CA1299627C - Cooking oven - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT

An oven that cooks foodstuffs containing water at temperatures up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit with longwave radiation generated by masking a cooking volume from radiant heating elements by blackened rigid inserts, which absorb shortwave and longwave radiation from the heating elements and uniformly reradiate the energy into the cooking volume as longwave radiation; non-condensing steam is injected into the oven until the vapor pressure of the water in the foodstuff attains a pressure at. which water will migrate to the surface of;; the foodstuff to be evaporated; air is then passed through the oven to remove water from the foodstuff, while cooking with longwave radiation continues.

Description

`' g.29~627 COOKING APPARAq'US
BACKGR0~1N~ OF THE INVEN'rION
l?I ~LD
1 This invention relates to cooking ovens, and more specifically, to a novel radiant cooking oven, cooking at higher oven temperatures by long wave radiation, using steam to suppress drying of the product while it is being cooked.
D:5SCRIPTION OF THE RELAT~D ART
Cooking time in ovens has been reduced by microwave ovens.
In a microwave oven, microwaves cook the foodstuf to a desired temperature by exciting the water molecules in a foodstuff. A
separate system then browns the foodstuff. Microwave ovens are complicated and can be dangerous. Microwave ovens can proAuce taste changes in foodstuffs.
Pressurized cookers, using steam, reduce cooking time.
Pressurized cookers are dangerous. Complex lock mechanisms are needed to ensure that the oven stays locked when pressurized.
lS pressurized oven incorporating a resistance heating element to brown after steam sooking is shown in U.S. Patent 4,430,557.
Convection ovens using steam for processing fooA, such as shown is U.S. 4,011,805, cook rapidly, as steam condensing on the food transfers a large amount of heat to the food. Steam cookers generate condensate which picks up fat and other cooking aebris which must be drained from the oven. The condensate also leaches flavor from the foodstuff and produces a texture to the foodstuff that is not always des1rable.

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, , -` ~ Z9S~6:~7 1 Otl~er devices cook with pressurized fat such as in U.S
3,608,~72. Pressurized fat cooking shortens cooking time, but also adds fat to the foodstuff.
SUMMARY OF T~E INVENTION
S The invention is designed based on the premise that water absorbs long wave radiation. The foodstuff to be cooked is to a large percentage ~ade up of water.
It is an object of the invention to cook with long wave radia.ion, at a substantially higher oven temperature than normally used in convection ovens, and while cooking, to suppress evaporation of moisture from the product by inserting non condensing steam into the oven until the internal temperature of the foodstuff is at a desired temperature.
A black body with two sides, a back, a bottom and a top is heated from top and bottom by electric resis,ance elements, mounted outside of the black body. The hlack body then emits longwave radiation into a cooking area. The hlack body absorbs the shortwave and longwave length radiation and reradiates long wave radiation, which is absorbed into the product to be cooked.
~0 Long WAve radiation penetrates into the foodstuff; shorter wave length radiation tends to bounce of. Cooking temperatures used in the oven are substantially higher than that used in convection ovens, which usually is a range o 300 degrees Fahrenheit to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The described oven operates at 600 degrees Fahrenheit.

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~L~99627 1Steam is injected into the oven, during part of the cooking cycle, at a volume low enough so no condensation is formed, The steam suppresses evaporation from the surface of the foodstuff allowing continued penetration of the long wave radiation into the foodstuff to be cooked.
When a desired internal temperature in the foodstuff is reached, the steam is stopped. External air is passed through the oven to remove moisture, by evaporation from the foodstuff.
The vapor pressure of the moisture in the heatefl foodstuff is greater than the vapor pressure of the moisture in the uncooked foodstuff and the increased vapor pressure moves the moisture from the center of the foodstuff to the surface, to be evaporated. By suppressing evaporation until the internal temperature of the product is raised to a desired temperature, a mechanism is created which moves moisture out of the center of the product to the surface to be evaporated.
Further cooking without steam to browning, allows the moisture within the foodstuff to move to the surface of the foodstuff to evaporate and browns the product.
20The high temperatures used in the oven cause the oven to be self cleaning.
A catalytic converter mounted in the exhaust, converts smoke and ~rease to water vapors anfl carbon dioxide.
The device is vented to prevent pressure build up from injected steam.

