CN107510379B - Air fryer - Google Patents

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention discloses an air fryer (100) comprising: a container (101); a heating device; a food support (102) having an air permeable bottom (1021); a partition (104) located in the container (101) and below the food support member (102), the partition (104) dividing a space within the container into a first chamber (1011) containing the food support member (102) and a second chamber (1012) located below the first chamber (1011); and a guide (105) located on the bottom wall (1013) of the container (101). A partition (104) at least partially prevents heat transfer from the first chamber (1011) to the second chamber (1012) and directs material falling from the gas permeable bottom (1021) of the food support (102) into the first chamber (1011) into the second chamber (1012). The air fryer (100) reduces the generation of oil smoke during cooking.

Description

Air fryer

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present invention relate to food preparation devices, and more particularly, to air fryers.

Background

An air fryer is an appliance that can cook, for example, fried food with hot air. The air fryer passes a flow of hot air over the food to increase heat transfer to the food, thereby reducing cooking time. The popularity of air fryers in the marketplace benefits from their ability to prepare food in much less oil than traditional frying. However, conventional air fryers still produce cooking fumes during use, especially when cooking fat-containing foods at temperatures above 140 degrees celsius.

Cooking fumes, one of the main drawbacks of air fryers, contain fine particles to contaminate the air and thus cause an unpleasant fume odor that persists for a long time. In addition, cooking fumes generated by the air fryer can also trigger alarms for smoke detectors and air purifiers. Smoke generation has been a major cause of non-technical returns for air fryer products and negative evaluations of air fryer products.

Accordingly, there is a need for an improved air fryer that is effective in dealing with cooking fumes.

Disclosure of Invention

When cooking meat foods (e.g., chicken, steak, ham, spareribs, fish, etc.) using current air fryers, the heat extracts water and grease from the meat. The extracted water and grease fall onto the chassis. The pan, which has a high temperature, heats the falling grease above its smoke point temperature (e.g., 200 degrees celsius), resulting in the generation of oil smoke. While water extracted from the food is rapidly heated to evaporate as it falls into the oil in the pan. The evaporation of water in the hot oil above 160 degrees celsius results in a burst of superheated steam. The steam of the burst carries a large number of oil droplets. These oil droplets are sputtered directly onto the heating tubes (which are at a temperature of about 400 degrees celsius) or are carried throughout the circulating air stream, so that they are immediately burned to produce a large amount of soot and smoke.

The present invention reduces or even eliminates the generation of oil smoke in air fryer applications by separating grease, debris and water from the cooked food and delivering it to a low temperature area away from the circulation of the hot gas stream.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an air fryer including: a container; a heating device located at the upper part of the container; a food support located in the container and having a breathable bottom; an air flow generating device configured to cause air heated by the heating device to form an air flow to heat food contained by the food support; a divider in the container below the food support member, the divider dividing a space within the container into a first chamber containing the food support member and a second chamber below the first chamber; and a guide member located on a bottom wall of the container. The divider at least partially blocks heat transfer from the first chamber to the second chamber and directs material falling into the first chamber from the gas permeable bottom of the food support into the second chamber, and the guide directs the material entering the second chamber from the first chamber in a direction away from a radial center of the container.

In some embodiments, the divider comprises a guide surface having an aperture in the center, the guide surface tapering from its outer edge to the aperture towards the bottom of the container to guide material falling into the first chamber to move along the guide surface and through the aperture into the second chamber.

In some embodiments, the guide member is aligned with the open hole on the guide surface of the partitioning member in the axial direction of the container, and the guide member has a guide surface that extends gradually obliquely away from the radial center of the container in a vertical direction from near the level of the open hole to the bottom wall of the container.

In some embodiments, the guide has a void between the guide and the aperture to allow a substance falling into the first chamber to pass through the void into the second chamber.

In certain embodiments, the guide as a whole is generally conical, pyramidal, helical, frusto-conical, frusto-pyramidal, or frusto-helical.

In certain embodiments, the food support member has an air-impermeable side wall that is spaced from an outer wall of the container by a first space, and an air-permeable bottom of the food support member is spaced from the guide surface of the divider by a second space, the first and second spaces forming part of an air circulation path within the first chamber and through the food support member.

In certain embodiments, the guide member partially protrudes through the opening into the first chamber, and the portion of the guide surface in the first chamber guides air from the second space through the air permeable bottom of the food support member into the food support member.

