U.S. patent application number 14/203965 was filed with the patent office on 2014-09-11 for apparatus for converting hinged-lid cooking grills for cooking pizza.
The applicant listed for this patent is Alfred F. Contarino, JR.. Invention is credited to Alfred F. Contarino, JR..
Application Number | 20140251160 14/203965 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51486203 |
Filed Date | 2014-09-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140251160 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Contarino, JR.; Alfred F. |
September 11, 2014 |
APPARATUS FOR CONVERTING HINGED-LID COOKING GRILLS FOR COOKING
PIZZA
Abstract
An accessory is provided for adapting cooking grills, especially
grills including a hinged lid, for improved cooking of pizzas and
other foods. The accessory includes a body adapted to be disposed
between the base and lid portions of the cooking grill, the body
being configured to mate with an inner surface of the lid and to
cooperate with the base and lid portions to define therebetween a
substantially-enclosed cooking chamber when the lid is positioned
in a partially-closed position between the open and closed
positions. A hinged-lid grill including the accessory is provided
also.
Inventors: |
Contarino, JR.; Alfred F.;
(Boxford, MA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Contarino, JR.; Alfred F. |
Boxford |
MA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
51486203 |
Appl. No.: |
14/203965 |
Filed: |
March 11, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61776132 |
Mar 11, 2013 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
99/341 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47J 37/0786
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
99/341 |
International
Class: |
A47J 37/07 20060101
A47J037/07 |
Claims
1. An accessory for a cooking grill, the cooking grill including a
base and a lid hingedly attached to the base and movable between an
open position and a closed position, the accessory comprising: a
body adapted to be disposed between the base and lid portions of
the cooking grill, the body being configured to mate with an inner
surface of the lid and to cooperate with the base and lid portions
to define therebetween a substantially-enclosed cooking chamber
when the lid is positioned in a partially-closed position between
the open and closed positions.
2. The accessory of claim 1, wherein said body defines a front wall
and a pair of sidewalls extending generally transversely to said
from wall.
3. The accessory of claim 2, wherein said accessory is constructed
as a unitary body.
4. The accessory of claim 2, wherein said accessory is constructed
by cutting a blank from a substantially planar sheet stock and
subsequently bending portions of the blank out of plane to form the
body.
5. The accessory of claim 2, wherein said front wall defines a
window.
6. The accessory of claim 5, wherein further comprising a door
hingedly attached to said front wall and pivotable between open and
closed positions to selectively close said window.
7. The accessory of claim 1, wherein said body has a lower edge
configured to cause the accessory to rest in a stable manner on a
planar surface.
8. The accessory of claim 1, wherein said body has a lower edge
configured to cause the accessory to rest in a stable manner on a
grate of the cooking.
9. The accessory of claim 1, wherein said body has a lower edge
configured to cause the accessory to rest in a stable manner on a
plurality of supports for a grate of the cooking grill.
10. The accessory of claim 1, wherein said body defines a front
wall and a pair of sidewalls extending generally transversely to
said from wall, each of said walls having a respective lower edge,
said lower edges being substantially co-planar.
11. The accessory of claim 1, wherein said body defines an upper
edge that is configured to mate with an inner surface of the lid
when the lid is in the partially-closed position.
12. The accessory of claim 1, wherein said body defines an upper
edge that is contoured to conform to an inner surface of the lid
when the lid is in the partially-closed position.
13. The accessory of claim 1, wherein said body has a generally
wedge-shaped profile when viewed from a side to substantially close
an opening between the base and the lid when the lid is in the
partially-closed position.
14. The accessory of claim 1, wherein the body is generally
U-shaped for use with a generally rectangularly-shaped cooking
grill.
15. The accessory of claim 1, wherein the body is generally
C-shaped for use with a generally circularly-shaped cooking
grill.
16. The accessory of claim 1, further comprising a secondary fuel
basket, the secondary fuel basket comprising: a sidewall; and a
floor cooperating with the sidewall for supporting a supply of
fuel.
17. The accessory of claim 1, wherein said secondary fuel basket
further comprises an attachment member for supporting the secondary
fuel basket on the body.
18. A combination comprising the accessory of claim 1, a cooking
surface, and a peel.
19. A combination comprising the accessory of claim 1 and a cooking
grill.
20. The combination of claim 19, further comprising a cooking
surface and a peel.
21. A cooking oven comprising: a cooking grill comprising: a frame;
a base supported on the frame; a cooking grate supported on the
base; a lid hingedly-attached to the base and movable between an
open position and a closed position; and an accessory comprising: a
body adapted to be disposed between the base and lid portions of
the cooking grill, the body being configured to mate with an inner
surface of the lid and to cooperate with the base and lid portions
to define therebetween a substantially-enclosed cooking chamber
when the lid is positioned in a partially-closed position between
the open and closed positions.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is based on, and claims priority to U.S.
