FR3066368B1 - METHOD AND DEVICE FOR PRODUCING SMOKE AND REFRIGERATION - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing smoke and refrigeration of foods or beverages (1), and to a device for implementing such a method. The method according to the invention comprises the following steps according to which: a device (2) for generating smoke is provided, this device comprising at least one tray (3), each tray (3) comprising a tray (4) of water and a grid (5) removable perforated for the evacuation of smoke; dry ice (7) is placed in the tank (4); and filling the tank (4) with warm water (8), brought to a temperature of between 25 and 40 ° C in a ratio of dry ice weight / warm water weight between 1/4 and 1/10.

Description

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR PRODUCING SMOKE AND REFRIGERATION

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method for producing smoke and refrigerating food or beverages. It also relates to a device for implementing such a method.

PRIOR ART

In general, foods are served in dishes, plates, cups, or in any receptacles. Drinks are served in glasses of different shapes and sizes.

The drinks are usually served cold, or at room temperature. The food is, as the case may be, served hot, cold or at room temperature. When food and beverages are served cold, in restaurants, bars or at receptions, they have often been stored in a refrigerator beforehand. However, in the vast majority of cases, they are not served with refrigeration means, intended to maintain their temperature below the ambient temperature. Only in some cases, which are rare, are foods or beverages served in trays with ice, which allows them to be refrigerated, for example, when these foods or beverages are particularly sensitive to heat. Examples include seafood served in trays with ice cream. Another example is the bottles of various drinks contained in pots or ice buckets.

In addition, the owners of restaurants, bars or reception areas, need to attract their customers by highlighting the food or drinks served. It is known that the customer is generally sensitive to the effects of smoke or even light. Smoke should not be odor or toxic to food or beverages or to customers. It should not be hot, the foods and beverages object of the present invention to be kept at temperatures often below room temperature.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, a problem to be solved by the invention is to provide a method which allows the production of a cold, non-toxic smoke which promotes the maintenance at temperatures below the ambient temperature of food or Drinks served in any reception area. The technical problem is to generate a cold and nontoxic smoke while promoting the maintenance of food at temperatures below room temperature, for their conservation.

The solution of the invention to this problem has as its first object a method for producing smoke and refrigeration of food or beverages, comprising the steps of: providing a device for producing smoke, this device comprising at least one tray, each tray comprising, on the one hand, a water retention tank and, on the other hand, a perforated removable grid, said grid having openings for evacuation of the smoke produced in the tray; dry ice is placed in the tank; the tank is filled with warm water, brought to a temperature of between 25 and 40 ° C in a ratio dry ice / weight of warm water between 1/4 and 1/10; we close the tray by the removable grid; and the food and / or drinks are placed on the grill, the smoke produced by the melting of the dry ice in the warm water is evacuated by the openings of the grate, the temperature of the warm water contained in the tank decreases at a temperature below room temperature.

The dry ice temperature is approximately -80 ° C. When this is brought into contact with warm water inside the tank, smoke is produced. This smoke is evacuated by the appropriate openings of the grid covering the tank. Warm water cools on contact with dry ice. When the temperature of the warm water is between 25 and 40 ° C and the ratio by weight: weight of dry ice / weight of the warm water is between 1/3 and 1/10 then, not only, of the smoke is released in significant quantities but the temperature of the water after melting of the dry ice is brought to a temperature below the ambient temperature generally between 19 ° C and 21 ° C, which promotes the conservation of food and drinks.

Moreover, the second object of the invention is to provide a device for implementing the above-mentioned method of producing smoke and refrigerating food or beverages, characterized in that it comprises: a retention tank for water; and a removable grid covering said pan, said grid having openings for evacuation of smoke produced in the tray.

