Cooking bag for grill

Abstract

A bag for holding a food item within a cooking appliance is formed with a mounting opening. The bag is mounted to a cooking appliance, such as an indoor grill, by placing the mounting openings over a mounting fixture provided on the appliance. Alternatively, the bag may be mounted to the kitchen appliance with a spring-biased clasp.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of pending U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/749,077, filed on Dec. 9, 2005 whose specification and drawings are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to bags, sacks and pouches for holding a food within a cooking or heating appliance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Disclosed herein is a cooking bag to avoid a messy clean-up after grilling, toasting or otherwise cooking food in a grill, toaster, toaster oven or similar cooking appliance. The bag is designed to withstand the heat of cooking and is adapted to directly contact hot grilling surfaces without melting or burning during normal use.

The cooking bag is adapted to contain not only the food being cooked but also any liquids and grease which may be driven from the food during cooking. Since the food within the bag does not directly contact the cooking appliance, there is little or no need for clean-up. Moreover, the cooking bag can be produced economically so that it may be discarded after use to further eliminate any clean-up.

It is possible to form a liquid and grease compartment in the bag to separate the food being cooked from the liquid and grease which drips from the food. Alternatively, or in addition to this separate liquid and grease compartment, an absorbent material may be disposed within the bag for absorbing liquid and grease. This is advantageous in that the absorbent material prevents liquids and grease from flowing out of the bag during cooking in the cooking appliance, during removal of the bag from a cooking appliance, during removal of the cooked food from the bag, and during disposal of the bag.

The bag may be constructed from a cooking parchment having a low friction interior coating to facilitate removal of food from the bag after cooking, grilling, baking, etc. The bag is adapted to be positioned in any orientation within a cooking appliance, from vertical to horizontal. Mounting holes or other mounting arrangements can be used to secure and fix the bag in position within an appliance during cooking.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a cooking bag constructed in accordance with the present invention and mounted in a vertical orientation with a cooking appliance.

FIGS. 2 through 7 are views of alternate bag constructions in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a partial view in section of a bag constructed in accordance with the invention and including a grease trap.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of section 9 of FIG. 8.

FIGS. 10 and 11 are alternate constructions of section 9 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 12 is a view of a bag having a series of attachment points for forming a grease trap.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a bag constructed in accordance with the invention adapted for use with a horizontal or mildly inclined clamshell-type grill.

FIG. 14 is an alternate construction of bag having side holders constructed in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 15 is a schematic view of a strip of multiple bags formed from a perforated tube-like assembly.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a bag constructed with a bonded edge seam.

FIG. 17 is an enlarged view in section of the seam of area A in FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a bag constructed with a bonded face seam.

FIG. 19 is an enlarged view in section of the seam of area B in FIG. 19.

FIGS. 21 through 23 show further embodiments of cooking bags constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a cooking bag having a reclosable adhesive top flap and a removable side panel.

FIG. 25 is an exploded view of FIG. 24 with the peel-off strip removed and the flaps peeled open to release a side panel.

FIG. 26 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a cooking bag.

FIG. 27 is a partial cross sectional view through the seam of the bag of FIG. 26.

FIG. 28 is a partial cross sectional view through the bottom of the bag of FIG. 26.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A bag 110 constructed in accordance with the invention is shown in FIG. 1 mounted to a heating or cooking appliance 112. Appliance 112 can be of virtually any construction such as a toaster, grill, oven, or the like. As depicted in FIG. 1, bag 110 is provided with such mounting holes, slits or perforations 114 that are adapted to engage mounting projections such as elbows or hooks 116 fixed to the appliance 112. The holes or slits can be less than one inch in diameter and can be anywhere from ⅛ inch long or ⅛ inch in diameter to about ½ inch long to ½ inch in diameter. It is also possible to clip or clamp the bag 110 in position by substituting or adding spring-biased clips or clamps such as those used on clipboards to the appliance 110. Alternatively, wire clips similar to paper clips, can be used for this purpose.

In this manner, the bag 110 can be vertically suspended within the cooking appliance 112 for holding a food item 118 within a cooking compartment 119 as the food is grilled, broiled, toasted, baked or otherwise cooked within the cooking appliance 112. Alternatively, the bag 110 can be mounted at any angle between horizontal and vertical. Food item 118 can be virtually any type of food such as beef, poultry, fish or vegetables. Movable opposed heated grill plates 120 can be mounted in the side walls of appliance 112 and adapted to clamp bag 110 and food item 118 between them and apply grill marks to the food item through the bag 110.

