Patent ID: 8925444
Filing Date: 2015-01-06
Classification: A47J

Abstract:
1. A machine to fast cook raw food stuff including dry-goods such as pasta on demand for the vending, fast-food, hospitality, restaurant and related commercial markets, comprising: a raw food-stuff ingress staging aperture for staging a pre-measured portion of uncooked food, and isolating moving parts from the operator, said raw food-stuff ingress staging aperture being functionally and insertably coupled to an upper slide plate valve assembly; a cooking assembly for heating water and cooking raw food-stuff, and being an assembly of a boiler, a cooking assembly top plate, a cooking assembly bottom plate, a cooking assembly enclosure and a cook chamber; said cooking assembly top plate for sealing the top of said cooking assembly enclosure, said cooking assembly top plate being part of said cooking assembly; said cooking assembly bottom plate for sealing the bottom of said cooking assembly enclosure, said cooking assembly bottom plate being part of said cooking assembly; said cooking assembly enclosure for enclosing and creating a volume by mechanically attaching and sealing to said cooking assembly top plate and said cooking assembly bottom plate, said cooking assembly enclosure being part of said cooking assembly; a heat transfer fluid fluidly contained by said cooking assembly, thermally encompassing said boiler, said cook chamber, and heating elements for the absorption, storage, and efficient transfer of thermal energy from said heating elements to said boiler and said cook chamber; said boiler for containing and heating a volume of water under pressure to a superheated state on demand, said boiler being part of the cooking assembly; said cook chamber for containing a pre-determined portion of food stuff and superheated water at sufficient pressure and temperature to promote hydration and cooking, said cook chamber being part of the cooking assembly; said heating element for heating water and said heat transfer fluid while said heating element's external surface temperature is self-regulated to not exceed process defined set-points; an expansion tank for providing a variable pressurized volume to accommodate increases in fluid volume due to thermal expansion, fluidly connected to said boiler; a pressure pump for boosting supply water pressure within said boiler, fluidly connected to said boiler, and fluidly connected to a rinse solenoid valve; a high pressure temperature pump for boosting pressure of superheated water within said cook chamber, fluidly connected to said boiler, and fluidly connected to said cook chamber; a first pressure transducer for detecting and accurately measuring process pressures and generating an output signal, fluidly connected to said cook chamber; a second pressure transducer for detecting and measuring process pressures and generating an output signal, fluidly connected to said cook chamber; a high temperature pressure switch for detecting pressure at said cook chamber and at a pre-set pressure actuates an electrical circuit, fluidly connected to said cook chamber, and functionally connected to said high pressure temperature pump; a low temperature pressure switch for detecting process pressure at said boiler and at a pre-set minimum pressure closes an electrical circuit, fluidly connected to said boiler, and functionally connected to said pressure pump; a cook chamber inlet solenoid valve for filling and pressurization said cook chamber by enabling and disabling the flow of superheated water through said cook chamber inlet conduit, fluidly connected to said cook chamber, and fluidly connected to said boiler; a first venting solenoid valve for controlled depressurization of said cook chamber, fluidly connected to said cook chamber, and fluidly connected to a drain pan; a second venting solenoid valve for controlled depressurization of said cook chamber, fluidly connected to said cook chamber, and fluidly connected to said drain pan; said rinse solenoid valve for supplying rinse water to said cook chamber, fluidly connected to said cook chamber, and fluidly connected to said pressure pump; said upper slide plate valve assembly for sealing and unsealing the inlet of said cook chamber, upwardly and rigidly connected to said cooking assembly top plate, being functionally and insertably coupled to said raw food-stuff ingress staging aperture; a lower slide plate valve assembly for sealing and unsealing the discharge end of said cook chamber, downwardly and rigidly connected to said cooking assembly bottom plate; said drain pan for accumulation, isolation and removal of hot rinse water, flashed steam, and cooked food-stuff, downwardly and rigidly connected to said cooking assembly bottom plate; a strainer for capturing, collecting, and draining cooked food-stuff, supportively captured by said drain pan; and a strainer interlock for preventing the accidental or unscheduled removal of said strainer from said drain pan, temporarily retained to said strainer.