Stiffened flexible mould

Abstract

A mould for culinary preparation comprises a hollow tray made from a flexible elastomer material and comprising a side wall, the top end of which forms an opening, and a rigid stiffener. Another stiffener, for example an annular or discoid stiffener is connected to the bottom, close to the junction with the side wall.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] This invention relates to a mould used to make culinary preparation such as cakes, pastry, etc. [0002] Very stiff moulds made of metallic material are known, but the fact that they are stiff does not facilitate removal of the preparation from the mould. [0003] Silicone moulds are also known which have the advantage that they can be put into the oven, the microwave oven, the refrigerator, the freezer or the dishwasher without being damaged, but these moulds are not stiff due to the high elasticity of the material. [0004] There are three disadvantages, all of which result from this high elasticity of elastomers: it is difficult to remove the preparation from the mould, it is inconvenient to manipulate the mould because it deforms so easily, and the uncooked preparation (frequently liquid) can easily overflow while the mould is being manipulated. [0005] Solutions have been suggested to obtain a sufficiently flexible mould by making a local overthickne...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0013] a first stiffening element secured to the tray near the upper edge, for improving the handling of the tray by said edge,

[0017] Inward radial distortion of the material in the vicinity of the location of the second stiffening element (especially the bottom wall) is prevented.

[0031] It can be understood that with this particular arrangement of the two stiffeners, the advantages of the maximum flexibility of moulds, especially made of a silicone type material, are maintained, particularly if the upper and lower stiffeners are both annular (ring) or approximately annular, the lower stiffener then preferably being fixed to the bottom and located close to the junction between this bottom and the side wall. The result is that the entire mould remains flexible, thus improving some mould removal operations.

[0034] If this bottom plate extends radially around the outside periphery, approximately as far as the junction between the bottom and the side wall, the hinge effect between the bottom and the side wall during mould removal will be reinforced (as in the previous solution with a bottom ring), particularly if the “bottom” stiffener around the external periphery continues around the entire periphery of the lower portion of the hollow tray. Furthermore, if the said plate extends inwards as far as the centre of the bottom, thus occupying most or all of the surface of this bottom, the mechanical behavior of the bottom will be facilitated preventing “belly” effects under the weight and assuring some stability in the bottom mould under all circumstances.

[0036] The preferred solution for combining mould removal quality, mould cost price and ease of manufacturing, consists of:

Problems solved by technology

Very stiff moulds made of metallic material are known, but the fact that they are stiff does not facilitate removal of the preparation from the mould.

There are three disadvantages, all of which result from this high elasticity of elastomers: it is difficult to remove the preparation from the mould, it is inconvenient to manipulate the mould because it deforms so easily, and the uncooked preparation (frequently liquid) can easily overflow while the mould is being manipulated.

However, the resulting mould removal performances and the ability to maintain the liquid preparation in the mould are not always satisfactory.

Although this solution is attractive, it is not perfectly satisfactory, particularly for the removal of all preparations from the mould, since the curved side wall allows a rim to project upwards around the border of the bottom forming an obstacle, for example to the removal of a soft cake or for the correct insertion of a cake turner.

Therefore, the problem that arises is to make a new mould for a culinary preparation allowing very easy removal of the solid preparation from the mould, potentially facilitating resistance of the mould to deformation, particularly if it contains a baked or unbaked liquid or heavy preparation.

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