Large cookware storage for large-volume cooking facilities

Abstract

To provide a simple and useful large cooking equipment storage container for a large cooking facility which is easily handled to achieve both the efficiency of cooking work and the improvement of sanitary management without damaging them about the sanitary management of a large cooking facility.SOLUTION: A large cooking equipment storage container comprises a cylindrical protection part, a support part provided with a plurality of insertion openings located at a lower edge side of the protection part to make a handle side of large cooking equipment to be inserted thereinto, and legs for holding them at prescribed height from a floor surface. The legs are provided with a leg wheel to be movable as needed. A cooking person performs sterilization and disinfection after use, and inserts a handle of the large cooking equipment into an insertion opening downward from above to store it until the next use. An upper part of the large cooking equipment is surrounded by the protection part, and the end of the handle is sanitarily held at prescribed height from the floor surface. Also, the protection part and the support part can be raised, lowered and rotated with respect to the legs, and the large cooking equipment is stored at a sanitary position separate from the floor surface by raising, lowering and tilting the large cooking equipment.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This is a technology related to the hygiene management of large cooking utensils used in mass cooking facilities. [Background technology]

[0002] Various hygiene management initiatives are being implemented at large-scale food preparation facilities involved in food businesses, such as school lunch services and food manufacturing, processing, cooking, and sales. One representative example is the widely-known HACCP method, which identifies risks such as food poisoning and foreign matter contamination throughout the entire process and reduces or eliminates the identified risks through systematic management of key processes. As of June 2021, all food business operators will be required to implement hygiene management in accordance with HACCP. In addition, the "Manual for Hygiene Management at Mass Catering Facilities" formulated by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in March 1997, along with hygiene management under HACCP, serves as an important standard for the prevention of mass food poisoning in mass catering facilities, which should be shared and followed by health centers and other organizations that promote measures and food business operators that actually handle the cooking work, etc. The inventor of this case also works in cooking at a large-volume cooking facility, and while receiving guidance and advice from public institutions, he has been working on various business improvement initiatives while considering ways to deal with issues he noticed while working on-site. One of the issues was the hygiene management of large cooking utensils used in large-volume cooking facilities, which are handled differently from cooking utensils used in general households, such as ladles such as "shamoji" and "otama" used to handle large amounts of rice and soup, and scooping nets with nets at the end of the handles to scoop up food. However, although a wide variety of technologies and products for general households have been proposed in addition to those disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, there were no existing products that were suitable for large cooking utensils frequently used in large-volume cooking facilities and that met the needs of on-site cooks who want to balance hygiene management and business efficiency, and so he has been working on trial and error to realize the present invention. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-125555 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-58522 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] To provide a new storage device for large cooking utensils such as large ladles and scooping nets that are frequently used on a daily basis in large-volume cooking facilities. Since mass cooking facilities can be the source of outbreaks of food poisoning, food businesses themselves strictly manage their own work processes in accordance with the manual. When improvements are deemed necessary, public institutions such as public health centers may provide guidance and advice in accordance with the same manual. This manual provides detailed regulations on the handling of cooking utensils and food, etc., as an effort to prevent secondary contamination. For example, it provides that "food should be stored hygienically after thorough sterilization, by drying, and using clean storage cabinets" and that "food should be handled at a height of 60 cm or more above the floor to prevent contamination from water splashing from the floor. However, when handling food in food containers that can prevent direct contamination from water splashing, etc., it should be placed on a stand at a height of 30 cm or more." The large cookware storage device of the present invention has been developed for the purpose of being useful for hygiene management in mass cooking facilities that are required to reliably satisfy the above-mentioned standards, such as ensuring a safe height from the floor in consideration of hygiene.The problem that the present invention aims to solve is to realize a large cookware storage device for mass cooking facilities that is easy to handle and can achieve both efficiency in cooking work and improved hygiene management without compromising either of them. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] This large cooking utensil storage device is composed of a cylindrical protective part, a thin plate-like support part provided on the lower edge of the protective part and equipped with multiple rectangular or round insertion openings into which the handle sides of large cooking utensils are inserted, and legs that hold the protective part and support part in a predetermined position away from the floor. In addition, the legs are provided with castors for moving the large cooking utensil storage device so that it can be easily moved depending on the needs of cooking, sterilization, or other work. The user inserts large cooking utensils such as ladles and scoops used in cooking, or sterilized utensils to be stored for a while until the next use, into the support section of the large cooking utensil storage device. More specifically, the handle side of the utensil is inserted downwards into the insertion opening of the support section. At this time, the upper part of the large cooking utensil, which is the opposite side to the handle side, is surrounded by the protective section, and the lower end of the handle is also kept at a specified height from the floor surface, keeping it in a sanitary state. The large cooking utensil storage device of the present invention can also be provided with a lifting mechanism or a rotation mechanism as an additional function, so that the operator can operate the device to raise the protective part and the support part relative to the legs or rotate and tilt them. The large cooking utensil storage device equipped with such an additional function can raise or tilt the large cooking utensil, allowing the entire utensil to be stored hygienically at a higher position further away from the floor. Effect of the Invention

