Gas grill

Abstract

Gas grill (1) for outdoor use with a cooking surface (2), a gas burner (4) whose heat emitted during operation makes it possible to prepare food on the cooking surface (2), and a gas valve (5, 6) supplying the gas burner (4) with combustible gas, wherein the gas grill (1) further comprises an openable hood (7) covering the cooking surface (2), wherein the gas valve (5, 6) is designed as a stepped gas valve and has at least two discrete, mechanically predefined positions (13.1, 13.2, 13.3, 13.1).4) wherein in the first position the gas burner (4) is supplied with a quantity of gas such that a specific cooking temperature intended for the safe preparation of the food is generated on the cooking surface (2) with the hood (7) closed, and in the second position the gas burner (4) is supplied with a larger quantity of gas than in the first position, so that the specific cooking temperature for the food to be prepared is generated on the cooking surface (2) with the hood (7) open, and wherein the two positions (13.1, 13.2, 13.3, 13.4) are distinguishable from each other by a marking by a user.

Description

The invention relates to a gas grill for outdoor use. Gas grills for outdoor use are particularly popular with end consumers. They allow users to prepare food outside of a house, for example on a terrace or balcony. A gas grill has a cooking surface for preparing food. A gas burner radiates heat onto this cooking surface during operation. The gas burner can be positioned either above or below the cooking surface. To generate heat, the gas burner is supplied with combustible gas, for example from a portable gas cylinder. A gas valve is used to regulate the amount of gas supplied to the gas burner, which directly affects the heat output. Gas grills typically have an openable hood that covers the cooking surface. In principle, a gas grill can therefore be operated with the hood open or closed. The problem here is that when the lid is open, the heat emitted by the gas burner escapes into the surrounding area, while when the lid is closed, the heat is retained. To counteract this and allow operation with the lid open or closed, powerful gas burners can be used that can provide the necessary heat even when the lid is open. However, if the lid is closed and the gas burner is operating at full power, the temperature acting on the food can become so high that it chars or catches fire. Therefore, the gas burner's output is usually limited so that safe operation with the lid closed is possible at full power. Effective grilling or even searing is then not possible with the lid open. Against this background, the invention aims to provide a safe gas grilling appliance that allows for effective grilling both with the hood open and closed, thus enabling wider use of the gas grilling appliance. This problem is solved by a gas grill appliance of the type mentioned above, having the features of claim 1. Advantageous designs result from the dependent requirements and the description. According to the invention, the gas valve is designed as a stepped gas valve. A stepped gas valve is characterized by the fact that the gas flow can be metered discretely, i.e., in several, preferably at least three, and more preferably at least four, stages. The gas valve typically incorporates several spaced-apart nozzles which, depending on the position of the gas valve, provide a path between the inlet and outlet. To allow a defined quantity of gas to flow through the gas valve, a stepped gas valve has at least two, usually more discrete, mechanically predefined positions. In these positions, one or more nozzles, usually of different cross-sections, can form part of the path from the inlet to the outlet of the gas valve. The mechanically predefined positions are detented. A stepped gas valve is distinguished from a continuous gas valve, in which the gas flow rate is achieved solely by the usually continuously adjustable overlapping of a single pair of holes. In a preferred embodiment, such a stepped gas valve can be designed as a plug valve. A stepped gas valve designed as a plug valve has a particularly long-lasting tightness and thus accuracy with regard to the amount of gas allowed to pass through the gas valve. Furthermore, the invention provides for at least two coordinated positions of the gas valve: In the first position, the gas burner is supplied with a quantity of gas via the gas valve such that, with the hood closed, a specific cooking temperature is generated on the cooking surface, suitable for the safe preparation of the food. A cooking temperature suitable for the safe preparation of the food is present when it is high enough to heat the food sufficiently for consumption and low enough that, as a rule, no charring or even a food fire occurs. With the hood closed, a convection operation is essentially set in the cooking chamber, which is typically provided by the hood, and in this operation, even heat is generated at lower heat output. In the second position of the gas valve, the gas burner receives a larger quantity of gas than in the first position. The gas quantity is precisely calibrated to match the quantity in the first position of the gas valve so that, with the lid open, the cooking surface reaches the specific cooking temperature required for the food being prepared. The coordination between the first and second positions is thus achieved at the factory by defining the gas supplied through the gas tap in coordination with the gas burner and the geometry of the hood and combustion chamber on the one hand, and the heat radiation in relation to an enclosure of the cooking surface, for example against wind, on the other. The two positions are clearly distinguishable by a user. Typically, this marking allows the user to easily identify the desired operating mode: "grilling with the hood open" and "grilling with the hood closed." This enables the user to prepare food with the hood open or closed, eliminating the risk of accidentally operating the gas grill at an excessively high temperature with the hood closed. Such markings can be made, for example, by a label on the body of the gas grill, in the area where the gas valve, or a control element associated with the gas valve, is adjustable, such as by rotation. Such a label usually has at least an indirect connection to the position of the hood. For instance, a label might indicate a "comfort position" and a "sport position," with the "sport position" corresponding to operation with the hood open. This provides the user with a gas grill that allows for effective grilling with both the lid open and closed, and proactively informs them about the correct gas valve setting. The risk of food fires is thus reliably eliminated. In a preferred embodiment, a specific temperature is indicated in each of the two positions, which is generated at the cooking surface by the heat output of the gas burner during operation. This temperature can be an exact value or a narrow range of approximately 10°C to 20°C, as is typical for cooking on a gas grill in standard recipes. By defining the gas flow, a separate temperature measurement at the cooking