WO1994012035A1

WO1994012035A1 - Conical food article and process for making same

Info

Publication number: WO1994012035A1
Application number: PCT/US1992/011164
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ward J. Goldstein
Original assignee: Conewich International
Priority date: 1992-11-20
Filing date: 1992-12-22
Publication date: 1994-06-09
Also published as: AU3334393A; MX9207649A

Abstract

An edible food container is formed by wrapping an elongate strand (10) of uncooked bread dough around a conically-shaped mandrel (12) to form a plurality of spiral turns with no gap between adjacent turns (16) of the spiral. The resultant uncooked dough cone is then baked to form an edible, cone-shaped container of soft bread. The bread cone is removed from the mandrel (12) and the hollow interior of the cone is filled with a selected filling.

Description

CONICAL FOOD ARTICLE AND PROCESS FOR MAKING SAME

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation-In-Part of pending Application Serial No. 07/715,628 filed June 14, 1991.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a conically-shaped edible food article and to a process for making such an article.

There are a number of common articles of food which are formed in a conical shape. One of the best known of these is the conical ice cream cone, which is generally formed by pouring liquid waffle dough into a mold or else forming a single sheet of dough into a cone shape. These types of dough form rigid, brittle shells.

U.S. Patent No. 3,410,691 of Stanley describes a conical food article formed by cutting a flattened circle of dough into four equal segments or sector pieces, and wrapping an individual piece around a conical mandrel before baking. U.S. Patent No. 4,795,652 of Cooper describes a similar technique in which a flattened strip of pretzel dough is cut into parallelogram-shaped pieces and each piece is wrapped onto a mandrel before baking.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved food article and process for making such an article.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a food article is provided which comprises a conical receptacle of soft bread dough formed by wrapping a strip of uncooked bread dough spirally around a conical mandrel to form a plurality of successive spiral turns of the dough strip with no gap between adjacent turns, the receptacle having a spiral line extending around its outer periphery extending along the junction between adjacent turns of the dough .

According to another aspect of the present invention, a process for making such a food article is provided, which comprises the steps of forming a continuous, elongate strand of bread dough, winding the strand spirally around a conical mandrel or conically-shaped baking pan to form a plurality of adjacent spiral turns with no gap between adjacent turns, and curing and cooking the wrapped spiral strand on the mandrel to form a conical receptacle of soft bread consistency.

Preferably, the strand is a flat strip and is wrapped with an overlap between adjacent turns of the strip, so that the overlapping portions of adjacent turns will adhere to each other to form a sealed, integral conical receptacle. In an alternative embodiment, the strand may be of circular cross-section similar to a spaghetti strand, and is wrapped around the mandrel with adjacent turns abutting but not overlapping. Since the dough will tend to expand on baking, the resultant receptacle will have a continuous conical surface with no gaps.

This food receptacle can be made conveniently and economically, and can be filled with a variety of foods and eaten while being hand held. Since a soft, bread dough cone is formed, it can be used as a sandwich substitute which is particularly convenient and advantageous, since it avoids the problems of any filling spilling from the sides of a sandwich. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a strand of uncooked dough being wrapped around a mandrel according to a first embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a section on the lines 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view of part of the mandrel illustrating an alternative wrapping direction;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1 illustrating a modified process and product; and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a conical, edible food receptacle according to a preferred embodiment of the invention with a food filling.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

An edible food article and the process for making it according to a first embodiment of the present invention are illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 4. The process basically comprises first mixing a bread dough in accordance with procedures which are well known in the art. The bread dough is then formed into a relatively narrow, elongate flat strip or strand 10, which is then wrapped spirally around a conically-shaped mandrel or baking pan 12 as best illustrated in Figure 1, starting from the apex 13 of the cone and wrapping to the widest end 14 of the mandrel. Wrapping is continued until the lower part of the mandrel is covered, and adjacent turns 16 of the spiral are wrapped so that there is no gap between them, so as to form a contiguous conical structure. As best illustrated in Figure 2, the strip is preferably wrapped so that there is an overlap 18 between adjacent turns 16.

The strips 10 may be formed in a number of different ways, both manual and automated. For example, a flat sheet of dough could be formed by rolling into a rectangular shape, and the sheet could then simply be cut into flat strips or strands in a similar manner to the making of flat noodles. Automated methods of pressing and stamping may be use . Although pressing of the dough on the mandrel is not necessary, some pressure may be applied if desired. The overlapping portions 18 of adjacent spiral turns will tend to adhere to one another so that there are no gaps in the structure. Preferably, the adjacent turns are overlapped to a height of around 1/3 of the overall strip width or height. As illustrated in Figure 1, the mandrel 12 has a bore or recess 19 in its flat or widest end 14 for receiving a suitable tool such as a post or spindle for holding the mandrel while the dough strand 10 is wrapped around it.