Provisional Patent Application No. 61/776,132, filed Mar. 11, 2013,
the entire contents of which are fully incorporated herein by
reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention related generally to a cooking
apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to an
apparatus for adapting conventional hinged-lid cooking grills,
especially typical gas grills, to cook pizzas and other foods in an
improved manner.
BACKGROUND
[0003] People often wish to cook on their outdoor cooking grills
foods, such as pizza, that are not necessarily traditionally
considered grill foods. An exemplary hinged-lid grill 10 is shown
in FIGS. 1 and 2. The grill 10 is exemplary in that it includes a
frame 12 supporting a lower base portion 14 to which an upper lid
16 is hingedly attached, typically toward the rearward edge of the
base portion 12, by hinges 17, as best shown in FIG. 2. The base
portion 14 and lid 16 cooperate to define therebetween a cooking
chamber 18. The cooking chamber houses a grilling surface such as
grate 20, as shown in FIG. 2.
[0004] A heat source is housed below the grate 20. The cooking
chamber may be heated by charcoal, wood or even an electric heating
element placed in the bottom of the cooking chamber, or more
typical for this particular style of grill, by liquid fuel, such as
natural gas or propane.
[0005] With respect to pizza, the desired cooking temperature for
many pizza recipes is very high, on the order of about 600 to
750.degree. Fahrenheit or more. It is important that the
temperature within the cooking chamber be particularly consistent,
both spatially (the temperature is substantially the same
everywhere within the cooking chamber) and temporally (the
temperature does not fluctuate significantly with time).
[0006] First, the temperature should be spatially consistent so all
of the ingredients cook properly. A common problem with cooking
pizza, particularly in grills, is that the crust cooks too fast
relative to the ingredients on top of the crust such that the crust
becomes too dry or even burns before all of the ingredients on top
of the pizza are fully cooked or properly melted. Thus, temperature
uniformity as a function of height above the heating element (e.g.,
charcoal, wood, or flame burners) is desired. Furthermore, if the
temperature is not uniform in the horizontal direction, some
sections of the crust may burn before other sections of the crust
are fully baked.
[0007] Even further, maintaining a consistent temperature over time
also is often important to cooking pizza (as well as many other
foods). First, a consistent, proper temperature will, of course,
cause the food to cook faster than a fluctuating temperature and
temperature fluctuations can lead to the food not cooking properly
all the way through to the center.
[0008] Often, it is particularly difficult to maintain consistent
temperature in cooking grills for several reasons. First, in a
conventional hinged-lid grill, such as many conventional gas
grills, the grill must be opened (by pivoting the hinged lid
upwardly to an open position) to place food on the grill, to remove
food from the grill, and to observe the cooking food. Since heated
air rises relative to surrounding cooler air, each time the grill's
lid is opened, essentially all of the heated air in the cooking
chamber rises and escapes, requiring the chamber to heat up again
after the lid is pivoted downwardly to close the grill's cooking
chamber. Not only could this cause it to take longer to cook the
food, but it could lead to uneven cooking since the air in the
space beneath the food is likely to remain much hotter or at least
heat up much more quickly than the air in the space above the pizza
after each opening of the lid. This is particularly problematic
with respect to cooking pizzas because the pizza dough and/or the
solid surface on which the pizza must sit (such as a pizza stone)
forms a large uninterrupted barrier between the air space below the
pizza and the air space above the pizza. Also, since pizza recipes
often require extremely high temperatures, temperature
differentials can be significant.
SUMMARY
[0009] The present invention pertains to an accessory for adapting
cooking grills, especially grills including a hinged lid, for
improved cooking of pizzas and other foods. The accessory includes
a body adapted to be disposed between the base and lid portions of
the cooking grill, the body being configured to mate with an inner
surface of the lid and to cooperate with the base and lid portions
to define therebetween a substantially-enclosed cooking chamber
when the lid is positioned in a partially-closed position between
the open and closed positions.
[0010] A hinged-lid grill including the accessory is provided
also.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0011] An understanding of the following description will be
facilitated by reference to the attached drawings, in which:
[0012] FIG. 1 shows a conventional hinged-lid grill exemplary of
the prior art, showing the grill with the lid in a closed
position;
[0013] FIG. 2 shows the hinged-lid grill of FIG. 1, showing the
grill with the lid in an open position;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a front view of a grill accessory in accordance
with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention
[0015] FIG. 4 is a rear view of the grill accessory of FIG. 3;
[0016] FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the grill accessory of
FIG. 3
[0017] FIG. 6 is a side perspective view of the grill accessory of
FIG. 3;
[0018] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the grill accessory of FIG.
