Set of cooking plates for an electric cooking appliance

Abstract

Set of cooking plates for an electric cooking appliance (2), comprising a lower cooking plate (8) configured to be attached to a lower heating structure (3) of the electric cooking appliance (2), and an upper cooking plate (9) configured to be attached to an upper heating structure (4) of the electric cooking appliance (2), each of the lower and upper cooking plates (8, 9) comprising a bottom wall (11) and a plurality of recesses (12) provided on the bottom wall (11), the lower cooking plate (8) and the upper cooking plate (9) being configured to assume a cooking configuration in which each recess (12) provided on the lower cooking plate (8) is opposite a recess (12) provided on the upper cooking plate (9), and in which each pair of opposite recesses (12) defines a cooking cavity (14) configured to enable the cooking of a food preparation, characterized in thatthat the set of cooking plates also includes a shearing device (17) configured to cut off by shearing any excess preparation located between two adjacent recesses (12) provided on the lower cooking plate (8) when the lower and upper cooking plates (8, 9) transition into the cooking configuration.

Description

Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to electric cooking appliances and in particular to electric cooking appliances of the type waffle iron, which enable the production of food preparations such as waffles from a dough product. State of the art

[0002] An electric cooking appliance of the type waffle iron contains, in a known manner: • a lower heating structure configured to rest on a horizontal support, and an upper heating structure movably mounted with respect to the lower heating structure between an open configuration in which the upper heating structure and the lower heating structure are separated from each other, and a closed configuration in which the upper heating structure and the lower heating structure are close to each other and in which the upper heating structure covers the lower heating structure, • a set of waffle plates comprising a lower waffle plate configured to be detachably attached to the lower heating structure and an upper waffle plate configured to be detachably attached to the upper heating structure; wherein each of the lower and upper waffle plates comprises one or more recesses configured to define one or more cooking cavities when the lower and upper waffle plates are attached to the lower heating structure and the upper heating structure, respectively, and the latter is in the closed configuration.

[0003] In order to increase the number of recipes that can be carried out with such an electric cooking appliance, it is known to equip the latter with several additional sets of cooking plates, such as a set of croque monsieur plates and a set of panini plates.

[0004] However, such an electric cooking appliance is not suitable for cooking vegetarian dishes, and even less so for producing food preparations such as aesthetically pleasing vegetable balls or galettes. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention aims to eliminate these disadvantages, either wholly or partially.

[0006] The technical problem underlying the invention is in particular to provide a set of cooking plates for an electric cooking appliance that is simply structured and ergonomic, while at the same time enabling the production of aesthetically pleasing food preparations.

[0007] To this end, the present invention relates to a set of cooking plates for an electric cooking appliance, for example of the waffle iron type, comprising a lower cooking plate configured, for example, to be detachably attached to a lower heating structure of the electric cooking appliance, and an upper cooking plate configured, for example, to be detachably attached to an upper heating structure of the electric cooking appliance, wherein each of the lower and upper cooking plates comprises a bottom wall and a plurality of recesses provided on the bottom wall, wherein the lower cooking plate and the upper cooking plate are configured to assume a cooking configuration in which each recess provided on the lower cooking plate is opposite a recess provided on the upper cooking plate, and in which each pair of opposite recesses defines a cooking cavity configured for cooking a food preparation.and, for example, to allow for a vegetarian preparation, wherein the set of cooking plates also includes a shear-cutting device configured to shear off any excess preparation located between two adjacent recesses provided on the lower cooking plate (and in particular between each pair of adjacent recesses) when the lower and upper cooking plates are moved into the cooking configuration.

[0008] The presence of such a shearing device enables the shearing off of any excess dough surrounding each food preparation when the lower and upper cooking plates are moved into the cooking configuration, thus ensuring optimal trimming of each food preparation and simplifying its shaping. Therefore, the set of cooking plates according to the present invention enables the production of aesthetically pleasing food preparations and simplifies their manufacture.

