Abstract:
A basket assembly for use with a deep fryer having a lower foraminous basket and an upper foraminous insert which quickly and easily attaches to the lower basket at a predetermined location intermediate the top and bottom of the lower basket to thereby hold the food in place beneath the surface of a hot cooking liquid such as oil. Advantages of the assembly are that it forces foods down to increase the efficiency of flash frying, it provides the ability to cook more than one item at a time while keeping them separated, and it provides a food product which cooks faster because it is unnecessary to turn food which floats to the top, thereby resulting in less fat absorption.

Description:
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention relates to deep fryers and, more particularly, this invention relates to a basket for use in a deep fryer such as a deep fat fryer. Still more particularly, this invention relates to a basket having an insert which nests in the basket to hold food products beneath the surface of the cooking liquid such as molten fat or oil (hereinafter referred interchangeably to as “fat” or “oil”) and to methods of cooking food products in the basket assembly.  
         [0002]     Deep fryers are commonly used in both industry, such as restaurants and processors of food to be sold at retail or wholesale, and homes. A typical deep fryer includes a receptacle to hold the cooking liquid and means for heating the cooking liquid. The means is ordinarily an electrically powered heating element which, together with the receptacle is sold as a so-called deep fryer or deep fat fryer. For purposes of this invention, deep fryers are not limited to such units but may simply be a pot or sauce pan placed on a stove. The food is usually placed in a foraminous basket which is then lowered into the heated fat, or it may be dropped into the heated fat in which the basket is already placed. A typical such basket is that designated by the numeral  20  in U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,027 to McCord, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. McCord teaches a device which comprises a vertical partition to be inserted into the basket to enable the user to cook different food products at the same time but to be separated while doing so.  
         [0003]     Most food products which are deep fried tend to rise to the top of the hot oil. In order to assure uniform cooking, therefore, the user must constantly push the food below the surface of the hot oil or turn it over to thereby obtain the uniformity of cooking which is desired. In some commercial establishments when frying french fries or onion rings, the food is pushed below the surface of the hot oil by placing an empty basket into the mouth of the basket holding the food. This is mentioned in U.S. Pat. No. 4,321,859 to Rimmeir. As taught by Rimmeir, however, in the case of onion rings, this results is a “loaf” of onion rings which is esthetically displeasing and unduly greasy for most people&#39;s tastes. Remmeir solved that problem by providing a cover with a plurality of downwardly projecting rod-like members.  
         [0004]     Other specialized devices have been developed to provide a proper environment for frying particular types of food products such as tacos, chips, pies, and the like. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,386,094, 4,232,596, 4,006,675, 3,424,076, 4,854,227, and published U.S. Patent Application No. 2002/0017198, for example.  
         [0005]     None of these publications teaches a satisfactory solution to the problem of uneven cooking caused by food rising to the surface of the hot oil. In commercial establishments such as restaurants the workers are usually busy attending to numerous tasks and cannot stand in one place tending to the fryer. In the case of home use, constantly hovering over the fryer to push the food down or turn it over is a tedious task. The user also has other tasks to be accomplished and turning his or her attention to those tasks leaves the deep fryer unattended. There is a need, therefore, for a device which would simply and easily provide the necessary environment for frying food products without the need to pay constant attention to the fryer.  
         [0006]     It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a basket assembly for use with a deep fryer which is free of the aforementioned and other such disadvantages.  
         [0007]     It is another object of the present invention to provide a basket assembly for use with a deep fryer comprising a lower foraminous basket and an upper foraminous insert which quickly and easily attaches to the lower basket at a predetermined location intermediate the top and bottom of the lower basket to thereby hold the food in place beneath the surface of the hot cooking liquid.  
         [0008]     Advantages of the instant inventive assembly are that it forces foods down to increase the efficiency of flash frying, it provides the ability to cook more than one item at a time while keeping them separated, and it provides a food product which cooks faster because it is unnecessary to turn food which floats to the top, thereby resulting in less fat absorption.  
         [0009]     These and other objects are achieved by providing a foraminous basket with an insert which is placed at a predetermined location within the basket in an essentially horizontal position and locked in position to thereby hold food products below the surface of the oil when the basket assembly is placed in the deep fryer. The basket has a removable handle which extends upwardly and outwardly to enable the user easily and safely manipulate the basket. The basket is foraminous and is preferably made of a wire mesh. The insert is also foraminous and is preferably made of a wire mesh. The insert is essentially flat, being dimensioned to fit within the basket with a reasonably loose tolerance which allows easy ingress and egress but does not allow food products located below the insert to escape around its edges. The insert is removably held in place by press-fit locking means. The insert also has a handle which extends upwardly to a height higher than the handle of the basket and outwardly thereby enabling the user to easily and safely manipulate the insert.  