3, shown mounted on the grill of FIG. 1, showing the grill lid in
an open position;
[0019] FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of the grill accessory of
FIG. 3, shown mounted on the grill of FIG. 1, showing the grill lid
in a closed position;
[0020] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a supplemental fuel basket
for use in conjunction with the grill accessory of FIG. 3;
[0021] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment
of the accessory of FIG. 3, show with a hinged door for closing the
window; and
[0022] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a C-shaped grill accessory
of the present invention shown in a conventional kamado grill
exemplary of the prior art.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] The present invention provides an accessory that may be used
in conjunction with a conventional hinged-lidded grill, such as
grill 20 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. An exemplary accessory 50 is shown
in FIGS. 3-5 that is compatible with the grill 20 shown in FIGS. 1
and 2. Generally, the accessory 50 is constructed in a shape
complementary to the grill structure to bridge a gap between the
lower base portion 14 and the upper lid 16 when the lid is in a
partially open position, to support the lid and to define a
substantially-closed cooking chamber, as discussed in greater
detail below and as will be appreciated from FIG. 8. The accessory
can be used to convert a hinged-lid grill 150 into a pizza oven
providing more consistent temperature variability, thereby yielding
better cooking results.
[0024] Referring now to FIGS. 3-5, the exemplary accessory 50 is
constructed as a unitary body. In this example, the accessory 50 is
formed of stainless steel from substantially planar stainless steel
sheet stock, and then bending the accessory blank to form a front
wall 52 and side walls 54, 56 extending generally transversely to
the front wall 50. By way of example, the accessory blank may be
formed by die cutting, laser cutting or any other suitable method.
In alternative embodiments, the accessory 50 may not be a unitary
body and/or may not be so formed. By way of example, the accessory
can be made of any material that is sufficiently heat resistant to
withstand the maximum temperatures conventionally generated in a
pizza oven or grill (it should probably be able to withstand at
least 750 degrees Fahrenheit) and sufficiently strong to support
the weight of the grill's lid 16. Steel or another metal or ceramic
material are preferred. Any suitable construction method may be
employed to form the accessory 50.
[0025] The accessory 50 has a lower edge 51 that is configured to
cause the accessory 50 to rest in a stable manner on the grate 20
of the grill 10 and/or on support structure of the grill, e.g.,
supports for the grate 20. In this exemplary embodiment, each of
the front and side walls 52, 54, 56 has lower edges 51a, 51b, 51c
that are substantially flat and co-planar, to cause the accessory
to rest in a stable manner on a substantially planar support
surface, such as the grill's grate, as will be appreciated from
FIGS. 3, 4 and 6.
[0026] The accessory 50 has an upper edge 53 that is configured to
cause the accessory 50 to mate with a partially-open lid 16 of the
grill. Preferably, the upper edge 53 is contoured to mate with any
irregular structure of the lid, so as to conform to any contours of
the inner portion of the lid 16, and thus to avoid large gaps
likely to release excessive amounts of hot air from the cooking
chamber 18 during cooking. Accordingly, each accessory may be
constructed to specifically mate with a corresponding grill/grill
type. In this exemplary embodiment, each of the side walls 52, 56
has upper edges 53a, 53c that are substantially flat and co-planar,
to cause the accessory to mate with substantially-planar lid
structure, as will be appreciated from FIGS. 3, 4 and 6. In this
exemplary embodiment, portions of the upper edges 53a, 53b, 53c are
contoured out of plane to mate with corresponding portions of the
grill's lid structure, as will be appreciated from FIGS. 3, 4, and
6.
[0027] As will be appreciated from FIG. 6, the accessory 50 has a
generally wedge-shaped profile when viewed from the side, to
substantially close a wedge-shaped opening between the lower base
14 and lid 16 when the hinged lid is partially open.
[0028] As best shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the front wall 52 of the
accessory 50 defines a window 60. The window is dimensioned to be
large enough both in the horizontal direction and in the vertical
direction to allow easy insertion and removal of a pizza from the
cooking chamber. Thus, the window 60 allows a pizza to be removed
from the cooking chamber 18, e.g., using a pizza peel, without
having to further open the grill's lid 16, which would allow
essentially all of the heat to escape. Preferably, the window is
also dimensioned to be small enough so as not to allow a
significant amount of heat to escape through the opening. Since
heated air tends to rise, the vertically oriented side window 60
will not let excessive amounts of heat escape from the cooking
chamber 18 through window 60. The window permits constant visual
access to the food cooking inside the cooking chamber without the
need to remove the food from the cooking chamber.
