Grill systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electric cooking appliances struggle to impart significant smoke flavor to food, and existing grill systems face challenges in controlling smoke output, limiting the ability to achieve desired flavor profiles.
Innovation Solution
A cooking device with a smoke assembly that includes a housing, a fan, and a smoke channel, where the smoke unit generates smoke, and the fan creates a low-pressure zone to draw smoke into the cooking chamber, allowing for controlled smoke circulation and flavor infusion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a smoke unit is added to an electric cooking appliance, then smoke flavor can be imparted to food, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The smoke channel is at least partially defined by the contour of the housing itself, nesting the smoke delivery pathway within the existing structural form of the cooking device. This eliminates the need for separate external smoke channels or ducts, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining smoke flavor capability
Solution Approach 2:
The housing serves multiple functions: it contains the cooking chamber, provides structural support, and simultaneously defines the smoke channel pathway. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed, addressing the complexity issue while maintaining smoke flavor imparting capability
2Adaptability or versatility
If smoke is generated in the cooking chamber, then smoke flavor is imparted to food, but control of smoke output becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The fan creates a controlled low-pressure zone that actively draws smoke through the smoke channel at regulated rates. This active airflow control provides feedback-based smoke management, allowing precise control of smoke output rather than relying on passive smoke generation, thereby improving ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses pneumatic principles by employing a fan to create pressure differential (low-pressure zone) that drives smoke flow through the channel. This pneumatic control mechanism enables precise regulation of smoke delivery, solving the smoke output control challenge
3Device complexity
If the smoke channel is integrated into the housing contour, then device complexity is reduced, but smoke distribution uniformity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The smoke channel is positioned to terminate proximate to the fan where the low-pressure zone is most effective, creating localized optimal smoke draw conditions. This local optimization ensures uniform smoke distribution into the cooking chamber while maintaining the integrated housing design, balancing both device simplicity and smoke distribution quality
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
The solution enables effective smoke flavoring of food by ensuring consistent smoke distribution and control within the cooking chamber, enhancing the flavor profile of cooked products.
Implementation Method 1
a low-pressure zone created by operation of the fan causes smoke generated by the smoke unit to be drawn into the interior cooking chamber
Implementation Method 2
the low pressure zone can cause smoke generated by the smoke unit to be pulled through the smoke channel and into the interior cooking chamber
Implementation Method 3
The fan can be configured to circulate air within the interior cooking chamber
Data Source
AI summary
Cooking devices and methods of cooking are provided. The cooking devices can include a housing defining an interior cooking chamber, a fan disposed within the interior cooking chamber, a smoke unit coupled to an exterior of the housing, a smoke channel, and a limiter disposed at least partially within the smoke unit. The smoke unit is configured to generate smoke. The smoke channel has a first end in fluid communication with an interior of the smoke unit and a second end terminating within the interior cooking chamber proximate the fan such that a low-pressure zone created by operation of the fan causes smoke generated by the smoke unit to be drawn into the interior cooking chamber. The limiter is configured to reduce a volume of smoke being drawn through the smoke channel.