Skewer Mounting Assembly for Multi-Function Cooking Appliances
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooking appliances, such as griddles, are limited to single or double-sided grilling and lack the functionality to perform barbequing-type cooking functions.
Innovation Solution
A cooking appliance with a food mounting assembly that includes a longitudinal mounting bracket and perpendicularly extending skewers, allowing for the support of food items over a heating element, enabling various cooking orientations and functions like barbequing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a traditional grilling device with fixed cooking surfaces is used, then the device structure remains simple, but the cooking functionality is limited to single or double-sided grilling only
Solution Approach 1:
The cooking appliance is divided into separate functional modules: a fixed lower housing with lower heating element, and a movable upper housing with upper heating element. The food mounting assembly is further segmented into a bracket portion attached to the upper housing and a skewer portion that can be independently positioned. This segmentation allows the same basic structure to support multiple cooking configurations (grilling, barbequing, Panini pressing) by simply repositioning or removing the skewer component, thereby expanding cooking functionality without requiring complete structural redesign.
Solution Approach 2:
The upper housing is designed to be movable relative to the lower housing along the opposed frame members, transitioning between closed and open positions. The skewer can be positioned in different orientations (horizontal, angled, vertical) and removed entirely. This dynamic reconfigurability allows the device to adapt between different cooking modes: when the upper housing is closed and skewer is removed, it performs Panini pressing; when skewer is positioned horizontally, it performs barbequing; when skewer is positioned vertically or upper housing is open, it performs single or double-sided grilling.
2Productivity
If skewers are positioned close to the heating element for efficient cooking, then cooking speed improves, but food items may burn due to excessive heat exposure
Solution Approach 1:
The skewer is designed to be repositionable along the upper housing, allowing dynamic adjustment of its distance from the lower heating element during the cooking process. Users can start with the skewer positioned closer to the heating element for faster cooking, then move it farther away if burning occurs, or vice versa. This dynamic positioning capability enables real-time optimization of the balance between cooking speed and burn prevention, accommodating different food types and cooking preferences without requiring fixed positioning.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple skewers are added to the food mounting assembly to increase cooking capacity, then the cooking versatility improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket portion of the food mounting assembly is designed with multiple skewer receiving positions and orientations, allowing a single bracket to support multiple skewers in different configurations. The same bracket structure can accommodate one skewer for barbequing, multiple skewers for grilling various items simultaneously, or no skewers for Panini pressing. This universal design enables the bracket-skewer system to perform multiple cooking functions and support varied cooking capacities without requiring separate specialized components for each function, thereby increasing versatility while minimizing the addition of complex structures.
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
Enables expanded cooking capabilities beyond traditional grilling, allowing for barbequing and other cooking methods such as single or double-sided grilling, Panini pressing, by utilizing radiant heat for slow cooking without direct contact with the heating element.
Implementation Method 1
an electrical resistance heater
Implementation Method 2
lower cooking surface and an upper cooking surface, wherein the cooking surfaces are typically heated
Implementation Method 3
utilizing radiant heat for slow cooking
Data Source
AI summary
A cooking appliance includes a lower housing having a lower heating element, an upper housing having an upper heating element, opposed frame members disposed between the upper housing and the lower housing and operatively connecting the lower housing to the upper housing. The cooking appliance further includes a food mounting assembly. The food mounting assembly includes a bracket extending between the opposed frame members for retaining a means for supporting food items over the lower heating element.