SYSTEM FOR CURING AND FLAVOURING FOODSTUFF

Abstract

A system for curing or flavouring foodstuff comprising a smoker unit (2) capable of generating smoke (S), wherein the smoker unit (2) comprises a heating chamber (21); and a household appliance (1), particularly an oven, comprising a cavity (14) for storing foodstuff and/or a food container (5), the cavity (14) having an outlet opening (6) for supplying the smoke (S) to the cavity (14), wherein the smoker unit (2) is mountable to said household appliance (1) for supplying smoke (S) to said outlet opening (6); and wherein the system further comprises an electric fan (3) arranged for supplying the smoke (S) generated by the smoker unit (2) to the outlet opening (6).

Claims

1. A system for curing or flavouring foodstuff comprising: a smoker unit capable of generating smoke and comprising a heating chamber; a household cooking appliance comprising a cavity for storing foodstuff and/or a food container, the cavity having a smoke outlet opening for supplying smoke to the cavity, wherein the smoker unit is mountable to said household cooking appliance for supplying said smoke to said smoke outlet opening; and an electric fan arranged for supplying the smoke generated by the smoker unit to the smoke outlet opening.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the smoker unit is arranged outside of the cavity.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the smoker unit can be detachably mounted to the household cooking appliance.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the heating chamber comprises a heating element.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the smoker unit comprises a smell filter.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a hose, wherein a first end of said hose is connectable to the smoke outlet opening and a second end of said hose is connectable to a food container.

7. The system according to claim 6, further comprising a food container, comprising a cooking vessel and a lid, wherein the lid is capable of sealing the cooking vessel in an essentially airtight manner, and wherein the food container comprises an adapter configured to be connectable to the second end of the hose.

8. The system according to claim 6, wherein the food container comprises an opening for pressure equalization.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the household oven comprises a control unit configured to operate and/or control smoke supply to the smoke outlet opening.

10-13: (canceled)

14. A method for flavouring or curing foodstuff, comprising at least the following steps: a) placing a food container having an adapter configured to be connectable to a first end of a hose into a cavity of a household cooking appliance comprising a smoker unit and a smoke outlet opening; b) attaching a second end of the hose to the adapter; c) attaching the first end of the hose; d) providing a smoke source to the smoker unit; e) generating smoke from the smoke source; and f) subjecting foodstuff to the smoke.

15. The method according to claim 14 further comprising a step of activating an exhaust fan system of the household cooking appliance.

16. A system for smoking foodstuff comprising a household cooking appliance having a cooking cavity with a front opening closable by a door, a smoke outlet disposed in a side wall of said cooking cavity, an exhaust fan operable to generate a negative pressure in said cooking cavity, a smoker unit mounted at a front portion of said cooking appliance and disposed outside said cooking cavity in such a manner that when not in use the smoker unit can be adapted so that it does not protrude from the front of said cooking appliance, said smoker unit comprising a heating chamber accessible from outside said smoker unit so that said heating chamber can be recharged of smoke-source material without opening said door, said heating chamber being in fluid communication with said smoke outlet of said cooking cavity for delivering smoke generated in said heating chamber to said smoke outlet, a heating element adjacent to said heating chamber and configured to generate heat for combustion or pyrolysis of smoke-source material in said heating chamber to generate smoke therefrom, a smoker fan arranged and configured to suck air through said heating chamber to enhance burning or smouldering of said smoke-source material therein and to transport said smoke to said smoke outlet of said cooking chamber, and a controller operable according to a predetermined program to regulate said heating element, said smoker fan and said exhaust fan to control the generation and delivery of smoke to said smoke outlet of said cooking chamber to execute a smoking operation for a foodstuff in said cooking chamber, said smoke outlet of said cooking chamber being closable when not in use for smoking a foodstuff within the cooking chamber.

17. The system according to claim 16, said smoker unit being removably mounted to the front of said cooking appliance such that when not in use, the smoker unit can be removed from the cooking appliance so that it does not protrude therefrom.

18. The system according to claim 16, said smoker unit being retractable into a receiving space located at the front of said cooking appliance such that when not in use, the smoker can be retracted into said receiving space so that it does not protrude from the front of the appliance.

19. The system according to claim 17, further comprising food container receivable within the cooking chamber and adapted to receive a foodstuff therein for smoking the foodstuff, the food container comprising a cooking vessel and a lid effective to seal the cooking vessel, and a flexible hose releasably connected at a first end to said smoke outlet of said cooking chamber and at a second end to said food container within said cooking chamber for delivering smoke to said food container, wherein the cooking chamber outside said food container is isolated from smoke generated in said smoker unit for smoking a foodstuff in said food container within the cooking chamber.

20. The system according to claim 18, further comprising food container receivable within the cooking chamber and adapted to receive a foodstuff therein for smoking the foodstuff, the food container comprising a cooking vessel and a lid effective to seal the cooking vessel, and a flexible hose releasably connected at a first end to said smoke outlet of said cooking chamber and at a second end to said food container within said cooking chamber for delivering smoke to said food container, wherein the cooking chamber outside said food container is isolated from smoke generated in said smoker unit for smoking a foodstuff in said food container within the cooking chamber.