, ~ ~996~7 According to a further broad aspect of the present inven-tion, there is provided a cooking oven in operative combination which comprises a top, bottom, rear, oppositely disposed side walls and a door defining an enclosure. A cooking deck is mounted within the enclosure. A first heating element is mounted within the enclosure and is operative to radiate longwave length and shortwave length radiation when energized. A first black body, having a top surface and a bottom surface, is mounted within the enclosure below the first heating element.
The black body is operative to absorb longwave and shortwave radiation from the heating element through the black body's top surface, and to reradiate longwave length radiation uniformly through the black body's bottom surface. The bottom surface of the first black body defines the top of the cooking deck.
A second black body is mounted within the enclosure below the first black body and has a top surface and a bottom surface. The top surface of the second black body defines the bottom of the cooking deck. A
second heating element is mounted within the enclosure, below the second black body, and is operative to radiate longwave and shortwave radiation, when energized, to be absorbed by the second black body, through the bottom surface of the second black body, to be reradiated uniformly through the top surface of the second black body as longwave length radiation. Temperature regulating means is operable to vary the energy supplied to the hea-ting elements. A foodstuff to be cooked is provided within -the cooking deck and such foodstuff containing water. Injection means is operative to insert steam -3a-, 1~9~%7 into the cooking deck, duriny at least part of a cooking cycle, with the volume of steam being selectable to provide enough moisture to suppress the evaporation of water from the foodstuff, without condensation of the steam, until the vapor pressure of the water in the foodstuff attains a desired level. A first vent is operative to vent steam out of the enclosure. A second vent is operative to allow air to pass through the enclosure during at least part of a cooking cycle.
According to a further broad aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for cooking a foodstuff containing water. The method comprises pre-heating an oven to 500F to 600F. The foodstuff -to be cooked is inserted into the oven with the foodstuff containing water having an internal vapor pressure of water below 100 mm of mercury.
Longwave radiation is applied to the foodstuff to be cooked. Evaporation of water is suppressed from the foodstuff while longwave radiation is applied to the foodstuff by injecting steam into the oven, in a volume high enough to suppress evaporation, but low enough to prevent condensation of the steam. The longwave radiation is maintained on the foodstuff ?5 until the internal vapor pressure of water within the foodstuff reaches an internal vapor pressure of at least 250 mm of mercury. The oven is then vented with outside air to evaporate moisture from the oven and the longwave radiation is maintained until a desired internal temperature of the foodstuff is attained.
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~IZ~319627 According to a still further broad aspect of the present invention, there is provided an improvement to a cooking oven of the type in which heating elements in an insulated enclosure are used to cook a foodstuff containing water. The improvement comprises means defining a radiant heat source for generating longwave and shortwave radiation selectable to attain an internal enclosure temperature up to 600 F. An element made of a blackened material having a property of high conductance of heat is mounted between the heat source and the foodstuff to be cooked and is operative to absorb longwave and shortwave radiation to uniformly reradiate longwave radiation. Steam injection means is provided for injecting steam into the enclosure to suppress evaporation of water from the foodstuff until the vapor pressure of the water within the foodstuff attains a desired level. A
first vent means is operative to vent steam out of the enclosure to prevent pressure build-up. A second vent means is operative to vent air through the enclosure during part of a cooking cycle to evaporate water from the foodstuff when the vapor pressure of the water in the foodstuff attains a desired level, and to carry the water out of the enclosure.
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1~627 1 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF T~E ~RAWINGS
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the radiant oven o~ the invention.
Figure 2 is a view of a four deck oven, with the outer cabinet and insulation removed.
Figure 3 is a disassembled perspective view, of the invention, with the outer cabinet and insulation removed.
Figure 4 is a disassembly view showing a disassembled cooking deck.
Figure 5 is section view through the side of the oven, showing the construction o a complete deck.
Figure 6 is a view of the steam generating system.
Fiqure 7 is a section through the front of the oven showing air and steam passage through the oven.
Figure 8 is a side view, in section, showing the stack and the decks in a complete oven.
Figure 9 is a top view, in section, showing the stack and steam in~ection.
DESCRlPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
~0 The device is comprised of the following elements:
insulated cabinet 100 inside baok wall 102 outside back wall 104 back wall insulation~ 106 right inslde side wall 108 right outside side wall 110 `` ~LZ9~t;Z7 l insulation 112 left inside wall 114 left outside wall 116 left wall insulation 118 bottom inside wall 120 bottom outside wall 122 top inside wall 123 insulation 124 top outside wall 125 lO oven front 128 hinges 130 insulated door 132 door inside surface 134 door outside surface 136 15 door hinge end 138 closing magnets 142 handle 144 temperature and steam controls 145 first electrical resistant heating 20 element 202 element spacers 204 holes for electrical connectors to heat elements 205 blackened aluminum panel 206 25 panel rear support 208 paneL side support 210 panel ront support 212 ~z99627 l second electrical resistance 214 heating element element spacers 216 blackened aluminum panel 218 panel rear support 220 panel side support 222 panel front support 224 lip on side supports 225 first cooking deck 226 third electrical resistance 228 heating element element spacers 230 blackened aluminum panel 232 panel rear support 234 panel side support 236 panel front support 238 second cooking deck 240 fourth electric heating element 242 element spacers 244 blackened aluminum panel 246 panel rear support 248 panel side support 250 panel front support 252 third cooking deck 254 fifth electric heating element 2S6 element spacers 258 reflector sheet 260 ~Z9S~6Z~

