Spaghetti cooking system

Abstract

A system for cooking spaghetti and similar pasta products includes a cooking section and a storage section with means for supplying water alternately to either section. The cooking section is equipped with a cook pot having conventional electric or gas heaters for heating water to cook spaghetti. A cooking basket containing spaghetti is suspended in the cook pot by attachment to a basket lifter. Electrical timing means connected to the basket lifter automatically lower the cooking basket at the start of a preselected cook cycle and raise the basket out of the cook pot after the cooking period has ended. The storage section includes a storage tank for rinsing and storing cooked spaghetti in cold water. Multiple rows of nesting cups stacked vertically store individual serving portions of spaghetti in the storage tank. A cup rack is used to reconstitute the spaghetti by suspending the serving cups containing cooked spaghetti in the hot water of the cook pot. The spaghetti is automatically cooked in boiling water in the cook pot and then rinsed and placed in the serving cups in individual portions for storing in cold water in the storage tank. Before serving, the spaghetti is reconstituted by placing the serving cups containing spaghetti in the cup rack on the basket lifter. The cups are lowered into the cook pot, and the spaghetti is briefly heated by hot water which is thermostatically maintained below boiling. The cup racks are then automatically raised out of the water and the heated spaghetti portions are served.