As seen in FIGS. 2 through 18, a bag according to the invention can take numerous forms and can be manufactured in many different ways. In FIG. 2, bag 110B is formed with a series of mounting holes 114B. A reinforcing ring 122 can be applied around the periphery of each mounting hole 114B to add strength to the bag 110B to prevent tearing when the bag is suspended with a food item 118 as shown in FIG. 1. Ring 122 can be formed of paper, cloth, plastic or other material, and can be circular, oval, rectangular or any other shape. Adhesive or heat can be used to bond the ring 122 to the bag 110B. Ring 122 can be applied as an adhesive bead which surrounds hole 114.

As further seen in FIG. 2, bag 110B can be formed with side folds or gussets 124 to expand in accordion fashion to accommodate thicker food items such as thick steaks or vegetables.

Alternatively, as seen in FIG. 3, an extension of each side panel 126 of bag 110C can be formed as a tab which can be folded over and glued or otherwise fixed to its respective side panel 126 so as to form a reinforcing ring 128. Each side panel 126 is glued to the opposed side panel 126 along each side edge 130 and along bottom edge 132 so as to form the internal cooking compartment 119. These edges 130 and 132 can be folded over and bonded for even greater strength.

An alternate location for mounting holes 114D is shown in FIG. 4 wherein the mounting holes 114D are formed through side edges 130 of bag 110D. In this case, the cooking appliance can be provided with matching internal mounting projections.

Another embodiment of bag 110E is shown in FIG. 5 wherein one side panel 126E is extended beyond the top edge of the other side panel and folded over to form a flap 134 with a preformed seam 136. Alternatively, both side panels can be folded over. A single mounting hole 114E may be provided, as shown formed in flap 134. In this manner, the bag 110E can substantially encapsulate a food item 18.

With the embodiment of FIG. 5, a food item can be prepackaged within bag 110E and refrigerated or frozen until use. Such prepackaged food items can be sold at grocery stores, brought home and cooked without any mess or preparation other than inserting the prepackaged food item into the appliance, cooking it and removing it from bag 110E and eating it. The bag 110E can be discarded, or can include a closure at the top such as the folded top edge of side panel 126E shown in FIG. 5. Alternatively, the bag 110E may be formed with a snap closure, a “zip lock”-type closure as found on sandwich bags, or a heat seal or removable adhesive seal or a seal as used on freezer bags.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show an embodiment of the bag, 110F, similar to that shown in FIG. 3, except the entire top edge 140 of each side panel 126F is folded over for reinforcement and strength.

FIGS. 8 through 12 show the formation of a liquid, grease and residue trap 142 along the bottom edge 132G of bag 110G. Trap 142 can be formed by gluing laterally spaced apart bonds 144 (FIGS. 9 and 12) between the interior walls of each side panel 126G.

In this manner, food item 118 within the cooking compartment is held suspended above or spaced from the trap 142, as shown in FIG. 8. An optional absorbent strip, pad, wad 146, or the like can be disposed in trap 142 to absorb liquid and residue during cooking and subsequent handling of bag 110G so as to prevent residue and liquid from escaping trap 142.

FIG. 10 shows the use of mechanical fasteners such as staples 148 instead of spot bonds 144 and FIG. 11 shows the similar use of crimp regions or spot welds 150 in place of spot bonds 144. Crimp regions can be formed by heat and pressure and or by piercing through panels 126G.

Wad 146 can be formed of absorbent paper such as used in paper towels, or foamy or sponge-type synthetic material, or fabric and felt-type materials and cotton.

The bag, such as 110E shown in FIG. 5, can be placed on the bottom half 152 of grill 112B. The top half 154 of grill 112B is pivotally attached to the bottom half 152 by a hinge 156.

As seen in FIG. 14, side handles or grasps 160 may be formed as extensions of side panels 126H and bonded together along bond line 162. Grasps 160 help to avoid contact with the heated central portion of bag 110H. Mounting holes 114H may be formed in side grasps 60 to engage mating projections within a cooking appliance.

As seen in FIG. 15, a series of interconnected bags 110J can be formed from an elongated tube 166 in a manner similar to rolled lengths of plastic bags commonly used at grocery store produce and bagging locations. Sealed sections 132J form the bottom edge of each bag and bonds 144J define trap areas 142J and cooking compartments 119J. Transverse perforations 170 allow the individual bags 110J to be separated from tube 166 which may be formed into a roll for dispensing.