Preferably, the food or drink is contained in containers; - the grid is provided with housing in which are arranged food and / or drinks; - The device is made of a transparent material, and is provided with lighting means; - It is equipped with light-emitting diodes controlled by a control box; and it comprises three superposed trays of different dimensions and at least one vertical tube for holding the trays.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES The invention will be better understood on reading the nonlimiting description which follows, written with reference to the appended drawings, in which: FIGS. 1A and 1B are views, respectively, in elevation and in profile of a device according to the invention for the production of smoke and the storage of highly alcoholic beverages contained in glasses of reduced dimensions whose capacity corresponds to a sip according to a first embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 1C is a front view representative of the grid of this device; FIGS. 2A to 2B are views, respectively, in elevation and in profile of a device according to the invention for the production of smoke and the storage of highly alcoholic beverages contained in glasses of reduced dimensions whose capacity corresponds to a sip according to a second embodiment of the invention, and Figure 2C is a front view representative of the grid of this device; FIG. 3A is an elevational view of a device for producing smoke and for conserving highly alcoholic beverages contained in glasses of reduced size whose capacity corresponds to a sip according to a third embodiment of the invention and the Figure 3B shows, in front view, the removable grid covering the water retention tank, for this device; and FIG. 4 is an elevational view of a device for producing smoke and for conserving highly alcoholic beverages and preserving highly alcoholic beverages contained in glasses of reduced dimensions, according to a fourth embodiment of the invention. invention, called "Totem".

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a method for producing smoke and refrigeration of food or drink.

The method according to the invention is implemented, for example, in restaurants, bars, or in any reception areas, authorized to receive customers.

Foods 1 are served cold, at room temperature or at a temperature below room temperature. It's not about hot foods. In an exemplary embodiment, these foods 1 are sushi. The drinks 1 are likewise freshly served beverages, that is to say at temperatures below room temperature. This includes, for example, but not exclusively, strong alcohols.

The food is possibly contained in any receptacles. It is for example cups, ramekins, or small plates. The drinks are always contained in glasses or containers of any kind. It is for example glasses of small capacity, corresponding to a sip for example. The nature of the containers, glasses and containers is arbitrary: they can be plastic, earthenware, glass, or any other material.

In a first step of the method according to the invention, there is provided a device 2 for producing smoke and preserving foodstuffs. This device comprises at least one plate 3, each tray 3 comprising, on the one hand, a tray 4 for water retention and, on the other hand, a perforated removable grid 5. The tray 2 is a tray which comprises a bottom and, for example, four sides, the assembly forming a substantially rectangular parallelepiped. It is covered with the removable grid 5. The grid 5 is perforated. It has openings 6. These openings 6 are intended for the evacuation of the smoke produced in the tank 4. In addition, the grid 5 is provided with housings 5-1 in which are arranged the food and / or drinks 1.

In a second step of the process according to the invention, dry ice 7 is placed in the tank 4. The dry ice is at a temperature of the order of -80 ° C. It is for example in the form of sticks.

The tank 4 is then filled with lukewarm water 8, brought to a temperature of between 25 and 40 ° C., in a ratio by weight of dry ice / warm water specifically chosen to be between 1/3 and 1/10. When the grid 5 has housings 5-1, then these housings 5-1 are in contact with the water 8 contained in the tank 4.

Then closes the tray 4 with the removable grid 5. In practice, the dimensions and the shape of the grid 5 correspond to those of the tray 4. If the tray 4 has a circular profile, then the grid 5 forms a disc of the same diameter.

In another step of the process according to the invention, the foodstuffs or beverages contained in glasses are placed on the grid 5. If the grid 5 has housings 5-1, then the food or beverages are arranged in these dwellings. 5-1. Note that the housing 5-1 have shapes and dimensions adapted to receive containers, cups or glasses for example, containing food or drinks.

In contact with water 8 tepid, dry ice 7 sublimates. When the weight ratio dry ice / warm water is specifically chosen to be between 1/4 and 1/10, and the temperature of the warm water is itself between 25 and 40 ° C, an intense smoke and white is produced. This white smoke is composed of carbon dioxide. This is a cold smoke and not hot. This smoke is not likely to heat food or beverages arranged on the grid 5. In addition, the temperature of the warm water 8 decreases and it is brought to a temperature below room temperature. This is a significant temperature gradient, this difference being sufficient to keep foods and beverages at acceptable temperatures for customers before consumption. The higher the temperature of the warm water, the higher the temperature gradient, and the smoke is intense. A so-called cold water, especially at a temperature below 10 ° C, would not have been enough to produce enough smoke. The smoke is evacuated through the openings 6 formed in the grid 5 and spreads at the level of food / beverages.