The strip 10 of dough is wound from the apex or tip 13 of the cone to the widest end 14 in Figures 1 and 2. However, it may alternatively be wrapped in the opposite direction, starting at the widest end and winding up to the apex, as illustrated in Figure 3. This will have the advantage that the overlapping outer edge 22 faces upwardly rather than downwardly, reducing the risk of leakage of food from the cone.

Once the dough strip has been spirally wrapped around the mandrel between its opposite ends, the uncooked dough cone is baked in an oven while on the mandrel to form the finished product. The mandrel acts as a baking mold. As the dough is baked, the spiral turns will expand to adhere more firmly to one another and become more tightly wrapped, sealing the small opening at the apex of the cone. The dough receptacle is baked to a golden brown before removing from the oven. The baked, cone-shaped dough receptacle is then removed from the mandrel. The conical bread receptacle will have the soft consistency of baked bread, and will be essentially moisture-tight.

As seen in Figure 4, the baked, cone-shaped receptacle 20 will have a spirally extending edge 22 extending on its outer surface marking the junction between adjacent turns of the dough strip. The receptacle 20 has an internal, conical recess 24 where selected sandwich fillings 26 can be placed. Any selected filling may be used, such as meats, poultry, sea food, vegetables, dairy products and fruits, and the fillings may be hot or cold. ' The cone- shaped bread receptacle forms a sealed, edible container for the filling, reducing the risk of spilling and mess which can result when eating traditional sandwiches with open sides.

The bread cone or receptacle 20 is an extremely versatile food container and may be served as a container for breakfast, salad, lunch, dinner, snack or dessert, depending on the choice of bread dough used and the selected food filling. It may be made in a range of different sizes for holding snacks or full meals, for example. The bread cone itself and the fillings can be consumed without the need of any eating utensils, making it extremely useful as a portable meal-in-one. In view of the way the dough strip is wrapped on the mandrel, the baked receptacle 20 can unwind only from top to bottom as it is eaten, reducing the risk of food leaking or dripping from the receptacle.

Figure 3 illustrates a modified process in which a strand 30 of dough having a circular or round cross- section, similar to a strand of spaghetti, is spirally wrapped around cone-shaped mandrel 12. Spaghetti-shaped strands 30 of dough may be formed by hand by rolling a predetermined quantity of the dough into a continuous cylindrical strand. A strand 30 is then spirally wrapped around the mandrel 12 from apex 13 to base 14, with adjacent turns or loops 32 of the wrapped strand adjacent to and touching or abutting one another with no gaps, as illustrated in Figure 3.

Once the dough is completely wrapped around the mandrel, the mandrel and wrapped uncooked bread cone are placed in an oven and baked until the dough is cooked and a golden brown color. Again, the bread will tend to expand as it bakes, so that adjacent turns are pushed together and the coils become more tightly wrapped. The mandrel and baked cone are then removed from the oven, and" the baked bread cone is removed from the mandrel. Again, any selected filling may be inserted in the hollow interior of the bread cone for convenient and clean consumption together with the cone itself.

Although some preferred embodiments of the invention are described above by way of example only, it will be understood by those skilled in the field that modifications may be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention, which is defined by the appended claims.

I CLAIM:

Claims

-1 -CLAIMS

1. A process for making an edible food container, comprising the steps of: forming an elongate strand of uncooked bread dough; winding the elongate strand of uncooked bread dough spirally around a conical mandrel to form a plurality of successive spiral turns of the dough strip along the height of the mandrel, with no gap between adjacent spiral turns; and cooking the wrapped spiral strand on the mandrel to form a cooked bread cone having the consistency of soft bread for receiving any selected filling.

2. The process as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the strand is formed as a flat strip.

3. The process as claimed in Claim 2 , wherein the strip is wound with an overlap between adjacent spiral turns.

4. The process as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the overlap has a height equal to around 1/3 of the width of the strip.

5. The process as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the strand is of cylindrical shape.

6. The process as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the strand is wound with adjacent turns abutting one another.

7. The process as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the strand is wrapped from the widest end to the apex of the mandrel.

8. An edible food container, comprising: a hollow cone of baked, soft bread dough; the cone comprising an elongate strand of bread dough wound spirally into a conical shape with no gap between adjacent spiral turns and adjacent turns adhered to one another by baking to form a contiguous conical structure; and the cone having a hollow interior for receiving any selected edible filling.

9. The food container as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the spiral windings start at the widest end of the cone and extend to the apex of the cone.

10. The food container as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the strand of dough from which the cone is wrapped comprises a flat strip.

11. The food container as claimed in Claim 10, wherein there is an overlap between each pair of adjacent spiral turns forming the cone.

12. The food container as claimed in Claim 11, wherein the overlap has a height of the order of 1/3 of the width of the dough strip.

13. The food container as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the strand of dough from which the cone is wrapped comprises a cylindrical, spaghetti-shaped strand.