Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Electrical appliance designed for culinary preparations in separate servings
The present invention relates to the technical field of electrical appliances
designed for
culinary preparation in separate servings, particularly in individual
servings, such as
yogurts or desserts in particular.
The making of preparations based on milk and ferments, such as yogurt, or
based on milk
and rennet, such as fromage blanc or the curd cheese also called faisselle,
usually requires
a relatively long transformation (fermentation), which can reach several
hours. The
temperatures usually attained by the food for accomplishing these preparations
are
approximately 36 to 40 C for making fromage blanc or curd cheese and
approximately 40
to 50 C for making yogurt.
The making of sweet and/or salty desserts such as cream dessert, caramel
custards, but
also souffles, flans, clafoutis or chocolate fondants requires less time to
cook (usually up
to about one hour), but a higher temperature. The temperatures usually
attained by food
for making these preparations are for example approximately 85 to 95 C for
making
caramel custard.
Known from document FR 2 311 522 is an electrical cooking appliance for
desserts with
automatic shut-off. This appliance comprises a cooking enclosure designed to
accommodate several cups containing the food to be cooked. A thermal inertia
heating
device makes it possible to attain a cooking temperature and to maintain said
cooking
temperature before beginning the cooling phase. The proposed construction,
however, has
the disadvantage of being relatively tricky to adjust so as to obtain the
desired
temperature profiles. Further, the containers are resting on the heating base,
which results
in areas of uneven heating.
One object of the present invention is to propose an electrical appliance for
making
culinary preparations in separate servings, wherein the transformation of the
preparations
is more consistent within one and the same container.
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Another object of the present invention is to propose an electrical appliance
for making
culinary preparations in separate servings, wherein the transformation of the
preparations
is more consistent from one container to another.
These objects are attained with an electrical appliance for making culinary
preparations in
separate servings, comprising a heating base, a main lid, and at least one
container for
holding the culinary preparation, due to the fact that the appliance also
includes a support
inserted between the heating base and the main lid, the support including an
opening for
suspending each container so that the bottom of each container is remote from
the heating
base, the support surrounding the container(s) over most of the height of the
container(s).
By avoiding direct contact between the containers and the heating base, the
appliance
according to the invention provides optimal heating of the culinary
preparation and thus
improves its organoleptic properties. The support surrounding the container(s)
over most
of the height of the container(s) makes it possible to promote homogeneous
heating inside
the container(s) by avoiding preferential heating of one side of the
container(s) by the
heating base. The support surrounding the container(s) over most of the height
of the
container(s) also makes it possible to promote uniform heating from one
container to
another by avoiding partial lateral heating emanating from one wall of the
heating base,
and makes it possible in particular to contemplate the use of one or more
containers
surrounded by other containers. In addition, the support thus proposed
carrying one or
more containers can be rested on a flat surface.
According to one advantageous embodiment, the bottom of each container
projects below
the support. This arrangement makes it possible to facilitate grasping the
container(s) by
separating the container(s) from the opening(s) in the support when the
support is rested
on a flat surface.
According to one advantageous embodiment, the support includes an outer rim
resting on
the periphery of the heating base.
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Advantageously then, the outer rim is made of plastic.
According to an advantageous embodiment, the support includes a tray bearing
the
opening(s) for each container.
Advantageously then, the tray is removable.
Advantageously too, the upper portion of the support includes an upper rim for
resting the
main lid.
Advantageously too, the outer surface of the support includes handles for
grasping.
Advantageously too, each container includes a shoulder near an upper rim, the
shoulder
resting on the rim of the associated opening of the support.
Advantageously too, the heating base includes a metal plate associated with
heating
means.
According to one embodiment, the heating means are positioned in the central
portion of
the metal plate.
Advantageously then, the metal plate includes a cavity sized to accommodate a
calibrated
quantity of liquid.
Advantageously too, the heating means consist of a shielded heating element
fixed
underneath the metal plate at the cavity.
Advantageously too, the metal plate is made of aluminum.
Advantageously too, the electrical appliance includes control means providing
for
operation of the heating means in a first mode limiting the temperature of the
metal plate
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to below 100 C and in a second mode allowing a metal plate temperature higher
than
100 C.
Advantageously too, the electrical appliance includes control means providing
for
operation of the heating element at a minimum of two prescribed temperatures
comprised
between 35 and 90 .
According to one advantageous embodiment, the metal plate is accommodated in a
base.
Advantageously then, a gasket is mounted on the periphery of the metal plate
in order to
thermally isolate the metal plate from the base.
Advantageously then, to avoid direct heating of the support, the support rests
on the
heating base on the periphery of the gasket.
Advantageously too, to facilitate the attainment of uniform heating underneath
the
containers, the metal plate extends below the bottom of the containers.
Advantageously too, to facilitate the attainment of uniform heating under the
containers,
the heating base includes surface heating means placed underneath the
containers.
Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the
description that
follows with reference to the appended drawings, which are provided only as
examples
and without limitation:
- Figure 1 is a front view of an electrical appliance for making culinary
preparations
in separate servings according to the invention,
- Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the appliance illustrated in
Figure 1,
- Figure 3 is a cross-section view of the appliance illustrated in Figures 1
and 2,
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- Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the heating base of the
appliance
illustrated in Figures 1 through 3,
- Figure 5 is a cross-section view of the heating base illustrated in Figure
4.
5
One embodiment of an electrical appliance for making culinary preparations in
separate
servings is illustrated in Figures 1 through 5.
Figure 1 shows an electrical appliance for making culinary preparations in
separate
servings, comprising a heating base 1, a support 2 for at least one container
4 designed to
accommodate the culinary preparation, and a main lid 3. According to the
invention, it is
possible to prepare different types of milk-based desserts and preparations in
the
containers.
As illustrated in Figure 1, the support 2 is inserted between the heating base
1 and the
main lid 3. Thus, the support 2 exhibits a lower rim 23 resting on the
periphery of the
heating base 1 and the upper portion of the support 2 includes an upper rim 24
for resting
the main lid 3. The outer surface of the support 2 includes handles 25 for
grasping.
As shown by Figure 2, the support 2 includes an outer rim 20 resting on the
periphery of
the heating base 1. The outer rim 20 constitutes the sidewall of the support
2. The
grasping handles 25 extend from the outer rim 20. The outer rim 20 is
preferably made of
material with low heat conduction, plastic for example.
The support 2 also includes a tray 21 approximately parallel to the heating
base 1. The
tray 21 occupies the interior space of the outer rim 20. According to the
invention, the
tray 21 is equipped with openings 22. These openings 22 make it possible to
position the
containers 4 within the electrical appliance for making culinary preparations.
According
to the embodiment variant shown, the tray 21 includes twelve openings 22.
Without
departing from the scope of the invention, it is possible to practice a
different number of
openings and in particular to make only a single opening for a single
container, the
support 2 then surrounding said container over most of the height of said
container. Thus
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the support 2 includes at least one opening 22 for suspending each container 4
so that the
bottom 41 of each container 4 is remote from the heating base 1. The tray 21
bears the
opening(s) 22 for each container 4.
As the section view of Figure 3 shows more precisely, the support 2 makes it
possible to
suspend the containers 4 above the heating base 1. Thus, according to one of
the features
of the invention, the containers 4 do not rest on the heating base 1. On the
contrary, the
bottom 41 of the containers 4 is separated by a height h from the heating base
1. As an
example, the height h is comprised between 2 and 15 mm, and preferably between
3 and
10 mm. As can be seen in Figure 3, the support 2 surrounds the containers 4
over most of
the height of the containers 4. Particularly, the support 2 extends along the
major portion
of the sidewall of the containers 4 extending below the openings 22, and stops
slightly
above the bottom 41 of the containers 4. Thus, the bottom 41 of each container
4 extends
below the support 2.
Each container 4 includes a shoulder 42 in the vicinity of an upper rim 43.
Thus, when the
container 4 is placed in the support 2, the shoulder 42 comes to bear on the
rim 26 of the
associated opening 22 of the support 2. The container 4 is then locked in
translation and
does not reach the heating base 1. The dimensions of the lower portion of each
container
4 are therefore smaller than the dimensions of the opening 22. Moreover, the
contact area
between the shoulder 42 and the rim 26 of the opening 22 creates a seal area
allowing the
upper portion of the container 4 to be isolated from the heat or possible
steam emissions
emanating from the heating base 1. Thus the support 2 includes at least one
opening 22
for suspending each container 4 so that the bottom 41 of each container 4 is
remote from
the heating base 1.
According to the embodiment variant shown, the containers 4 can be equipped
with lids
5. These lids 5 are used only to preserve the culinary preparations after
cooking or
fermentation in the appliance according to the invention. Likewise, the
containers 4 can
include a perforated inner receptacle 6 for the preparation of fromage blanc
orfaisselle.
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The height of the tray 21 on the outer rim 20 of the support 2 and the height
of the outer
rim 20 make it possible in particular to easily handle all the containers 4
thanks to the
grasping handles 25. In the embodiment variant illustrated in the figures, the
support 2 is
made in a single piece.
According to an embodiment variant not shown, the height of the outer rim 20
is
determined so that even when the support 2 is not resting on the heating base
1, it is
possible to rest the support 2 and its containers 4 on a flat surface, without
the bottom 41
of the containers 4 resting on that surface.
As described previously, the main lid 3 rests on the upper rim 24 of the
support 2. To
provide a certain fluid-tightness in the closure between the main lid 3 and
the support 2,
the periphery of the main lid 3 includes a shoulder 30 which rests against the
upper rim
24 of the support 2. The main lid 3 also includes a grasping handle 31.
The heating base 1 will now be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5.
The heating
base 1 of the appliance according to the invention includes a metal plate 10
associated
with heating means 12. The metal plate is accommodated in the base 16. The
base 16 also
includes a control panel 15 and the associated electronics for controlling the
heating
means 12. In order to thermally isolate the metal plate 10 from the base 16, a
gasket 13 is
mounted on the periphery of the metal plate 10. Further, a spacer 14 is used
for
assembling the metal plate 10 to the base 16. During assembly, the gasket 13
is force-
fitted to the rim of the metal plate 10. Then, the spacer 14 is clipped to the
base 16.