[0006] When storing large cooking utensils, they can be easily stored by quickly inserting the handle side into the multiple square or round insertion openings provided on the support part. Large cooking utensils can be easily removed when cooking or sterilizing, and can be freely moved around the mass cooking facility as needed for work preparation or post-processing, which is expected to improve work efficiency. Since the handle end of a large cooking utensil is stably held at a specified height that effectively prevents contamination from water splashing from the floor, etc., safety standards regarding hygiene management required in the above-mentioned manuals, etc. can be reliably ensured. Furthermore, by raising the protective and supporting parts of the large cooking utensil storage unit or by inclining them relative to the legs, the large cooking utensils can be kept at a hygienic height more effectively, and the storage conditions can be finely adjusted according to revised standards and on-site conditions. In other words, this is a large cooking utensil storage unit for large-volume cooking facilities that can achieve both improved work efficiency and sanitation management. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a large cooking utensil storage device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the large cooking utensil storage device seen from above. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the large cookware storage device in use. [Figure 4] This is an auxiliary tool for large cooking utensils. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the large cookware storage device in use. [Figure 6] 13 is a perspective view showing a state in which a large cookware storage container with different specifications and tilted protective parts is used. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] The present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. First, the overall structure of the large cookware storage unit 1. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a combination of the basic components and the resulting appearance. This large cookware storage device 1 is composed of a cylindrical protective section 2, a flat support section 3, long vertical legs 4, and castors 5 at the bottom ends of the legs. The protective part 2, the support part 3, and the legs 4 are not limited to the shapes shown in the drawings. They may also be integrated. However, for the convenience of transporting the large cookware storage device 1 and for ease of maintenance such as cleaning and repair, it is meaningful to make these parts separable, freely disassembled as needed, and easily reassembled.

[0009] As a guideline for the size of the large cooking utensil storage device 1, the height from the upper edge of the protective part 2 to the floor surface where the castors 5 touch is considered to be approximately 90 cm. That is, in order to balance the ease of taking in and out the large cooking utensils 6 and the sanitary management required by the above-mentioned manuals, etc., the total height from the bottom to the top of the large cooking utensil storage device 1 is expected to be approximately the height of an adult's waist. This makes it very easy to move the large cooking utensil storage device 1 around and to handle the large cooking utensils 6. However, this total height value is merely an example, and there is room for modification based on this.

[0010] Next, Figure 2. This is a plan view showing the large cookware storage device 1 of FIG. 1 as viewed from above. In both figures, the square upper edge of the protective part 2 and the square lower edge of the protective part 2 are shown as being approximately the same size when viewed from above the large cookware storage device 1. However, from the perspective of ease of handling the large cookware 6 to be stored in the device, the upper part of the protective part 2 may be slightly larger than the lower part, and the shape may be slightly wider toward the top.

