Pressurized cooking system

Claim 2

A pressurized cooking system for frying food, such as chicken parts, in hot medium which comprises a closable and sealable cooking pot defining an isolated chamber for removable reception of the food to be fried in a bath of hot liquified fat therein, a pump having an intake and a discharge, closed through-flow liquid fat cleansing means, and heat exchanger means having inlet and outlet means; characterized in the provision of means closing off the interior of said heat exchanger means for through-flow of liquid fat from the inlet to the outlet means thereof under elevated pressure and in isolation from the surrounding atmosphere, and isolating conduit means connecting said cooking pot chamber in closed condition, said pump, said cleansing means and said heat exchanger means in series in a closed hot liquid fat-recirculating circuit with communication of a liquid fat withdrawal section of said conduit means to said closed chamber being located below the intended elevation of the surface of hot liquid fat that is pooled therein while continuously flowing therethrough during a cooking cycle, said liquid fatrecirculating circuit maintaining under elevated pressure and in isolation from the surrounding atmosphere hot liquid fat which is continuously pumped therethrough by said pump during a cooking cycle with maintenance in the top of said chamber above the hot liquid fat surface of a substantially liquid-free head space.

Claim 3

The pressurized cooking system of claim 1 characterized by the provision of venting conduit means connected directly to the head space of said closed cooking chamber and leading to a lower pressure venting point, and a normally closed operating valve means in said venting conduit means adapted to open at a predetermined maximum pressure automatically to vent steam from said head space during the cooking cycle when the pressure in the latter exceeds such maximum.

Claim 4

The pressurized cooking system of claim 2 characterized by the provision of a blowdown venting means connected directly to said cooking chambEr head space for venting to a point of lower pressure the steam pressure in the latter, and normally closed steam blowdown valve means embodied in said venting means for opening said venting means after completion of a cooking cycle.

Claim 5

The pressurized cooking system of claim 1 characterized by a heated filtering and drain tank defining a hot liquid fat receptive chamber, means defining an inlet passage to said drain tank chamber equipped with an openable normally closed drain valve and connected through the latter directly to said liquid fat withdrawal section of said recirculating conduit means which communicates with said cooking pot chamber, a two-way selector valve mounted in said recirculating conduit means with its outlet port connected to said pump intake and one of its pair of inlet ports connected to said conduit means withdrawal section beyond connection thereto of said drain tank inlet passage, and means defining a suction withdrawal passage connecting the other inlet port of said selector valve to the bottom of said drain tank chamber.

Claim 6

The pressurized cooking system of claim 4 characterized by filtering means mounted in said filtering and drain tank chamber intervening its inlet passage and suction withdrawal passage.

Claim 7

The pressurized cooking system of claim 4 characterized by a heated premelt tank defining a chamber for melting solid fat and holding it for demand, means defining a supply passage leading from the bottom of said premelt chamber to connection with said liquid fat withdrawal section of said recirculating conduit means for supply of liquid fat to said recirculating conduit means from said premelt chamber, check valve means in said premelt supply passage preventing backflow of pressurized recirculating hot liquid fat into said premelt chamber, and off-on valve means in said premelt supply passage to permit flow of liquified fat from said premelt chamber into said recirculating conduit circuit.

Claim 8

The pressurized cooking system of claim 6 characterized by means supporting said heated premelt tank at an elevation above the point of connection of said premelt tank supply passage to said recirculating conduit means for gravity flow or suction of hot liquid fat into the latter from said premelt chamber when said drain valve is closed and said pump is running while said system is not pressurized.

Claim 9

The pressurized cooking system of claim 1 characterized by said closed through-flow liquified fat cleansing means being in the form of a cyclone filter having a through-flow passage and rejects discharge in which particles of solids entrained in the pressurized hot liquified fat flowing therethrough are separated there out of as rejects and these rejects are delivered through the discharge.

Claim 10

The pressurized cooking system of claim 8 characterized by means connecting the through-flow passage of said cyclone filter into said recirculating conduit means at a location intervening the discharge of said pump and the inlet of said heat exchanger means.

Claim 11

The pressurized cooking system of claim 1 characterized by means defining in said heat exchanger a through-flow passage extending between its inlet and outlet means for flow of pressurized hot liquid fat therethrough and the provision of the heat source in said heat exchanger in the form of electrically energized heating means mounted in said through-flow passage for immersion in the flowing fat, electrical circuit means for energizing said heating means; and a flow switch unit mounted in said recirculating conduit means with said switch unit and said heat exchanger intervening said pump and said cooking pot chamber, said flow switch unit having a through-flow passage, an electrical circuit switch mounted in said electrical heating energizing circuit means, and a control for said circuit switch mounted in said flow switch passage responsive to the rate of flow of hot liquid fat through the latter whereby when such flow rate is below a predetermined minimum said circuit switch is oPen and when above such minimum said circuit switch is closed.