[0009] Furthermore, the set of cooking plates may have one or more of the following features, individually or in combination.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the invention, the shear cutting device comprises: • Circumferential projections, such as circumferential ribs, provided on the bottom wall of one of the lower and upper cooking plates, each circumferential projection defining a circumferential edge of a recess, and • Counterforms provided on the bottom wall of the other of the lower and upper cooking plates, each counterform extending around a depression and having a shape at least partially complementary to that of a corresponding circumferential projection.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the invention, each counterform extends around and at a distance from the access opening of the corresponding recess.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the invention, each circumferential projection limits the access opening of the corresponding recess.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the invention, each counterform extends from the bottom wall of the other of the lower and upper cooking plates.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the invention, each circumferential projection is ring-shaped, and each counterpart is ring-shaped. Advantageously, each circumferential projection has an overall circular shape, and each counterpart has an overall circular shape.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the invention, each counterform is configured to extend around the circumferential projection when the lower and upper cooking plates are in the cooking configuration.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the invention, each counterform comprises an inner circumferential surface configured to extend opposite an outer circumferential surface of the respective circumferential projection when the lower and upper cooking plates are in the cooking configuration.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the invention, each counterform has an inner diameter that is larger than the outer diameter of the corresponding circumferential projection.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the invention, each counterform externally defines an annular groove that extends around an access opening of the corresponding recess and that can at least partially accommodate the respective circumferential projection when the lower and upper cooking plates are in the cooking configuration.

[0019] According to one embodiment of the invention, the counter-forms are provided on the lower cooking plate, and the circumferential projections are provided on the upper cooking plate.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the invention, each circumferential projection is configured to rest on the bottom of the corresponding annular groove.

[0021] According to one embodiment of the invention, the bottom of each annular groove is raised with respect to the corresponding bottom wall.

[0022] According to one embodiment of the invention, each circumferential projection has a lower height than the separation distance between the bottom walls of the lower and upper cooking plates when the lower and upper cooking plates are in the cooking configuration.

[0023] According to one embodiment of the invention, each circumferential projection has a height that is greater than or equal to the depth of the corresponding annular groove.

[0024] According to one embodiment of the invention, the upper surface of each counterform is configured to be located opposite and at a distance from the bottom wall of the upper cooking plate when the lower and upper cooking plates are in the cooking configuration. Advantageously, the separation distance between the upper surface of each counterform and the bottom wall of the upper cooking plate is less than 2 mm when the lower and upper cooking plates are in the cooking configuration.

[0025] According to one embodiment of the invention, the upper surface of each counterform is offset relative to the bottom of the corresponding annular groove by an offset distance which is smaller than the height of each circumferential projection.

[0026] According to one embodiment of the invention, each cooking cavity is configured to allow the forming and cooking of a food ball, for example, a vegetarian ball, or a food galette. Such a configuration of the set of cooking plates according to the present invention allows the forming of the food balls or galettes by shifting the lower and upper cooking plates into the closed configuration, i.e., by shifting the upper heating element belonging to the electric cooking appliance equipped with the set of cooking plates into the closed configuration. This significantly reduces the preparation time of a recipe and considerably simplifies its execution.

[0027] According to one embodiment of the invention, each cooking cavity is spherical overall or generally has the shape of a disk or a cylinder.

[0028] According to one embodiment of the invention, the access opening of each recess has an overall circular shape.

[0029] According to one embodiment of the invention, the recesses provided on each of the lower and upper cooking plates are arranged adjacent to one another, and the lower and upper cooking plates are configured such that if a recess provided on the lower cooking plate contains excess food, the excess food is shifted to at least one adjacent recess provided on the lower cooking plate when the lower and upper cooking plates are moved into the cooking configuration. Such a configuration of the lower and upper cooking plates allows for a better distribution of the food preparation in the cooking cavities bounded by the lower and upper cooking plates and enables a significant reduction in the amount of material lost between the cooking cavities, thus considerably limiting food waste.

[0030] According to one embodiment of the invention, each of the lower and upper cooking plates is configured such that the minimum distance between the access openings of two adjacent recesses provided on the cooking plate is less than 5 mm.

[0031] According to one embodiment of the invention, the recesses provided on the lower cooking plate are hollowed out.

