Method of cooking food products

Claim 1

A method of cooking a food product comprising: placing said food product in an oven having a programmable electronic controller; sensing a beginning top temperature of said oven of said oven above said food product; sensing a beginning bottom temperature of said oven below said food product; heating said oven with the top cooking element to a final top temperature; heating said oven with the bottom cooking element to a final bottom temperature; measuring the time for said top temperature to reach said final top temperature; measuring the time for said bottom temperature to reach said final bottom temperature; calculating the remaining cooking time for said food product by said top and bottom cooking elements for said food product at each of said final temperatures using an equation that contains Ts that has been previously determined and stored according to the formula: ##EQU12## where T1 is the first temperature at which said food product is cooked, t1 is the time for said food product to cook at said first temperature T1, T2 is a second, higher temperature, t2 is the time taken for said product to cook at T2, as previously determined, and * is a multiplication symbol, to determine a fraction of doneness of said food product achieved by cooking said food product during the time that said oven is heating up from said beginning temperatures to said final temperatures; and leaving said food product in said oven until said remaining cooking time has passed for both of said elements at said final temperatures, and removing said food product from said oven when said remaining time has expired.

Claim 2

A method of cooking a food product comprising: placing said food product in an oven having a programmable electronic controller; sensing a beginning top temperature of said oven of said oven above said food product; sensing a beginning bottom temperature of said oven below said food product; heating said oven with the top cooking element to a final top temperature; heating said oven with the bottom cooking element to a final bottom temperature; measuring the time for said top temperature to reach said final top temperature; measuring the time for said bottom temperature to reach said final bottom temperature; calculating the remaining cooking time for said food product by said top and bottom cooking elements for said food product at each of said final temperatures using an equation that contains Ts that has been previously determined and stored according to the formula: ##EQU12## where T1 is the first temperature at which said food product is cooked, t1 is the time for said food product to cook at said first temperature T1, T2 is a second, higher temperature, t2 is the time taken for said product to cook at T2, as previously determined, and * is a multiplication symbol, to determine a fraction of doneness of said food product achieved by cooking said food product during the time that said oven is heating up from said beginning temperatures to said final temperatures; and leaving said food product in said oven until said remaining cooking time has passed for both of said elements at said final temperatures, and removing said food product from said oven when said remaining time has expired.

Claim 5

A method of cooking a food product comprising: cooking samples of a plurality of different types of said product to determine a set of optimum cooking parameters for each type of said product; storing said cooking parameters in a programmable electronic control unit which controls an oven for cooking said different types of said product, at least one of said cooking parameters being Ts which is determined according to the formula: ##EQU13## where T1 is a first temperature at which said product is cooked and t1 is the time for said product to cook at said first temperature T1 and T2 is a second, higher temperature and t2 is the time taken for said product to cook at T2 as determined during said step of cooking samples, and * is a multiplication symbol; placing one type of said product in said oven; providing an indication to said oven of the type of food product placed in said oven; sensing a beginning top temperature of said oven above said food product; sensing a beginning bottom temperature if said oven below said food product; heating said oven with a top cooking element to a final temperature above said food product; heating said oven with a bottom cooking element to a final temperature below said food product; measuring a time for said top temperature to reach said final temperature; measuring a time for said bottom temperature to reach said final temperature; calculating a remaining cooking time for said food product at said respective final top and bottom temperatures based on said sensed beginning top and bottom temperatures, respectively, and the time taken for said oven to reach said final top and bottom temperatures, respectively, by determining a fraction of doneness of said food product achieved by cooking said food product during the time said oven heats from said respective beginning temperatures to said respective final temperatures; and leaving said food product in said oven for said remaining cooking time at said final top and bottom temperatures to cook said food product until it is properly done.

Claim 6

A method of cooking a food product comprising: cooking samples of a plurality of different types of said product to determine a set of optimum cooking parameters for each type of said product; storing said cooking parameters in a programmable electronic control unit which controls an oven for cooking said different types of said product, at least one of said cooking parameters being Ts which is determined according to the formula: ##EQU13## where T1 is a first temperature at which said product is cooked and t1 is the time for said product to cook at said first temperature T1 and T2 is a second, higher temperature and t2 is the time taken for said product to cook at T2 as determined during said step of cooking samples, and * is a multiplication symbol; placing one type of said product in said oven; providing an indication to said oven of the type of food product placed in said oven; sensing a beginning top temperature of said oven above said food product; sensing a beginning bottom temperature if said oven below said food product; heating said oven with a top cooking element to a final temperature above said food product; heating said oven with a bottom cooking element to a final temperature below said food product; measuring a time for said top temperature to reach said final temperature; measuring a time for said bottom temperature to reach said final temperature; calculating a remaining cooking time for said food product at said respective final top and bottom temperatures based on said sensed beginning top and bottom temperatures, respectively, and the time taken for said oven to reach said final top and bottom temperatures, respectively, by determining a fraction of doneness of said food product achieved by cooking said food product during the time said oven heats from said respective beginning temperatures to said respective final temperatures; and leaving said food product in said oven for said remaining cooking time at said final top and bottom temperatures to cook said food product until it is properly done.

