ASYMMETRICALLY PATTERNED BAKED BREAD FOOD

Abstract

An asymmetrical planar bread food product comprising a first baked surface formed in a first pattern and a second baked surface formed in a second pattern different from the first pattern. Preferably, the first pattern is a waffle pattern and the second pattern is a smooth surface. An apparatus for forming a planar bread food product comprises a first baking plate having a first surface formed in a first pattern, a second baking plate opposed to the first baking plate and having a second surface formed in a second pattern different from the first pattern, a first heating element disposed adjacent to the first baking plate, and a second heating element disposed adjacent to the second baking plate, wherein the second surface is off-spaced by a stop from the first surface thereby defining a baking chamber therebetween.

Claims

1. An asymmetrical planar bread food product, comprising: a first patterned baked surface that is a negative image of a first positive relief pattern in an associated first baking plate, and a second patterned baked surface, that is a negative image of a second positive relief pattern different from said first positive relief pattern in an associated second baking plate, wherein said first and second patterned baked surfaces have been formed by exposing bread dough directly against said respective first and second positive relief patterns.

2. An asymmetrical planar bread food product in accordance with claim 1 wherein said first positive relief pattern is a waffle pattern.

3. An asymmetrical planar bread food product in accordance with claim 1 wherein said second positive relief pattern is other than a waffle pattern.

4. An apparatus for forming an asymmetrical planar bread food product comprising: a) a first baking plate having a first surface formed in a first pattern; b) a second baking plate having a second surface formed in a second pattern different from said first pattern; c) a first heating element disposed adjacent to said first baking plate; and d) a second heating element disposed adjacent to said second baking plate, wherein said second surface is off-spaced from said first surface by at least one stop thereby defining a baking chamber therebetween.

5. An apparatus in accordance with claim 4 wherein said first pattern is a waffle pattern.

6. An apparatus in accordance with claim 4 wherein said second pattern is a smooth surface.

7. An asymmetrical planar bread food product in accordance with claim 1 wherein said second positive relief pattern comprises a smooth surface.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0015] FIG. 1 is an isometric exploded view from above of a prior art electric cooking apparatus having first and second removable baking plates, substantially as disclosed in the incorporated '210 Publication;

[0016] FIG. 2 is an isometric view from above of exemplary first and second removable baking plates in accordance with the present invention, suitable for substitution for the prior art baking plates in the electric cooking apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

[0017] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the exemplary first removable baking plate shown in FIG. 2; and

[0018] FIG. 4 is an elevational cross-sectional view, taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3, of an exemplary planar bread food in accordance with the present invention being produced by the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1-3 and having a waffle pattern baked into the surface on a first side and no pattern baked into the surface on a second side.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Referring to FIG. 1, a prior art electric cooking apparatus 10 substantially in accordance with US Patent Application Publication No. US 2005/0247210 A1, comprises an upper housing 3 and a lower housing 5 pivotally connected by a hinged connecting unit 7. Lower housing 5 is connected to a power source via a conventional power cord 6, and upper housing 3 is preferably electrically coupled to lower housing 5 via connecting unit 7. Upper housing 3 may include user input controls (not shown) for controlling apparatus 10. Upper housing 3 includes an upper baking plate 11 that is removably attached to upper housing 3. Cooking appliance 10 includes at least one release mechanism operable to remove upper baking plate 11 from upper housing 3. Similarly, lower housing 5 includes a lower baking plate 13 that is removably attached to lower housing 5. Upper baking plate 11, when attached to upper housing 3, is movable relative to lower baking plate 15, from an open position, in which the baking plates are generally perpendicular to each other, to a closed position, in which upper baking plate 11 and lower baking plate 15 form a cooking chamber which, due to the peripheries of the two baking plates overlapping, substantially restrains the escape of vapor therefrom.

[0020] Upper and lower baking plates 11,15 may each be provided with an integral heating element, or alternatively may each be provided with a dedicated heating element in close proximity to its respective baking plate.

[0021] Upper and lower baking plates 11,15 may form a variety of grilling surfaces. For example, the upper and lower baking plates 11,15 may form a grilling surface having ridges and indentations which are optimized for grilling sandwiches, waffles, toast, steaks, or other types of foodstuffs. For example, in one embodiment, upper and lower baking plates 11,15 may include a waffle-shaped pattern for making waffles or a sandwich-shaped pattern for making sandwiches. In one embodiment, the appliance 10 includes multiple upper plates 11 and multiple lower plates 15, each forming a grilling surface optimized for cooking one type of foodstuffs, as listed above.

[0022] Referring now to FIGS. 2 through 4, exemplary upper and lower plates 111,115 in accordance with the present invention are shown. It should be understood that these plates, adapted for use with the prior art cooking apparatus shown in the FIG. 1 solely, are shown in such removable configuration solely for exemplary purposes. Upper and lower plates in accordance with the present invention otherwise may comprise fixed elements of a hinged apparatus similar to the waffle-maker disclosed in the '564 patent or, alternatively, may comprise elements of a continuous machine similar to a continuous belt-type waffle-maker as is well known in the prior art and need not be described here.

[0023] Preferably, plates 111,115 are formed of a metal such as aluminum or stainless steel, and the cooking surfaces may be covered with a release coating formed of, e.g., a fluorocarbon resin.

[0024] Upper plate 111 comprises a positive relief pattern 116 formed in the baking surface. Exemplarily, such positive relief pattern may be a waffle pattern comprising a rectangular grid of “valleys” 120 defining therebetween a regular array of upward-protruding “stumps” 122.

[0025] Lower plate 115 comprises a positive relief pattern 124 formed on the baking surface. Pattern 124 may comprise any desired form other than a waffle pattern identical with the positive first waffle pattern 116, or no pattern at all, referred to herein as “non-patterned” or “smooth”. Preferably, pattern 124 is a smooth surface as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4.

[0026] Preferably, one or both of upper and lower baking plates 111,115 includes a stop 130 extending above the baking surface, which stop(s) limit the proximity of the baking surfaces of the plates, thereby defining a chamber 132 therebetween for receiving the batter or dough in forming a planar bread food product 200 in accordance with the present invention.

[0027] In general, the cooking appliance described herein and shown in FIG. 1, comprising removable plates 111,115 in accordance with the present invention, may be used as follows:

[0028] First, the baking plates 111,115 are cleaned, either by hand or in an automatic dishwasher.

[0029] Second, a user locks baking plates 111,115 onto the respective housings 3,5 of the cooking appliance.

[0030] Third, the cooking appliance may then be powered on and heated up in preparation for cooking.

[0031] Fourth, once baking plates 111,115 are heated up, an amount of batter or dough, prepared in accordance with the prior art, is placed on lower baking plate 115, and then covered with upper baking plate 111. Heat is applied via both plates 111,115 to the batter or dough at a predetermined intensity for a predetermined period of time.

[0032] Fifth, at the end of the predetermined period of time, the cooking appliance is opened by moving upper housing 3 away from the lower housing 5. The resulting asymmetrically patterned planar bread food 200 may be removed from the appliance.

[0033] Asymmetrically patterned planar bread food 200 in accordance with the present invention comprises a baked bread product having a first patterned baked surface 216 that is a negative image of first positive relief pattern 116, and a second patterned baked surface 224 that is a negative image of second positive relief pattern 124.

[0034] When it is time to clean the cooking surfaces of the appliance, the user may simply remove the baking plates 111,113, and each plate may be lifted off of its respective housings 113, 115 for cleaning.