[0032] According to one embodiment of the invention, the recesses provided on the upper cooking plate are protruding.

[0033] According to one embodiment of the invention, the recesses provided on the upper cooking plate are hollowed out.

[0034] According to one embodiment of the invention, each recess comprises an access opening.

[0035] According to one embodiment of the invention, the bottom wall of each of the lower and upper cooking plates is essentially flat.

[0036] According to one embodiment of the invention, the bottom walls of the lower and upper cooking plates are configured to be spaced apart from each other by a separating distance when the lower and upper cooking plates are in the cooking configuration.

[0037] According to one embodiment of the invention, the recesses provided on the lower cooking plate have essentially the same depths and shapes, and the recesses provided on the upper cooking plate have essentially the same depths and shapes.

[0038] According to one embodiment of the invention, the number of indentations provided on each of the lower or upper cooking plates is greater than 5, advantageously greater than 10, and is, for example, between 10 and 30.

[0039] According to one embodiment of the invention, the recesses provided on each of the lower and upper cooking plates are arranged in an offset manner.

[0040] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the number of recesses provided on each of the lower and upper cooking plates is 2. Advantageously, the two recesses provided on each of the lower and upper cooking plates are arranged adjacent to one another.

[0041] According to one embodiment of the invention, each of the lower and upper cooking plates is at least partially covered by a ceramic coating. These arrangements ensure healthier cooking of the food.

[0042] According to one embodiment of the invention, each of the lower and upper cooking plates is at least partially covered with a coating of polytetrafluoroethylene. These arrangements extend the duration of the non-stick function.

[0043] The present invention further relates to an electric cooking appliance, for example of the type of waffle iron, which includes a set of cooking plates according to the present invention.

[0044] According to one embodiment of the invention, the electric cooking appliance comprises a lower heating structure configured to rest on a horizontal support, to which the lower cooking plate can be detachably attached, for example, and an upper heating structure to which the upper cooking plate can be detachably attached, for example, wherein the upper heating structure is movable and pivotably mounted, for example, with respect to the lower heating structure, between an open configuration in which the lower cooking plate and the upper cooking plate are separated from each other and in which a food preparation can be placed into each of the recesses provided on the lower cooking plate, and a closed configuration in which the lower and upper cooking plates assume the cooking configuration and in which the food preparation contained in each cooking cavity can be shaped and cooked.

[0045] According to one embodiment of the invention, the electric cooking appliance comprises a memory in which at least one vegetarian cooking program is stored, which defines a cooking plan suitable for cooking a vegetarian preparation, and a control unit configured to control the operation of the electric cooking appliance according to the vegetarian cooking program when the electric cooking appliance is equipped with the lower and upper cooking plates.

[0046] According to one embodiment of the invention, the cooking plan of the vegetarian cooking program defines a cooking temperature and a cooking time that are suitable for cooking a vegetarian preparation.

[0047] According to one embodiment of the invention, the electric cooking appliance comprises a set of waffle plates, including a lower waffle plate configured to be detachably attached to the lower heating structure and an upper waffle plate configured to be detachably attached to the upper heating structure; wherein the lower waffle plate and the upper waffle plate are each interchangeable with the lower cooking plate and the upper cooking plate, respectively. Brief description of the characters

