Abstract:
A method for roasting a fowl utilizing a wire frame for supporting a beverage can in an upright position, the can having at least one top opening and containing a desired flavored beverage. The beverage can is fitted into the frame, opened, and inserted into the central cavity of a fowl that has been cleaned and seasoned as desired. The frame holds the beverage can and the whole fowl in a substantially vertical position for roasting. The frame may be placed over a pan to collect the juices from the fowl as it is roasted. The apparatus is employed by placing the frame, upon which is mounted the beverage can with the desired liquid and the fowl to be roasted, into a heat source. The heat source may be an oven, a roaster, or the surface of a barbecue grill. As the beverage heats during roasting the flavor of the beverage is imparted to the fowl.

Description:
[0001]    This is a division of application of Serial No. 09/885,327 entitled “Fowl Roasting Apparatus” filed Jun. 20, 2001, now pending. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND AND FIELD OF INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention generally relates to the field of cooking utensils and, more particularly, relates to an apparatus for holding, in combination, a beverage can containing a desired flavored beverage and a selected fowl in order to facilitate the roasting and flavoring of the fowl with the vapors from beverage as the selected fowl is cooked. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0003]    [0003]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of applicant&#39;s roasting assembly.  
         [0004]    [0004]FIG. 2 is a cross-section elevation view of the roasting assembly of FIG. 1.  
         [0005]    [0005]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of applicant&#39;s can-fowl support frame  20 .  
         [0006]    [0006]FIG. 4 is an elevation view of the can-fowl support frame  20  depicted in FIG. 3.  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 5 is a top view of the can-fowl support frame  20  depicted in FIG. 3.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of applicant&#39;s can-fowl support frame  30 .  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 7 is an elevation view of the can-fowl support frame  30  depicted in FIG. 6.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 8 is a top view of the can-fowl support frame  30  depicted in FIG. 6.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of applicant&#39;s can-fowl support frame  40 .  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 10 is an elevation view of the can-fowl support frame  40  depicted in FIG. 9  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 11 is an elevation view of the can-fowl support frame  40  depicted in FIG. 9.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 12 is a perspective view of applicant&#39;s can-fowl support frame  50 .  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 13 is an elevation view of the can-fowl support frame  50  depicted in FIG. 12.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 14 is a top view of the can-fowl support frame  50  depicted in FIG. 12. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS  
       [0017]    Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown an embodiment of applicant&#39;s roaster assembly  10 . The assembly  10  is comprised of a can-fowl support frame  20 , a substantially cylindrical beverage can  14  and a collecting pan  12 . The can-fowl support frame  20  is comprised of a wire frame configured for receiving and holding in place the beverage can  14  in an upright position. The frame  20  is configured to rest on the bottom  13  of a pan  12  with the can  14  in its upright position. The pan  12  is utilized to collect roasting juices during roasting and may be made of metals, such as stainless steel or aluminum, glass, polymers, or other suitable heat resistant material. A disposable pans such as those made from aluminum would be suitable as the pan  12  of applicant&#39;s invention.  
         [0018]    As can be seen in FIG. 2, there is shown an elevational cross sectional view of applicant&#39;s roaster assembly  10  in use as means for roasting a fowl  16  in a vertical position. The assembly  10  is utilized after first selecting a whole fowl  16  for roasting. The fowl  16 , whether chicken, duck, turkey or other roasting bird, having been cleaned and washed to leave an interior cavity with opening at the head and tail end of the fowl, is seasoned as desired. Next, a beverage can  14  having top opening  15  containing a desired beverage for flavoring the fowl is placed within the frame  20  so that the can  14  is supported by the frame  20  in an upright position. The whole fowl  16  is then placed over the frame  20  and can  14  by means of inserting the frame  20  and can  14  into the interior cavity of the fowl  16  so as to support the fowl on the frame  20  with the open can  14  extending at least partially into the interior cavity of fowl  16 . The frame  20  along with the can  14  and supported fowl  16  is then placed on the bottom  13  of pan  12 . The base  13  of the pan  12  has a diameter sufficiently wider than the width of the support frame  20  and fowl  16  to facilitate the collection of roasting juices in pan  12  during roasting.  
