MOULD FOR USE IN MAKING EDIBLE PRODUCT

Abstract: A mould for foodstuffs (for example for cooking an egg) comprises a base part (10) and an upper part (20), the upper part being arranged to fit into a socket formed in the upper side of the base part, the bottom of the socket and the underside of the upper part being recessed so as to form a cavity when the two parts are fitted together, and the upper part being formed with an aperture (24) through its top. The bottom of the recess in the base part may be profiled complementary to a character's head. If a raw egg is broken into the base part, it will fill this to above the level of a ledge (12), then when the upper part is fitted into the base part, the portion of egg above the ledge fills the recess in the upper part (20). When cooked e.g. in boiling water, the egg will have the shape of the cavity (including profiling corresponding to the character's face).

Description: MOULD FOR USE IN MAKING EDIBLE PRODUCTS This invention relates to a mould for use in making edible products. The mould may for example serve for cooking an egg, the raw egg being broken into the mould and then cooked either by placing the mould in boiling water or in a microwave oven. Other foodstuffs may instead be placed in the mould and cooked or (in the case of jellies etc) allowed to set. In " accordance with this invention there is .provided " a mould for foodstuffs, comprising a base part and an upper part, the upper part being arranged to fit into a socket formed into the upper side of the base part, the bottom of the socket and the underside of the upper part being recessed so as to form a cavity when the two parts are fitted together and the upper part being formed with an aperture through its top. In use, an egg to be cooked may be broken into the socket of the base part, filling the socket to above the level of the recess. Then the upper part is fitted into the socket, confining the raw egg to the cavity defined by the co-operating recesses of the two parts: the aper¬ ture through the top of the upper part allows air to es¬ cape from the cavity. The mould can then be placed in boiling water for a period of time to cook the egg. When the egg has been cooked, the mould can be opened and the egg removed. The cavity formed in the mould by closing the upper part and base part together may be of any desired shape, e.g. spherical, square, rectangular or ovoid (egg-shape). The surfaces of the cavity may be profiled or patterned, and for example a character's face may be formed onto the egg (or other product being made) by profiling the surface of the recess in the base part complementary to the des¬ ired face. In particular for cooking an egg, the mould cavity may be egg-shaped, with the recesses of the upper and base parts mating on the major plane of the egg-shaped or ovoid cavity and the character's-face profiling being formed on the bottom of the recess in the base part. Then when the egg is cooked and removed from the mould, it will be shaped as a normal egg but profiled with the character's face, and can be stood in perhaps a conventional egg cup. As with an egg boiled in its shell in the normal manner, the egg yolk will be surrounded by the egg white. The mould may be used for foodstuffs other than eggs and in general for foodstuffs which are initially in liquid or similar state and which become solid upon cooking or allowing to set (as in the case of jellies etc). An embodiment of this invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure 1 is a section through a mould in accordance with this invention, shown with its parts separated; Figure 2 is a section through a modified mould; Figure 3 is a plan view of the base part of the modified mould; and Figure 4 is a underside view of the upper part of the modi¬ fied mould. - 3 - Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, there is shown a mould particularly but not solely for cooking an egg. This mould comprises a base part 10 and an upper or clo¬ sure part 20. The base part 10 is of generally cup-shape, with a wall of substantially uniform thickness, and com¬ prising a cylindrical rim portion 11, a flat annular ledge 12 and a hemispherical bowl 13. The outside bottom of the bowl 13 is fo med with a flat 13 _ to enable the mould to stand in the upright position shown. The upper or clo- sure part 20 has generally the shape of an inverted cup, with a wall of substantially uniform thickness, and com¬ prising a flat annular rim or flange 21, a hemispherical dome 22 and a conical vent tube 23 communicating with an aperture 24 through the top of the dome 22. The base part 10 can be seen to provide a socket- having a peripheral ledge 12 part way up, the socket being of a uniform section in the horizontal plane (i.e. circular) above the ledge 12. The upper or closure part 20 is a sliding fit into the socket, above the ledge 12, for the