claim 3; wherein said angle is substantially 900.Q5. A method according to any preceding claim; wherein the prongs are not bent or curved along their lengths to form a stop that prevents food items from moving further along their length.6. A method according to any preceding claim, further comprising using the first fork to displace one or more items of cooked food from the second fork, once said one or more items are cooked 7. A method according to any preceding claim; wherein the method is a method of barbecuing, the forks are barbecue forks and the heat source is a barbecue.8. A method according to any preceding claim; wherein the prongs of the forks are substantially parallel over a length of at least 15cm.9. A method according to any preceding claim; wherein the prongs of the forks are substantially parallel over a length of at least 20 cm 10. A method according to any preceding claim; wherein the length of the prongs is less than cm.11. A method according to any preceding claim; wherein the prongs are substantially parallel along their exposed lengths.12. A method according to any preceding claim; wherein the handles of the forks comprise a different material from the prongs of the forks.13. A method according to any preceding claim; wherein the handles are formed of a resilient, heat insulating material 14. A method according to any preceding claim; wherein the handles of the forks are initially Q supplied in a form separate from the prongs, but can be attached to the prongs so as to operably engage them. Cs')QA method according to any preceding claim; wherein the handles engage the prongs via a (0 press-fit or snap-fit arrangement.16. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the handles are secured to the prongs via releasable securing means.17. A method according to claim 16; wherein the releasable securing means comprise one or more screws, bolts or clamps.18. A method according to claim 14 wherein the handles are secured to the prongs using adhesive.19. A method according to any preceding claim; wherein at least one of the prongs of at least one of the forks comprises, or is operably connected to, a temperature sensor.20. A method according to clam 19; wherein a temperature display is also provided on said at least one fork.21. A method according to any preceding claim; wherein the distance between the prongs of the forks is greater than the width of a prong.22. A method according to any preceding claim; wherein the distance between the prongs is greater than twice the width of a prong.23. A method according to any preceding claim; wherein the forks are used to cook at least five items simultaneously.25. A method according to any preceding claim; wherein the forks are used to cook a plurality of sausages simultaneously.26. A method according to any preceding claim that uses more than two forks of the present Q invention; wherein a plurality of forks are used to cook items of food on first and second sides and one or more additional forks are used to transfer the items of food and to cook third and Cr') fourth sides.Q27. A kit comprising at least two forks suitable for use in a method according to any of claims I to 26, the kit further comprising instructions for using said forks in said method.28. A kit according to claim 27; wherein the forks are substantially the same size and/or shape.29. A kit according to claim 27; wherein the one fork is narrower than the other; so that, when inserted at an angle of 90°, all of its prongs can be positioned between two prongs of the other fork without touching said two prongs.30. A kit according to any of claims 27 to 29 comprising more than 2 forks.31. A kit according to claim 30 comprising 211 forks, where n is an integer of 2 or more.32. A method or a kit of the present invention substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying figures and/or example. Ci') (0