l black body cooking inserts four deck oven [whole insert] 300 bottom of insert 302 right side wall of insert 304 left side wall of insert 306 back wall of insert 308 downward extending lip of insert 310 insert retainer 311 back wall spacing 312 right side wall spacing 314 left side wall spacing 316 spacing between lip of insert and plate 318 air blocking flange for thermocouple 320 steam and air circulating l~ space between top of insert side walls and radiant heat plate 324 first black body insert 326 enclosure of heating element between black body insert 332 2n and blackened plate second black body insert 334 third black body insert 336 fourth black body insert 338 steam injection system 400 incoming water ~04 water entry solenoid 410 steam chamber 412 steam manifold 422 electrical heating element for steam 424 ~f~ 627 l pressure equalizer 428 steam injector nozzles one to each deck 430, 432, ~34, 436 Stack system 500 channel vent formed in right slde wall 502 solenoid 506 opening in top of oven 508 catalytic screen 510 exhaust 511 channel vent formed in left side wall 512 opening for ai.r in bottom of left channel 514 electrical control system 600 energize lights 601 thermocouple 602 thermocouple attachment to insert 603 thermocouple attachment to top plate 604 protector plate 605 temperature switch for oven heat 608 ~ ready light 609 timing light 610 oven timer 618 on/off switch 620 cycle switch 622 steam section timer and on/o~ switch 626 ~k29~627 lReferring to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows a cabinet containing a radiant heated oven and a warmer. The oven is on the top and the warmer is on the bottom.
The insulated cabinet 100 comprises a top, front, back, side S walls, bottom and a door. As best seen in Figures 1, 2 and 3, between the inside back wall 102 and the outside back wall 104 is insulation 106. Between right inside wall 108, and right outside wall llO, is insulation 112. ~etween the inside left wall 114, and the outside left wall 116, is insulation. Between the top lOinner wall 123, and top outside wall 125 is insulation 124. The bottom is also insulated. The inside side walls 108, and 114, inside back wall 102, top 123, and inside bottom wall 120, and the door 132 form the oven.
The inside of the oven is formed as a reflector liner. That is the inside walls, top and bottom are forme~ of aluminized steel. The reflector liner reflects radiation. Steel is a poor heat conductor and retains heat within the oven. The oven front 128, is closed by insulated door 132, mounted on hinges 130, and retained closed by magnets 142. A handle 144, is mounted on the outside of door 132.
To the right of the door are mounted oven temperature and steam controls 145.
I~ithin the oven space formed by the cabinet inside side walls, back, top and bottom and the door are mounted four cooking decks. Attached to inside walls 108, 114, and the inside back wall 102 are panel ~ide supports, 210, 222, 236, and 250.

- ' q~ 27 1 Attached to the inside back of the cabinet are rear supports 208, 220, 234, and 248. Extending across the front of the oven space are panel front supports 212, 224, 238, and 252. These are hest seen in Figure 4 and in Figure 5.
S The supports are used to bear the weight of black anodized aluminum panels 206, 218, 2~2 and 246. After the front, back and side supports are affixed to the sides and back of the oven, the black anodiæed panels are slid onto a lip type support 225 as can be seen in Figure 4.
Electrical resistance heating elements 202, 214, 228, 242, and 256 are placed at a distance from the aluminum panels. The electrical connectors for the heating elements pass through inside wall 108, to be connected to a power source, as can best be seen in Figure 3 and 4. Spacers 204, 216, 230 and 244 hold the heating elements slightly above the surface of the blackened panel. The heating element is held centered in the space between the aluminum panels by the spacers 204 et. al. A section through a single deck, Figure 5, best shows the location and spacing of the heating element. A deck is defined as the space between a top panel and the bottom insert,~ into which is placed the foodstuff to be cooked.
There are 5 electrical heating elements in a 4 deck oven.
With such a configuration, each deck has a heating element at top and bottom. The holes in the sidewalls 205, through which the heating elements are connected to a power source, can best be seen in Figure 3.