Finally, the metal plate 10 equipped with the gasket 13 is inserted into the
base 16. The
spacer 14 also constitutes the bearing surface of the lower rim 23 of the
support 2. The
spacer 14 being thermally isolated from the metal plate 10 by the gasket 13,
the support 2
does not suffer exposure to an excessive temperature. As can be clearly seen
in Figure 3,
the support 2 rests on the heating base 1 at the periphery of the gasket 13.
The metal plate 10 is for example made of aluminum to ensure an even
temperature
distribution over the entire surface of the metal plate 10, and preferably of
cast aluminum
allowing good radiation to be obtained for heating the containers 4. As can be
clearly seen
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in Figures 2 and 3, the metal plate 10 extends below the bottom 41 of the
containers 4.
The heating means 12 are positioned in the central portion of the metal plate
10. The
metal plate 10 can include a cavity 11 sized to accommodate a calibrated
quantity of
liquid, substantially in the center of the metal plate 10 for example. The
dimensions of the
cavity 11 are determined so as to accommodate a calibrated quantity of liquid
such as
water. By way of example, the volume of the cavity I 1 makes it possible to
accommodate
a quantity of water comprised between 100 and 200 ml. The metal plate 10
exhibits a
raised rim allowing the condensates formed to be contained below the support
2. If
desired, the bottom of the metal plate 10 can exhibit a slope from the raised
rim toward
the cavity 11. The heating means 12 consist for example of a shielded heating
element,
fixed underneath the metal plate 10, at the cavity 11 for example, as can be
seen in Figure
4.
The heating base 1 thus includes surface heating means placed below the
containers 4,
allowing the accomplishment of uniform heating below the containers 4.
The use of the support 2 according to the invention makes it possible to avoid
direct
contact between the containers 4 and the metal heating plate 10, which makes
it possible
to obtain a uniform temperature rise and hold in the containers 4. Indeed, the
volume
defined by the metal plate 10, the tray 21 and the outer rim 20 of the support
forms a
substantially uniform heating volume e for the outer surface of the containers
4. This
heating mode makes it possible to improve the quality of the culinary
preparations made
in the appliance according to the invention. In order to improve thermal
insulation of the
heating space e, the support 2 is made of a material with low thermal
conductivity, plastic
for example.
The appliance according to the invention can operate in at least two modes: a
first so-
called dry heat mode, and a second so-called wet heat mode.
The first, so-called dry heat mode is particularly suited to the preparation
of yogurt by
fermentation with ferments, or of fromage blanc or of faisselle by
fermentation with
rennet. In this first mode, the temperature in the heating space e is
regulated to about 45
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for yogurts, or 38 C for fromage blanc orfaisselle. To that end and in a
manner known
per se, a thermostatic regulating device (not shown) regulates the electrical
power supply
to the heating means 12 to maintain this temperature in the heating space e.
This
thermostatic regulating device comprises for example a NTC type sensor mounted
against
the metal plate 10, with a prescribed temperature for electrical power supply
to the
heating means 12 being approximately 60 C for making yogurt.
The second, so-called wet heat mode, enables cooking of desserts. This second
mode
requires a higher temperature. The humid environment allows a rapid rise to
and holding
of this temperature. To implement this second mode, the cavity 11 is filled
with the
calibrated quantity of water, for example 150 ml, and the regulated
temperature is
increased to over 100 C to allow the evaporation of water contained in the
cavity. If
desired, the power of the heating means 12 can also be modulated by
alternating heating
periods and shut-off periods.
The control panel 15 makes it possible to select from among different programs
implementing one or the other of the two modes. Making yogurt orfromage blanc
can be
the subject of two distinct programs using the first mode. Thus, the
electrical appliance
includes control means providing for operation of the heating means 12 in a
first mode
limiting the temperature of the metal plate 10 below 100 C, and in a second
mode
allowing a temperature of the metal plate 10 greater than 100 C. Without
departing from
the scope of the invention, the control panel 15 and the associated
electronics can allow
operation at other prescribed temperatures comprised for example between 35
and 90 ,
with our without adding liquid in the cavity 11.
Thus, as described previously, the placement of the support 2 according to the
invention
improves the organoleptic qualities of the culinary preparations by providing
optimal
heating of the containers 4 throughout the cooking or fermentation. What is
more, the
support 2 facilitates the handling of the containers 4 before and after the
cooking or the
fermentation.
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According to one embodiment not shown, the tray is removable from the outer
rim. Thus,
several trays comprising different opening sizes and shapes could be mounted,
for
instance by clipping, onto the outer rim.
5 By way of a variant, the heating base 1 could include surface heating means
other than
the metal plate 10 and the heating element 12, for example a self-adhesive
heater fixed
below an upper plate of the heating base 1, or even a heating element
silkscreen printed
on the bottom of an upper plate of the heating base 1.
10 The present invention is in no way limited to the embodiment described, but
rather
encompasses numerous modifications within the scope of the claims.