Claim 12

The pressurized cooking system of claim 10 characterized by electrical means to drive said pump, a movable lid for said cooking pot chamber, electrical motorized means alternately for moving said lid to closing position of said cooking pot chamber and removing said lid, a steam blowdown venting means connected directly to said cooking pot chamber head space for venting to a point of lower pressure the steam pressure in the latter after completion of a cooking cycle including an electrically operated valve for opening said steam venting means after completion of a cooking cycle, a heated drain tank defining a hot liquid fat receptive chamber, means defining an inlet passage to said drain tank chamber equipped with a normally closed liquid drain valve connected through the latter directly to said liquid fat withdrawal section of said recirculating conduit means and electrically energized means to open said drain valve after completion of a cooking cycle, an electrically operated two-way selector valve mounted in said recirculating conduit means with its outlet port connected to said pump intake and one of its pair of inlet ports connected to said conduit means withdrawal section beyond connection thereto of said drain tank inlet and the other of its inlet ports communicated with the bottom of said drain tank chamber; and electrical energizing control circuit means including timing mechanism connected to said electrical pump driving means, said electrical motorized lid moving means, said electrical circuit means for energizing said heating means which includes said flow switch, said steam-venting blowdown valve, said liquid drain valve and said selector valve, whereby said units may be operated in timed relation after loading of chicken parts into said cooking chamber to close the latter by said lid, said drain valve may be closed, said pump may be started and run to transfer hot liquid fat from said drain tank into said recirculating conduit means for delivery successively through said flow switch and said heat exchanger to said closed cooking pot chamber, said selector valve may be operated to close the suction withdrawal passage of said drain tank chamber with simultaneous connection through the selector valve of the pump intake to the cooking pot chamber withdrawal conduit section for recirculating the hot liquid fat through said cooking pot chamber, said heat exchanger heating means may be selectively energized for maintaining desired degrees of elevated temperature of the hot liquid fat recirculated through the cooking pot chamber during a predetermined frying period, and then said heat exchanger heating means may be deenergized, said pump stopped, said steam blowdown valve may be opened, said drain valve may be opened to transfer the hot liquid fat in said cooking chamber to said drain chamber, said cooking pot lid removed to allow removal of the fried chicken parts and said selector valve returned to its initial setting for a recycling operation.

Claim 13

The pressurized cooking system of claim 1 characterized by the provision of a lowerable and liftable lid to close said cooking pot chamber, support means mounted on said lid detachably to support in depending position therefrom a rack structure for carrying chicken parts, and a unitary rack structure having means detachably to engage said support means for removable engagement of said support means.

Claim 14

The pressurized cooking system of claim 12 characterized by said support means being in the form of transversely spaced anchors mounted to the underside of said lid, said rack structure having its top portion provided with suspending means detachably to engage said anchors to permit ready mounting of said rack structure to the underside of said lid and removal therefrom.

Claim 15

The pressurized cooking system of claim 13 characterized by said anchors being in the form of a pair of depending flanges each carrying a plurality of rollers having thEir axes extending laterally, said suspending means being in the form of a pair of transversely spaced and laterally extending overhanging members adapted slidably to be received over said rollers for such detachable support of said unitary rack structure.

Claim 16

A pressurized cooking system for frying foods, such as chicken parts, in hot cooking liquified fat which embodies a closed recirculating system for the hot-cooking liquid that maintains it during a cooking cycle at elevated pressure and in isolation from the surrounding atmosphere, said closed isolating system comprising a closable and pressuretight sealable cooking pot defining an isolated chamber for reception of the food to be fried at elevated pressure in a bath of the hot cooking liquid in said pot chamber, a pump having an isolated through-flow path, a heat exchanger having means closing off its interior from the surrounding atmosphere while providing therethrough an isolated through-flow path, and isolating flow-conducting means interconnecting said pot chamber and the flow paths through said heat exchanger and pump, said pump effecting recirculation of the hot-cooking liquid through this system at elevated pressure during a cooking cycle with continued isolation of the recirculating cooking liquid from the surrounding atmosphere and maintenance in the top of said pot chamber above the circulating hot cooking liquid pooled therein of a substantially liquid-free head space, connection of the withdrawal section of said system to said pot chamber being effected by means communicating it to the latter below the intended elevation of the surface of the circulating hot cooking liquid that is pooled in said chamber during the cooking cycle.

Claim 17

A pressurized cooking system for frying foods, such as chicken parts, in hot cooking liquified fat which embodies a closed recirculating system for the hot-cooking liquid that maintains it during a cooking cycle at elevated pressure and in isolation from the surrounding atmosphere, said closed isolating system comprising a closable and pressuretight sealable cooking pot defining an isolated chamber for reception of the food to be fried at elevated pressure in a bath of the hot cooking liquid in said pot chamber, a pump having an isolated through-flow path, a heat exchanger having means closing off its interior from the surrounding atmosphere while providing therethrough an isolated through-flow path, and isolating flow-conducting means interconnecting said pot chamber and the flow paths through said heat exchanger and pump, said pump effecting recirculation of the hot-cooking liquid through this system at elevated pressure during a cooking cycle with continued isolation of the recirculating cooking liquid from the surrounding atmosphere and maintenance in the top of said pot chamber above the circulating hot cooking liquid pooled therein of a substantially liquid-free head space, connection of the withdrawal section of said system to said pot chamber being effected by means communicating it to the latter below the intended elevation of the surface of the circulating hot cooking liquid that is pooled in said chamber during the cooking cycle.