WO2017021260A1

WO2017021260A1 - Apparatus for cooking oven-baked products and the like

Info

Publication number: WO2017021260A1
Application number: PCT/EP2016/067935
Authority: WO
Inventors: Rosanna ZINI
Original assignee: Optima S.R.L.
Priority date: 2015-08-04
Filing date: 2016-07-27
Publication date: 2017-02-09

Abstract

An Apparatus (1) for cooking oven-baked products and the like, which comprises a base (2) provided with a plate (3) of heat-conducting material which defines a cooking surface (4) and a lid (5) which is associated with the base (2) and is movable between a closed configuration and an open configuration; in the closed configuration, a cooking chamber (6) is defined between the lid (5) and the cooking surface (4) and there are first heating means (8) of the chamber which are associated with the base (2); the first heating means (8) comprise at least one first heating element (9) which is arranged directly in contact with the plate (3) at the face (10) arranged opposite the cooking surface (4).

Description

APPARATUS FOR COOKING OVEN-BAKED PRODUCTS AND THE LIKE

The present invention relates to an apparatus for cooking oven-baked products and the like, particularly pizzas, focaccia bread and the like.

Apparatuses are known for cooking oven-baked products, such as pizzas, focaccia bread and the like, which are constituted substantially by a box-like base to which a bell-like lid is pivoted which defines the cooking chamber. The base is constituted by a concave shell which is closed in an upper region by a plate made of refractory material which defines the cooking surface. Inside the base is a first armored resistance arranged spaced apart from the plate and separated from the shell by adapted insulating materials. Inside the lid is a second armored resistance, exposed, which heats the product to be cooked from above by radiation.

The first resistance and the second resistance are usually circular or omega-shaped and are arranged in the central part of the base and of the lid.

Such apparatuses make it possible to cook fresh or frozen products in a practical and quick manner and with considerable energy savings with respect to conventional electric ovens, which need time for preheating and have a large volume to be heated.

For these reasons the apparatuses described above are widely used in homes, in bars, in the catering trade and the like.

However, such apparatuses are not devoid of drawbacks, among which is the fact that the distribution of the heat transmitted by the first resistance to the plate of refractory material is not uniform and therefore does not cook the product evenly.

Furthermore, the product is also not well heated all the way to the edge in the upper region, thus not making it possible to obtain crisp edges.

Last but not least, such apparatuses are usually circular, and therefore they can only be used for certain product formats.

Also, given the shape structure of the cooking chamber, such apparatuses make it possible only to cook products of a certain thickness or which need a lot of space for rising during cooking.

The aim of the present invention is to eliminate the above mentioned drawbacks in the background art by providing an apparatus for cooking oven-baked products and the like which makes it possible to obtain an optimal and even cooking of the product, in a contained time and with reduced energy consumption.

Within this aim, another object of the present invention is to obtain the desired level of cooking of the product, in particular at the edge, so as to keep it soft or make it crisp based on the preference of the user.

Another object of the present invention is that it can be used for different formats and different types of product, thus increasing the flexibility of use thereof.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a simple structure that is easy and practical to implement, safe in use and effective in operation, and low cost.

This aim and these and other objects are achieved by the present apparatus for cooking oven-baked products and the like, which comprises a base provided with a plate of heat-conducting material which defines a cooking surface and a lid which is associated with said base and is movable between a closed configuration and an open configuration, in the closed configuration a cooking chamber being defined between the lid and the cooking surface and there also being first heating means of said chamber which are associated with the base, characterized in that said first heating means comprise at least one first heating element which is arranged directly in contact with said plate at the face arranged opposite said cooking surface.

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become better apparent from the detailed description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of an apparatus for cooking oven-baked products and the like, which is illustrated for the purposes of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus for cooking oven-baked products and the like, according to the invention, in the closed configuration;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the apparatus in Figure 1 in the open configuration;

Figure 3 is a plan view from above of the apparatus in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a front elevation view of the apparatus in Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a view from below of a possible embodiment of the plate of heat-conducting material of the apparatus according to the invention.

With reference to the figures, the reference numeral 1 generally designates an apparatus for cooking oven-baked products and the like.