         [0019]    The roasting assembly  10 , comprised of the pan  12 , the frame  20  and can  14 , along with the supported fowl  16 , is then placed in a roaster, oven, or on the surface of a barbecue grill heating and correspondingly roasting the fowl. As the temperature of the assembly  10  rises during heating, the beverage liquid contained in the can  14  will begin to vaporize as indicated by arrows  19  to permeate the fowl with the vapors of the desired beverage as a flavoring as the fowl  16  as it is roasted. Juices  17  from the roasting fowl  16  are collected on the bottom  13  of the pan  12  during the roasting process. The can  14  may contain any desired beverage such as beer, variously flavored soft drinks, or fruit based beverages such as tomato juice, orange juice, apple juice, grape juice or the like. Other spices or seasonings may be added to the beverage in can  14  if desired.  
         [0020]    In applicant&#39;s assembly  10 , juices  17  from the roasted fowl  16  are collected in the pan  12  to avoid mess during roasting and for ease of clean up of the cooking. The pan  12  is of sufficient dimensions to extend beyond the width of the fowl  16  when the fowl  16  is mounted on the frame  20 . The juices  17  collected in pan  12  may be discarded or otherwise used as basting liquids or other cooking purposes. After the fowl  16  is cooked as desired, it can be pulled from the frame  20  and set aside for cooling. The pan  12 , if disposable, and the can  14  may be discarded leaving only the frame  12  to be cleaned and reused. The frame  20  may be comprised of any heat resistant material, whether metal, glass or polymer materials, though it is suggested that wire comprised of kitchen grade stainless steel or aluminum be utilized to form the frame  20 .  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the frame  20  of applicant&#39;s assembly  10 . The frame  20  is comprised of a frame base ring  22  of a desired diameter and an upper frame support ring  26 . The upper support ring  26  is of a diameter sufficient to encircle a desired sized beverage can  14  when the can  14  is insert within the ring. A plurality of L-shaped struts  24  are arrayed uniformly around the center of the base ring  22  and mounted to the base ring  22  so as provide a plurality of supporting members extending vertically from the base ring  22 . The upper ring  26  is mounted to the vertical extending portion of the L-shaped struts  24  so as to support the ring  26  at a desired fixed location above the base ring  22 . A can support ring  28  having support bar  29  is mounted to the struts  24  at a desired point between the base ring  22  and the upper ring  26 , the support ring  28  being concentric with and parallel to the base ring  22  and the upper ring  28 . As shown in FIG. 4, a beverage can  14  may then be inserted within upper ring  26  and supported in an upright position by frame  20  by means of the can support ring  28  and the struts  24 .  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 5 is a plan view of the frame  20  shown in FIG. 3. This view shows the concentric orientation of the support ring  28  with respect to the base ring  22  and the upper ring  26  as well as the uniform spacing of the L-shaped struts  24 . The support arm  29  is shown fixed across the support ring  28  to aid in the support the beverage can  14 .  
         [0023]    Another embodiment of applicant&#39;s invention is that illustrated in FIGS. 6, 7 and  8 . In FIG. 6 there is shown the embodiment of a can-fowl support frame  30 . The frame  30  is comprised of a base support ring  32 , an upper frame support ring  36 , and a can support ring  38 .  
         [0024]    The frame support ring  36  is connected to the base support ring  32  by means of a plurality of L-shaped, vertically extending, struts  34 . In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 6, the struts  34  are arrayed in a desired angular relationship around the inside of the base ring  32  and are attached to the frame support ring  36  in a manner to position the frame support ring  36  above the base ring  32  to form the can-fowl support frame  30 . The frame support ring  36  is of a diameter sufficient to receive a beverage can  14  when the can  14  is insert in an upright position through the support ring  36 .  
         [0025]    As shown in FIG. 6, and more particularly in FIG. 7, the can support ring  38  is fixed at its outer edge between the vertically extending support struts  34  at a desired position for supporting a beverage can  14  in an upright position on the frame  30  within the struts  34 . In this embodiment, the can support ring  38  is of a diameter sufficient to receive and support along its periphery the flanged base of a standard aluminum beverage can. As can be seen in FIG. 8, a top view of can-fowl support frame  30 , the can support ring  38  has a narrower diameter than the upper can ring  36 . As shown in FIG. 7, the narrower diameter of the can support ring  38  allows the flanged based  31  of a standard beverage, typically narrower than the overall diameter of the can  14  itself, to be received and supported within the support ring  38 .  
