Two-Sided Oven Grilling Grids for Flip-Free Cooking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional oven grilling methods require manual flipping of food products, which is slow and hazardous, and do not allow for simultaneous cooking of both sides, leading to inefficiencies in cooking time and safety concerns.
Innovation Solution
A grilling apparatus with upper and lower cooking grids connected by movable connectors and a handle, allowing the grids to open and close, enabling food to be cooked on both sides simultaneously and facilitating easy cleaning without tools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual flipping method is used to cook both sides of food, then cooking can be completed, but cooking time is extended and operator safety is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a vertical dimension by stacking multiple cooking grids (upper grid and lower grid) at different heights within the oven. This allows simultaneous cooking of multiple food items or both sides of food products by utilizing the vertical space, thereby increasing productivity without extending cooking time.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooking system is segmented into multiple independent cooking grids (upper grid and lower grid) that can be positioned at different vertical levels. Each grid can hold food products independently, allowing parallel cooking operations and eliminating the need for sequential manual flipping, thus improving cooking efficiency.
2Ease of operation
If manual flipping is required, then cooking process can be completed, but operator safety is compromised due to arm insertion into oven
Solution Approach 1:
The cooking grids are designed to be self-contained units that can be easily inserted and removed from the oven without requiring operators to reach inside. The grids include built-in handles and are structured to allow front-to-back insertion, enabling operators to load and unload food safely from the outside of the oven cavity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooking grids serve as intermediaries between the operator and the hot oven environment. Operators interact with the grids externally through handles and front-access mechanisms, while the grids themselves enter the high-temperature zone, thus protecting operators from direct exposure to harmful heat and preventing safety hazards.
3Productivity
If multiple cooking grids are introduced to enable simultaneous cooking, then cooking efficiency improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooking grids are designed as universal, multi-functional units that can perform multiple functions: they serve as cooking surfaces, as transport carriers for food, and as removable trays for easy cleaning. Each grid can be used independently or in combination with other grids, providing versatility without requiring complex specialized mechanisms for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooking grids incorporate movable and adjustable elements, such as repositionable racks and flexible positioning mechanisms, that allow the grids to adapt to different cooking configurations. This dynamic design enables simple reconfiguration for various cooking needs without requiring complex fixed structures, maintaining ease of use while improving cooking efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
The grilling apparatus of the present disclosure has an upper cooking grid, a lower cooking grid, at least one pair of connectors movably connecting the upper cooking grid to the lower cooking grid, and a handle which is connected to the pair of connectors to allow the upper and lower cooking grids to move towards and away from one another. A food product is cooked between the upper and lower cooking grids, and each of the grids contacts a respective side of the food product.