rim 21 of the upper part to seat on the ledge 12. It can further be seen that the bottom of the socket (i.e. the bowl 13 below the ledge 12) and the underside of the upper part (i.e. the dome 22) are in effect formed with hemispherical recesses, the peripheries of which coincide at the level of the ledge 12 when the upper part is fitted (as shown in Figure 1) into the "socket" of the base part. The two hemispherical recesses thus co-operate together to form a cavity which, in the example shown in Figure 1, is spherical. The inside surface of cylindrical rim portion 11 of the base part is formed- with a peripheral ridge lla_ spaced above the ledge 12 by a distance slightly in excess of the thickness of rim 21 of the upper part 20, ridge 11a. being inclined on its upper side. The rim 21 of the upper part 20 thus snap-engages under the ridge - 4 - 11a to hold the two parts together, but the arrangement is such that the two parts can be separated easily by hand. In use, an egg may be broken into the "socket" of the base part 10 and will fill the socket to a level above the ledge 12. Then the upper mould part 20 is fitted into the socket, its rim 21 snap-engaging past the ridge lla_ and coming to rest on the ledge 12: as the upper part 20 is fitted into the socket, the raw egg above the level of the ledge is displaced into the underside recess (or dome) in the upper part 20, the aperture 24 and vent tube allowing air to escape. The closed mould can now be placed in boiling water for a period of time to cook the egg, the mould sitting upright on its flat bottom 13<a and with its -vent tube 23 projecting above " the surface of the boiling water. At the end of the cooking period, the mould can be removed from the water, the upper part 20 of the mould separated from the base part by gripping the vent tube 23 by the fingers and pulling and the cooked egg removed. The cooked egg will be generally the shape of the mould cavity, i.e. spherical in the example shown in Figure 1. If the raw egg did not fill the cavity to its top (i.e. to the aperture 24), then when cooked it will exhibit a "flat" corresponding to its top surface within the cavity. The cavity defined by the two parts of the mould, when closed together, may be of any desired shape and optionally patterned or profiled in any desired manner. A particular modification is shown in Figures 2 to 4, in which the cavity is generally ovoid (or egg-shaped) and lying on its side, so that the two parts separate (at the level of ledge 12) on the major plane of the ovoid cavity. Fur¬ ther, the bottom of the recess in the- base part is profiled, as at 14, complementary to a character's face. The cooked egg will thus be profiled, on one side, as this charac¬ ter's face. The mould may be made of a plastics material and one par¬ ticularly suitable material is acetal in view of its re¬ lease properties (i.e. the egg will release easily from the surface of the mould). As mentioned above " , the mould may be used for any appro¬ priate foodstuffs other than eggs.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A mould for foodstuffs, comprising a base part (10) and an upper .part (20), the upper part being arranged to fit into a socket formed into the upper side of the base part, the bottom of the socket and the underside of the upper part being recessed so as to form a cavity when the two parts are 'fitted together and the upper part being formed with an aperture (24) through its top. 2. A" mould as claimed in Claim 1, comprising means (21, lla_) for holding the base part and upper part closed together. 3. A mould as claimed in Claim 2, in which the base part and upper part snap-engage together. 4. A mould as claimed in any preceding claim, in which said cavity is generally spherical. 5. ' A mould as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 . in which said cavity is generally ovoid. 6. A mould as claimed in Claim 5, in which said base part and upper part separate on the major plane of said ovoid cavity. 7. A mould as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the bottom part of the recess in said base part is pro¬ filed (14) complementary to a character's head. 8. A mould as claimed in any preceding claim, in which said base part (10) is generally cup-shape with a wall of substantially uniform thickness, and said upper part (20) has generally the shape of an inverted cup with a wall of substantially uniform thickness. - 1 - 9. A mould as claimed in any preceding claim, in which said base part (10) comprises a tubular rim (11), a flat ledge (12) and a bowl portion (13), and the upper part(20) comprises a dome portion (22) and a flat rim (21) arranged to seat on said ledge (12).

Inventors: IRVING MILES LOCKHART, IRVING, MILES, LOCKHART
Applicants: DECCA POST LTD, DECCA POST LIMITED
Application year: 1986
Main classification: A47J43
IPC codes: A47G19, A47J29, A47J43