Griller

Abstract

A griller having a substantially horizontally extending grill member to support food while being grilled, the grill member consisting of alternating bars and slots the bars being made of aluminium, aluminium alloy or a substance having similar heat transmitting properties there being arranged under the grill member an elongated electric heating element that is accommodated within a groove formed on the underside of the grill member, whereby fats and liquids emerging from food being cooked on the grill member are prevented from coming into contact with the electric heating element, an electric plug socket connected to the electric heating element directly and without intervention of a thermostat, the heating element and the grill member being constructed and arranged so that heat from the heating element is distributed more or less evenly over the surface of the grill member, the grill member being removeably supported on a container that in use underlies the grill member and acts to catch fat and liquids from the food being grilled, there being a circumferential gap between an outer wall of the container and the periphery of the grill member the width of the gap being such as to permit a flow of air into the space beneath the grill member to control the temperature of the heating element and grill member and prevent thermal run away.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to a griller for the grilling of foodstuffs, such as steaks, by means of an electric heating element. The griller, the subject of the invention, can be used both outdoors and indoor.Many forms of grillers are in use domestically and with at least some of them a problem arises as to the disposal of melted fat and liquid emerging from the foodstuff being cooked. If this fat is allowed to come into contact with the means of heating the griller smoke is produced, as are carcinogenic compounds. While forms of grillers consisting of a grid arranged to heat an article of food to be grilled, beneath which and spaced from the grid, is an electric heating element onto which fat and liquids can fall are very popular, the problems referred to above have been recognised and addressed in the specification of U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,180 which is described in the Abstract accompanying the specification as:"An electric grill-simulated charcoal bro...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The object of the present invention is to provide an electrically heated griller having similar advantages to those of the construction described above but having additional features resulting in a simpler and more effective construction. Details of these advantages are set out below.

The present invention consists in a griller having a substantially horizontally extending grill member to support food while being grilled, the grill member consisting of alternating bars and slots the bars being made of aluminium, aluminium alloy and a material having similar heat transmitting properties to aluminium, the slots passing through the grill member; there being arranged under the grill member spaced from the slots an elongated electric heating element that is accommodated within a groove formed on the underside of the grill member, whereby fats and liquids emerging from food being cooked on the grill member are prevented from coming into contact with the electric heating element, electric plug receiving means connected to said electric heating element directly and without intervention of a thermostat, the heating element and the grill member being constructed and arranged so that heat from the heating element is distributed more or less evenly over a surface of the grill member, the grill member being removeably supported on a container that in use underlies the grill member and acts to catch fat and liquids from the food being grilled, the underside of said grill member being vertically spaced above an outer peripheral wall of said container to define gap between the outer wall of said container and the underside of the grill member positioned so as to permit a flow of air transversely through the gap into the space beneath the grill member to control the temperature of the heating element and grill member and prevent abnormal heating.

Problems solved by technology

Many forms of grillers are in use domestically and with at least some of them a problem arises as to the disposal of melted fat and liquid emerging from the foodstuff being cooked.

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