~ ` ~2g~27 l Reflector sheet 260, made of stainless steel, forms the bottom of the cabinet, and is mounted below the bottom deck, supporting heating element 256, which radiates heat upward.
Stainless is used for the bottom of the oven because of its relatively poor heat transfer characteristics, to retain heat in the oven.
I~ithin each deck formed by the spaced apart panels 206, 218, 232, and 246, are inserted black body cooking inserts 300. A
single insert is best seen in Figure 4.
The inserts are formed of textured black anodized aluminum pànel. A bottom 302, a right side wall 304, a left side wall 306 and a back wall 308 form the insert. Heat from the heating elements mounted between the inserts and the blackened panels passes through the aluminum up the side walls and up the back wall 304, 306 and 308. A downward extending lip 310 extends downward from the insert 300 blocking and absorbing radiation from the heating element which would otherwise be radiated outward towards the oven door; the heating element is located between insert 300 and the blackened aluminum panel mounted below ~0 the insert. Lip 310, ensures that the radiation from the electrical resistance heating element impinges on the black body insert rather than radiates out of-the space between the insert and the panel below the insert. This lip keeps the front door cooler and captures otherwise wasted radiant energy. A retainer 311 is bolted through lip 310, to front support 212, to fasten the insert into the oven.

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~L~9~627 l Insert 300 is spaced away from the back wall, forming spacing 312 as best seen in Figure 5. The right side wall of the insert is spaced away rom the oven liner, forming spacing 314, and is spaced away from the left side wall 316. The spacing o~
the inserts from the side walls, as best seen in Figure 9, is to prevent contact of the insert with the inside walls of the oven, to lessen heat transfer to the outside walls.
A slot exists between lip 310, of insert 300 and the bottom plate, that slot is 318, and can be best seen in Figure 5. The slot allows air to circulate into the heating element enclosure, where a thermocouple sensor is locateA. I~hen door 132 is opened, air enters the oven and into the heating element enclosure, through the slot, cooling down the deck and the sensor. The slot allows outside air to enter, cycling the heat on quicker than if the air impinged only on the deck. Admitting air into the enclosure when the oven i5 loaded and unloaded, provides faster oven response to temperature changes.
Side walls 304 and 306 of the cooking insert are shorter ~han the distance from top to bottom of a deck. This leaves an ~0 open area slightly below the upper radiant heat panel, forming steam and air circulating space 324, as best seen in Figures 2, 5, 7 and 8. The space formed on both sides of the oven at each deck, is used to pass steam or air across the foo~stuff cooked within each insert, to maintain or to remove moisture from the cooking oodstuff.

~Z~9~i27 l The top of the same back, side and front supports 210 et.
al. that support the blackened panels 206 et. al. also support the insert 300. In a four deck oven thexe would be ~our inserts 326, 334, 336 and 338.
An enclosure 332 is formed by the black body inserts and the blackened panels. Within this enclosure is mounted the radiant heat elements and is best seen in Figure 5.
Energy radiated from each electrical heating element, which radiates both long and short wave radiation, impinges on the blackened panel, and on the blackened insert 300, and is reradiated, uniformly, through the blackened aluninum panel and insert, as long wave length radiation onto the foodstuff contained within.
Figures 2, 5, 6, 7 and 9 show the steam injection system 400. At each deck, a single steam injector nozzle 430, 432, 434 and 436 is mounted. A jet of steam is injected out of a single hole in the nozzle. The direction of steam injection is parallel to the cooking deck and towards the door 134, of the oven.
The steam sweeps across the oven, within the insert and is exhausted from the oven at a vent channel 502 located at the rear of the opposite side of the oven. This direction of steam injection causes the steam to make a 180 degree turn across the cooking area of the black body insert 300, prior to being vented.
Steam is produced in a steam chamber 412, as best seen in Figure 6. Incoming water 404 is piped to a steam chamber 412.
An immersion heating element of 2000 watts maintains the water in .~ , . ~ .