[0048] The invention is well understood with reference to the following description and the accompanying schematic drawings, which illustrate two embodiments of this electric cooking appliance as non-limiting examples. Fig. Figure 1 is a perspective partial view of an electric cooking appliance according to a first embodiment of the invention. Fig. Figure 2 is a perspective view of a set of waffle plates belonging to the electric cooking appliance of the Fig. 1 belongs. Fig. Figure 3 is a perspective view of a set of cooking plates belonging to the electric cooking appliance of the Fig. 1 belongs and takes on a cooking configuration. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the sets of griddle plates. Fig. 3 belonging to the lower cooking plate from above. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the sets of griddle plates. Fig. 3 belonging to the upper cooking plate from below. Fig. Figure 6 is a perspective partial view of the lower cooking plate of the Fig. 4, cut off along a longitudinal section plane. Fig. Figure 7 is a perspective partial view of the upper cooking plate of the Fig. 5, cut off along a longitudinal section plane. Fig. Figure 8 is a perspective view of the lower and upper cooking plates in the cooking configuration, cut off along a longitudinal section plane. Fig. Figure 9 is a partial longitudinal section view of the lower and upper cooking plates in the cooking configuration. Fig. Figure 10 is a partial view in longitudinal section of the lower cooking plate. Fig. Figure 11 is a partial view in longitudinal section of the upper cooking plate. Fig. Figure 12 is a view of the upper cooking plate from below. Fig. Figure 13 is a view of the lower cooking plate from above. Fig. Figure 14 is a perspective view, cut off along a longitudinal section plane, of the lower and upper cooking plates according to a second embodiment of the invention and in the cooking configuration. Fig. 15 is a perspective view of the lower cooking plate from above, which belongs to the set of cooking plates of the Fig. 14 belongs. Fig. Figure 16 is a perspective view of the upper cooking plate from below, which belongs to the set of cooking plates of the Fig. 14 belongs. Detailed description

[0049] In this publication, the terms “back”, “top”, “bottom”, “high”, “above” and “below” are defined in relation to a use of the electric cooking appliance while the electric cooking appliance rests on a horizontal surface and the user is standing in front of the electric cooking appliance.

[0050] Unless otherwise stated, the term ‘essentially’ in this publication means ‘exactly or to 10% or to 10°’.

[0051] The Fig. Figures 1 to 13 represent an electric cooking appliance 2, for example of the type waffle iron, according to a first embodiment of the invention.

[0052] The electric cooking appliance 2 comprises a lower heating structure 3, which is in the form of a base plate and is configured to rest on a horizontal support, and an upper heating structure 4, which is in the form of a lid, which is movably mounted with respect to the lower heating structure 3 between an open configuration in which the upper heating structure 4 and the lower heating structure 3 are separated from each other, and a closed configuration in which the upper heating structure 4 and the lower heating structure 3 are closer together and in which the upper heating structure 4 covers the lower heating structure 3.

[0053] Advantageously, the upper heating element 4 is hinged to the lower heating element 3 via a pivot joint, which defines a pivot axis located in a rear part of the electric cooking appliance 2 and is configured to extend essentially horizontally when the lower heating element 3 rests on a horizontal surface. To facilitate the movement of the upper heating element 4 between the open and closed configurations, the upper heating element 4 can be equipped with a handle configured for user operation.

[0054] As is known, the lower heating structure 3 comprises a lower heating device 3.1, for example formed by a resistance heating element, and a lower receiving area 3.2, and the upper heating structure 4 comprises an upper heating device 4.1, for example formed by a resistance heating element, and an upper receiving area 4.2.

[0055] The electric cooking appliance 2 also includes a set of waffle plates (see Fig. 2) comprising a lower waffle plate 5 configured to be received in the lower receiving area 3.2 and detachably attached to the lower heating structure 3, and an upper waffle plate 6 configured to be received in the upper receiving area 4.2 and detachably attached to the upper heating structure 4. The lower and upper heating devices 3.1, 4.1 are specifically configured to be located below and above the lower and upper waffle plates 5, 6, respectively, and to heat the lower and upper waffle plates 5, 6 when the latter are attached to the lower heating structure 3 and the upper heating structure 4, respectively, and the lower heating structure 3 rests on a horizontal support.

[0056] As is known, each of the lower and upper waffle plates 5, 6 includes one or more recesses 7, which are configured when the lower and upper waffle plates 5, 6 are attached to the lower heating structure 3 and the upper heating structure 4 respectively, and when the latter assumes the closed configuration, to define one or more cooking cavities.

[0057] The electric cooking appliance 2 also includes a set of cooking plates, comprising a lower cooking plate 8 configured to be detachably attached to the lower heating structure 3, and an upper cooking plate 9 configured to be detachably attached to the upper heating structure 4. The lower waffle plate 5 and the upper waffle plate 6 are each interchangeable with the lower cooking plate 8 and the upper cooking plate 9, respectively. Advantageously, each of the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9 comprises a main plate portion made of aluminum and a coating of ceramic or polytetrafluoroethylene, which at least partially covers the main plate portion, and in particular the portion of the respective main plate portion intended to be in contact with the food preparation.

