Patent Publication Number: US-8978547-B2

Title: Cooking assembly

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a cooking assembly, and more particularly, to a cooking assembly with an improved configuration for healthy food preparation. 
     2. Background 
     Preparation of food in various ways stems far back into human pre-history. People have used heat to prepare foods since the advent of controlled fire. Various forms of cookware and methods of heating food are conventionally used and well known. 
     Some methods of food preparation include grilling food, or exposing food to flame. Other methods include using cookware which is heated directly. However, it has become well-known that burning or browning food, as results from more direct heating, can introduce carcinogens. Thus, such methods are not ideal, and may be harmful to health. 
     Another known method of preparing certain foods is steaming. Conventional steaming cookware involves a bottom pot which holds and heats water, and a top pot having holes in its bottom surface which contains the food items intended to be cooked. Steam rising up through the holes heats the food items. However, grease and fat from various food items runs down through these holes, and is then recycled back upward toward the food. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 7,389,721, issued to Wanat, for example, discloses such a system in which heated water is boiled and steam rises through holes in a pot which holds food. The fats and greases in various food items is allowed to spill into the water, and in turn is recycled into the water. Furthermore, important nutrients in various food items seeps out of the food items and is lost into the water through the holes. 
     While this, and various other processes may be known, currently, there is no optimal manner in which to prepare food in cookware. Thus, there continues to be a need for an improved cookware assembly for healthy and optimal food preparation. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention is a cookware assembly and method. The cookware assembly of the present invention allows for improved food preparation which is both healthy and more optimal. 
     The improvements of the present invention include at least the following. Food items are not placed directly on a directly heated surface. Instead, food items are placed on a surface which is not directly heated. Water is heated in a base pan underneath the surface on which the food is placed. The water is boiled and steam then rises through a side gap and evenly heats the food items without burning or browning. Nutrients in food items are not lost because the surface on which they are placed does not include holes. Steam is condensed back to water upon the interior surface of the lid of the assembly, and is allowed to run down toward the outer edges and is recycled back down to the water being heated in the bottom pan. 
     The cookware assembly, thus, includes a bottom base pan. Water is placed in the base pan. A support member is placed on the bottom surface of this base pan. The support member may be a heat transfer coil. The support member ideally is shaped to allow water to pass below, above, or through it. The support member supports an inner pan which is placed upon it. This inner pan is heated by the water below it and the support member, however, it is not directly exposed the heat source. 
     Ideally, water heated in the base pan can pass freely through, above, or below the support member. Boiled water in the form of steam rises through the gap between the inner and base pans. The food items in the inner pan are heated evenly without burning or browning, and without substantial loss of nutrients. 
     In various embodiments, the cookware assembly includes a lid with a concave interior surface. Either a lid having a vertical extension member, or a stand-alone vertical wall allows for more space for larger food items. A grill can be placed in the inner pan. Alternatively, poaching pans can be placed in the inner pan. 
     Furthermore, in various embodiments, the inner pan may have a handle which helps to lock it into place with respect to the base pan. For example, a notch in the edge of the base pan may hold the handle into place to prevent it from rotating, and a projection from the inner pan handle downward may lock into place with a receiving opening within the handle of the base pan, which can be used to prevent radial movement of the inner pan with respect to the base pan. 
     Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein it is shown and described only the preferred embodiments of the invention, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated of carrying out the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects, without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like features, and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows an elevated perspective view of the base pan and support member of one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  shows an elevated perspective view of the inner pan supported within the base pan of one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  shows a side view of the handle arrangement of one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  shows an elevated perspective view of the pans with the lid according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  shows an elevated perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  shows an elevated perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  shows an elevated perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention showing a grill. 
         FIG. 8  shows an elevated perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention showing poaching pans. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there are shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail, preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated. 
     The present invention is a cooking assembly  10  for improved preparation of food. The assembly  10  includes a base pan  20  having an interior surface  30 . The pan is ideally a metal pan, of any suitable material. A support member  40  holds the inner pan  50  in spaced relation above the base pan  20 . Any number of support member configurations are possible to hold the inner pan  50  above the interior surface of the base pan  20 . In certain embodiments, the support member  40  may be adapted to be placed upon the interior surface  30  of said base pan  20 . 
     The support member  40  may be any suitable configuration which will support an inner pan  50  above the base pan  20 . In certain ideal embodiments, the support member  40  may be a heat coil which can transfer heat from the bottom of the base pan  20  to water in the pan  20 , and to some extent also to inner pan  50 . Optionally, the support member  40  may be configured to allow water to pass above, below, or through it. Preferably, support member  40  has an annular, continuous sidewall  42  with top  44  and bottom  46  edges. Both edges are notched or toothed, for example, with notched members  47 . Openings  48  positioned between points  49  of the notched members are positioned to allow the passage of water therethrough while support member  40  supports inner pan  50 . Continuous sidewall  42  need not be annular for it may be any configuration that adequately supports base pan  50 . 
     The inner pan  50  is placed upon the support member  40  and held separated from the base plan  20 . Ideally, inner pan  50  has a solid continuous bottom surface free of holes. A gap surrounding the inner pan  50  allows steam to rise between the pans  20  and  50 . Optionally, a notch  60  in the edge rim of base pan  20  allows the handle of the inner pan  50  to be held into place. This prevents inner pan  50  from rotating with respect to base pan  20 . A projection  70  from the inner pan handle optionally fits into a receiving opening  80  in the base pan handle to prevent radial movement of the inner pan  50  with respect to the base pan  20 . 
     A lid  90  is placed atop the base pan  20 , in various embodiments. The lid  90  ideally has a concave interior surface, an optionally may have a handle or knob for handling. Thus, steam can condense on the concave interior surface, and condensed water streaks down toward the outer edges of the lid to fall back down into the base pan  20 . In certain embodiments, the lid may include a vertical peripheral extension  100  extending from an upper portion of a perimeter of the lid downward. The vertical peripheral extension  100  is adapted to interface with the base pan  20  along its perimeter. Thus, steam accumulating on said concave interior surface condenses and streaks down to the edge of the lid. This extension  100  may be integral with lid  90 . 
     In other alternate embodiments, a stand-alone peripheral extender  110  may be placed atop the edge of the rim of the base pan  20 , and the lid  90  placed on top of the extender  110 . In this manner, larger food items may be placed within the assembly  10 . The peripheral extender  110  optionally may include handles for ease of handling. 
     In certain other embodiments, a grill  120  may be disposed above the inner pan  50 . This allows for a variety of food items to be placed atop the grill and cooked evenly, allowing grease or fat to drip into the inner pan  50 . Ideally, the grill is elevated above the inner pan  50 . 
     In other embodiments, poaching pans  130  may be placed within the inner pan  50 . Thus, items such as eggs may be cooked within them. 
     The method of cooking food items using the present invention includes disposing food items to be cooked within the inner pan  50 . The inner pan  50  is suspended or elevated above the interior surface of the base pan  20  using a support member  40 . The base pan  20  is covered with the lid  90 , and water is heated in the base pan  20 . 
     In certain embodiments, the method includes allowing water to flow over, under, or through the support member  40 . Water is boiled in the base pan  20  and steam is allowed to rise around the inner pan  50 , and condenses on the lid  90 . 
     In this manner, a large variety of food items may be cooked by evenly heating them without browning or burning portions of the food items. The cookware assembly  10  can be configured to any of its preferred embodiments to optimize it for the desired food item. I healthier result is obtained. 
     While specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of protection is limited by the scope of the accompanying claims.