~Z9~9627 l the steam chamber at 180 degrees, by heating the water intermittently, as controlled by a thermal probe. A float switch calls for water, and turns the power to the steam chamber on continuously, when steam is called for by the steam controller A low water cutoff shuts the steamer off if there is not enough water in the chamber. Steam is generated at from 214 to 216 degrees Fahrenheit, and is fed into steam manifold 422. The injectors 430, 432, 434, and 436 are connected directly to the manifold.
A stack system 500 shown in Figure 7 is used to control steam and air movement through the oven.
The stack system is best seen in Figures 7, 8, and 9.
A channel vent 502, which is always open, is formed in the right inside wall 108 of the oven. The channel is located at the back of the oven. The channel vent 502 runs from the bottom insert to the top of the oven. At the top of the oven, above the channel is an opening 508, leading into a 660 watt heating element which preheats the exhaust; the exhaust is then passed through catalytic screen 510, which burns off debris and smoke passing up the channel.
` As steam is injected into the oven at about 214 to 216 degrees Fahrenheit, the steam expands in the 600 degree Fahrenheit oven, sweeps across and around each insert 300 containing foodstuffs, and out channel 502, to be exhausted. The open channel prevents pressure build up from the steam.

~ 96Z7 1 To exhaust the steam, and to rapidly evaporate the moisture in the oven, a second channel vent 512, is provided. This channel vent is formed in left oven wall 114. Channel vent 512 is located at a position in the oven diagonally opposite to channel vent 502.
Channel vent 512 opens into the oven at a point below space 324; space 324 is located between the top of the insert and the surface of a blackened aluminum plate.
Channel vent 512 is kept closed when steam is injected.
When steam injection stops, solenoid 506 is denergized, which opens channel vent 512 to outside air. Figure 2 shows the solenoid denergized and open. A stack comprising channel vent 512, spacing 324 and channel vent 502 allows outside air to sweep diagonally across the inserts 300, carrying away evaporated moisture from the foodstuffs being cooked in the insert, as can best be seen in Figure 7.
A fan can be used to force outslde air thxough the oven. In the best method, air flow is controlled by the size of the channel vents formed in the oven walls, rather than by a fan.
The oven temperature and steam controls 145 as best seen in Figures l and 3, include, starting at the top, five energize lights 601, which note which deck is then drawing current; below the lights 601 is temperature setting switch 608; below that is a ready light 609 and a timing light 610; the ready light goes on when the decks have attained coo~ing temperature; the timing light alerts the user that the oven is cooking, while it is .. ..

~L~996Z7 l cooking; a timer 618, is mounted below the time light to set total cooking time; below 618 is mounted an on/of~ switch 620;
below 620 is a cycle start and restart switch 622; below 622 is the steam injection control 626, including a 30 minute ad~ustable timer and a power switch.
Thermocouple 628 is mounted in the top plate at 604, thermocouples 630, 632, 634, and 636 are attached to the bottoms of each insert at 603 as best seen in Figures 2 and 4.
A thermocouple is attached to each deck. The temperature setting potentiometer on the side of the oven front as seen in Figures 1 and 3 controls power to all the heating elements. When the temperature is below thé required temperature, the heating element on that deck ls energized.
When steam is desired, the steam timer 626 is set and runs during the cooking cycle. Only when power is supplied to the steam generator, is power supplied to the solenoid 506, which closes vent 512. When steam is on, vent 512 is closed by solenoid 5Q6.
BEST METHOD
~0 An object of the invention is to decrease cooking time of a product to be cooked in an oven at a point o~ purchase location, or in an institutional setting such as hospitals, schools, military bases, etc. A ~ point of purchase location is a delicatessen or a fast food restaurant.
Cooking is done by radiant heating, at a substantially higher oven temperature than is normally used, 600 degrees lZ!~627 1 Fahrenheit, in a radiant heated hot deck oven in which is mounted a blackened cooking insert.
Increase in cooking speed was obtained by increasing oven temperature, in a black body oven. The maximum temperature to tested was to be 900 degrees Fahrenheit, which is close to the slump temperature of aluminum. Steam was to be injected to keep the surface of the foodstuff to be cooked, open to penetration of long wave length radiation. Because of the higher vapor pressure of water at higher temperatures, evaporation of excess moisture, it was theorized, would occur quickly when the steam was stopped.
Aluminum was chosen as the black body material because of the relatively high heat transmission o aluminum. Other materials such as blackened steel have very poor heat transfer properties.
Within a testing temperature range to 900 degrees Fahrenheit, the object of the invention was to maximize long wave length radiation.
Temperatures above approximately 900 degrees Fahrenheit are not efficient in transferring energy to food because the wave ~0 lengths reflect off rather than penetrate water and water vapor.
See Mark's Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers, Eighth Edition, Page 4-72 printed by Kingsport Press, Inc.
Long wave length radiation passes through water and water vapor. Short wave ]ength radiation hounces off water and water vapor. Cooking was to be done with long wave radiation analogous to microwave cooking; that is in ohtaining penetration of water , ~Z~ 7 l by longwave heating radiation without the complexity of microwaves. Testing has been done through 600 degrees Fahrenheit and continues. No other device cooks foodstuffs at this high a temperature.
A resistance heating element is an open filament, encased in a sheath. The filament heats up and reaches temperatures approaching 1800 degrees Fahrenheit. Resistance heating elements were used to heat the oven. Gas can also be used. A gas flame emits short and longwave radiation.
By enveloping the heating elements between two black bodies made of a material with good heat transfer properties, shorter wave length radiation generated by the heating elements is converted to long wave length radiation which is transmitted through the blackbodys into the cooking area.
A black body is the ideal radiator. The characteristic properties of a black body are that it absorbs all the radiation incident on its surfac and the quality and intensity of the radiation it emits are completely determined by its temperature.
MarXs p. 4-71.
~0 The intensity of radiation from a black surface is independent of angle of emission.
Uniform temperature is generated across the black body because of the excellent energy transfer characteristics of aluminum and because bf a black body's attribute of radiating and reradiating to maintain a uniform temperature across a black body.

