Fitted Strainer Basket Support for In-Pot Pasta Draining
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooking and straining apparatus for pasta and similar foods are inefficient, difficult to use, unsafe, and require the removal of the cooking basket from the container for straining, which is inconvenient and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A circular container with inwardly extending support members and a fitted cooking strainer-basket with inwardly extending sections that allow for submersion in liquid for cooking and repositioning above the liquid for straining without removing the basket from the container, utilizing selectively positioned support members and recessed sections to facilitate easy straining.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the cooking basket is removed from the container for straining, then the straining function can be performed, but the device complexity increases and the ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the cooking basket and straining functions into a single integrated apparatus. The basket includes both cooking perforations and straining perforations, allowing it to perform both cooking and straining operations without requiring removal or separate components. This merging eliminates the need for separate straining devices and simplifies the overall operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The basket is designed with movable support legs that can be positioned to engage with support members in the container. This dynamic positioning allows the basket to transition between cooking position (submerged) and straining position (elevated), providing functional versatility without requiring multiple static structures or complex mechanisms.
2Ease of operation
If the basket is kept in the container during straining, then the ease of operation improves, but the reliability deteriorates due to safety concerns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces support members in the container and corresponding support legs on the basket as intermediary elements. These intermediaries provide a mechanical connection that safely supports the basket during straining operations, eliminating the need for direct handling of hot contents and reducing safety risks while keeping the basket in the container.
Solution Approach 2:
The basket design includes integrated support legs that automatically engage with the support members when the basket is positioned in the container. This self-service mechanism provides inherent safety support without requiring additional manual intervention or complex safety systems, allowing the basket to be safely retained during straining.
3Productivity
If the basket is removed for straining, then the straining function is achieved, but the loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The basket integrates both cooking and straining functions in a single component that remains in the container throughout the process. This merging eliminates the time-consuming removal and reinsertion steps required by traditional separate-basket systems, allowing continuous operation and reducing total processing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The basket maintains its position in the container during both cooking and straining phases, enabling continuous useful action without interruption. The support mechanism allows the basket to remain in-place while transitioning between functions, eliminating idle time associated with removing and repositioning separate straining devices.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus for cooking foods such as stock or pasta, rice including a container which receives a liquid to be heated and a cooking strainer-basket partially submerged in the liquid for cooking within the container, the container and the strainer-basket configured with cooperating selectively engaging support members for alternatively positioning of the strainer-basket in the liquid for cooking of the food and repositioning of the strainer-basket above the liquid to provide for straining of the food.