         [0026]    Can-fowl support frame  40 , still another embodiment of applicant&#39;s invention, is shown in FIGS. 9, 10 and  11 . Frame  40  is comprised of a base ring  42 , a plurality of L-shaped, vertically extending, inwardly flexed, struts  44  and a can support ring  48 . The can support ring  48  is positioned at a desired point along the struts  44  at a point concentric with and above the base ring  42 . As can be seen in FIGS. 9 and 10, and more particularly in FIG. 11, the struts  44  flex from an initial inward position  44 a to an outward position  44 b as indicated by arrows  49 . This flexibility accommodates the insertion of a beverage can  14  between the struts  44  so that the can  14  may be supported on can support ring  48 . In this embodiment, as in the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 6, 7 and  8 , the can support ring  48  has a diameter slightly narrower than the overall diameter of the beverage can  14 , but sufficient to receive and support the flanged base  31  of a standard aluminum beverage can  14 .  
         [0027]    Still another embodiment of applicant&#39;s invention is shown in FIGS. 12, 13 and  14 . FIG. 12 shows a perspective view of can-fowl support frame  50 . The frame  50  is comprised of a plurality of L-shaped, vertically extending, struts  54  mounted uniformly around the periphery of a can support ring  58 . The horizontal leg of the L-shaped struts  54  forms a base for supporting the frame  50 . The can support ring  58  is of a diameter only slightly larger that the diameter of a selected beverage can  14  for which it is intended to support. As shown in FIG. 13, the beverage can  14  is inserted in an upright position between the vertical legs of the support struts  54  and supported on the support ring  58  in its upright position. FIG. 14, a plan view of the frame  50  shows a support bar  59  extending diagonally across the support ring  58  to support the can  14  and reinforce the frame  50 .  
         [0028]    The above described can-fowl support frames, designated  30 ,  40  and  50 , may be substituted for the can-fowl support frame  20  described above and may used in the roaster assembly  10  in conjunction with a can  14  and a pan  12  in the manner as described as described here and depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2. The frames  20 ,  30 ,  40  and  50  assembly in each of these embodiments may be constructed of any heat resistant non-toxic material, whether metal or polymer, though it is thought that a food grade stainless steel or aluminum wire would be the preferred material.  
         [0029]    The frames  20 ,  30 ,  40  and  50  of applicant&#39;s invention are configured to support and hold a beverage can in an upright position for internally flavoring the fowl to be roasted and are easily cleaned for reuse. Because beverage cans are produced in a variety of sizes, standard sizes such as 12 oz., 16 oz., or 20 oz. cans being commonly found, the frames  20 ,  30 ,  40  and  50  may also be configured in a variety of dimensions to support a can  14  of a desired size. Similarly, the frames  20 ,  30 ,  40  and  50  may be configured in size and dimension for supporting fowl of various sizes and weights. It is understood that frames  20 ,  30 ,  40  and  50  configured in size for roasting a turkey may necessarily be larger than those that might be configured in size for roasting a chicken.  
         [0030]    It is also understood by applicant that the assembly  10  may be modified to eliminate the pan  12  and that a fowl  16  may be mounted on any of the frames  20 ,  30 ,  40 ,  50  in combination with a desired beverage can  14  for roasting without employing a pan  12  to collect the juices  17  from the roasting fowl  16 . When the pan  12  is not so employed, it is understood that the juices  17  produced by the roasting fowl  16  when mounted frames  20 ,  30 ,  40 ,  50 , in combination with a desired beverage can  14 , will drop from the fowl  16  and not be collected. Consequently, a heating means having an independent collection means for the juices  17  or an outside barbecue grill must be employed to avoid the mess of cleanup brought on by the dropping juices.  
         [0031]    It is thought that the fowl roaster apparatus and method of the present invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description. It is also thought, and it will be apparent, that various changes may be make in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages.