Vertical steamer

Abstract

A vertical steamer for flavoring a bird during cooking in a closed cooker includes a hollow frustum bottom having a closed flat base. The cooker further includes a hollow cylindrical top having an open end and a plurality of circular openings located in the cylindrical top.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention relates in general to a vertical steamer and, more specifically, to a vertical steamer having a frustum bottom and an open cylindrical top for cooking a whole bird such as, for example, chicken, turkey, hen by placing the bird upright over the open cylindrical top of the steamer.

2. History of Related Art

Birds such as, for example, chickens are usually cooked by either being roasted in a baking dish or being placed on a rotary spit within an oven. Many people prefer the chicken to be cooked on a rotary spit instead of resting on a baking dish. However, by cooking the chicken on the rotary spit, the juices drip off the chicken sometimes causing the chicken to become dry.

Another method of cooking a whole chicken involves placing the chicken upright over a container of liquid. More specifically, the chicken is placed over an open beer can and roasted inside a closed cooker. The heat from the closed cooker causes the liquid in the can such as, for example, beer to vaporize causing the vapors from the liquid in the can to be released inside the chicken, contributing flavor and moisture to the chicken while the chicken cooks. However, cooking the chicken by placing the chicken upright on the beer can does not always work because the chicken can topple over while being cooked.

Therefore, there is a need for an improved steamer which allows a whole bird such as, for example, chicken, turkey, hen to be placed upright over the open cylindrical top of the steamer for cooking the bird and contributing flavor and moisture to the bird from the liquid placed inside the steamer.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A vertical steamer for flavoring a bird during cooking in a closed cooker including a hollow frustum bottom having a closed flat base. The cooker further includes a hollow cylindrical top having an open end and a plurality of circular openings located in the cylindrical top.

An alternate embodiment includes a vertical steamer for flavoring a bird during cooking in a closed cooker including a hollow frustum bottom having a closed flat base. The cooker further includes a hollow cylindrical top having an open end and a plurality of steam jets located in the cylindrical top. The above summary of the invention is not intended to represent each embodiment or every aspect of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the method and apparatus of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the following Detailed Description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying Drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the vertical steamer according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the vertical steamer according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a is a top view of the vertical steamer according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is cross-sectional view taken along lines A-A of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines A-A of FIG. 3 with a chicken placed on the steamer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Embodiment(s) of the invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying Drawings. The invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiment(s) set forth herein. The invention should only be considered limited by the claims and the equivalents thereof.

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1-5 thereof, a novel vertical steamer embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described.

FIG. 1 illustrates a vertical steamer 10 comprising a unitary wall structure including a hollow frustum bottom 12 connected to a hollow cylindrical top 14. According to embodiments of the present invention, the hollow frustum bottom 12 is formed from a part of a hollow conical or pyramidal shape which is left by cutting off a top portion by a plane parallel to the base. The hollow frustum bottom 12 includes a closed flat base 16 which is integrally attached around its perimeter to a bottom edge of a side wall 32 of the hollow frustum bottom 12. The hollow cylindrical top 14 includes an open end 18. The cylindrical top 14 includes an inner surface 28 and an outer surface 30 of a side wall 31 which is integrally attached to a top of the hollow frustum bottom 12.

As further depicted in FIG. 1, the side wall 31 of the hollow cylindrical top 14 of the vertical steamer 10 further includes a plurality of circular openings 20, 22, 24, 26. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of circular openings 20, 22, 24, 26 are located approximately ¼″ below a top peripheral edge 34 of the open end 18 of the cylindrical top 14 and are approximately ¼″ in diameter. In one embodiment of the present invention, the vertical steamer 10 includes four circular openings 20, 22, 24, 26 in the side wall 31 of the cylindrical top 14. Although the vertical steamer 10 is disclosed as including four circular openings 20, 22, 24, 26, it will be appreciated that the vertical steamer 10 according to the present invention can include any number of circular openings such as, for example, two, three, four, five, etc.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of circular openings 20, 22, 24, 26 are formed such that circular openings 20, 24 and 22, 26 are oriented opposite one another. The plurality of circular openings 20, 22, 24, 26 are utilized for a variety of purposes including vapor release, fluid release, air flow, drainage, display, etc. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of circular openings 20, 22, 24, 26 allow vapors from a heated liquid placed inside the hollow frustum bottom 12 of the vertical steamer 10 to be applied to the inside of the chicken, contributing flavor and moisture to the chicken while the chicken cooks after being placed inside a closed cooker. Thus, the plurality of circular openings 20, 22, 24, 26 according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention can also be referred to as a plurality of steam jets 20, 22, 24, 26 for allowing vapors from the heated liquid to be applied to the inside of the chicken while the chicken cooks after being placed inside the closed cooker.

The vertical steamer includes a unitary one piece wall structure (formed of walls 31, 32 and base 16) that can be made of various materials which are flame resistant and heat resistant. In one embodiment of the present invention, the vertical steamer 10 can be made from a material that is heat resistant, hygienic, easy to clean, e.g., ceramic. Although the vertical steamer 10 is disclosed as being formed of ceramic, it will be appreciated that the vertical steamer 10 according to the present invention can be formed from a variety of different materials such as, for example, aluminum, steel, glass, porcelain, stoneware, and the like.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of the vertical steamer 10 according to the present invention. FIG. 2 illustrates at least one circular opening 22 of the plurality of circular openings 22, 24, 26, 28 on the wall 31 of the cylindrical top 14 of the vertical steamer 10. FIG. 2 further illustrates the vertical steamer 10 having a flat base 16 which is integrally attached around its perimeter to the bottom edge of the side wall 32 of the hollow frustum bottom 12.

FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of the vertical steamer according to the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along lines A-A of FIG. 3. FIG. 4 illustrates the vertical steamer 10 having a flat base 16 which is integrally attached around its perimeter to a bottom edge of a side wall 32 of the hollow frustum bottom 12. FIG. 4 further illustrates the plurality of circular openings 20, 24, 26. FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along lines A-A of FIG. 3 with a chicken placed on the vertical steamer 10.

With reference to FIG. 1-5, the manner of using the vertical steamer 10 will be described. The hollow frustum bottom 12 of the vertical steamer 10 is adapted to be filled with a flavoring liquid such as, for example, oil, fruit juice, beer, wine, or a marinate. A bird such as, for example, chicken, turkey, hen or the like is placed over the cylindrical top 14 of the vertical steamer such that the cavity of the bird sits on the cylindrical top 14 surrounding the plurality of circular openings 22, 24, 26, 28. The cylindrical top 14 of the vertical steamer 10 holds the bird upright and the bottom 12 provides stability. The vertical cooker 10 with the bird placed over the cylindrical top 14 is placed inside a closed cooker for roasting the chicken. The closed cooker may be, for example, a kitchen oven, a charcoal grill, a smoker, a roaster, a kamado cooker or the like.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the heat from the closed cooker causes the flavoring liquid to heat up. The heated liquid travels through the cylindrical top 14 of the vertical cooker infusing the bird with flavor and moisture while evenly cooking the bird from inside out. The heat from the closed cooker further causes the flavoring liquid to vaporize. According to embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of circular openings 22, 24, 26, 28 act as steam jets allowing vapors from the liquid to be released along the outer surface 30 for application inside the bird thus contributing flavor and moisture to the bird while the bird cooks.

Although preferred embodiments of the method and apparatus of the present invention have been illustrated in the accompanying Drawings and described in the foregoing Detailed Description, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications and substitutions without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth and defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A vertical steamer for flavoring a bird during cooking in a closed cooker, consisting of:

a hollow frustum-shaped bottom section having a closed flat base which does not extend past a perimeter of the bottom section and an open top for containing a liquid during cooking;

a hollow circular cylindrical-shaped top section extending from the open top of the hollw frustum-shaped bottom section and having an open top end through which cooking liquid escapes during cooking; and

a plurality of circular openings located in a wall of the hollw circular cylindrical-shaped top section also through which cooking liquid escapes during cooking.

2. The vertical steamer of claim 1, wherein the plurality of circular openings are located in the wall about ¼″ below a top peripheral edge of the open top end of the circular cylindrical-shaped top section.

3. The vertical steamer of claim 1, wherein the plurality of circular openings are about ¼″ in diameter.

4. The vertical steamer of claim 1, wherein the vertical steamer comprises no more than four circular openings equally spaced about a perimeter of the circular cylindrical-shaped top section.

5. The vertical steamer of claim 1, wherein the plurality of circular openings are sized to permit air flow and drainage.

6. The vertical steamer of claim 1, wherein the plurality of circular openings are sized to assist with display.

7. The vertical steamer of claim 1, wherein the circular cylindrical-shaped top section of the vertical steamer is sized to be placed within a cavity of the bird for holding the bird in an upright position.

8. The vertical steamer of claim 1, wherein the hollow frustum-shaped bottom section and the hollow circular cylindrical-shaped top section are formed by a unitary side wall.

9. A vertical steamer for flavoring a bird during cooking in a closed cooker, consisting of:

a hollow frustum-shaped bottom section having a closed flat base and an open top end;

a hollow circular cylindrical-shaped top section extending from the open top end of the hollow frustum-shaped bottom section and having an open top end; and

a plurality of steam openings located in a woll of the hollow circular cylindrical-shaped top section.

10. The vertical steamer of claim 9, wherein the plurality of openings are located in the wall about ¼″ below a top peripheral edge of the open top end of the circular cylindrical-shaped top section.

11. The vertical steamer of claim 9, wherein the plurality of steam openings are circular.

12. The vertical steamer of claim 9, wherein the vertical steamer comprises no more than four steam openings.

13. The vertical steamer of claim 9, wherein the plurality of steam openings are sized to permit air flow and drainage.

14. The vertical steamer of claim 9, wherein the plurality of steam openings are sized to assist with display.

15. The vertical steamer of claim 9, wherein the circular cylindrical-shaped top section of the vertical steamer is sized to be placed within a cavity of the bird for holding the bird in an upright position.

16. The vertical steamer of claim 9, wherein the hollow frustum-shaped bottom section and the hollow circular cylindrical-shaped top section are formed by a unitary side wall.

17. A vertical steamer, consisting of:

a unitary side wall defining a hollow cylindrical shape, the shape including a bottom section coupled to a top section, the bottom section having a circular frustum shape tapering inwardly and the top section having a circular cylindrical shape extending vertically with an open circular top end allowing for the escape of cooking liquid;

a flat base having an outer edge coincident with an outer circumference of a bottom edge of the bottom section of the hollow cylindrical shape to close the bottom edge of the bottom section of the hollow cylindrical shape for retaining cooking liquid; and

a plurality of steam openings located in the unitary side wall only in the area of the circular cylindrical shape top section allowing for the escape of cooking liquid.