The device 2 according to the invention is advantageously transparent. It is for example made of plastic, including polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). When the device is partially or completely transparent, it is advantageously provided with illumination means 9, for example light-emitting diodes (LEDs) organized in ribbon. In such a case, the device 2 also advantageously comprises a control box 10 of these LEDs.

It can also be provided with feet 11 for its stabilization.

The aforementioned steps are not necessarily ordered in the manner presented. For example, the dry ice rods 7 can be added after the addition of warm water 8 in the tank 4.

The following examples propose different embodiments of devices according to the invention.

Example 1: bar for 10 small glasses

This example refers to Figures IA to IC. The device 2 then constitutes a bar of the order of 1 m long and 7 cm wide and comprises a single plate 3. This plate comprises a removable grid 5 provided with housing 5-1 to receive the drinks 1 contained in glasses 1-1.

Example 2: sushi tray

This example refers to Figures 2A to 2C. The device 2 then comprises a tank of 500 mm x 300 mm with a depth of 70 mm. The grid 5 is perforated to let the smoke produced. The openings 5-1 of this grid 5 form grooves in the grid. A ratio by dry ice / warm water is calculated so that when the tank 4 is filled with warm water at 30 ° C to a height of 30 mm, this ratio is between 1/3 and 1/5. The dry ice and water then produce smoke and the water cools to a temperature below room temperature, which keeps the sushi arranged directly on the grill 5 cool. In practice the smoke release time is of the order of 4 minutes.

Example 3: Tray for 11 small glasses

This example refers to Figures 3A and 3B. In this example, the device 2 comprises a single circular plate 3. The grid 4 shown in FIG. 3B comprises housings 5-1 for 11 glasses of reduced dimensions. Various openings 6 are provided for the exhaust of the fumes produced. The shapes of these openings are different, in droplets or in flute.

Example 4: Totem device

This example refers to Figure 4. As shown in this figure, the device 2 comprises three trays 3 superimposed and autonomous. The first plate 3, in the upper part of the device 2, has a diameter of 200 mm and can accommodate 5 slots for glasses. The second plate 3, intermediate, has a diameter of 300 mm and can receive 10 slots for glasses. The third plate 3, lower, has a diameter of 500 mm and can receive 20 slots for glasses. Two vertical tubes 12-1 and 12-2 pass through all three trays 3 and interlock to hold these trays. All trays have a grid 4 having openings in the form of a flute and droplet to allow the smoke to escape. The method used for the release of smoke is the same as that described above.

Claims (7)

A method for producing smoke and refrigeration of food or beverages (1), comprising the steps of: providing a smoke generation device (2), which device comprises at least one tray (3), each tray (3) comprising, on the one hand, a tray (4) of water retention and, on the other hand, a perforated removable grid (5), said grid (5) having openings (6) for the evacuation of the smoke produced in the tank (4); dry ice (7) is placed in the tank (4); the tank (4) is filled with lukewarm water (8), brought to a temperature of between 25 and 40 ° C. in a ratio of dry ice weight, to a weight of lukewarm water of between 1/4 and 1/10; the tray (4) is closed by the removable grid (5); and disposing the food and / or beverages (1) on the grate (5), the smoke produced by the melting of the dry ice (7) in the warm water (8) is evacuated through the openings (6) in the grid (5), the temperature of the warm water contained in the tank (4) decreases at a temperature below room temperature. 2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the food or drinks (1) are contained in containers (1-1). 3. Method according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the grid (5) is provided with housings (5-1) in which are arranged food and / or drinks (1). 4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device (2) is made of a transparent material, and in that it is provided with lighting means (9). 5. Device (1) for implementing the process for producing smoke and refrigeration of food or drink according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it comprises at least one tray (3) each tray comprising a tray (4) of water retention and a perforated removable grid (5) covering said tray (4), said grid (5) having openings (6) for the evacuation of the smoke produced in the tray (4) and in that the tray (3) is made of transparent plastic. 6. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that. that it is. equipped with light-emitting diodes (9) controlled by a control box (10). 7. Device according to one of claims 5 to 6, characterized in that it comprises three plates (3) superimposed of different dimensions and at least one vertical tube (12-1, 12-2) for the maintenance of said trays ( 3).