Claim 9

A method of automatically cooking a food product in an oven having a programmable electronic controller comprising the steps of: (a) cooking a sample of a selected food product at a first temperature until said sample of said selected food product is properly done; (b) measuring the time taken to properly cook said sample of said selected food product at said first temperature; (c) cooking a sample of said selected food product at a second temperature until said sample of said selected food product is properly done; (d) measuring the time taken to properly cook said sample of said selected food product at said second temperature; (e) determining a cooking curve for said selected food product using data obtained from steps a-d, said cooking curve including an indication of the time required to properly cook said selected food product using Ts determined according to the following equation: ##EQU14## wherein T1 is a first temperature used in step a at which said product is cooked and t1 is the time measured in step b for said product to cook at said first temperature T1, T2 is a second, higher temperature used in step c and t2 is the time, measured in step d for said product to cook at T2 and * is a multiplication symbol; (f) storing said cooking curve for said selected food product in said programmable electronic controller to permit a subsequent user to properly cook said selected product by placing said selected product in said oven and starting the cooking of said selected product; and (g) placing said selected product in said oven and cooking said selected product until it is properly cooked by automatically controlling the oven heating characteristics according to said cooking curve.

Claim 10

A method of automatically cooking a food product in an oven having a programmable electronic controller comprising the steps of: (a) cooking a sample of a selected food product at a first temperature until said sample of said selected food product is properly done; (b) measuring the time taken to properly cook said sample of said selected food product at said first temperature; (c) cooking a sample of said selected food product at a second temperature until said sample of said selected food product is properly done; (d) measuring the time taken to properly cook said sample of said selected food product at said second temperature; (e) determining a cooking curve for said selected food product using data obtained from steps a-d, said cooking curve including an indication of the time required to properly cook said selected food product using Ts determined according to the following equation: ##EQU14## wherein T1 is a first temperature used in step a at which said product is cooked and t1 is the time measured in step b for said product to cook at said first temperature T1, T2 is a second, higher temperature used in step c and t2 is the time, measured in step d for said product to cook at T2 and * is a multiplication symbol; (f) storing said cooking curve for said selected food product in said programmable electronic controller to permit a subsequent user to properly cook said selected product by placing said selected product in said oven and starting the cooking of said selected product; and (g) placing said selected product in said oven and cooking said selected product until it is properly cooked by automatically controlling the oven heating characteristics according to said cooking curve.

Claim 12

A method of cooking a selected food product comprising: placing said selected food product in said oven having a programmable controller; snsing a beginning temperature within said oven; heating said oven with said food product therein from said beginning temperature to a final temperature; measuring the time taken for said oven having said food product therein to increase in temperature from said beginning temperature to said final temperature; calculating a remaining cooking time for said selected food product based on the beginning temperature, the final temperature, and the time taken for said oven temperature to increase from said beginning temperature to said final temperature; and using an equation that contains Ts having been previously determined and stored according to the formula: ##EQU15## where T1 is the first temperature at which said food product is cooked, t1 is the time for said food product to cook at said first temperature T1, T2 is a second, higher temperature, t2 is the time taken for said product to cook at t2, as previously determined, and * is a multiplication symbol, to determine a fraction of doneness of said food product achieved by cooking said food product during the time that said oven is heating up from said beginning temperatures to said final temperatures; and removing said food product from said oven when said remaining cooking time has expired.

Claim 13

A method of cooking a selected food product comprising: placing said selected food product in said oven having a programmable controller; snsing a beginning temperature within said oven; heating said oven with said food product therein from said beginning temperature to a final temperature; measuring the time taken for said oven having said food product therein to increase in temperature from said beginning temperature to said final temperature; calculating a remaining cooking time for said selected food product based on the beginning temperature, the final temperature, and the time taken for said oven temperature to increase from said beginning temperature to said final temperature; and using an equation that contains Ts having been previously determined and stored according to the formula: ##EQU15## where T1 is the first temperature at which said food product is cooked, t1 is the time for said food product to cook at said first temperature T1, T2 is a second, higher temperature, t2 is the time taken for said product to cook at t2, as previously determined, and * is a multiplication symbol, to determine a fraction of doneness of said food product achieved by cooking said food product during the time that said oven is heating up from said beginning temperatures to said final temperatures; and removing said food product from said oven when said remaining cooking time has expired.