Abstract
A foodstuff stylizing member and related methods for stylizing foodstuff through the use of heat-resistant materials. The foodstuff stylizing member can include a perimeter wall, a side wall, an upper surface and a lower surface. Either the upper or lower surface can be placed directly onto a heated cooking surface, whereby an uncooked food item can be placed onto or poured over at least a portion of the foodstuff stylizing member to form a visual element on a cooked food item.
Claims
1. A foodstuff stylizing member, comprising: a body having an upper surface, a lower surface and a perimeter wall defining a body shape, the body being formed of a heat-resistant material having a melting point exceeding about 500 F. such that either the upper surface or the lower surface can be positioned directly on a heated cooking surface, wherein the body is adapted for pouring a pourable batter over the body while positioned on the heated cooking surface so as to define a visual element in a cooked surface of a foodstuff.
2. The foodstuff stylizing member of claim 1, wherein the body includes at least one aperture extending between the upper surface and the lower surface to form part of the visual element.
3. The foodstuff stylizing member of claim 1, wherein the body includes at least one insert extending between the upper surface and the lower surface, the at least one insert formed of a different material than the body.
4. The foodstuff stylizing member of claim 1, wherein the heat-resistant material comprises a non-stick material.
5. The foodstuff stylizing member of claim 1, wherein the heat resistant material comprises silicone rubber or PTFE.
6. The foodstuff stylizing member of claim 1, wherein the heat resistant material comprises a heat resistant fabric having a non-stick coating.
7. The foodstuff stylizing member of claim 1, wherein the visual element is defined by varying levels of browning present in the cooked surface of the foodstuff.
8. A stylizing pancake formed with the foodstuff stylizing member of claim 1.
9. A method for stylizing foodstuff, comprising: placing a foodstuff stylizing member directly on a cooking surface; positioning an uncooked foodstuff on the cooking surface such that at least a portion of the foodstuff stylizing member is covered by the uncooked foodstuff; cooking the uncooked foodstuff whereby the foodstuff stylizing member prevents a portion of the uncooked foodstuff from being in direct contact with the cooking surface; removing a cooked foodstuff from the cooking surface, whereby at least one surface of the cooked foodstuff has a visual element defined therein, the visual element corresponding to the foodstuff stylizing member.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the uncooked foodstuff comprises a pancake batter and wherein the cooked foodstuff comprises a pancake.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of positing the uncooked foodstuff on the cooking surface further comprises: pouring the pancake batter over the foodstuff stylizing member.
12. The method of claim 11, further comprising: removing the foodstuff stylizing member from a cooked surface of the pancake, wherein the visual element is displayed on the cooked surface.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the visual element comprises an imprint formed by a wall thickness of the foodstuff stylizing member.
14. The method of claim 12, further comprising: flipping the pancake to place a second uncooked surface of the pancake on top of the foodstuff stylizing member.
15. The method of claim 9, further comprising: forming the foodstuff stylizing member to include one or more apertures extending between an upper surface and a lower surface of the foodstuff stylizing member.
16. The method of claim 9, further comprising: forming the foodstuff stylizing member to include one or more inserts extending between an upper surface and a lower surface of the foodstuff stylizing member, wherein the one or more inserts are formed of different materials than the foodstuff stylizing member.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] Subject matter hereof may be more completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments in connection with the accompanying figures, in which:
[0010] FIG. 1a is a top view of a stylizing member according to a representative embodiment of the present invention.
[0011] FIG. 1b is a top view of a stylizing member according to a representative embodiment of the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 1c is a top view of a stylizing member according to a representative embodiment of the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 1d is a top view of stylizing member according to a representative embodiment of the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the stylizing member of FIG. 1a taken at line 2-2 of FIG. 1a.
[0015] FIG. 3a is a top view of a stylizing member according to a representative embodiment of the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 3b is a top view of a stylizing member according to a representative embodiment of the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 3c is a top view of a stylizing member according to a representative embodiment of the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the stylizing member of FIG. 3b position on a cooking surface as a pourable batter is poured over the stylizing member according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the pourable batter covering the stylizing member according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the stylizing member being removed from a cooked surface of a pancake while leaving a visual element displayed on the cooked surface according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 7a is a top view of a cooked pancake including a visual element formed with the stylizing member of FIG. 3a.
[0022] FIG. 7b is a top view of a cooked pancake including a visual element formed with the stylizing member of FIG. 3b.
[0023] FIG. 7c is a top view of a cooked pancake including a visual element formed with the stylizing member of FIG. 3c.
[0024] While various embodiments are amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the claimed inventions to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] As illustrated generally in FIGS. 1, 1b, 1c, 1d, 2, 3a, 3b and 3c, an embodiment of a stylizing member 100 of the present invention can be provided in wide variety of shapes and appearances. Generally, stylizing member 100 includes a body 102 defined by a perimeter wall 104, an upper surface 106 and a lower surface 108. As seen in FIG. 2, the perimeter wall 104 is defined by a side wall 110 having a wall thickness 112 defined between the upper surface 106 and the lower surface 108. The body 102 can be formed from a heat resistant material 109 that is satisfactory for food contact. In some instances, the heat resistant material 109 can comprise one or more suitable polymers capable of resisting melting at elevated temperatures such as, for example, silicon rubber, PTFE and the like. In some embodiments, the heat resistant material 109 can comprise a heat resistant fabric that has been coated with a non-stick material. For example, fiberglass and organic fabric materials can be coated with a non-stick PTFE coating. Generally, heat resistant material 109 should have a melting point exceeding at least 500 F.