[0058] As in the Fig. 4 and Fig. As shown in Figure 5, each of the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9 comprises a bottom wall 11, which is advantageously flat, and a plurality of hollow recesses 12 provided on the respective bottom wall 11. Advantageously, the recesses 12 provided on the lower cooking plate 8 have substantially the same depths and shapes, and the recesses 12 provided on the upper cooking plate 9 have substantially the same depths and shapes. According to the illustration in the Fig. In the embodiment shown in 1 to 13, the number of recesses 12 provided on each of the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9 is greater than 5, preferably between 10 and 30, and for example equal to 21.

[0059] As in the Fig. 3, Fig. 8 and Fig. As shown in Figure 9, the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9 are configured to assume a cooking configuration in which each recess 12 provided on the lower cooking plate 8 is located opposite a recess 12 provided on the upper cooking plate 9, and in which each pair of opposing recesses 12 defines a cooking cavity 14 configured to allow the shaping and cooking of a food preparation, for example, a vegetarian preparation. The lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9 are specifically configured to assume this cooking configuration when the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9 are attached to the lower heating structure 3 and the upper heating structure 4, respectively, and the upper heating structure 4 is in the closed configuration.

[0060] According to the Fig. In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 13, each recess 12 has an overall hemispherical shape and includes an access opening 13, which has an overall circular shape, and each cooking cavity 14 has an overall spherical shape. The lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9 are thus configured in particular to allow the cooking of balls of a vegetarian preparation, such as falafel or vegetable balls.

[0061] The electric cooking appliance 2 is configured such that, when the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9 are attached to the lower heating structure 3 and the upper heating structure 4 respectively, and the upper heating structure 4 assumes the open configuration, the lower cooking plate 8 and the upper cooking plate 9 are separated from each other and a food preparation can be placed in each of the recesses 12 provided on the lower cooking plate 8; and that, when the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9 are attached to the lower heating structure 3 and the upper heating structure 4 respectively, and the upper heating structure 4 assumes the closed configuration, the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9 assume the cooking configuration and balls of a food preparation can be formed and cooked in the cooking cavities 14 bounded by the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9.

[0062] As in the Fig. 4, Fig. 5 and Fig. As shown in Figure 8, the lower cooking plate 8 comprises an upper circumferential rim 15 extending around the perimeter of the bottom wall 11, and the upper cooking plate 9 comprises a lower circumferential rim 16 extending around the perimeter of the bottom wall 11 and configured to rest on the upper circumferential rim 15 when the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9 are in the cooking configuration. Advantageously, the upper circumferential rim 15 and the lower circumferential rim 16 are configured such that the bottom walls 11 of the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9 extend substantially parallel to each other and are spaced apart from each other by a separating distance when the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9 are in the cooking configuration.

[0063] As in the Fig. 12 and Fig. As shown in Figure 13, the recesses 12 provided on each of the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9 are arranged adjacent to and offset from one another. Advantageously, each of the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9 is configured such that the minimum distance between the access openings 13 of two adjacent recesses 12 provided on the cooking plate is less than 5 mm.

[0064] The recesses 12 provided on each of the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9 are configured such that if a recess 12 provided on the lower cooking plate 8 contains excess preparation (i.e., a volume of food preparation greater than the volume of the respective cooking cavity 14), the excess preparation is automatically shifted to one or more adjacent recesses 12 provided on the lower cooking plate 8 when the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9 are moved into the cooking configuration. Such a configuration of the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9 ensures better distribution of the food preparation within the cooking cavities 14 defined by the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9 and significantly reduces the amount of material lost between the cooking cavities 14, thus considerably limiting food waste.

[0065] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 8, the set of cooking plates also includes a shearing device 17, which is configured to cut off by shearing any possible excess of preparation located between two adjacent recesses 12 provided on the lower cooking plate 8 when the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9 are moved into the cooking configuration.