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. ,: , , ~ lZg~6Z7 1 To maximize long wave length radiation, a blackened, roughened aluminum insert is used. Darker surfaces radiate more energy than lighter surfaces or shiny surfaces. A roughened textured surface radiates more energy than a smooth one.
As stated, a black body has another useful property.
Radiation and reradiation causes all surfaces of a black body to approximate the same temperature eliminating local hot spots.
Cooking of foodstuffs was to be done in a theoretical enclosed black body cube. All surfaces of the foodstuff would then receive uniform radiation and heating.
To maximize long wave length radiation, a 2000 watt electric heated resistance element was placed above a blackened aluminum sheet, above the cooking area, and another 2000 watt electric heated resistance element was placed below a blackened aluminum insert. Cooking was done in the volume formed between the blackened sheet and the blackened insert. That volume is the cooking deck.
The aluminum surfaces were anodized coated with a hard black anodized coating, to as closely as possible make the aluminum radiating surface a black body.
Testing was first done with chicken, as being the most difficult to cook. Because of the varying sizes of chicken pieces, the delicateness of chicken skin and the chicken bone, it is a difficult foodstuff to cook. At higher temperatures, chicken burns before a cooked temperature is attainéd at the bone. The normal temperature at which chicken is cooked is 32S

l degrees Fahrenheit. Testing has been done to 600 degrees Fahrenheit; a temperature which would normally incinerate chicken.
The sides and bottom of the blackened aluminum insert were raised above the height of the foodstuff to be cooked, to radiate heat from the sides of the insert towards the foodstu~fs, in this case chicken.
To maintain the moisture level of the chicken, so long wave length radiation could penetrate the chicken, moisture in the form of steam was injected into the oven. Without steam, an unpenetrable surface forms on the chicken, and the outside quickly burns before the required internal temperature is reached.
The chicken pieces inserted in the oven were 40 degrees Fahrenheit when inserted into the 600 degree Fahrenheit oven.
The vapor pressure of water in millimeters of Mercury at ~0 degrees Fahrenheit is 5 mm. In an oven at 600 degrees Fahrenheit, the vapor pressure of water is 8029 mm of Hg. What this means in cooking, is that unless evaporation is suppressed, ~0 a hard dr~ burned coat forms on the chicken and the outside is incinera~ed before the inside is cooked.
By suppressing evaporation of moisture until an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit is reached, the vapor pressure of moisture in the center of the chicken is raised to 25 290 mm of Mercury. The vapor pressure increases by 50 times.

