Patent ID: 7549369
Filing Date: 2009-06-23
Classification: A23L,A47J

Abstract:
1. A device for infusing heated flavoring vapor into an item being cooked, comprising: a cooking unit having a heating source configured to deliver cooking heat other than steam heat within an enclosed cooking area of the cooking unit to cook the item being cooked within the enclosed cooking area; two or more flavor infusers configured to dispense heated flavoring vapor into an interior of the item being cooked; a heated fluid reservoir configured as a static fluid container and vaporizing chamber to contain a quantity of liquid fluid and one or more flavoring ingredients within or separate from the fluid, and to heat the liquid fluid and the flavoring ingredient(s) within the reservoir to a temperature that produces the heated flavoring vapor; the fluid reservoir having a flavoring vapor outlet for evacuating the heated flavoring vapor, and being substantially closed against the introduction and recirculation of streaming fluid, thereby allowing the liquid fluid that is statically contained in the fluid reservoir to deplete from the reservoir as it is heated and vaporized without being replenished from a streaming fluid source or a return pathway from the cooking area; a conduit connecting the infusers and the vapor outlet of the fluid reservoir to allow the heated flavoring vapor generated by heating the liquid fluid and flavoring ingredient(s) in the fluid reservoir to flow to the infusers solely in an outflow direction from the fluid reservoir to the infusers; the device being operatively configured to isolate the liquid fluid in the fluid reservoir from the heated flavoring vapor that flows from the infusers so as to deliver substantially only the heated flavoring vapor from the infusers into the item being cooked by the heating source; and the device being further configured so that the heating source delivers the cooking heat to the exterior of the item to be cooked in the cooking area independently of the infusers while the infusers separately infuse the heated flavoring vapor into the interior of the item being cooked.