[0066] Advantageously, the shear cutting device comprises 17: • Circumferential projections 18, such as circumferential ribs, which are provided on the bottom wall 11 of one of the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9, wherein each circumferential projection 18 has a circular shape and limits the circumferential edge and thus the access opening 13 of a recess 12, and • Counterforms 19 provided on the bottom wall 11 of the other of the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9, each counterform 19 having a circular shape extending around and at a distance from an access opening 13 of a recess 12 and configured to extend around a circumferential projection 18 when the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9 are in the cooking configuration.

[0067] Advantageously, each counterform 19 has a complementary shape to that of the circumferential projection 18 and an inner diameter that is larger than the outer diameter of the circumferential projection 18. As in Fig. As shown in Figure 9, each counterform 19 comprises an inner circumferential surface 19.1 configured to extend opposite an outer circumferential surface 18.1 of the circumferential projection 18 when the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9 are in the cooking configuration.

[0068] According to the Fig. In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 13, the counter-forms 19 are provided on the lower cooking plate 8 and extend projecting from the bottom wall 11, and the circumferential projections 18 are provided on the upper cooking plate 9 and extend projecting from the bottom wall 11.

[0069] Advantageously, each counterform 19 externally defines an annular groove 21 that extends around the access opening 13 of the respective recess 12 and is able to at least partially accommodate the circumferential projection 18 when the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9 are in the cooking configuration. Each circumferential projection 18 is specifically configured to rest on the base 21.1 of the respective annular groove 21.

[0070] According to the Fig. In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 13, the bottom 21.1 of each annular groove 21 is raised with respect to the bottom wall 11, and each circumferential projection 18 has a height that is less than the separation distance between the bottom walls 11 of the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9 when the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9 are in the cooking configuration, and that is greater than or equal to the depth of the annular groove 21.

[0071] According to the Fig. In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 13, the upper surface of each counterform 19 is flat and configured to be located opposite and at a distance from the bottom wall 11 of the upper cooking plate 9 when the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9 are in the cooking configuration. Advantageously, the separation distance between the upper surface of each counterform 19 and the bottom wall 11 of the upper cooking plate 9 is less than 2 mm when the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9 are in the cooking configuration.

[0072] The electric cooking appliance 2 also includes: • a memory 22 in which at least one vegetarian cooking program, which defines a cooking plan suitable for cooking a vegetarian preparation, and one waffle cooking program, which defines a cooking plan suitable for cooking a waffle, are stored, and • a control unit 23 which is configured to control the operation of the electric cooking appliance 2 according to the vegetarian cooking program when the electric cooking appliance 2 is equipped with the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9, and according to the waffle cooking program when the electric cooking appliance 2 is equipped with the lower and upper waffle plates 5, 6.

[0073] The cooking plan of the vegetarian cooking program defines in particular a cooking temperature and a cooking time that are suitable for cooking a vegetarian preparation, while the cooking plan of the waffle cooking program defines in particular a cooking temperature and a cooking time that are suitable for cooking a food preparation for waffles.

[0074] The Fig. Figures 14 to 16 show a set of cooking plates according to a second embodiment of the invention, which differs from the first embodiment mainly in that each cooking cavity 14 has a general disc shape and is configured to enable the forming and cooking of a galette of a food preparation, and for example a galette of a vegetarian preparation.

[0075] According to this second embodiment of the invention, each recess 12 provided on the upper cooking plate 9 protrudes, and the number of recesses 12 provided on each of the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9 is 2. Advantageously, the two recesses 12 provided on each of the lower and upper cooking plates 8, 9 are arranged adjacent to one another.

[0076] Naturally, the present invention is by no means limited to the described and illustrated embodiments, which serve only as examples. Modifications remain possible, particularly with regard to the nature of the various elements or by substituting technical equivalents, without, however, departing from the scope of protection of the invention.

