IMPROVEMENTS IN GRILLS OR GRID-IRONS
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Adams at the Office of the'
Commissioners of Patents on the 17th May 1883.
JAMES ADAMS, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, Doctor of Medicine,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN GRILLS OR GRID-IRONS,"
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This Invention relates to and consists in the construction and arrangement or
combination of parts of a Tripartite grill or grid-iron for broiling food, and which
when used in connection or as a constituent part of a "gas-fire or other fire used
for cooking purposes prevents the contact of flame or other products of. combustion
with food that is being cooked over such gas or other fire, and protects the food
from the nauseous flavours and other offensive or injurious consequences of such
contact.
The grid-iron or grill is made of iron or other suitable metal, and consists of two
sets of bars superimposed and placed over a screen. The uppermost set of bars are
grooved on their upper surface to form a channel along which the juices of the
meat may flow, and when in position over the fire they have a downward
inclination, sloping at an angle of 10° or thereby from the back to the front, or by
another arrangement from the centre to the circumference, so that the juices of the
meat may readily flow along the grooves to their forward or outer extremity where
they terminate in a gutter or trough, sufficiently removed from the hurtful action
of ignited fuel or of strongly heated portions of the apparatus. And in order that
the juices of the meat shall not flow over the outer edges of the bars in such a
manner as to pass round the bars to their under surface and from thence to fall
into the fire itself, or upon the strongly heated surfaces of the heating apparatus,
the outer edges of the bars are set at an obtuse angle inclining outwards and
downwards, and are fashioned with a thin edge to ensure that such juices as do
overflow the grooves of the outer bars shall fall with a clean drop both outwards
and downwards into and upon a second set of grooved bars immediately underneath.
This second set of grooved bars are placed on a lower level immediately underneath,
and at a distance from the upper bars of one fourth of an inch or thereby varying
according to the general size and proportions of the grill. The second or undermost
set of bars are arranged in a direction parallel with those above, and they also
slope downwards but with a more acute inclination from behind, forward, or from
the centre to the circumference, so that the juices may flow more rapidly; and in
like manner with the upper bars they terminate in, or deliver the juices of the
meat into, the gutter or trough already described. The lower bars are wider than
the upper, but are not made angular in a cross section or with edges set at an
obtuse angle, but form with the grooves a segment of a circle. The lower bars are

page_text: placed underneath the spaces that separate the upper bars, and thus they intercept
not only the juices which may overflow the upper bars but also any drippings that
may fall from that portion of the meat that does not rest upon the upper bars. A
thin plate of metal, or preferably a leaf of mica is placed immediately under the
lower set of bars at a distance of one fourth of an inch or thereby, varying
according to the general size and proportion of the grill, and of the fire over which
it is intended to use the grill.
The effect of a combination constructed on this principle is to screen the meat
from the waste gases of combustion, from tongues of flames, and from smoky
vapours, without in any material degree losing the use of any heat from the fire
that could otherwise be effectively utilised.
The under screen receives the upward radiant heat of the fire and also absorbs
much of the convected heat of the waste gases and transmits that heat to the
superimposed bars, and to the meat resting thereon, so that substantially all the
available heat of the fire is utilised as effectively as if the apparatus had been an
open grill. The heat moreover is more diffused and uniform than is obtained in
the use of an open grill, and there is effectively prevented the actual contact of
flame and of greasy smoky vapour, which make broiling over an unscreened fire
offensive during the process, and defective in the results.
The several parts of this tripartite grill are preferably connected with loops of
metal or other hinges of a simple construction, and so arranged that the three
portions of the grill may be opened up like the leaves of a book, and separated to
admit of being cleaned.
A grill made on the principle described may be constructed with wide or with
narrow bars, and with wide or narrow spaces between the bars, and between the
levels of the upper and the lower bars, and between the lower bars and the screen
that is placed undermost. Thus, if the upper bars are half inch wide and half an
inch apart, then the lower bars should be about three fourths of an inch wide and
one quarter of an inch apart; and the space between the levels of the upper and
lower bars should be from one fourth to three fourths of an inch or thereby. And
the space between the levels of the lower bars and of the mica or metal screen
should be from one fourth to half an inch.
This grill when placed outside or on top of a fire may be connected with a frame,
having sides that screen off lateral currents of vapour which would contaminate the
food, and it may have an overhanging hood also to prevent the cooling access of
air, and the hood may be so hinged or attached to the grill or to its supporting
frame, that it may be lowered or raised, in order that the heat ascending may be
intercepted and reflected or radiated downwards upon the meat that is being
broiled, or the hood may be altogether dispensed with.
And this grill may have the relative position of the upper and of the under bars,
and of the lower screen made capable of being readily altered by widening or
approximating the bars and the screen. And the frame work or supports of this
grill may be so connected with a cooking range or heating apparatus as to form in
whole or in part a permanent portion of the said cooking range or heating
apparatus, or be made so that it may be used as a support for kettles or other
culinary utensils when placed over a fire.
The top bars of the grill may be of an angular construction like the letter V
reversed, and this is the construction I employ in preference where the fire is large
and sharply heated, because in such case it is desirable that the juices of meat
should be allowed to drain away rapidly into the terminal trough, and that they
should not be compelled to flow along two sets of grooved bars.