         [0010]     It is to be noted that while this invention has been described by reference to its use in a deep fat fryer, it can equally well be used in connection with other types of cooking such as poaching fish in a court bouillon, cooking chicken in some other liquid, or cooking vegetables in a liquid.  
         [0011]     Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]      FIG. 1  is an exploded view of the basket assembly of the present invention;  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view from the rear and left side of the basket of the present invention;  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the basket of the present invention with the handle in place;  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  is an elevational view of the inside front wall of the basket showing the first part of the locking means for the insert;  
         [0016]      FIG. 5  is an elevational view of the inside rear wall of the basket showing the second part of the locking means for the insert;  
         [0017]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view showing the basket assembled with the insert;  
         [0018]      FIG. 7  is a plan view of the basket assembled with its handle;  
         [0019]      FIG. 8  is an exploded view of the insert and its handle;  
         [0020]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the insert assembled with its handle;  
         [0021]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a variation of the handle of the basket;  
         [0022]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view from the rear and left side of part of a modified basket;  
         [0023]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view from the rear and left side of a variation of the basket of the present invention; and  
         [0024]      FIG. 13  is an exploded view of a variation of the insert and its handle. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0025]     Referring first to  FIG. 1 , there is seen a basket assembly for a deep fryer generally designated by the numeral  10 . The basket assembly  10  comprises a basket  12  and an insert  14 . Both basket  12  and insert  14  are constructed of a foraminous material as well-known in the art, preferably a wire mesh. Basket  12  has a handle  16  which is removably affixed to basket  12  in a manner to be described hereinbelow. Similarly, insert  14  has a handle  18  which is removably affixed to basket  12  in a manner to be described hereinbelow. Both handles  16  and  18  are fabricated from a wire of a gauge suitable for the purpose as is well-known in the art. Handle  16  comprises a pair of legs  20  and  22  which can be moved toward each other for attachment to basket  12  and handle  18  comprises a pair of legs  24  and  26  which can be moved toward each other for attachment to insert  14 . Once attached a slidable handle support or clip  28  is slid down to hold the legs in place.  
         [0026]     Turning to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , a preferred construction of basket  12  is seen. Basket  12  comprises a top frame  30  which is of a gauge sufficient to maintain the desired shape. While the basket is shown in the drawings as generally rectangular, it will be appreciated that the shape is chosen to fit the deep fryer in which it is to be used. The basket is a wire mesh depending from frame  30  to form opposed side walls  32  and  34 , opposed front and rear walls  36  and  38 , and bottom  40 . The wire mesh is fixed to frame  30  by spot welding or by any other means well-known in the art.  
         [0027]     Handle  16  comprises a portion  42  which is generally horizontal as seen in  FIG. 1 , portion  42  extending from handle grip  44  and forming separated elements which are then directed downwardly to form legs  20  and  22 . Legs  20  and  22  terminate in outwardly directed lugs  46  and  48 . Clip  28  is slidingly affixed to handle  16  such that when it is located in the upper, horizontal, portion  42 , the legs  20  and  22  can be moved toward each other for insertion into position when attached to the basket  12 , but when clip  28  is moved to the lower position, it prevents the legs  20  and  22  from being moved together, thereby locking them in place.  
         [0028]     In a variation as shown in  FIG. 10 , handle  16  comprises a generally horizontal portion  118  extending from handle grip  44  and forming separated elements which are then directed downwardly to form legs  120  and  122 . Legs  120  and  122  are bent outwardly at  124  and  126 , respectively, and then continue downwardly to terminate in outwardly directed lugs  46  and  48 . Instead of a clip  28  as shown in  FIG. 1 , for instance, a cross-bar  128  is fixed to the legs  120  and  122  in the vicinity of portions  124  and  126  as by welding. This allows the lower portions  130  and  132  of the legs  120  and  122  to retain some resiliency so they can be moved toward each other for insertion into position when attached to the basket  12 . Legs  120  and  122  may be shorter than legs  20  and  22 .  
         [0029]     A frame or bracket  50  of a heavier gauge than the mesh is fixed to the outside of the rear wall  38  by spot welding or by any other means well-known in the art. Frame  50  comprises a pair of legs  52  and  54  each of which has a hook-like protuberance  56  and  58 , respectively, to receive lugs  46  and  48  of handle  16 . Legs  52  and  54  of frame  50  are bent under the basket to form supporting feet  60  and  62 , thereby lending stability to the basket. Legs  52  and  54  terminate at the top in hooks  64  and  68  into which legs  20  and  22  of handle  16  fit to then be locked into place by clip  28 .  
         [0030]     In a variation designed to accept the shorter handle shown in  FIG. 10 , protuberances  56  and  58  are located somewhat higher as shown in  FIG. 11 .  