[0011] As shown in Figure 1, a flat, rectangular mesh-like support part 3 is arranged horizontally on the lower edge side of the rectangular cylindrical protective part 2. In Figure 2, the rectangular mesh of the lattice-like support part 3 serves as an insertion hole into which the handle of the large cooking utensil 6 is inserted downward. The utensil is then held at a hygienic, specified height. 2, parts of the legs 4 can be seen overlapping with the four edges of the square protective part 2. Four castors 5 for moving the large cookware storage device 1 are provided at the four corners of the legs 4.

[0012] Next, each of the individual components of the large cookware storage device 1, namely, the protective section 2, the support section 3, the legs 4 and the castors 5, will be described. First, there is the protective part 2. The protective part 2 in Fig. 1 is a rectangular cylindrical protective part 2 whose depth is shallow compared to its length and width. Each of the four sides of the protective part 2 is shown as having a number of horizontally oriented, elongated slits closely spaced. Considering the ease of handling of large cooking utensils 6 when a cook, who is mainly assumed to be an adult, is using this large cooking utensil storage device 1, the size is about 40 cm in both length and width, and about 20 cm in height from the bottom edge to the top edge of the tube. However, these values ​​are also one example, so the protective part 2 may have a different width and height, and the bottom edge of the protective part 2 may be extended further downward than in Fig. 1.

[0013] When making this protective part 2, the material and manufacturing method may be selected from the viewpoints of ease of processing, weight reduction, and hygiene, and may be formed into a predetermined shape as shown in Fig. 1 using light metals, antibacterial plastics, etc. In that case, the protective part 2 and the support part 3, which will be explained next, may be integrally molded into, for example, a basket shape. 1 and the like, the protective part 2 is illustrated as a square tube standing upright on the leg 4. However, the shape of the support part 3 when viewed from above in the perspective view of FIG. 1, i.e., the outer shape of the support part 3 shown in the plan view of FIG. 2, may be a perfect circle or an ellipse, and the protective part 2 may be a correspondingly rounded cylindrical shape. Furthermore, instead of standing completely upright as in FIG. 1, the protective part 2 may be given a gentle inclination angle in advance.

[0014] Although not shown in either figure, the protective part 2 may be provided with a cover or lid that covers the large cooking utensil 6 stored in the support part 3 from above to form a large cooking utensil storage device 1. In this case, it is possible to design the cover or the like so that it can be freely separated from the protective part 2, or to design the protective part 2 and the cover or the like to be movably connected by a connecting means such as a hinge.

[0015] However, the large cooking utensil storage device 1 is intended to temporarily store the sterilized large cooking utensils 6 after cooking is completed, in a dry state in a hygienic environment, until the next time they are used, for example, until cooking the next day. When cooking, the large cooking utensils 6 such as ladles and scoops are stored in the large cooking utensil storage device 1, which is then moved to the cooking site, and the large cooking utensils 6 are taken out and used. After using the large cooking utensils 6, the large cooking utensil storage device 1 is moved again to sterilize and disinfect them for the next use and to keep them in a sanitary condition. Such usage is mainly assumed, and since the support part 3 has many insertion openings that are open at the top and bottom, there is not necessarily a strong need to strictly separate the inside and outside of the protective part 2. Therefore, the cover etc. of the large cookware storage device 1 is considered to be something that should be added when necessary depending on the usage situation, and is not a required component in all cases.

[0016] However, it is of course possible to design the large cookware storage device 1 with specifications different from those described above, taking into consideration various different usage environments. For example, in order to improve ventilation and reduce weight during storage, in addition to providing multiple slits on the side of the protective part 2 as shown in Figure 1, it is also possible to make it shaped like a mesh or to appropriately arrange multiple through holes. Conversely, a transparent acrylic plate may be used on the side of the protective part 2 to allow outside light to enter the inside while allowing the inside to be checked and blocking the intrusion of dirt and dust from the outside. In such a case, a cover or the like (not shown) may also be transparent like the protective part 2 to block the outside from the inside, and cover the entire protective part 2 and supporting part 3 from above.

