A food holding wrapper is fabricated from malleable, thermally transmissive sheet material, and mechanically deformed to cause face-to-face contact with exterior food surfaces. A fluid filled cooking chamber provides heat to chambered fluid with sous vide cooking temperatures and durations. With air as the cooking fluid, the chamber heats fluid within the chamber to temperatures above boiling causing thermal coloring of outer food surfaces. User input directs a projected food serving time and a degree of thermal food surface coloringFluid within the cooking chamber is propelled by a motor driven impeller. The food containment wrapper which is coated on its interior surfaces with a nonstick coating. The food filled containment wrapper is vented to outside air. A user can enter a description of the food being cooked and a projected serving time, and a duration and start time of each required cooking processes is calculated from the projected serving time.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates generally to cooking devices. The application relates more particularly to cooking devices for sous-vide cooking.

SUMMARY

As stated, this document is a continuation in part of US Patent Application 2016/0345610. In that application, it states at the bottom of paragraph 0026: “As used herein, ‘oil’ or ‘cooking oil’ further suitably incorporates one or combinations of these materials, or any other suitable cooking fluid”.

This document further clarifies the term “suitable cooking fluid”, as described in paragraph 0026 of the parent application 2016/0345610, to specifically include air, the oldest and most widely used cooking fluid.

Embodiments herein many sous vide cook foods, without the use of high-priced vacuum bag sealers, or expensive vacuum sealed bags. Embodiments may, as a non-limiting and non-exhaustive example, use sheet formed, malleable, thermally transmissive, food containment shells, which are formed face to face against the outer contours of the food used to cook, thus efficiently conducting het into the foods being cooked. Unlike plastic bags, these shells, as a non-limiting and non-exhaustive example, being structurally rigid enough to retain their shape, even if the contained food is removed.

Pressure formation of these containment shells is substituted for vacuum used in conventional sous vide cooking, to hold vacuum bag surface in face-to-face contact with the food being cooked. Formation of these shells may be done with manual pressure, or other useful means. As non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples, a block or blocks of resilient foam might be pressed against malleable skin surfaces pushing them against foods. Or a balloon like air-filled or liquid filled bladder or bladders might press against the skins causing face-to-face food contact.

As used herein, sous vide cooking is defined as cooking foods in form fitting containment membranes, the membranes and contained food, being disposed, for directed periods of time, in precisely temperature controlled fluid.

To heat foods to sous vide and food coloring cooking temperatures, embodiments of the present application may use impeller driven hot fluid.

Embodiments of the present application may heat a cooking chamber to temperatures hot enough to cause thermal food surface coloring. This may occur at any point before, during, or after sous vide cooking.

This compares with traditional sous vide cooking which uses water which boils at any temperatures above boiling, far below temperatures required to heat color outer food surfaces.

Further, air, unlike water, is able to change its cooking temperature quickly, allowing for rapid variance of cooking temperature, even briefly, if desirable, throughout cooking. As a non-limiting and non-exhaustive example, this may at least occur during thermal food surface coloring.

Instead of conventional countdown timers used in many ovens and other kitchen appliances, embodiments of the present inventions may, as a non-limiting and non-exhaustive example, use at least an inputted projected serving time and a food description, to calculate when food preparation processes need to occur in order to achieve that projected serving time.

Embodiments may also offer, either alternatively, or as an additional feature, the ability to manually control cooking durations and temperatures.

Air herein performs similar functions as oil in the parent application 2016/034-5610. More specifically, air, not oil, is used to heat foods to sous vide temperatures. Air is also used to heat foods to higher temperatures needed to at least color outer food surfaces.

Air may be at least: easy to handle, cost free, and need little or no cleanup.

Further, as stated in parent application 2016/0345610, sous vide is expensive, typically at least because it requires costly vacuum bag sealers, and high-priced vacuum seal bags.

By contrast, embodiments of the present application may be far less expensive, at least by not requiring expensive vacuum bag sealers and high priced vacuum seal bags.

Expensive vacuum bag sealers, and high-priced vacuum seal bags, are well-known, and well-publicized deficiencies of traditional sous vide cooking.

Embodiments herein also may simplify the multistep sous vide cooking process by automatically setting all cooking conditions based on a projected serving time, and a description of the food being cooked.

Embodiments herein may also offer true “set it and come back and get it” (™) convenience by requiring a user to just perform two steps, a first step of loading the food and setting the controls, and a second step to unload and serve the food. There are no other actions required on the part of the user.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiment300includes cooking chamber312, which is formed by floor314, supporting sidewalls316, which are capped by heater/fan/control housing318(referring at least toFIGS. 1, 3, 4, 5, and 18).

