Grill pan

Abstract

A grill pan comprising a base 102 which comprises an inner surface 106, an outer surface 108, a periphery 104 wherein an upstanding peripheral side wall 110 preferably configured to receive a removabl

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a grill pan of the type that, for example, comprises a ribbed base for heating on a cooktop and a peripheral side wall having a handle operably coupled thereto.

[0002] Cooking appliances that provide an electric grill for cooking foods, for example meat, fish and vegetables, are known. One such appliance is the so-called George Foreman Grill™ and variants of this appliance (for example as described in US patent no. 5,970,858). These appliances typically comprise an electrically heated grill surface comprising ribs that slope downwardly from the back of the appliance to the front of the appliance. This facilitates the drainage of fats as the food is cooking, the slope of the grill surface, particularly the gullies between the ribs, towards the front of the appliance. In one example design, a collection tray is provided and placed below the front edge of the grill surface so that draining fats run off the grill surface and are caught and retained in the collection tray. However, this kind of appliance possesses a number of drawbacks. The appliance is quite bulky and the smaller variants have a relatively limited grilling surface area with which to cook. The collection tray can be separated from the main appliance and risks being lost. For occasional users, the appliance is stored in a cupboard as it is not used frequently and when this is the case it is an inconvenience repeatedly to take out and replace from / to the cupboard such a sized appliance. The appliance, being electrically powered, must be cleaned with care as it cannot simply be immersed in soapy water and cleaned with a suitable cleaning cloth or sponge, or placed in a dishwasher.

[0003] Grill pans that are placed on a cooktop, for example a gas burner, electrical heating element or induction heating zone are well known. These pans comprise a base that is either thermally conductive and receives heat applied to the underside of the base or induced in the base. The base has an inner surface having ribs formed therein to which the heat energy applied to the base is transferred for cooking foods placed on the ribs. Although fats from some foods run into the gullies between the ribs, the hot fats remains in the gullies, and depending upon the depth of the gullies, the food may remain in contact with the fat and carry some of the fat when removed from the grill. Some consumers of the food may find this undesirable for personal health reasons or preference.

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a grill pan comprising: a base comprising an inner surface, an outer surface and a periphery; an upstanding peripheral side wall extending around the periphery of the base; and a handle operably coupled to the upstanding peripheral side wall; wherein the base is configured to conduct heat energy from the outer surface to the inner surface; the upstanding peripheral side wall extends beyond the inner surface of the base; the inner surface is shaped to comprise a ribbed portion and a reservoir portion, the ribbed portion comprising a plurality of ridges interdigitated with a plurality of gullies; the plurality of gullies slope from first ends thereof at a first level within the base towards the reservoir portion, the plurality of gullies running longitudinally towards the reservoir portion and terminating at second ends thereof adjacent the reservoir portion at a second level of the base; and the second level is lower than the first level.

[0005] The plurality of ridges may extend longitudinally substantially in parallel with the plurality of gullies, thereby sloping with the plurality of gullies.

[0006] The side wall may be configured to receive a removable piece.

[0007] The grill pan may further comprise: a removable filter disposed between the second ends of the gullies and the reservoir portion.

[0008] A side profile of the plurality of ridges and the plurality of gullies may be substantially sinusoidal.

[0009] A side profile of a neighbouring pair of a ridge and a gully may be substantially quadratic.

[0010] The base may be configured to provide a thermal gradient across the base increasing from the first ends of the ridges to the second ends of the ridges.

[0011] The base may be configured to provide a thermal gradient across the base decreasing from the first ends of the ridges to the second ends of the ridges.

[0012] The upstanding side wall may comprise a closable drain hole.

[0013] The grill pan may further comprise a heat-resistant plug shaped to be insertable in the drain hole.

[0014] It is thus possible to provide a grill pan that drains fat from a food to a reservoir, thereby minimising the amount of fat remaining on the food when consumed. The grill pan is easy to clean as compared with appliances and also provides zones of different cooking speeds, thereby enabling different foods to be cooked on the same grill pan at the same time without over-cooking.

[0015] At least one embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0016] Figure 1 is a perspective schematic diagram of a grill pan constituting an embodiment of the invention;

[0017] Figure 2 is a side elevation of the the grill pan of Figure 1 with side wall of the grill pan cut through.

[0018] Throughout the following description, identical reference numerals will be used to identify like parts.

[0019] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a grill pan 100 comprises a base 102. The base 102 comprises a periphery 104, an inner surface 106 and an outer surface 108. An upstanding peripheral side wall 110 surrounds the periphery 104 of the base 102 and extends away from the inner surface 106. A handle 112 is operably coupled to the side wall 110, and can be integrally formed with the side wall 110 or fixed thereto permanently, or removably attached thereto.

[0020] The base 102 of the grill pan 100 is thermally conductive and is formed from any suitable material that can transfer heat provided by a cooktop from the outer surface 108 to the inner surface 106 upon which food can be placed for cooking when in use. The material and construction of the base 102 can be suitable for heating the grill pan 100 by one or more of an ignited-gas heat source, an electric heating element source, which includes halogen type cooktops, and / or an inductive source.

[0021] The base 102 comprises a ribbed portion 114 and a reservoir portion 116. The ribbed portion 114 covers a substantially larger surface area than the reservoir portion 116. The ribbed portion 114 comprises a plurality of parallel ridges 118 separated by a plurality of parallel gullies 120, the plurality of gullies 120 being interdigitated with the plurality of ridges 118.