surface, which is usually complex and expensive, is unnecessary. This further reduces the risk of food fires, as the user receives targeted instructions from the factory regarding the gas valve position required for safely cooking a specific type of food. In this context, it may also be provided that the temperature is indicated indirectly, for example by a symbol that represents a food to be cooked at a certain position of the gas tap and the resulting temperature on the cooking surface. In a further development project, it was proposed that the cooking surface be designed like an open rack, with several separate ridges. Experts had previously argued that a closed cooking surface would be better for heat distribution and thus for precisely setting a specific cooking temperature. However, it has been shown that, due to the heat distribution inherent in a closed cooking surface, heat dissipation is greater when the lid is open, and that a factory-predefined temperature at the cooking surface can be achieved more reliably with an open rack. It is assumed that precisely the absence of heat distribution across the cooking surface results in better predictability. In a further development project, it is proposed that the gas grill be equipped with a scale indicating the position of the gas valve. This scale is adjustable depending on the state of the hood, specifically whether it is open or closed. Such a scale could, for example, be mechanically mounted and thus movable. When the hood is open, the scale moves upwards; when the hood is closed, the scale moves downwards, corresponding to the gas flow. Alternatively, the scale could be displayed digitally. Even though such a change can be made manually by a user, it is preferred that the grill be designed so that the scale change is triggered automatically by opening or closing the hood. For this purpose, the gas grill has a hood status detection device that acts on the scale. Such a hood status detection device can operate mechanically, for example via a Bowden cable or a linkage acting on the scale, or electrically via a switch mechanism. The invention is explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying figures. These show: Fig. 1: A three-dimensional view of a gas grill for outdoor use, Fig. 2: A section of the control panel of the gas grill shown in Fig. 1 in a first position, and Fig. 3: The section shown in Fig. 2 in a second position. Fig. 1 shows a gas grill 1. The gas grill has a cooking surface 2, here designed as a grate with separate bars 3, on which food (not shown) can be prepared. To heat the cooking surface 2, the gas grill 1 has several gas burners 4, here designed as tube burners. Each gas burner is supplied separately with fuel gas by a gas valve 5, 6; each gas valve 5, 6 is connected to a gas cylinder (not shown), located approximately behind the lower panel. Furthermore, the gas grill 1 has an openable hood 7 covering the cooking surface 2; the hood 7 is shown in its open position in Fig. 1. When the hood 7 is closed, a cooking chamber is created between the cooking surface 2 and the lid 8 of the hood 7, which is enclosed by the walls 9 of the hood 7. When the gas grill 1 is in operation, the gas escaping from the gas burners 4 is burned, thus releasing heat. This heats the cooking surface 2 and, if the lid 7 is closed, also the cooking chamber. With the hood 7 open, a relatively large amount of heat escapes from the cooking surface 2, so the gas burners 4 must provide a greater heat output. For this purpose, the gas burners 4 are supplied with a larger quantity of gas via the gas valve 5, 6. The gas valves 5, 6 are designed as stepped gas valves, specifically as plug valves. In the present embodiment, the plug has several nozzles spaced apart from one another along its circumference, serving as gas outlet openings. When the gas valve 5, 6 is adjusted accordingly, these nozzles, either individually or collectively, open into a collecting section of the plug receptacle of the gas valve 5, 6. Depending on the position of the gas valve 5, 6, a predefined quantity of gas can be passed through it. This allows the heat output from the gas burner 4 to be estimated. In order to operate the gas grill 1 effectively even with the hood 7 open, powerful gas burners 4 are required. This poses the risk that the food will overheat if the gas burner 4 is operated at too high a power when the hood 7 is closed. To counteract this, the positions of each gas valve 5, 6 are coordinated. While in the first position safe preparation of food on the cooking surface 2 of the gas grill 1 is possible with the hood 7 closed, this is possible in the second position with the hood 7 open. In the present embodiment, a scale 10 is provided to indicate these two positions. The scale 10 is manually adjustable mechanically along the circumference of the gas valve 5, 6 to be adjusted. Fig. 2 shows the scale 10 in its position as provided when the hood 7 is closed; Fig. 3 shows it as provided for operation with the hood 7 open. The gas valve 5, 6 each has a knob 11, which each has an elongated handle 12, with which the position of the gas valve 5, 6 is set and a display is provided on the scale 10. The scale 10 shows four positions: 13.1, 13.2, 13.3, and 13.4. In this example, the adjacent settings are coordinated so that safe cooking is possible with the lower setting and the lid 7 closed, while cooking with the lid 7 open is possible with the higher setting. The scale 10 is adjustable accordingly. This is evident from the comparison between Figures 2 and 3, in which the scale 10 is positioned differently; the gas valves 5 and 6 in Figure 3 are set to the higher positions. As a result, the same temperature is generated at the cooking surface 2 in the position of the gas valves 5 and 6 shown in Figure 2 as is achieved with the lid 7 open in the positions of the gas valves 5 and 6 shown in Figure 3. In addition to gas taps 5 and 6, a further marking is provided. This marking is in tabular form and can be interpreted as translation table 14. For each position of the respective gas tap 5 or 6, corresponding to the scale (positions 13.1, 13.2, 13.3, 13.4), the corresponding temperatures on the cooking surface 2 are indicated. In this way, a user can precisely adjust the gas grill 1, or rather the cooking surface 2, for a specific food item while grilling, simply by adjusting gas tap 5 or 6, in order to cook the food at the desired temperature. The temperature setting on the cooking surface 2 is thus achieved through targeted control. Additional temperature measurement on the cooking surface 2 is therefore not strictly necessary. The invention has been described using an exemplary embodiment. Without departing from the scope of protection described by the applicable claims, numerous further embodiments of the inventive concept would be apparent to a person skilled in the art, without these needing to be explained in more detail within the scope of these explanations. Reference symbol list 1 Gas grill 2 Cooking surface 3 Support 4 Gas burner 5, 6 Gas valve 7 Hood 8 Lid 9 Walls 10 Scale 11 Knob 12 Handle 13.1, 13.2, 13.3, 13.4 Positions 14 Translation table