Controls302on heater/fan/control housing318accept user inputs, as a non-limiting and non-exhaustive example, which include at least the projected food serving time, and a description of food being cooked.

As a first non-limiting and non-exhaustive example, to use embodiment300, food326, in this specific example,3bone-in chicken legs, is wrapped (FIGS. 6 through 12) in heat transmissive, malleable containment skins304, and loaded into cooking chamber312(FIG. 1), and the projected food serving time320of 6:30 PM and the food type322“028” are inputted using buttons328. In this specific example, food type322is inputted as a three digit numeral, which is found, as non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples, on a food type code lookup table, such as is illustrated inFIG. 19, or on an iPhone app, or found using other means.

Pressing start button324then commences the cooking process.

Embodiment300is configured to calculate all cooking conditions, including at least cooking heat(s), and time(s). It may also optionally calculate other things such as the amount of air circulated by the fan, and/or additional heating such as non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples, by microwave or infrared, etc. The initiation of each food preparation process is calculated based on how long the process will take to do each cooking process, worked backward from the projected food serving time320.

Medium browning the food at 350° F. takes 15 minutes, and may occur before, during, or after sous vide and/or other cooking.

Temperatures above boiling are generally needed to color food exteriors. Most foods require more than 300° F. of food cooking heat. Searing of meats, such as steaks and ribs, generally requires quickly applied heat which is typically above 350° F.

Sous vide cooking will take between 4 and 8 hours.

Sous vide cooking will thus automatically start at 2:15 PM (6:30 PM serving time, less 4 hours of sous vide cooking time, less 15 minutes of browning=(2:15 PM)).

Excellent quality food may be served at any time during sous vide cooking, and, when warmed to serving temperatures, the user may serve excellent quality food up to several hours thereafter.

As another, separate, non-limiting and non-exhaustive example, let's say at 7:30 AM, the user puts wrapped food326into cooking chamber312and appropriately sets controls302for a projected food serving time of 6:30 PM and a food type code of 027 which is all taken from the food type code chart shown inFIG. 19.

As soon as the user presses start button324at 7:30 AM, embodiment300immediately browns the refrigerator temperature food at 350° F. for 15 minutes, ending at 7:45 AM.

Browning the food while it is still refrigerator cool, allows higher browning surface temperatures with minimal raising of internal food temperatures.

After this 15 minutes of browning, 30 minutes of sous vide cooking follows, thus ensuring that the food is fully pasteurized. This pasteurization helps keep food from spoiling, even if it is left for several hours without being fully cooked. This, as a non-limiting and non-exhaustive example, allows setting up the cooking in the morning, and coming back in the evening and having food fresh cooked.

Power to electric heat rods376(at leastFIGS. 3 and 4) is then cut off until the re-commencement of sous vide cooking at 4:30 PM (6:30 PM serving time, less 2 hours of remaining sous vide cooking time).

At this time cumulatively, 15 minutes of browning, and the minimum 4 hours of sous vide cooking has occurred, resulting in the food being medium browned and fully sous vide cooked at projected food serving time 6:30 PM.

Because sous vide cooking allows up to 4 hours of cooking time (a minimum of 4 hours up to a maximum 8 hours), food may be served perfectly sous vide cooked between 6:30 PM and 10:30 PM.

By keeping the food warm to a serving temperature of, as a non-limiting and non-exhaustive example, between 95° F. and 125° F., well-cooked sous vide food can be served for several hours after 10:30 PM.

If the food is not removed within a predetermined amount of time, all power to electric heat rods376may be shut off.

Temperatures and times used in sous vide cooking are well-known and amply published, as are separately, the temperatures needed to color the outside of various foods.

In part because containment skins304may be opened and closed at any time, before, during, or after, sous vide cooking, other food preparation steps may occur at any time. These may include, as non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples, adding seasoning or flavorings, and/or adding other ingredients, and/or performing additional food preparation steps. These steps may be programmed into embodiment300to automatically occur.

In this particular example, all the user set up, including wrapping and loading food into cooking chamber312, and at least inputted settings of serving time320, and food type description322(FIG. 19); may be made hours in advance of the sous vide cooking commencing. This is a major convenience, especially when compared traditional sous vide cooking which requires user presence during each stage of the sous vide cooking process (i.e. at least during bagging and vacuum sealing food, and during food loading, and later to browned the food using a frypan or other means, and finally when food is unloaded and served).