[0026] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the heat-resistant material can include, metal, silicon, or an organic polymer such as PTFE and combinations thereof. The invention can also comprise of materials compatible with machine washing and sanitation for reuse.
[0027] Body 102, and more specifically, the perimeter wall 104 can define various body shapes 114, such as, for example a circle as seen in FIG. 1a, a rectangle as seen in FIG. 1b, a star as seen in FIG. 1c, a hexagon as seen in FIG. 1d, a rooster as seen in FIG. 3a, a smiley face as seen in FIG. 3b and a flower as seen in FIG. 3c. The illustrated body shapes 114 are merely representative of potential shapes and could further include an almost endless variety of shapes such as, for example, letters and words, logos, cartoon characters and the like. In certain embodiments, the body 102 can include various apertures 116 defined between the upper surface 106 and lower surface 108, for example, including eye apertures 116a or mouth apertures 116b as illustrated within FIG. 3b. The aperture 116 can further assist in defining simple shapes, figures logos or designs. In some embodiments, the body 102 can comprise inserts 118, for example, metal inserts possessing a heat capacity that differs from that of the heat resistant material 109. Inserts 118 conducting heat at a different rate than the remainder of the body 102 can provide additional color differences during cooking. In combination, the body shape 114 and/or apertures 116 and/or insert 118 can collectively define a visual element 120 as seen in FIGS. 6, 7a, 7b and 7c. Visual element 120 can comprise a variety of logos characters and other desirable visual features, for example, licensed properties such as professional sports logos, cartoon characters, and other similar visual designs.
[0028] Referring now to FIGS. 4-7, a representative method of utilizing the stylizing member 100 is illustrated. As seen in FIG. 4, stylizing member 100 can be placed upon a cooking surface 130 of a cooking implement 132 with the lower surface 108 in direct contact with the cooking surface 130. As illustrated, the cooking implement 132 can include a frying pan or alternatively, an electric griddle or even a glass cooktop that can be used for cooking pancakes or similar food items. A liquid batter 134 can be poured over upper surface 106 of the styling member 100, such that at least a portion of the stylizing member 100 is covered by the liquid batter 134 as the remainder of the liquid batter 134 flows onto the cooking surface 130 as shown in FIG. 5. The heat of the cooking surface 130 begins cooking the liquid batter 134, while the portion of the liquid batter 134 that is separated from the cooking surface 130 by the stylizing member 100 experiences less heat due to the heat resistant material 109 of the stylizing member 100, and thus lower heat conduction to that portion of the liquid batter 134. As the liquid batter 134 is cooked, a pancake 136 is formed. When a first side 138 of the pancake 136 is fully cooked, the pancake 136 can be removed from the cooking surface 130 of the cooking implement 132. The stylizing member 100 can be removed from the first side 138 of the pancake 136, or the stylizing member 100 can remain on the cooking implement 132 as the pancake 136 is removed if the heat resistant material 109 has non-stick properties. With the stylizing member 100 removed from the first side 138, the visual element 120 defined by the stylizing member 100 including any imprint 140 defined within the first side 138 is visible. Visual element 120 is generally distinguished by having a lighter appearance (less browning) than the surrounding portions of the pancake 136 that were in direct contact with the cooking surface 130 as seen in FIGS. 7a, 7b and 7c. In the event that the stylizing member 100 includes apertures 116 and/or inserts 118, additional color variations (or level of browning) will be visible due to the amount of heat that was conducted to various portions of the pancake 136. For example, the eyes and mouth of the pancake 136 illustrated in FIG. 7B share the same darker brown appearance as the outer portions of the pancake 136 that were in direct contact with the cooking surface 130 due to the presence of eye apertures 116a and mouth aperture 116b. In some embodiments, the pancake 136 can be flipped upside down and positioned with a second side 140 at least partially covering the stylizing member 100 to similarly form the visual element 120 in the second side 140 as well.
[0029] Following use, stylizing member 100 can be cleaned and/or sanitized for reuse using conventional washing techniques. Generally, stylizing member 100 can be hand washed or placed in a dishwasher for cleaning. Following washing, the stylizing member 100 can be stored for reuse in the future.
[0030] Various embodiments of systems, devices, and methods have been described herein. These embodiments are given only by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed inventions. It should be appreciated, moreover, that the various features of the embodiments that have been described may be combined in various ways to produce numerous additional embodiments. Moreover, while various materials, dimensions, shapes, configurations and locations, etc. have been described for use with disclosed embodiments, others besides those disclosed may be utilized without exceeding the scope of the claimed inventions.