FIGS. 16 through 19 show alternate bag constructions with bonded edges. In FIGS. 16 and 17 the side edges 130K are bonded together along adhesive bond line 172K. A single panel 174K is folded over along a bottom fold line 176K prior to forming the adhesive bond lines 172K.

In FIGS. 18 and 19 a single vertical bond line 172L can be formed along an overlapped interior portion of the panel 126L. A single bottom weld or bond 172L may also be formed along bottom portion 132L. A silicone based food grade adhesive 182L can be used for forming bonds in bag 110L and Silidor parchment and wax paper can be used for panels 126L. Cooking parchment with a cooking oil or other food release coating or agent can also be used for panels 126L.

FIGS. 20, 21, 22, and 23 show further bag embodiments according to the invention.

FIGS. 24 and 25 show another embodiment of the invention wherein bag 110M is provided with a closure flap 134M having a peel-off strip 180 covering a strip of tacky adhesive 182. Strip 180 may be peeled away to uncover the underlying adhesive 182. Closure flap 134 may then be folded downwardly along fold line 186 in the direction of arrows 88 to form a liquid or air-tight seal on bag 110M. Adhesive 182 may be of the gummy reusable type, allowing flap 134 to be opened and effectively resealed several times.

Similar releasable adhesive 90 (FIG. 25) may be provided on side flaps 192 and bottom flap 194 to allow these flaps to be peeled from the front side panel 126MF so as to release and remove the front side panel 126MF from the rear side panel 126MR. This allows frozen food to be easily removed, as well as heated food. The front panel 126MF may be repositioned over the rear panel 126MR and resealed by flaps 190, 194 and 134M.

FIGS. 26 through 28 show another embodiment of the invention in the form of bag 110N, which is similar to bag 110F of FIGS. 6 and 7 except that side panel 126N is rolled upon itself to seal the bottom of the bag along its bottom edge 132N, as shown in FIG. 28. Bottom edge 132N and bond line 172N may be bonded by adhesive 182N or some other known means.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the above bags are merely representative of the many possible embodiments of the invention and that the scope of the invention should not be limited thereto, but instead should only be limited according to the following claims.

Claims

1. A cooking bag, comprising:

a cooking compartment; and

a small mounting opening formed in said bag configured for mounting said cooking bag from a hanger in a cooking appliance.

2. The bag of claim 1, further comprising a residue trap.

3. The bag of claim 1, further comprising a reinforcing ring surrounding said mounting opening.

4. The bag of claim 1, wherein said cooking bag comprises an upper edge defining an opening and wherein said mounting opening is located adjacent to said upper edge.

5. The bag of claim 1, further comprising a food item sealed in said bag.

6. The bag of claim 1, wherein said food item is refrigerated or frozen.

7. The bag of claim 1, wherein said cooking bag comprises side edges and wherein gussets are formed along said side edges.

8. The bag of claim 1, further comprising a folded flap folded over a top portion of said cooking bag.

9. The bag of claim 1, further comprising an absorbent member located within said cooking bag.

10. The bag of claim 1, wherein said bag is formed as one of a series of bags formed from a tubular strip.

11. The bag of claim 1, further comprising a side panel, and wherein said mounting opening is formed as a hole through said side panel.

12. A cooking assembly, comprising:

a cooking appliance;

a bag mountable within said cooking appliance; and

a catch provided on said appliance for holding said bag in position within said cooking appliance.

13. The assembly of claim 12, wherein said catch comprises a projection engaging said bag.

14. The assembly of claim 12, wherein said catch comprises a post.

15. The assembly of claim 12, wherein said catch applies a spring bias against said bag.

16. A cooking bag for mounting in a cooking appliance with a hanger, comprising:

a cooking compartment; and

a mounting opening formed in said bag for positioning on the hanger to mount said cooking bag in the cooking appliance by hanging.

17. The bag of claim 16, further comprising a residue trap.

18. The bag of claim 16, further comprising a reinforcing ring surrounding said mounting opening.

19. The bag of claim 16, wherein said cooking bag comprises an upper edge defining a bag opening and wherein said mounting opening is located adjacent to said upper edge.

20. The bag of claim 16, wherein said cooking bag comprises side edges and wherein gussets are formed along said side edges.