As a non-limiting and non-exhaustive example, before leaving for work in the morning, a user may load and set controls302on embodiment300. A user may then come back at mealtime to find the food perfectly cooked, at the perfect serving temperature, and ready to serve, with no other processing and no intermediate steps required.

Controls302, as a non-limiting and non-exhaustive example, may also include user input330to pause or stop the cooking process at any time, including at least during the sous vide cooking, reheating of foods, and browning cooking processes.

Browning input button332allows the user to adjust the amount of browning, as indicated by lights334.

Reheat button336allows a user to reheat, within cooking chamber312, as non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples, room temperature, or refrigerated, or frozen, or other temperature foods. When reheat button336is pressed, lights340sequentially illuminate to indicate the amount of reheating which will occur.

Control buttons342and344allow the user to percentage increase or decrease, the amount of cooking which will occur.

So, as a non-limiting and non-exhaustive example, if a user thinks that an article of food is excessively frozen or is unusually thick, they can adjust cooking time346up by a positive percentage (%) amount.

Adjustable clock348allows embodiment300to be standard time synchronized by a user, at least so serving time320is accurate according to local time.

Ready light350goes on whenever food being cooked is ready to be removed from cooking chamber312and served. So, as a non-limiting and non-exhaustive example, if the food is first ready to be served at 6:30 PM, and, with warming serving temperatures thereafter, the warming terminates at 12:30 AM; ready light350will be continuously on from 6:30 PM through 12:30 AM.

Operating light352goes on whenever embodiment300is turned on324.

Referring at least toFIGS. 1, 3, 4, 5, and 18, embodiment300includes: floor314which from time to time supports clear sidewalls316, with sidewalls316being removably attached to control/heater structure308(FIG. 18). Floor314in turn is configured to also support foods being cooked. Food may be mounted within cooking chamber312in any useful manner.

As a non-limiting and non-exhaustive example, before cooking, food326may be wrapped in a heat transmissive, malleable, formed sheet380(as a non-limiting and non-exhaustive example, formed aluminum foil), as shown inFIGS. 6 through 12.FIG. 12shows how such a malleable sheet, possibly aluminum foil or other suitable material, might be manually formed to match outer contours of food326by pressing on the outer surfaces (FIG. 12) of the malleable sheet380causing the surfaces to form face to face contact with food326.

Face to face contact allows efficient heat transfer through the use of conduction.

This formed construction in embodiment300of malleable containment skins304to mechanically conform to face-to-face contact against outer surfaces of food326, is characteristically different than traditional sous vide cooking, which relies on evacuation of plastic bags, to force the bags into face-to-face contact with food326which is being sous vide cooked. In the real world, this means that containment skins304in embodiment300retain their formed shape, even if food326is removed, whereas in traditional sous vide cooking, the flexible plastic food containment bags collapse without the presence of contained food.

This malleable outer skin construction in embodiment300, in turn, means that embodiment300does not need expensive vacuum bag sealing equipment to vacuum seal outer skins against outer surfaces of food being cooked.

Expensive vacuum bag sealing equipment has long been recognized as a significant shortcoming of traditional sous vide cooking.

It also means that embodiment300does not require the use of expensive vacuum sealed bags, as in traditional sous vide cooking.

This has also been a recognized, long-standing shortcoming of traditional sous vide cooking.

As a non-limiting and non-exhaustive example of materials which might be used, malleable containment skins304may be constructed using aluminum or other metal foils, or other thermally transmissive malleable sheet.

To ensure food safety, a food-contact-safe coating may be used on at least the one surface of the foil which contacts the food being cooked.

And because foods being cooked may stick to inner container surfaces, the food-contact-safe coating just described may have nonstick characteristics.

As shown at least inFIGS. 1, 13 and 18, using rigid bar354, which is attached at the top of wrapped food326, may allow wrapped food326to be suspended from mounting frame356. Mounting frame356may be placed within cooking chamber312by resting it on floor314and placing sidewalls310, and attached control/heater structure308, on top of floor314(at leastFIGS. 1, 13 and 18).

Mounting frame356allows food326to be freely suspended in cooking temperature air within cooking chamber312. This may facilitate rapid and even cooking.

Other food mounting constructions may be used, at least some of which are published in well-known.

FIGS. 14 and 15, show non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples of other ways to mount food314within cooking chamber312. Here, plate358, including, integral upward spikes360, is placed on top of floor314, in a manner similar to mounting frame356.