[0029] Optionally, a cover or door 75 (FIG. 10) may be provided to
selectively close the window 60. By way of example, the door may be
hingedly attached to the front wall 52. Optionally, the front wall
may define an opening 78 for supporting a conventional thermometer
73. This may be particularly useful when the accessory 50 is
designed for a grill that does not already include its own
thermometer.
[0030] The insert accessory may be sold in a kit along with a
cooking surface 90, such as a pizza stone, pizza pan and/or a
conventional pizza peel (not shown). For cooking foods other than
pizzas and the like, the apparatus may be sold with a skillet (not
shown) or other or additional cooking apparatus.
[0031] In a certain embodiment, the apparatus further includes a
secondary fuel basket. Optionally, certain hardwoods may be
employed or added to charcoal in the secondary fuel basket to
impart additional flavor to the pizza. Alternatively, such
hardwoods or liquid "smoky" flavoring agents may be added to a
smoking basket. An exemplary secondary fuel basket 80 is shown in
FIG. 9. The basket includes a sidewall 82 and a floor 84 for
supporting a supply of fuel in the basket 80. In this example, the
basket further includes an attachment member 86 for mounting the
basket to the accessory 50. In the exemplary embodiment shown in
FIG. 9, the attachment member is provided as flange dimensioned to
permit the basket 80 to hang from an upper edge of the accessory
50. Alternatively, the basket may omit the attachment member and
may simply be placed on the grill's grate. The basket 80 is
configured to support a secondary supply of fuel above the primary
supply of fuel in the fuel chamber beneath the grate 20, and more
particularly, is positioned to be open and to vent heat directly to
a space above the cooking surface. In this manner, heat rising from
the basket 80 tends to heat only (or primarily) the air above the
grate 20 and/or any cooking surface, and tends to balance the heat
distribution above and below grate 20, and thus promotes
temperature uniformity as a function of height above the lower fuel
chamber.
[0032] In use, the exemplary embodiment of the accessory of FIGS.
3-6 may be used in conjunction with a conventional hinged-lid grill
described above by opening the grill's lid and placing the
accessory 50 onto the grill's grate 20 and/or supports for the
grate 20, as shown in FIG. 7, so that the accessory 50 is supported
in a stable manner relative to the grate 20. The lid 16 of the
grill 10 may then be moved from the open position (as shown in FIG.
7) toward a closed position into a partially-closed position, at
which point an inner surface of the lid comes to rest against the
upper edges 53a, 53b, 53c of the accessory 50, as shown in FIG. 8.
At this point, the accessory 50 supports the lid 16 and cooperates
with the lid 16 and lower base portion 14 to define a
substantially-closed cooking chamber 18, as shown in FIG. 8. In
this exemplary embodiment, the accessory effectively closes a gap
between the lid 16 and base portion 14 on three sides of a
generally-rectangular-shaped grill, and the fourth side is
substantially closed by mating of the lid and base portion adjacent
the hinge(s). Thus, the accessory can be used to convert a
hinged-lid grill into an oven 100 providing more consistent
temperature variability, thereby yielding better cooking
results.
[0033] In embodiments including the secondary fuel basket 80, the
basket 80 may be mounted to the accessory 50 or placed on the grate
and be loaded with secondary fuel/smoking agents prior to movement
of the lid 16 to the partially closed position.
[0034] The apparatus described herein may be implemented in any
number of ways, including, but not limited to (1) as an aftermarket
add-on, (2) as a removable feature of an original grill, or (3) as
a permanent part of the grill.
[0035] While the exemplary embodiment described in detail herein is
configured to work with a generally rectangularly-shaped grill
grate, and thus is generally U-shaped, such as those of many
conventional gas grills, this is merely exemplary. The accessory
may be otherwise shaped, such as in generally arcuate fashion and
thus may be generally C-shaped, e.g., to accommodate a grill grates
and/or grills having a generally circular shape and a hinged lid,
as is typical of a kamado-style grill. FIG. 11 is a perspective
view of a C-shaped grill accessory of the present invention shown
in a conventional kamado grill exemplary of the prior art.
[0036] Having thus described a few particular embodiments of the
invention, various alterations, modifications, and improvements
will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations,
modifications, and improvements as are made obvious by this
disclosure are intended to be part of this description though not
expressly stated herein, and are intended to be within the spirit
and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description
is by way of example only, and not limiting. The invention is
limited only as defined in the following claims and equivalents
thereto.
* * * * *