[0017] Next is the support part 3. The support part 3 in Fig. 2 is shown as a part or part shaped like a coarse wire mesh made of elongated metal wires with rounded cross sections woven into a lattice pattern so that it will come into soft contact with the large cookware 6. Each of the mesh holes becomes an insertion opening for inserting the handle side of the large cookware 6, and in Fig. 2 these insertion openings are regularly arranged close to the edge of the support part 3 and all the way to the side of the protective part 2. The square insertion opening in Figure 2 is about 5 cm long and 5 cm wide, so the diagonal length of this insertion opening is about 7 cm. A user can easily insert the handle of a large cooking utensil 6 such as a ladle into this insertion opening and easily remove it. In the case of a support part 3 having an insertion port of this shape, in which the insertion ports are arranged in a grid of 8 rows and 8 columns as shown in Figure 2, the overall size of the support part 3 is approximately 40 cm in both length and width.

[0018] The shape and size of the support part 3 and the shape and size of the insertion openings provided therein are also one of the specifications of the large cookware storage device 1. Instead of the thin mesh-like support part 3 shown in Fig. 2, a thin plate-like support part 3 with multiple insertion openings may be used, and it is not necessary to provide the insertion openings densely close to the edge of the support part 3 as shown in Fig. 2. Another example of the insertion openings may be multiple round through holes with a diameter of about 5 cm to 7 cm, which are regularly arranged in the support part 3. In this case, by making the insertion opening a square or a perfect circle, the user can easily insert and remove the large cooking utensil 6 into and from the support part 3 without having to worry about the orientation of the insertion opening. In addition, as shown in Figure 2, providing wide and dense insertion openings close to the side of the protective part 2, i.e., close to the edge of the support part 3, improves ventilation from below, making it easier for stored large cooking utensils 6 to dry, which is a useful feature in terms of hygiene management.

[0019] The large cooking utensil storage device 1 stores large cooking utensils 6 such as ladles and skimming nets that are often used in large-volume cooking facilities. FIG. 3 illustrates a state in which two large ladles are stored in the large cookware storage device 1 of FIG. Ladles come in different sizes, but the general size is about 75 cm in length, with the thin, flat spatula part at the top being about 15 cm wide, and the handle being about 4 cm wide depending on the location. As shown in Figure 3, the handle side of the ladle is inserted into the insertion opening of the support part 3, and its bottom end is maintained at a position away from the floor. The spatula part of the ladle is surrounded by the protective part 2, but is stored in a well-ventilated environment. At this time, the large cooking utensil 6 is stored hygienically with the handle of the ladle facing downwards and the opposite side, the spatula side that comes into direct contact with food, located further above and away from the floor.

[0020] Incidentally, with regard to large cooking utensils 6, in addition to metal items such as scoops, many wooden items such as ladles are also made. Depending on how they are handled, they may come into contact with support part 3 violently and be damaged, and there is a risk that small pieces of wood may break off and get mixed into food. Therefore, when the support part 3 is made of a hard material, in order to adequately protect the large cooking utensil 6 that may be used frequently and roughly, it is possible to cover the support part 3 with a flexible and strong material so that the handle of the large cooking utensil 6 is not damaged when it is inserted into the insertion opening. Alternatively, the support part 3 may be provided with a smoothly shaped through hole so that the contact between the support part 3 and the large cooking utensil 6 is soft and smooth so that they are unlikely to be damaged even if they come into contact with each other many times. Then, such a support part 3 may be appropriately incorporated into the protective part 2, and may be designed to be freely replaceable as necessary, taking into account the degree of wear and the period of use.

