Cooking Mold Overflow Venting for Swelling Batter Foods

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing waffle and doughnut makers experience batter overflow due to pressure and vapor expansion, leading to poorly shaped food and increased cleaning difficulties, as the vapor accumulates at the top of the cooking chamber, causing excess batter to escape and cook unevenly.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating a lowered peripheral wall with a discharge opening that extends to or above the median plane of the cooking chamber, allowing excess batter to be directed and controlled, facilitating even cooking and easy cleaning by directing overflow to a specific location.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of substance

If a peripheral wall is used to prevent batter overflow, then batter containment is improved, but vapor accumulation and aesthetic defects worsen

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebatter containmentVSAvoidvapor accumulation and aesthetic defects

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of substanceVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts the harmful vapor and excess batter from the cooking chamber through a dedicated discharge opening, separating the containment function from the vapor management function. The peripheral wall with discharge opening removes the harmful accumulation problem while maintaining batter containment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The discharge opening acts as an intermediary element that mediates between the batter containment requirement and vapor management need. It provides a controlled path for vapor and excess batter to exit, preventing harmful accumulation while maintaining proper containment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Loss of substance

If the peripheral wall extends high to prevent overflow, then batter containment is improved, but cleaning difficulty worsens

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebatter containmentVSAvoidcleaning difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of substanceVSEase of repair

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts the cleaning problem by providing a dedicated discharge opening where excess batter is directed. This concentrates the soiling in a specific, accessible location rather than distributing it across the entire peripheral wall, making cleaning easier.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The peripheral wall is designed with different local qualities: most of the wall maintains high extension for containment, while the discharge opening area provides controlled overflow. This localized discharge area becomes the primary cleaning focus, simplifying overall maintenance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Stress or pressure

If vapor is allowed to accumulate at the top, then cooking pressure is maintained, but batter distribution and food shape worsen

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecooking pressureVSAvoidbatter distribution and food shape

Core Design Contradiction:

Stress or pressureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The invention converts the harmful vapor accumulation into a beneficial controlled discharge process. The discharge opening allows vapor to escape in a controlled manner, preventing harmful accumulation while maintaining sufficient cooking pressure through the confined chamber design.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the vapor pressure parameter by providing a controlled discharge path. This prevents excessive pressure buildup that would cause poor batter distribution, while maintaining sufficient pressure for proper cooking through the confined chamber geometry.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This design effectively manages batter overflow, ensuring uniform cooking, reducing aesthetic defects, and simplifying cleaning by allowing controlled overflow and vapor escape, resulting in consistently shaped and clean food production.

Implementation Method 1

a batter-based food that swells under heat

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal expansion: Thermal Expansion

Implementation Method 2

the vapor generated by the cooking of said batter

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectVapor generation: Evaporation

Data Source

PatentUS8151696B2Mold for producing a batter-based food that swells under heat

Publication Date: 2012.04.10 SEB SA

AI summary

The invention relates to a mold (1) for producing a batter-based food that swells under heat, which mold (1) comprises two cooking subassemblies (2, 3) capable of moving between an open position enabling the batter to be deposited and a closed position in which they define a cooking chamber, in which each cooking subassembly (2, 3) includes a cooking plate (4, 5), with the lower cooking plate (4) comprising a peripheral wall that delimits the cooking chamber and extends above the median plane of said chamber. According to the invention, the peripheral wall includes, on a discharge portion (11), a lowering forming an opening enabling an excess of expanding batter to be discharged, in which the discharge portion (11) extends vertically at least to the median plane of the cooking chamber.