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~;zg96z7 1 Under that internal vapor pressure, the moisture in the chicken will migrate to the surface of the chicken to be evaporated.
A vent extending up the side of the oven normal to each deck was formed to allow the entering steam to exhaust. The steam injected is enough to only saturate the air in the oven. A ball bearing size drop of moisture will remain in the oven for about 8 minutes of a steam cycle of 10 minutes. No condensation of the steam on the chicken occurs. Condensation on the chicken causes flavors to change. The condensate with entrained fat and dehris must also be removed, complicating the oven.
Preliminary testing, in the project to decrease cooking time, from 375 degrees Fahrenheit through 600 degrees Fahrenheit showed that the required product internal temperature could be obtained by cooking at 600 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes with injected steam and then 10 minutes without steam. The preliminary test profluced a product that would not brown and was too wet from internal moisture.
A second vent was then installed, creating an exhaust stack for the moisture escaping from the chicken to be exhausted. The oven with the two vents forming an exhaùst stack cooked and browned chicken in 20 minutes.
In testing, cooking at 600 degrees Fahrenheit oven temperature for 10 minutes with steam, raised the internal temperature of the chicken from 40 degrees Fahrenheit when inserted, to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. A further 8 minutes with no steam raised the temperature to 195 degrees Fahrenheit.

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1 Subsequent testing with products less difficult to cook show~d products as disparate as pork, cod, turkey breast, steak and vegetables could be cooked successfully with the system.
Plate of three sixteenths aluminum plate is formed to shape, sandblasted and then hard coat black anodized. The insert as shown in the drawings with a bottom, back, sides and overhanging lip is formed of the same material, which is then hard coat black anodi~ed. Sandblasting is to a ~ mil profile to increase surface area. Th~ inside width of the oven is 16 inches, the depth is 19 inches. The trays containing the foodstuff to be cooked are 13 inches wide by 18 inches deep.
Because the device cycles repeatedly through a cooking cycle, being reloaded after each finished cycle, heav~ aluminum sheet was used.
lS The weight o the black body insert is 11 lbs and the aluminum top panel is 5.6 lbs. A load of chicken on each deck would weigh approximately 5 lbs. The retained calories held by the insert and blackened aluminum panel over sheet prevent any major temperature drop when the oven is reloaded.
~0 The heating elements used are two kilowatt resistant heating elements Five of them are used.
The oven is vented at all times to the outside through a 660 watt heater and catalytic screen to reduce smoke ~nd entrained cooking debris to water vapor and carbon dioxide. Venting to the outside prevents pressure build up within the oven.

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1 The steam manifold is made of two inch square stainless tubing, four feet long. A heating element is vertically inserted into the steam generator to boil the water to make steam. Four steam nozzles are mounted to vent steam into the cooking insert located at each deck. In the tested model, steam is generated at two kilowatts generating 6.8 pounds per hour of steam for the time period required.
At the end of the steam cycle, moisture is vented from the system.
In the prototype, the wall height of the insert which i5 less than the height of the deck, measured from the bottom of the insert to the upper blackened plate, forms part of an exhaust vent across the deck.
To complete the vent, a generally closed ~our square inch vent, 28 inches long is opened by denergizing a solenoid.
Outside air entering the oven through the vent sweeps across the insert, and out the continuously open steam exhaust vent, removing moisture, while radiant energy continues to impinge on the foodstuff being cooked.
Venting is set by a timer. The timer time is set experimentally. ~hen the internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit, the exhaust vent is opened. The chicken internal temperature continues to rise to 190 degrees Fahrenheit, with further cooking without steam, which is the desired internal temperature.

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. ~ ~g9~27 `: ' l The mobility of the moisture within the chicken, as determined by its vapor pressure, at 165 degrees ~ahrenheit is 50 times higher than it is when the chicken is put in the oven at about 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
As the steam is stopped, moisture within the chicken migrates through the chicken to the outside of the chicken and then evaporates quickly from the chicken. As stated, the permeability of the chicken to moisture is greater at higher temperatures than at lower temperatures because of the exponential increase in vapor pressure as temperature increases.

Claims (8)

1. A cooking oven in operative combination, comprising:
a top, bottom, rear, oppositely disposed side walls and a door defining an enclosure;
a cooking deck mounted within the enclosure;
a first heating element, mounted within the enclosure, operative to radiate longwave length and shortwave length radiation when energized;
a first black body, having a top surface and a bottom surface, mounted within the enclosure, below the first heating element, said black body being operative to absorb longwave and shortwave radiation, from the heating element, through the black body's top surface, and to reradiate longwave length radiation uniformly through the black body's bottom surface; the bottom surface of the first black body defining the top of the cooking deck;
a second black body, mounted within the enclosure, below the first black body, having a top surface and a bottom surface; the top surface of the second black body defining the bottom of the cooking deck;
a second heating element, mounted within the enclosure, below the second black body, operative to radiate longwave and shortwave radiation, when energized, to be absorbed by the second black body, through the bottom surface of the second black body, to be reradiated uniformly through the top surface of the second black body as longwave length radiation;
temperature regulating means operable to vary the energy supplied to the heating elements;
a foodstuff to be cooked within the cooking deck, such foodstuff containing water;

injection means operative to insert steam into the cooking deck, during at least part of a cooking cycle, the volume of steam being selectable to provide enough moisture to suppress evaporation of water from the foodstuff, without condensation of the steam, until the vapor pressure of the water in the foodstuff attains a desired level;
a first vent operative to vent steam out of the enclosure;
a second vent operative to allow air to pass through the enclosure during at least part of a cooking cycle.