Claims

[1] Set of cooking plates for an electric cooking appliance (2), comprising a lower cooking plate (8) configured to be attached to a lower heating structure (3) of the electric cooking appliance (2), and an upper cooking plate (9) configured to be attached to an upper heating structure (4) of the electric cooking appliance (2), each of the lower and upper cooking plates (8, 9) comprising a bottom wall (11) and a plurality of recesses (12) provided on the bottom wall (11), the lower cooking plate (8) and the upper cooking plate (9) being configured to assume a cooking configuration in which each recess (12) provided on the lower cooking plate (8) is opposite a recess (12) provided on the upper cooking plate (9), and in which each pair of opposite recesses (12) defines a cooking cavity (14) configured to enable the cooking of a food preparation, characterized by, that the set of cooking plates also includes a shearing device (17) configured to cut off by shearing any excess preparation located between two adjacent recesses (12) provided on the lower cooking plate (8) when the lower and upper cooking plates (8, 9) transition into the cooking configuration. [2] Set of cooking plates according to claim 1, wherein the shear cutting device (17) comprises: • Circumferential projections (18) provided on the bottom wall (11) of one of the lower and upper cooking plates (8, 9), each circumferential projection (18) defining an edge of a recess (12), and • Counterforms (19) provided on the bottom wall (11) of the other of the lower and upper cooking plates (8, 9), each counterform (19) extending around a recess (12) and having a shape that is at least partially complementary to that of a circumferential projection (18). [3] Set of cooking plates according to claim 2, wherein each circumferential projection (18) is annular and each counter-shape (19) is annular. [4] Set of cooking plates according to claim 2 or 3, wherein each counterform (19) is configured to extend around the circumferential projection (18) when the lower and upper cooking plates (8, 9) are in the cooking configuration. [5] Set of cooking plates according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein each counterform (19) comprises an inner circumferential surface (19.1) configured to extend relative to an outer circumferential surface (18.1) of the circumferential projection (18) when the lower and upper cooking plates (8, 9) are in the cooking configuration. [6] Set of cooking plates according to claim 5, wherein each counter-form (19) has an inner diameter that is larger than the outer diameter of the circumferential projection (18). [7] Set of cooking plates according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein each counterform (19) externally delimits an annular groove (21) which extends around an access opening (13) of the recess (12) and is able to at least partially accommodate the circumferential projection (18) when the lower and upper cooking plates (8, 9) are in the cooking configuration. [8] Set of cooking plates according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the counter-forms (19) are provided on the lower cooking plate (8) and the circumferential projections (18) are provided on the upper cooking plate (9). [9] Set of cooking plates according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein each cooking cavity (14) is configured to enable the forming and cooking of a ball of a food preparation or a galette of a food preparation. [10] Set of cooking plates according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the recesses (12) provided on each of the lower and upper cooking plates (8, 9) are arranged adjacent to one another, and the lower and upper cooking plates (8, 9) are configured such that, if a recess (12) provided on the lower cooking plate (8) contains an excess of preparation, the excess of preparation is moved to at least one adjacent recess (12) provided on the lower cooking plate (8) when the lower and upper cooking plates (8, 9) are moved into the cooking configuration. [11] Electric cooking appliance (2) comprising a set of cooking plates according to any one of claims 1 to 10. [12] Electric cooking appliance (2) according to claim 11, comprising a lower heating structure (3) configured to rest on a horizontal support and to which the lower cooking plate (8) can be attached, and an upper heating structure (4) to which the upper cooking plate (9) can be attached, wherein the upper heating structure (4) is movably mounted with respect to the lower heating structure (3) between an open configuration in which the upper and lower cooking plates (9, 8) are separated from each other and in which a food preparation can be placed into each of the recesses (12) provided on the lower cooking plate (8), and a closed configuration in which the lower and upper cooking plates (8, 9) assume the cooking configuration and in which the food preparation contained in each of the cooking cavities (14) can be formed and cooked. [13] Electric cooking appliance (2) according to claim 11 or 12, comprising a memory (22) in which at least one vegetarian cooking program is stored, which defines a cooking plan suitable for cooking a vegetarian preparation, and a control unit (23) configured to control the operation of the electric cooking appliance (2) according to the vegetarian cooking program when the electric cooking appliance (2) is equipped with the lower and upper cooking plates (8, 9).

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