In certain embodiments, the food support member has a handle extending outside of the container, the food support member being supported in the container by the handle.

In certain embodiments, the divider further comprises a support wall by which the divider is supported on the bottom wall of the container.

In certain embodiments, the food support member is a grill pan or basket.

In some embodiments, the food support member is placed directly on the guide surface of the divider member.

In certain embodiments, the divider has a handle extending to the exterior of the container, the divider being supported in the container by the handle.

In some embodiments, the guide surface is inclined at an angle of 10 degrees or more relative to the bottom wall of the container.

In certain embodiments, the divider causes the temperature within the second chamber to be about 50 degrees celsius lower than the temperature within the first chamber during operation of the air fryer.

An air fryer according to an embodiment of the present invention reduces or even eliminates the generation of oil fumes during cooking of food in the air fryer by providing a partition to divide the space in a container into a first chamber and a second chamber and transferring substances generated during cooking to the second chamber having a relatively low temperature through the partition.

Drawings

The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become more apparent in conjunction with the following detailed description of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an air fryer in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a divider in the air fryer of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the air fryer of FIG. 1 with an alternative food support;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an air fryer in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the air fryer of FIG. 4.

Throughout the above figures, the same reference numerals will be understood to refer to the same, similar or corresponding features or functions.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. The examples are provided by way of illustration of the invention and are not intended as a limitation of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment, can be used on another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. It is intended that the present invention include these and other modifications and variations as fall within the scope and spirit of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows anair fryer 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Theair fryer 100 includes: acontainer 101; a heating device (not shown) located in the upper part of thecontainer 101, typically in a lid covering thecontainer 101; afood support 102 located in thecontainer 101; an airflow generating device (not shown), such as a fan. An air flow generating device is also typically provided above the container to create an air flow of air heated by the heating device. The heated airflow may flow over the surface of the food received by thefood support 102 to heat the food. Thefood support 102 generally has an airpermeable bottom 1021 to facilitate airflow to reach the bottom of food supported on thefood support 102 to facilitate heating of the food over the entire surface of the food. In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, thefood support member 102 is a grill plate on which food can be placed directly for cooking. Thefood support 102 may also be a basket with a gas permeable bottom and gas permeable sidewalls (see fig. 3), or a basin with a gas permeable bottom and gas impermeable sidewalls.

Air fryer 100 also includes adivider 104 positioned incontainer 101 and belowfood support member 102. Thedivider 104 divides the space within the container into afirst chamber 1011 containing thefood support 102 and asecond chamber 1012 located below thefirst chamber 1011. Thepartition 104 includes aguide surface 1042 having an opening 1041 in the center. Theguide surface 1042 slopes gradually from its outer edge to theaperture 1041 towards the bottom of thereceptacle 101 to guide matter, such as grease, food debris, and water, falling into thefirst chamber 1011 under the force of gravity to move along theguide surface 1042 towards theaperture 1041 and through theaperture 1041 into thesecond chamber 1012. Theguide surface 1042 may be a flat conical surface as shown in fig. 1, or may be a surface having other shapes such as a curved surface or a spiral surface. The inclination angle of theguide surface 1042 with respect to thebottom wall 1013 of thevessel 101 may be set arbitrarily as long as theguide surface 1042 inclines toward the bottom of thevessel 101 from the outer edge to theopening 1041 as a whole.

Advantageously, the angle of inclination of theguide surface 1042 with respect to thebottom wall 1013 of thevessel 101 may be above 10 degrees to better direct material falling onto theguide surface 1042 to the vicinity of theaperture 1041 and into thesecond chamber 1012 through theaperture 1041 by gravity and air flow.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, thedivider 104 has ahandle 1044 extending to the exterior of thecontainer 101, see also fig. 2. The bent portion of thehandle 1044 may rest in a notch on the sidewall of thecontainer 101 to support thedivider 104 in thecontainer 101. In this case, thefood supporting members 102 can be positioned by placing them directly on the guide surfaces 1042 of thedivider 104. Thehandle 1044, which extends outside the container, while providing a locating support for thedivider 104, also facilitates access by the user to thedivider 104 and thefood support member 102 placed thereon from outside thecontainer 101.

Optionally, asupport wall 1043 may be further provided below thepartition 104. Thesupport wall 1043 may extend vertically to near thebottom wall 1013 of thevessel 101 to further isolate thesecond chamber 1012 from thefirst chamber 1011 at the periphery between thedivider 104 and the side walls of thevessel 101.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, theopening 1041 is a starfish opening having a plurality of feet extending outwardly from a center. It should be understood that theopenings 1041 may be any shape, including simple circular or polygonal openings, so long as they allow the passage of substances through theopenings 1041.

When theair fryer 100 is used to cook food, the air heated by the heating device is driven by the airflow generating device to form a hot airflow. The hot air stream flows over and heats the food contained on thefood support 102. Grease, water, and food debris dislodged from the food being heated fall through the airpermeable bottom portion 1021 of thefood support member 102 onto theguide surface 1042 of thedivider 104 below thefood support member 102. Since theguide surface 1042 is inclined towards thebottom wall 1013 of thevessel 101 in the direction of thecentral opening 1041, under the influence of gravity in combination with the gas flow, these substances falling onto theguide surface 1042 will move along theguide surface 1042 to the vicinity of thecentral opening 1041 and fall through theopening 1041 into thesecond chamber 1012 below thepartition 104.

Since theguide surface 1042 of thepartition 104 separates thefirst chamber 1011 from thesecond chamber 1021 to a greater extent, the thermal radiation generated by the heating means located above thecontainer 101 in direct communication with thefirst chamber 1011 is at least partially blocked by thepartition 104; at the same time, the hot gas flow heated by the heating means is also at least partially blocked by thepartition 104 and less enters thesecond chamber 1012. Thus, convection and heat conduction through the air to thesecond chamber 1012 is also reduced. Thus, due to the obstruction of thedivider 104, the heat transfer from thefirst chamber 1011 to thesecond chamber 1012 is reduced, such that the temperature of thesecond chamber 1012 is significantly lower than the temperature of thefirst chamber 1011, and the temperature of thesecond chamber 1012 reaches a level below the smoke point temperature of the food being cooked. Thus, grease, water and food debris from the food being produced during cooking are guided away from the high temperaturefirst chamber 1011 and into thesecond chamber 1012 below its smoke point temperature by theguide surface 1042 in time. In thesecond chamber 1012, these substances are not continuously heated by the hot air circulation, and are not contacted with the high-temperature heating device, so that they are not heated to a temperature higher than the smoke point temperature to generate smoke. While thebottom wall 1013 of the container in thesecond chamber 1012 is also at a temperature below the smoke point temperature, even if these substances eventually fall onto thebottom wall 1013 of the container, they are not heated to the smoke point temperature by thebottom wall 1013 of the container and produce smoke. Therefore, the effect of reducing or even eliminating the oil smoke is achieved.

Theopening 1041 in the center of theguide surface 1042 should not be oversized to unduly impair the heat transfer blocking effect of thedivider 104. By properly sizing theopening 1041, the use of thepartition 104 allows the temperature in thesecond chamber 1012 to be lower than the temperature in thefirst chamber 1011 by about 50 degrees celsius during the operation of theair fryer 100, so as to achieve the effect of effectively avoiding oil smoke.

As shown in fig. 1, advantageously, there may also be aguide 105 on thebottom wall 1013 of thecontainer 101. Theguide 105 has a cross-sectional area that gradually increases from the top to the bottom thereof, and is generally conical, pyramidal, spiral conical, truncated pyramidal, or truncated spiral conical as a whole. Theguide 105 is aligned with thehole 1041 in theguide surface 1042 of thepartitioning member 104 in the axial direction of thevessel 101, and theguide 105 has aguide surface 1051 extending obliquely gradually away from the radial center of thevessel 101 in the vertical direction from the vicinity of the level of thehole 1041 to thebottom wall 1013 of thevessel 101. Advantageously, the top of theguide 105 may protrude into thefirst chamber 1011 through anopening 1041. There is a suitable gap between theguide 105 and theaperture 1041 to allow a substance falling into thefirst chamber 1011 to pass through the gap into thesecond chamber 1012.

Theguide 105 may on the one hand shield a substantial area of the center of theopening 1041, leaving only a gap around the periphery of theopening 1041 for the passage of substances such as grease, thereby further separating thefirst chamber 1011 from thesecond chamber 1012 to the advantageous effect of better blocking the heat transfer from thefirst chamber 1011 to thesecond chamber 1012 to achieve a lower temperature of thesecond chamber 1012.

At the same time, the downwardly inclined extendingguide surface 1051 from the center to the periphery on theguide member 105 will further guide the substance dropped thereon from thefirst compartment 1011 through theopening 1041 to move along theguide surface 1051 in a direction away from the radial center of thecontainer 101. This will allow the substances falling into thesecond chamber 1012 to be stored further away from theopening 1041, and this will further protect these substances falling into thesecond chamber 1012 from the local high temperatures in the vicinity of theopening 1041 due to the local exposure to thefirst chamber 1011, so that these substances can be kept at a lower temperature in thesecond chamber 1012.

In addition, the substantial shielding of theopening 1041 by theguide 105 and the guiding of the substance away from theopening 1041 also prevents the hot gas flow in thefirst chamber 1011 from substantially entering thesecond chamber 1012 through theopening 1041 and blowing back the substance that has fallen into thesecond chamber 1012 into thefirst chamber 1011 again.

Fig. 4-5 illustrate an air fryer in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention. The air fryer of this second embodiment is similar in structure to the air fryer of the first embodiment described previously and also collects material falling from the airpermeable bottom 1021 of thefood support member 102 onto all over theguide surface 1042 into thesecond chamber 1012 below thepartition 104 based on the principles as described with respect to the air fryer of the first embodiment to the effect that the temperature of the collected material is kept below the smoke point to avoid the generation of oil smoke.

The air fryer of this second embodiment differs from the previously described air fryer of the first embodiment in that thefood support member 102 has an airimpermeable side wall 1022, theside wall 1022 being spaced from the outer wall of thecontainer 101 by afirst space 106; and thepartition 104 further comprises asupport wall 1043, thepartition 104 being supported by thesupport wall 1043 on thebottom wall 1013 of thecontainer 101, and asecond space 107 being spaced between the airpermeable bottom 1021 of thefood support member 102 and theguide surface 1042 of thepartition 104. Thefirst space 106 is in communication with thesecond space 107 to form part of an air circulation path within thefirst compartment 1011 and through thefood support 102. During operation of the air fryer, the hot air flow generated by the air flow generating means can enter thefirst space 106 from the top of thefood support member 102 and reach thesecond space 107, and then re-enter the interior of thefood support member 102 from the airpermeable bottom portion 1021 of thefood support member 102, thereby achieving circulation of the hot air flow inside and outside thefood support member 102. This circulation of the hot gas flow can increase the efficiency with which the hot gas flow heats the food in thefood support 102, thereby increasing the cooking efficiency of the air fryer.

Advantageously, theguide 105 may partially protrude into thefirst chamber 1011 through theopening 1041. The portion of theguide surface 1051 extending downward from the center to the periphery, which is located in thefirst chamber 1011, can also be used to guide the hot air flow. When the aforementioned circulating hot air flow flows from thesecond space 107 along theguide surface 1042 sloping towards thebottom 1013 of the container and hits theguide surface 1051 projecting into thefirst compartment 1011, theguide surface 1051 at an angle to theguide surface 1042 will guide the hot air flow along the extension direction of theguide surface 1051 towards the upper side of thecontainer 101, i.e. the hot air flow is guided from below thefood support 102 through the air permeable bottom 1021 into thefood support 102. Therefore, theguide member 105 further improves the efficiency of the circulation of the hot air flow, thereby further improving the cooking efficiency of the air fryer.

As shown in fig. 4, theguide 105 may also be formed in a spiral shape, so that theguide surface 1051 is formed in a spiral surface. The helical surface helps to direct the hot gas stream into thefood support 102 in a rotational motion, further increasing the efficiency with which the hot gas stream heats the food. It should be noted that the shape of theaperture 1041 should match the cross-sectional shape of theguide 105 so that the gap between the edge of theaperture 1041 and theguide 105 is not too large to reduce the heat transfer blocking effect of thepartition 104.