Claims

Gas grill (1) for outdoor use with a cooking surface (2), a gas burner (4) whose heat emitted during operation makes it possible to prepare food on the cooking surface (2), and a gas valve (5, 6) supplying the gas burner (4) with combustible gas, wherein the gas grill (1) further comprises an openable hood (7) covering the cooking surface (2), wherein the gas valve (5, 6) is designed as a stepped gas valve and has at least two discrete, mechanically predefined positions (13.1, 13.2, 13.3, 13.1).4) wherein in the first position the gas burner (4) is supplied with a quantity of gas such that a specific cooking temperature intended for the safe preparation of the food is generated on the cooking surface (2) with the hood (7) closed, and in the second position the gas burner (4) is supplied with a larger quantity of gas than in the first position, so that the specific cooking temperature for the food to be prepared is generated on the cooking surface (2) with the hood (7) open, and wherein the two positions (13.1, 13.2, 13.3, 13.4) are distinguishable from each other by a marking by a user. Gas grill according to claim 1, characterized in that the gas grill (1) has a scale (10) indicating the position of the gas tap (5, 6), which scale (10) can be changed depending on the state of the hood (7), namely whether it is closed or open. Gas grill appliance according to claim 2, characterized in that the scale (10) is mechanically displaceable. Gas grill according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the gas grill (1) is configured so that the change of the scale (10) is automatically effected by opening or closing the hood. Gas grill appliance according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the stepped gas valve is designed as a plug valve. Gas grill appliance according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the cooking surface (2) is designed in the manner of an open grate, having several separated struts (3). Gas grill appliance according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that at least one position of the gas valve (5, 6) is assigned a temperature indication which is set on the cooking surface (2) when the gas burner (4) is operated in this position, wherein the temperature indication is conveyed to a user by the marking of the position. Gas grill appliance according to claim 7, characterized in that the marking is an indication of a food that can be safely cooked with the associated temperature indication.

Images