As shown inFIGS. 14 and 15, wrapped foods362and364may be rested in any useful manner on the upper ends of spikes360. During cooking, spikes360provide even airflow around foods362and364. This in turn may make cooking faster and more even.

As yet another non-limiting and non-exhaustive example of how foods might be mounted within cooking chamber312,FIGS. 16 and 17show how wrapped foods366and368might rest, in any useful disposition, on top of wavy wire frame370. Once again, air is free to circulate around foods366and368, thus promoting fast even cooking.

FIG. 18shows a non-limiting and non-exhaustive example of one way to access cooking chamber312for food loading, cleaning, or for other purposes. In this example, sidewalls310and coupled control/heater structure308, are removed from floor314, by lifting372them upward and away from floor314.

Other useful access door constructions are well-known, including, but not limited to, swinging an access door sideways, or downward, or upward, or providing an access opening using any other suitable means.

FIGS. 3 and 4show perspective exploded views of embodiment300. Here, heater/fan/control housing318mounts both controls302and reflector/heat rod mount374. Reflector/heat rod mount374in turn holds heat rods376and motor378. Motor378is coupled to, and powers, fan382. Heater/fan/control housing318, including mounted components, rests on top of sidewalls316, which may be constructed from glass or plastic or other suitable material.

Sidewalls316in turn may rest on top of, and may be lifted off from, floor314(FIG. 18).

As non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples, in operation, motor378driven fan382, in cooperation with controls302, and electric heat rods376, circulates thermostatically controlled air throughout cooking chamber312. This heated, air movement during sous vide cooking is precisely controlled, as a non-limiting and non-exhaustive example, to match water temperatures in conventional sous vide cooking. This hot air also may be controlled to match temperatures suitable for coloring outer surfaces of food during browning portions (if used) of embodiment300cooking.

Embodiment300may be multi-functional by additionally offering: bake oven cooking, and/or air frying, and/or convection oven cooking, and/or food dehydration, and/or broiling, and/or combinations and permutations of the just mentioned, as well as other useful cooking functions.

Heat rods376are activated, by controls302. As a non-limiting and non-exhaustive example, controls302may switch heat rods376on and off, and control how much power heat rods376receive. Controls302may also control when fan382turns on and off, and its rotational speed.

When compared to the water-filled cooking vessels of traditional sous vide cooking, heating the wrapped food contents of cooking chamber312using fan driven hot air allows: much faster cooking chamber warm-up, quick and even heat transfer to the foods being cooked, accurately controlled cooking heat, as well as quick high temperatures food browning.

As a non-limiting and non-exhaustive example, during sous vide cooking, embodiment300, when activated, may at first use high power delivered to power heat rods376to quickly heat cooking chamber312to sous vide temperatures. This may be followed by much lower power settings to heat rods376as sous vide cooking progresses. Such power consumption modulation may help even out sous vide cooking temperatures by gently just nudging sous vide cooking temperatures up and down, rather than rapidly elevating the temperatures using a powerful heater.

Embodiment300may be constructed using techniques and materials such as are found, as a non-limiting and non-exhaustive example, in typical kitchen ovens.

Embodiment300is capable of cooking virtually all, if not all, foods that can be prepared using traditional water sous vide.

As yet another non-limiting and non-exhaustive example of an embodiment300work session, a user might take 3 bone in chicken legs (food326inFIG. 6) out of the refrigerator and place them on a sheet of aluminum foil, possibly having, on one side, a nonstick and food safe coding (malleable sheet380inFIG. 6) with the coated side of the foil facing the food.

Venting of containment skins304, as non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples, may be accomplished by not completely crimping one or more of the fold seams. It may also be done by perforating containment skins304with one or more vent holes. Some venting of containment skins304may be necessary at least to prevent water vapor, and/or steam from pushing containment skins304away from face-to-face contact with food326, consequently at least impeding cooking heat transfer.

InFIG. 12, malleable sheet380is manually pressed to conform to the outer surfaces of food326.

FIG. 13shows a plurality of assembly402′s just described, suspended from mounting frame356.

FIGS. 1, 5, and 18show how mounting frame356may be placed inside cooking chamber312by resting it on floor314.

Likewise, in a similar manner, the food mounting devices shown inFIGS. 14 through 17, may also be placed inside cooking chamber312, by resting them on floor314. Alternatively, conventional oven racks, with multiple parallel spaced wires, may be rested above floor314to support foods being cooked.