Description

[0071] The present invention will be described in further detail with reference to the drawings from which further features, embodiments and advantages may be taken, and in which:

[0072] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic frontal view of a household cooking appliance showing a first inventive embodiment; and

[0073] FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic sectional side view of the household cooking appliance according to the first inventive embodiment.

[0074] FIGS. 1 and 2 show a system for curing or flavouring foodstuff comprising a household appliance 1. The household cooking appliance 1 may in general be any household cooking appliance known in the art, which may be provided with the system according to the present invention. In the shown embodiment, the household cooking appliance is described by way of example in the form of an oven 1. Such household cooking appliance usually comprises an outer housing 11, comprising a cavity 14. The cavity 14 is formed by a rear wall, a bottom wall, an upper wall and two sidewalls, and comprises a central opening, which is closable by a frontal door. As apparent from FIGS. 1 and 2 an outlet opening 6 is arranged in a sidewall of the cavity 1. The cavity 14 is configured to store foodstuff 9, particularly comprised in a food container 5 placed on a grid or baking tray 10. The foodstuff 9 is shown in FIG. 1 only. The oven 1 usually comprises at least one heating system for heating the cavity 14, for example an electrical heating or gas heating system, and/or optionally a steam system. Such household cooking appliance furthermore usually comprises a control unit for controlling various functions of the appliance and a display and/or user interface to allow for displaying and/or input parameters of the processes to a used. The control unit of the oven 1 may also be configured to operate and/or control smoke supply to the outlet opening 6. Particularly, a household cooking appliance as known in the art is usually applied with an exhaust fan system 8, which can be advantageously be employed by the present invention, in that the exhaust fan system 8 is used to assist the smoking process, particularly be generating a negative pressure in the cavity 14.

[0075] The system further comprises a smoker unit 2 arranged at the frontal side of the oven 1. Here the smoker unit 2 is shown in a configuration where the smoker unit 2 partially protrudes from the frontal side of the oven 1. The smoker unit 2 is capable of generating smoke S, whereby the arrows in FIG. 2 depict the flow of smoke S.

[0076] As immediately apparent from FIGS. 1 and 2, the smoker unit 2 is arranged outside of the cavity 14. Particularly, the smoker unit 2 is arranged in a receiving formed in the frontal side of the outer housing of the oven 1 and can be detachably mounted to said receiving. The smoker unit 2 further comprises a heating chamber 21 and is configured and arranged mountable to the oven 1 for supplying smoke to said outlet opening 6. For this purpose the smoker unit 2 is connected to the outlet opening 6 by a smoke guiding element 13, here a tube. The system further comprises an electric fan 3, which is arranged at the rear side of the smoker unit 2 within the outer housing of the oven 1.

[0077] The heating chamber 21 of the smoker unit 2 may comprise a heating element for heating smoke source material provide to the smoker unit 2. Additionally or alternatively, the smoke source material can be heated by an external heat source, e.g. a flame. The smoker unit 2 may additionally comprise a smell filter.

[0078] In a smoking process, for example according to the method of the present invention, the fan 3 sucks the smoke S into the smoke guiding element 13 and thus supplies the smoke S generated by the smoker unit 2 to the outlet opening 6.

[0079] The food container 5 placed in the cavity 14 comprises a cooking vessel 5a and a lid 5b. The lid 5b is capable of sealing the cooking vessel 5a in an essentially airtight manner. The food container 5 additionally comprises a filter element 7, for example a carbon filter. The food container 5, in the shown embodiment the lid 5b, comprises an adapter 12 configured to be connectable to the second end of a hose 4.

[0080] The first end of said hose 4 is configured to be attachable to a smoke outlet opening 6, provided in a cavity wall of the oven 1, and its second end is configured to be attachable to the food container 5, particularly to the adapter 12. Accordingly, the hose 4 can be advantageously arranged such that its first end is connected to the outlet opening 6, and its second end is connected to the adapter 12 of the food container 5. Accordingly, smoke S is guided from the outlet opening 6 through the hose 4 into the container 5, thus allowing curing or smoking the foodstuff 9.

[0081] The food container 5 further comprises an opening for pressure equalization, not shown in the figure.

[0082] The features of the present invention disclosed in the specification, the claims, and/or the figures may both separately and in any combination thereof be material for realizing the invention in various forms thereof.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0083] 1 household cooking appliance [0084] 2 smoker unit [0085] 21 heating chamber [0086] 3 electric fan [0087] 4 hose [0088] 5 food container [0089] 5a vessel [0090] 5b lid [0091] 6 outlet opening [0092] 7 filter element [0093] 8 exhaust fan system [0094] 9 foodstuff [0095] 10 grid or baking tray [0096] 11 outer housing [0097] 12 adapter [0098] 13 smoke guiding element [0099] 14 cavity [0100] S smoke