         [0031]     A first insert support member  70  is fixed by spot welding or any other means well-known in the art at a predetermined location on front wall  36 , intermediate the top  30  and the bottom  40  (see  FIG. 4 ). First support member  70  has a pair of inwardly extending protuberances  72  and  74  on which one end of the insert  14  will rest and a step  76  extending inwardly and slightly downwardly to lock the insert  14  in place. Step  76  and protuberances  72  and  74  are spaced apart sufficiently to allow insertion and subsequent locking in place of the insert  14 .  
         [0032]     A second insert support member  78  is fixed on the rear wall  38  by spot welding or any other means well-known in the art at the same predetermined distance between the top  30  and the bottom  40  as is first support member  70 . Second support member  78  has a pair of inwardly extending protuberances  80  and  82  on which the other end of the insert  14  will rest and a pair of inwardly extending protuberances  84  over which the insert  14  must pass in order to come to rest on protuberances  80  and  82 . Protuberances  84  are somewhat resilient to allow insert  14  to move past them. Legs  24  and  26  rest against inwardly directed spacer member  85  to assist in maintaining the insert  14  and handle  18  in their proper position. Once the insert is in place, resting on protuberances  72 ,  74 ,  80 , and  82 , food which is already in place will be held in the space between the bottom  40  and the insert  14  (see  FIG. 6 ).  
         [0033]     In a variation shown in  FIG. 12 , second support member  78  has a pair of spaced-apart resilient spring-like portions  134  and  136  instead of protuberances  84 .  
         [0034]     Turning to  FIGS. 8 and 9 , it will be seen that insert  14  comprises a frame  86  to which a foraminous member  88  is affixed. Handle  18  comprises a portion  92  which is generally horizontal as seen in  FIGS. 1 and 9 , portion  92  extending from handle  94  and forming separated elements which are then directed downwardly to form legs  24  and  26 . Legs  24  and  26  are bent at a substantially right angle to form feet  96  and  98  which then terminate in outwardly directed lugs  100  and  102 . Clip  28  is slidingly affixed to handle  18  such that when it is located in the upper, horizontal, portion  92 , the legs  24  and  26  can be moved toward each other for insertion into position when attached to the insert  14 , but when clip  28  is moved to the lower position, it prevents the legs  24  and  26  from being moved together, thereby locking them in place.  
         [0035]     A handle support frame  90  is fixed at one end of member  88 . Handle support frame  90  comprises member  104  which is essentially U-shaped with a pair of upstanding hook-like protuberances  106  and  108  extending from the legs thereof, and member  110  which is also essentially U-shaped. Member  110  has an upstanding portion  112  and a pair of hooks  114  and  116  which embrace the legs of the U-shaped member  104 .  
         [0036]     Handle  18  is attached to insert  14  by squeezing legs  24  and  16  together and inserting lugs  100  and  102  into protuberances  106  and  104 . Legs  24  and  26  are further squeezed to allow feet  96  and  98  to be inserted into hooks  114  and  116  while upstanding portion  112  keeps feet  96  and  98  from moving too close together thereby preventing lugs  100  and  102  from slipping out of the protuberances  106  and  104 . Clip  28  is then slid into place to lock legs  24  and  26  from coming together. As can be seen from  FIG. 6 , when the basket and insert are assembled, handles  16  and  18  extend sufficiently far from the basket to be safe to handle and are vertically separated so they can be easily manipulated.  
         [0037]     In a variation of the insert, as shown in  FIG. 13 , the handle support frame  90  of insert  14  has a cross-bar  138 . instead of elements  110 ,  112 . The handle  18  is constructed in a manner similar to the handle  16  shown in  FIG. 10 . It comprises a generally horizontal portion  92  extending from handle grip  44  and forming separated elements which are then directed downwardly to form legs  24  and  26 . Legs  24  and  26  are bent outwardly at  140  and  142 , respectively, and then continue downwardly to terminate in outwardly directed lugs  100  and  102 . Instead of a clip  28  as shown in  FIG. 8 , for instance, a cross-bar  144  is fixed to the legs  24  and  26  in the vicinity of portions  140  and  142  as by welding. This allows the lower portions  146  and  148  of the legs  24  and  26  to retain some resiliency so they can be moved toward each other for insertion into position when attached to the insert  14 .  
         [0038]     The method of cooking a food item according to this invention comprises placing the food item into basket  12 , placing insert  14  into basket  12 , and placing the basket into a deep fryer containing hot liquid so that the food item is submerged in the hot liquid. When the food item is to be deep fried, the hot liquid is oil. The steps of placing the insert in the basket and placing the basket in the hot liquid may be reversed. Similarly, the basket may be placed in the hot liquid, the food item then being placed in the basket, and finally the insert placed in the basket.  
         [0039]     The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.