Next, the user sets controls302as previously described.

Food heat coloring, at this time, if desirable, is set by repeatedly pressing browning input button332.

Start button324is then pressed, and the user may leave embodiment300until the designated dining hour when cooking is completed, and the food is ready to be served.

By using fan driven heated air to sous vide cook food instead of heated water used in conventional sous vide cooking, it is much easier to quickly vary cooking temperatures throughout the sous vide process. Using programmed and/or oscillating temperature variances throughout the sous vide cooking cycle, creates the opportunity for many new cooking environments, which in turn offers a wider variety of prepared food outcomes.

Using fan driven heated air to cook foods allows cooking temperatures greater than boiling. This contrasts with traditional sous vide cooking, where temperatures above boiling would cause the heated water used to cook, to boil and evaporate. Such higher temperatures may at least be desirable to thermally color exterior food surfaces during some part of the cooking process.

Also, embodiment300, by wrapping foods using high temperature tolerant material like, as a non-limiting and non-exhaustive example, malleable metal foil, allows high temperature surface browning of foods being cooked. This contrast with the plastic bags used to wrap food in traditional sous vide cooking, which melt and out gas at high temperatures.

Using fan driven heated air to sous vide cook also eliminates filling, emptying and handling of heavy water-filled vessels as are commonly used in traditional sous vide cooking. This in turn makes embodiment300much more convenient and easy to use when compared with using traditional sous vide apparatus.

Using formed food containment wrappers fabricated from malleable, thermally transmissive materials allows opening and closing of the containment wrappers before, during, and/or after food cooking, such as, as a non-limiting and non-exhaustive example, to add or remove ingredients, or manipulate foods, or perform other culinary procedures during cooking. Such food containment wrappers also allow, without their removal: refrigeration, freezing, heating, and reheating of foods contained within the wrappers. Such wrappers also may be used without removal, or additional enclosure, to store leftovers, or for longer term freezer storage, or for other reasons.

When there is a substantial duration, as a non-limiting and non-exhaustive example of perhaps several hours, between when a user first turns on embodiment300and when the food in embodiment300is served, during this period, microbial growth and food spoilage for other reasons may occur.

As a non-limiting and non-exhaustive example, to help prevent food spoilage, when embodiment300is first turned on, the temperature within cooking chamber312may be raised to a temperature, and for a duration, sufficient to pasteurize the food being cooked. This may be at a sous vide cooking temperature, or it may be some other temperature or combination of temperatures.

During this pasteurization period, the food may be fully cooked, or partially cooked, or virtually not cooked it all.

After this, embodiment300lowers its cooking chamber312temperature to a point where cooking is greatly reduced or is terminated. This helps to prevent the food from being overcooked while it is waiting to be served and/or cooked.

Finally, the temperature within cooking chamber312is raised to a temperature or temperatures to finish cooking the food. This may, or may not, include temperatures high enough to color outer surfaces of foods being cooked.

This may be at the sous vide cooking temperature, or a higher heat food coloring temperature, or the sous vide cooking temperature followed by the higher heat food coloring temperature; or some other useful temperature or sequence of temperatures.

Temperature probe404(FIG. 14) connected to controls302(FIG. 1) may help in more precisely controlling the sous vide cooking process by measuring actual internal food temperatures rather than relying simply on cooking times and temperatures. One or more such temperature probes may be used.

Herein, pasteurization refers to a process of partial or full sterilization involving heat treatment.

Ready light350, on controls302, in this example, would come be on starting at 6:00 PM, and would not turn off until 10:00 PM, indicating that food is ready to be served during this period.

This 4 hour perfect sous vide serving period (between 6 PM and 10 PM) may be expanded at least by adding low temperature (below 125° F.) heat to cooking chamber312after sous vide cooking cuts off 10:00 PM, thus keeping the food at serving temperature for an indefinite or a specified period of time thereafter.

This method of first placing food inside a cooking device and then immediately heat pasteurizing it so that it won't spoil even if cooking commences hours later, is adaptable to many other cooking appliances including at least: traditional sous vide appliances, kitchen ovens, toaster ovens, countertop ovens, food steamers, pressure cookers, microwave ovens, electric grills, waffle irons, electric fry pans, roaster ovens in other food preparation devices.

Calculating when to start steps in a cooking program based on an inputted serving time and an input of the type of food being cooked, greatly simplifies setting up embodiment300, especially when comparing it to traditional sous vide.