The apparatus 1 comprises a base 2 provided with a plate 3 of heat- conducting material which defines a cooking surface 4 and a lid 5 which is associated with the base 2 and is movable between a closed configuration (Figure 1) for cooking and an open configuration (Figure 2), in which it is positioned so as to allow free access to the cooking surface 4.

In the closed configuration, a cooking chamber 6 is defined between the cooking surface 4 and the lid.

In the embodiment shown, the cooking chamber 6 is defined recessed in the lid 5, which in the closed configuration rests perimetrically on the base 2. In this manner it is easier to position the product on the cooking surface 4 and to remove it after cooking, and to clean the surface proper, but the possibility is not ruled out that the cooking surface 4 can also be recessed in the base 2.

Furthermore, the lid 5 is preferably connected to the base 2 by way of conventional hinges 7, but the use is not ruled out of different connection systems that allow the movement of the lid between the open and the closed configurations.

Moreover, in the embodiment shown, the apparatus 1 has the cooking surface 4 rectangular, for example with a useful extension of 395mm x 273mm.

In this manner the apparatus 1 makes it possible to cook products of a plurality of dimensions and even in the form of strips. The possibility is not ruled out, however, that the apparatus according to the invention can have a different shape structure and/or dimensioning and be, for example, round in plan view.

The apparatus 1 further comprises first heating means 8 of the cooking chamber 6, which are associated with the base 2 and comprise at least one first heating element 9 which is arranged directly in contact with a face 10 of a plate 3 arranged opposite the cooking surface 4, so as to obtain an even distribution of heat throughout the plate.

The first heating element 9 is typically constituted by an electric resistance which is heated by the Joule effect with the passage of electric current and which transmits heat to the plate 3.

Preferably, as illustrated in Figure 5, the face 10 is provided with a hollowed-out seat 11 for accommodating the at least one first heating element 9. For example the plate 3 can have a thickness comprised between 8mm and 20mm and the seat 11 can have a variable depth between 5mm and 8mm.

In this case, the first heating element 9 can be constituted by a conventional electric resistance in a spiral or helical shape.

Alternatively, the face 10 can be seamless with the at least one first heating element 9 which is arranged in contact therewith.

In this case, the first heating element 9 can be constituted by a conventional armored electric resistance.

The plate 3 can be made with different thermally-conducting materials adapted to cooking foods, such as for example refractory stone, slate, aluminum, and aluminum with non-stick coating at the cooking surface 4. If the plate 3 is made of stone, the seat 11 will be easy to obtain, while if it is made of metal it is possible to provide such seat i.e. position the first heating element 9 in contact with the face 10 of the plate without carrying out machining on it.

Preferably the first heating element 9 has a shape structure that corresponds to the shape of the seat 11 shown in Figure 5 and has a plurality of portions that extend parallel to the outline of the cooking surface 4 and are arranged proximate to such outline.

For example the first heating element 9 can have portions parallel to the edges of the exposed part of the cooking surface 4 which are arranged at a distance of approximately 20-30mm from them.

Alternatively the first heating means 8 could have a plurality of electric resistances connected in series.

The base 2 is constituted by a half-shell 12 which is closed in an upper region by the plate 3 and inside which the first heating means 8 are accommodated. Inside the half-shell 12 there is a layer of a conventional thermally insulating material, not shown, which keeps the first heating element 9 in contact with the face 10 of the plate 3 and prevents the dispersion of the heat outside the base 2.

Preferably, the apparatus 1 also comprises second heating means 13 of the cooking chamber 6 which are associated with the lid 5.

Such second heating means 13 comprise at least one second heating element 14 which is adapted to be arranged above the cooking surface 4 when the lid 5 is in the closed configuration.

For cooking pizzas, focaccia bread or other food products that rise during cooking, the second heating element 14 is arranged inside the cooking chamber 6 in the closed configuration.

Alternatively, for cooking products of reduced thickness and which do not rise during cooking, such as for example flatbreads or so called "tigelle", the lid 5 can be provided with a removable partition, not shown, which is adapted to be arranged between the second heating element 14 and the cooking surface 4 in the closed configuration, to delimit the cooking chamber 6 in height.