[0021] In order to protect the support part 3 and the large cooking utensil 6 from damage and to maintain the large cooking utensil 6 at the correct height on the support part 3, it is also useful to attach an auxiliary tool 7 as shown in Fig. 4 to the large cooking utensil 6 and then insert the handle side of the large cooking utensil 6 into the support part 3. The auxiliary tool 7 in Fig. 4 is U-shaped with one side open, but is fixed to the large cooking utensil 6 by a fastener so that it does not easily fall out. The shape and configuration of this auxiliary tool 7 are also one example.

[0022] Next are the legs 4 and castors 5. The shape of the legs 4 is not limited to that shown in the figure. From the viewpoint of ease of manufacturing and reasonable cost, metal or hard plastic may be selected as the material. The balance of size and weight between the protective part 2, the support part 3, and the large cooking utensils 6 to be stored is important, and the shape is required to prevent the cooker from easily tipping over. The height of the legs 4 and castors 5 combined is often about 70 cm. In each figure, a standard configuration is shown in which the four corners of the protective part 2 and the supporting part 3 are evenly supported in order to stably maintain them at a predetermined height. In order to make it easy to move the large cooking utensil storage device 1 as needed, castors 5 serving as a means of transportation are provided under the legs 4, and workers can move it by placing their hands on the protective part 2 and the legs 4. This castor 5 can easily change direction by the force applied by the worker to the large cooking utensil storage device 1, and is provided with a foot-operated brake or the like to improve stability during work and to fix its position depending on the usage situation.

[0023] FIG. 3 shows a large cookware storage device 1 storing a large ladle, and FIG. 5 is a side view of the device. The two ladles are almost the same size, so the bottom ends of their handles are kept at the same height from the floor. This means that the handles of the ladles will not become contaminated by water splashing from the floor, and they can be stored in hygienic conditions. And because the upper parts of the ladles and scooping nets that come into direct contact with food ingredients are located higher and further away from the floor, the large cooking utensils 6 are generally kept in a more hygienic condition. Also, although not shown, it is a useful idea to provide a plate-shaped shielding structure with an upward-facing edge below the legs 4 of the large cooking utensil storage device 1 to separate the bottom ends of the large cooking utensils 6 from the floor.

[0024] Furthermore, as an additional function of the large cooking utensil storage device 1, it is possible to add a lifting mechanism that lifts the protective part 2 and the supporting part 3 as necessary. Although not shown, the protective part 2 and the supporting part 3 can be separated from the legs 4, and the relative positional relationship between them can be changed by the user operating the lifting mechanism. Then, by raising the protective part 2 and the supporting part 3 from the legs 4 and maintaining them at a predetermined height, the large cooking utensil 6 can be stored in a hygienic, high position further away from the floor. To achieve this, various lifting mechanisms can be used, such as those that mechanically raise and lower the table when operated by the user, and those that use a motor and power source or hydraulic or pneumatic pressure to assist in raising and lowering the table.

[0025] FIG. 6 shows an example of a large cookware storage device having a different shape from the large cookware storage device 1 shown in FIG. As described above, the large cookware storage device 1 has a cylindrical protective part 2 and a disk-shaped support part 3 with many circular insertion openings. The shape of the legs 4, etc. is also different from that of the large cookware storage device 1 in Fig. 1. The ladle inserted into the insertion opening of the support part 3 is fitted with the above-mentioned auxiliary tool 7. This is an additional part that complements the function of the large cookware storage device 1 to protect the large cookware 6 and to keep it correctly at a specified height.