2. A cooking oven comprising:
an insulated top, bottom, rear, oppositely disposed side walls and an insulated door defining an enclosure;
a cooking deck mounted within the enclosure;
a first resistance heating element, mounted within the enclosure comprising an open filament encased in a sheath, operative when energized to radiate longwave and shortwave radiation;
a blackened rigid sheet made of a material having a property of high conductance to heat, having a top surface and a bottom surface, mounted within the enclosure, below the first resistance heating element, said blackened rigid sheet being operative to absorb longwave and shortwave radiation through its top surface, to reradiate longwave radiation uniformly through its bottom surface; the bottom surface of the blackened rigid sheet defining the top of the cooking deck;
a bottom, upstanding side walls, and an upstanding back, defining an insert, such insert being made of a blackened rigid material having a property of high conductance of heat; said insert mounted below the blackened rigid sheet within the enclosure, the bottom of the insert defining the bottom of the cooking deck;
a second resistance heating element, mounted within the enclosure, below the blackened rigid insert, comprising an open filament encased in a sheath, operative when energized, to radiate longwave and shortwave radiation, to be absorbed by the blackened rigid insert, to be reradiated uniformly by the insert as longwave radiation;
temperature regulating means operative to vary the energy supplied to the resistance heating elements;
a foodstuff to be cooked within the cooking deck, such foodstuff containing water, injection means to insert steam into the cooking deck, during at least part of a cooking cycle, the volume of steam being selectable to provide enough moisture to suppress evaporation of water from the foodstuff, without condensation of the steam, until the vapor pressure of the vapor in the foodstuff attains a desired level;
a first vent operative to vent steam out of the enclosure;
a second vent operative to allow air to pass through the enclosure, during at least part of a cooking cycle.

3. The cooking oven in claim 2, wherein the blackened rigid sheet and the insert are made of aluminum.

4. The cooking oven in claim 2, wherein the height of the upstanding walls of the insert exceed the height of the foodstuff inserted in the cooking deck.

5. The cooking oven in claim 2, wherein the weight of the blackened rigid sheet and of the insert exceeds the weight of the foodstuff to be cooked.

6. The cooking oven in claim 2, further comprising an oven liner made of a reflective material having a property of low conductance of heat.

7. In a cooking oven of the type in which heating elements in an insulated enclosure are used to cook a foodstuff containing water, wherein the improvement comprises means defining a radiant heat source for generating longwave and shortwave radiation selectable to attain an internal enclosure temperature up to 600°F;
an element made of a blackened material having a property of high conductance of heat mounted between the heat source and the foodstuff to be cooked operative to absorb longwave and shortwave radiation to uniformly reradiate longwave radiation;
steam injection means for injecting steam into the enclosure to suppress evaporation of water from the foodstuff until the vapor pressure of the water within the foodstuff attains a desired level;
a first vent means operative to vent steam out of the enclosure to prevent pressure build-up;
a second vent means operative to vent air through the enclosure, during part of a cooking cycle to evaporate water from the foodstuff when the vapor pressure of the water in the foodstuff attains a desired level, and to carry the water out of the enclosure.

8. A method for cooking a foodstuff containing water comprising:

a. preheating an oven to 500° F to 600°F;
b. inserting a foodstuff to be cooked into the oven, which contains water having an internal vapor pressure of water below 100 mm of mercury;
c. applying longwave radiation to the foodstuff to be cooked;
d. suppressing evaporation of water from the foodstuff while longwave radiation is applied to the foodstuff by injecting steam evaporation, but low enough to prevent condensation of the steam;
e. maintaining the longwave radiation on the foodstuff until the internal vapor pressure of water within the foodstuff reaches an internal vapor pressure of at least 250 mm of mercury; then f. venting the oven with outside air to evaporate moisture from the oven;
g. maintaining the longwave radiation until a desired internal temperature of the foodstuff is attained.