The second heating element 14 is preferably constituted by a conventional armored electric resistance; however, the possibility is not ruled out that a plurality of resistances connected in series can be provided.

The second heating element 14 is also provided with a plurality of portions that extend parallel to the outline of the cooking surface 4 and are arranged proximate to such outline when the lid 5 is in the closed configuration, so as to enable an optimal cooking of the product, right through to the corresponding edge.

For example the second heating element 14 can have portions parallel to the internal perimeter of the lid 5 and arranged at a distance 30mm-50mm therefrom.

The lid 5 is provided internally with a layer of a conventional thermally insulating material, not shown, which prevents dispersion of heat outward during cooking.

The apparatus 1 is further provided with an electric circuit for powering and controlling the first and second heating means, respectively 8 and 13, which are not described in detail since they are conventional.

It should be noted that the second heating element 14 can have more electric power than the first heating element 9 in order to obtain a crisp cooking of the upper surface of the product.

In practice it has been found that the invention as described achieves the intended aim and objects and, in particular, attention is drawn to the fact that the apparatus according to the invention makes it possible to obtain an optimal cooking of oven-baked products, such as in particular pizzas and focaccia bread, both fresh and frozen.

Furthermore the apparatus according to the invention makes it possible to cook products of different types and formats. The invention, thus conceived, is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims.

Moreover, all the details may be substituted by other, technically equivalent elements.

In practice the materials employed, as well as the contingent dimensions and shapes, may be any according to requirements without for this reason departing from the scope of protection claimed herein.

The disclosures in Italian Utility Model Application No. 202015000041638 (UB2015U060548) from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

1. An apparatus (1) for cooking oven-baked products and the like, which comprises a base (2) provided with a plate (3) of heat-conducting material which defines a cooking surface (4) and a lid (5) which is associated with said base (2) and is movable between a closed configuration and an open configuration, in the closed configuration a cooking chamber (6) being defined between the lid (5) and the cooking surface (4) and there also being first heating means (8) of said chamber which are associated with the base (2), characterized in that said first heating means (8) comprise at least one first heating element (9) which is arranged directly in contact with said plate (3) at the face (10) arranged opposite said cooking surface (4).

2. The apparatus (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said face (10) arranged opposite said plate (3) is without discontinuities and in that said at least one first heating element (9) is arranged to adhere to said face.

3. The apparatus (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said face (10) arranged opposite said plate (3) is provided with at least one hollowed-out seat (11) for accommodating said at least one first heating element (9).

4. The apparatus (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said at least one first heating element (9) comprises an electric resistance.

5. The apparatus (1) according to claim 2 and 4, characterized in that said at least one electric resistance (9) is of the armored type.

6. The apparatus (1) according to claim 3 and 4, characterized in that said at least one electric resistance (9) is of the spiral type.

7. The apparatus (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said heat-conducting material is selected from the group comprising refractory stone, slate, aluminum, and aluminum with non-stick coating.

8. The apparatus (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said base (2) comprises a half-shell (12) which is closed in an upper region by said plate (3) inside which said first heating means (8) are accommodated, there being further at least one layer of insulating material interposed between the plate and the shell to keep the at least one first heating element in contact with the face arranged opposite said plate.

9. The apparatus (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises second heating means (13) of said cooking chamber (6) which are associated with said lid (5).

10. The apparatus (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that said second heating means (13) comprise at least one second heating element (14) which is adapted to be arranged above said cooking surface (4) in the closed configuration.

11. The apparatus (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that said at least one second heating element (14) is adapted to be arranged inside said cooking chamber (6) in the closed configuration.

12. The apparatus (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that said lid (5) comprises a removable partition adapted to be arranged between said at least one second heating element (14) and said cooking surface (4) to delimit said cooking chamber (6) in the closed configuration.

13. The apparatus (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that said at least one second heating element (14) comprises an electric resistance.

14. The apparatus (1) according to claim 13, characterized in that said electric resistance (14) is of the armored type.

15. The apparatus (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said cooking surface (4) is substantially rectangular.