Method of cooking food employing both microwave and heat energy

Abstract

Abstract Apparatus for cooking food comprises the combination of a hot plate or grill device arranged in a microwave oven so that steak or chops or like food of relatively small thickness can be rapidly cooked. The hot-plate comprises conductive material forming a short circuit for the microwave field and this is considered to limit the depth of penetration of the microwave energy into the food, thus enabling rare and medium steaks or the like to be cooked. Further, it is found that the food can be properly browned on its surface, as well as correctly cooked in the interior regions, in very short cooking times. It is preferred that the oven also be provided with a fan for rapidly recirculating the air in the oven to enable food to be cooked by the combination of microwave energy and recirculated air at cooking temperatures, this method being particularly applicable to roasts such as roast beef, roast chicken etc. A removable tray may be provided for supporting the food in or near the centre of the microwave field during this latter method. The hot-plate itself, or an auxiliary heater, may be employed for heating the air during this method. In one embodiment, the fan used for recirculating the air is partially microwave transparent and partially of conductive material and is arranged so that the conductive parts act as a mode stirrer. The fan is preferably located behind a shield plate in the microwave cavity to draw air through a central aperture in the plate and blow it around the edges and in the case where the fan acts as a mode stirrer, the shield plate is of heat resistant microwave transparent material. The hot-plate may have a ridged surface for forming stripes on steak or the like and an auxiliary hot-plate may be provided, having a plane food supporting surface, for placing on the ridged surface when it is desired to cook food without forming stripes on it.

Inventors

• 👤 Ronald Jack Walker Constable

Bibliographic Details