Kfc Corporation

Pepsico, Inc.

Michael E Harlamert

John D Beltz

Keith D Barkhau

Donald R Kupski

Sylvia L Schonauer

Gregory D MacGeorge

Dennis G Ash

Eric S Elwell

Mohan Rao

Jiri Rabas

Lawrence R Kaiser

Paul Shuter

Mark Halpin

Lonita Barron

Brett J Gregory

Esther Chui Lian Ang

John C Murray

A self-cleaning convection oven includes a cabinet defining an interior cavity for cooking a food product; a door moveable between an open position and a closed position for allowing access to the interior cavity; one or more heating elements positioned in the interior cavity for delivering heat to the interior cavity; a fan positioned within the interior cavity; and a plumbing system operably connected to a water supply for delivering water into the interior cavity of the oven through a first nozzle positioned near the fan. The plumbing system of the self-cleaning convection oven further also delivers a cleaning solution into the interior cavity of the oven.

Self-cleaning convection oven

Rack

The specification discloses an apparatus for rapidly cooking meat products for a quick service restaurant which will simulate the appearance of an open flame broiled meat product. The meat product is clamped between a grill and a series of raised crown portions formed in a cooking pan. The cooking pan also includes rounded depressions which alternate with the upraised crowns to serve as reservoirs for the collection of fat and other rendered meat juices. The clamping action between the grill and the pan compresses the meat product having a range of product weight to a uniform thickness while simultaneously assuring conductive heat transfer from the crowns to the meat and radiant heat from the black body pan to the meat. The grill is pre-coated with a carmelizing agent which leaves grill marks on the meat product during the cooking cycle. The grill, meat product and pan are loaded into a convection oven having means for creating heated high velocity convecting air which contacts the meat product, displace a food product boundary layer of cool air, and evenly heat the irregular surface of the meat product as heated air passes over it.

Method for simulating open flame broiled meat products

Apparatus for simulating open flame broiled meat products

Growing community of inventors

Louisville, KY, United States of America

Michael E Harlamert