[0022] Referring particularly to Figure 2, the plurality of gullies 120 slope from first ends at a first side 112 of the grill pan 100 and at a first level or height within the base 102 towards the reservoir portion 116. In this regard, the plurality of gullies 120 run longitudinally towards the reservoir portion 116 and terminate at second ends thereof adjacent the reservoir portion 116 and near a second side 124 of the grill pan 100. The second ends are at a second level or height within the base 102, and are at or above the same level in the base 102 as the top of the reservoir portion 116. In this example, the first level is higher than the second level. As such, multiple sloping paths are provided, which extend from the first side 122 of the grill pan 100 towards the second side 124 of the grill pan 100 where the reservoir portion 116 is located and is opposite to the first side 122. The plurality of gullies 120 extend longitudinally from the first side 122 towards the second side 124.

[0023] In this example, the plurality of ridges 118 also slope with the plurality of gullies 120, thereby maintaining a uniform height of each of the plurality of ridges 118 above each of the plurality of gullies 120. The sloping of the ridges and gullies together provide, in this example, different regions of the base 102 that are thicker than other regions of the base 102, for example a graduating thickness. In this regard, the change in thickness of material from which the base 102 is formed serves to provide regions of different cooking speeds.

[0024] In another example, in addition to the height of the ridges above the gullies changing with distance in one axis, for example an axis extending from the first side 122 to the second side 124, the thickness of the material from which the base 102 is formed can vary with distance along another axis, for example along an axis perpendicular to the axis extending from the first side 122 to the second side 124, thereby providing a plurality of regions in the base 102 that cook at different speeds, when in use.

[0025] The reservoir portion 116 is a recessed portion in the base 102 of the grill pan 100 for receiving and retaining liquified fat that runs off the second ends of the gullies 120 during cooking.

[0026] In another example, a filter plate (not shown) can be inserted between the second ends of the plurality of ridges and gullies 118, 120 and the reservoir portion 116. The filter plate can be any suitable reticulated structure that can serve as a barrier to prevent small (and larger) pieces of food that may have broken off a main piece of food from entering the reservoir portion 116 in case the fat collecting in the reservoir portion 116 during cooking is intended for purposes other than disposal.

[0027] Channels, for example first and second channels, can be formed in regions of the side wall 110, for example at a first location 126 and a second location 128 on opposite sides of the side wall 110. In this example, the filter plate comprises a substantially rectangular frame surrounding a wire mesh. The filter plate can be inserted in the grill pan 100 by sliding first and second opposite ends of the frame into the channels in opposite sides of the side wall 110.

[0028] Although in the above example, the removable filter plate is for filtration purposes, the removable item can more generally be a removable piece, for example a removable plate, which can be used to prevent liquified fat from entering the reservoir portion 116 for some kinds of cooking, thereby serving as a barrier.

[0029] In one example, the plurality of ridges and gullies 118, 120 can have a sinusoidal shape in cross section. In another example, a pair of neighbouring ridges and gullies 118, 120 can in cross-section conform to a part of a quadratic curve, for example a height = distance2 curve.

[0030] In the above examples, as both the plurality of ridges 118 and the plurality of gullies 120 slope from the first side 122 to the second side 124, a thermal gradient across the base 102 is established when the grill pan 100 is heated, the thermal gradient increasing from the first side 122 towards the second side 124. However, in other examples, the thermal gradient across the base 102 can be established to decrease from the first side 122 towards the second side 124 through use of different materials to form the base 102 irrespective of the slope of the plurality of ridges 118 and the plurality of gullies 120. Similarly, in other 5 embodiments, the structure and / or material from which the base 102 is formed can be such that the thermal gradient from the first side 122 towards the second side 124 is substantially uniform.

[0031] In other examples, and irrespective of the slope of the plurality of ridges 119 and the plurality of gullies 120, the base 102 of the grill pan 100 can be 10 structured and / or one or more suitable materials selected to provide specific regions in the base 102 that cook at different speeds, when in use, the design taking into account relative rates of thermal expansion of the various regions provided.

[0032] For some uses, the side wall 110 of the grill pan 100 can comprise a drain 15 hole (not shown) proximate the base 102 and the reservoir portion 116. In some examples, the drain hole can be used in conjunction with a removable plug that fits sealingly within the drain hole and is heat-proof so as not to melt.

Claims

1. A grill pan comprising:a base comprising an inner surface, an outer surface and a periphery;an upstanding peripheral side wall extending around the periphery of the base; anda handle operably coupled to the upstanding peripheral side wall; whereinthe base is configured to conduct heat energy from the outer surface to the inner surface;the upstanding peripheral side wall extends beyond the inner surface of the base;the inner surface is shaped to comprise a ribbed portion and a reservoir portion, the ribbed portion comprising a plurality of ridges interdigitated with a plurality of gullies;the plurality of gullies slope from first ends thereof at a first level within the base towards the reservoir portion, the plurality of gullies running longitudinally towards the reservoir portion and terminating at second ends thereof adjacent the reservoir portion at a second level of the base; andthe second level is lower than the first level.

2. A grill pan as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the plurality of ridges extend longitudinally substantially in parallel with the plurality of gullies, thereby sloping with the plurality of gullies.

3. A grill pan as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the side wall is configured to receive a removable piece.

4. A grill pan as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: a removable filter disposed between the second ends of the gullies and the reservoir portion.

5. A grill pan as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein a side profile of the plurality of ridges and the plurality of gullies is substantially sinusoidal.

6. A grill pan as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein a side profile of a neighbouring pair of a ridge and a gully is substantially quadratic.

7. A grill pan as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the base is configured to provide a thermal gradient across the base increasing from the first ends of the ridges to the second ends of the ridges.

8. A grill pan as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein the base is configured to provide a thermal gradient across the base decreasing from the first ends of the ridges to the second ends of the ridges.

9. A grill pan as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the upstanding side wall comprises a closable drain hole.

10. A grill pan as claimed in Claim 9, further comprising a heat-resistant plug shaped to be insertable in the drain hole.

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