In this embodiment, thefood support 102 has a handle 1044' that extends outside of thecontainer 101. Thebent portion 1045 of the handle 1044' may rest in thenotch 1014 on the sidewall of thereceptacle 101 to support thefood support 102 in thereceptacle 101. The handle 1044' extending outside the container, while providing a locating support for thefood support 102, also facilitates access to thefood support 102 by a user from outside thecontainer 101.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiments are given for describing the principles of the present invention, and not for limiting the scope thereof; and it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as those skilled in the art readily understand. Such modifications and variations are considered to be within the purview and scope of the invention and the appended claims. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, any reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting the claim. Use of the verb "comprise" and its conjugations does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those stated in a claim. The indefinite article "a" or "an" preceding an element or step does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements.

Claims (14)

1. An air fryer (100), comprising:

a container (101);

a heating device located in the upper part of the container (101);

a food support (102) located in the container (101) and having an air permeable bottom (1021);

an air flow generating device configured to cause air heated by the heating device to form an air flow to heat food contained by the food support (102);

a divider (104) located in the container (101) and below the food support member (102), the divider (104) dividing a space within the container into a first chamber (1011) containing the food support member (102) and a second chamber (1012) located below the first chamber (1011); and

a guide (105) located on a bottom wall (1013) of the container (101);

wherein the partition (104) at least partially prevents heat transfer from the first chamber (1011) to the second chamber (1012) and directs substance falling into the first chamber (1011) from a gas permeable bottom (1021) of the food support (102) into the second chamber (1012), and the guide (105) directs the substance entering the second chamber (1012) from the first chamber (1011) in a direction away from a radial center of the container (101).

2. An air fryer according to claim 1, wherein the partition (104) comprises a guide surface (1042) having an opening (1041) in the centre, the guide surface (1042) tapering from its outer edge to the opening (1041) towards the bottom of the vessel (101) to guide the substance falling into the first chamber (1011) to move along the guide surface (1042) and through the opening (1041) into the second chamber (1012).

3. An air fryer according to claim 2, wherein the guide (105) is aligned in the axial direction of the vessel (101) with an aperture (1041) in the guide surface (1042) of the partition (104), and the guide (105) has a guide surface (1051) extending obliquely gradually away from the radial centre of the vessel (101) in a vertical direction from the vicinity of the level of the aperture (1041) to the bottom wall (1013) of the vessel (101).

4. An air fryer according to claim 3, wherein there is a gap between the guide (105) and the aperture (1041) to allow substances falling into the first chamber (1011) to enter the second chamber (1012) through the gap.

5. An air fryer according to claim 4, wherein the guide (105) as a whole has a conical, pyramidal, spiral conical, truncated pyramidal or truncated spiral conical shape.

6. An air fryer according to any of claims 3-5, wherein the food support (102) has an air-impermeable side wall (1022), a first space (106) being spaced between the side wall (1022) and an outer wall of the container (101), and a second space (107) being spaced between an air-permeable bottom (1021) of the food support (102) and the guide surface (1042) of the partition (104), the first space (106) and the second space (107) forming part of an air circulation path within the first chamber (1011) and through the food support (102).

7. An air fryer according to claim 6, wherein the guide (105) protrudes partially into the first compartment (1011) through the aperture (1041) and the portion of the guiding surface (1051) located in the first compartment (1011) guides air from the second space (107) through the air permeable bottom (1021) of the food support (102) into the food support (102).

8. An air fryer according to claim 6, wherein the food support member (102) has a handle (1044 ') extending to the outside of the vessel (101), the food support member (102) being supported in the vessel (101) by means of the handle (1044').

9. An air fryer according to claim 6, wherein the partition (104) further comprises a support wall (1043), the partition (104) being supported on the bottom wall (1013) of the vessel (101) by the support wall (1043).

10. An air fryer according to any one of claims 2-5, wherein the food support member (102) is a grating disk or basket.

11. An air fryer according to claim 10, wherein the food supporting member (102) is placed directly on the guiding surface (1042) of the partition (104).

12. An air fryer according to claim 10, wherein the partition (104) has a handle (1044) extending to the outside of the container (101), the partition (104) being supported in the container (101) by the handle (1044).

13. An air fryer according to any one of claims 2-5, wherein the angle of inclination of the guiding surface (1042) with respect to the bottom wall (1013) of the vessel (101) is above 10 degrees.

14. The air fryer according to any of claims 1-5, wherein the partition (104) causes a temperature within the second chamber (1012) to be 50 degrees Celsius lower than a temperature within the first chamber (1011) in operation of the air fryer (100).

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