[0026] Furthermore, the large cookware storage device 1 shown in FIG. 6 is designed to be able to tilt the protective part 2 and the support part 3 with respect to the leg part 4. The user can operate the lever to change the tilt angle in multiple steps or continuously as necessary, and maintain it. One idea for the rotation mechanism 8 that enables such an operation is to provide guide pipes on both sides of the leg part 4 to guide the tilt of the protective part 2 and the support part 3. Then, the protective part 2 etc. tilts along the guide pipes according to the user's lever operation, and can be fixed at any of the multiple stop positions provided on the guide pipes. This rotation mechanism 8 can be mechanically driven by human power, or can be driven by electricity or pressure as an auxiliary power source, just like the lifting mechanism. It is also possible and useful to provide a large cookware storage device 1 that is equipped with both a lifting mechanism and a rotating mechanism 8.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 6, in the case of a large cooking utensil storage device 1 equipped with a rotation mechanism 8, the large cooking utensil 6 is tilted together with the protective part 2, etc., which has the advantage of making it easier to take the large cooking utensil 6 in and out during work, improving work efficiency. In addition, the handle side of the large cooking utensil 6 moves further above the floor surface, and the entire device is maintained at a more hygienic height. In addition, the lifting mechanism and rotation mechanism 8 make it easy to change the position in which the large cooking utensils 6 are held, making it possible to flexibly change the storage method in response to changes in guidelines or other standards or in response to the situation of the facility, etc.

[0028] When a worker uses this large cookware storage device 1, the general flow is thought to be as follows. After cooking work is completed, the worker washes and sterilizes the large cooking utensils 6, and then inserts the handle side of the large cooking utensils 6 into the insertion opening of the support part 3 and stores it in the large cooking utensil storage device 1. The large cooking utensils 6 are stored in a dry and hygienic state in a well-ventilated environment with sufficient height from the floor. In the case of large cooking utensil storage device 1 equipped with a rotation mechanism 8, large cooking utensils 6 are tilted together with protective part 2 and supporting part 3, and are stored safely and hygienically at a height above the floor as a whole.

[0029] Then, at the time of the next cooking operation, the large cooking utensil storage device 1 in which the large cooking utensil 6 is stored is moved to the work site and used. In the case of a large cookware storage device 1 having a rotation mechanism 8, when moving the device, the inclination of the protective part 2 etc. is returned to its original position so that the protective part 2 stands upright and the device can be moved in a compact state. Thereafter, when using the large cooking utensil 6 at the work site, the rotation mechanism 8 is operated to an angle that makes it easy to perform the work. By providing an inclination angle, it becomes easy to remove and insert the large cooking utensil 6, and cooking work can be performed efficiently in a safe state where the height of the large cooking utensil 6 from the floor surface is appropriately maintained even during work. After the work is completed, the large cooking utensil storage device 1 is moved back to a place where post-processing such as cleaning is carried out, where the large cooking utensils 6 are washed and sterilized, and then stored in a hygienic environment for the next work. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 1 Large cooking utensil storage container 2 Protective part 3 Support part 4 legs five-caster car 6. Large Cooking Utensils 7 Assistive devices 8 Rotation mechanism

Claims

1. Cylindrical protective part, a thin plate-like support portion provided on a lower edge side of the protection portion and having a plurality of insertion openings; The protective portion and the support portion are held at a predetermined height from a floor surface, and the support portion has a leg portion having a caster at a lower end, This large cooking utensil storage device for large mass cooking facilities is characterized in that by inserting the handle of a large cooking utensil used in large mass cooking facilities downward into the insertion opening from above the support part, the protective part surrounds the upper part of the large cooking utensil, and the large cooking utensil is stored with the lower end of the handle held at a predetermined height from the floor, allowing it to be stored in a movable state.

2. 2. The large cookware storage device for use in large-volume cooking facilities according to claim 1, wherein the insertion opening of the support portion is square or circular.

3. A large cookware storage device for large-scale cooking facilities as described in claim 1, characterized in that it is provided with a lifting mechanism that can raise and fix the protective part and the support part relative to the leg part in order to maintain the lower end of the handle of the large cookware at a predetermined height above the floor surface.

4. A large cooking utensil storage device for large-scale cooking facilities as described in claim 1, characterized in that it is provided with a rotating mechanism that can fix the protective part and the support part at an angle relative to the leg part in order to keep the lower end of the handle of the large cooking utensil at a predetermined height from the floor surface.

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