Cooking surface

Abstract

A cooking surface is defined by uppersides of a series of parallel closely spaced grill bars. A corresponding series of burners extend respectively along and adjacent an underside of the bars. Melted fats or other material falling from or between the bars fall past a combustion zone around the burners and food on the surface is shielded from the radiant heat of the burner.

1 . A cooking surface defined by an upperside of a series of parallel closely spaced bars and a corresponding series of burners extending respectively along and adjacent an underside of each bar so that melted fats or other material falling from or between the bars fall past a combustion zone around the burners and food on the surface is shielded from the radiant heat of the burners.  
   
   
       2 . A cooking surface as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said bars have a substantially flat underside.  
   
   
       3 . A cooking surface as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said bars are concave on the underside.  
   
   
       4 . A cooking surface as claimed in  claim 3  wherein the grill bars are formed by a central flat section with downwardly angled flanges along the longitudinal sides.  
   
   
       5 . A cooking surface as claimed in  claim 4  wherein the gaps between the ratio of the area of the bars forming the cooking surface to the spaces between the bars is about 2.5:1.  
   
   
       6 . A cooking surface as claimed in  claim 5  wherein the burners are positioned and configured so that the gas flame has an outer mantle just reaches the underside of the corresponding bar.  
   
   
       7 . A cooking surface as claimed in  claim 6  wherein the burners are supplied with gas from a manifold extending adjacent one edge of the cooking surface.  
   
   
       8 . A cooking surface as claimed in  claim 7  wherein said burners have gas ports respectively increasing in size in the direction away from the supply manifold.  
   
   
       9 . A cooking surface as claimed in  claim 8  wherein the burners have an oval shaped cross section and the elongated dimension of the oval is arranged vertically.  
   
   
       10 . A cooking surface as claimed in  claim 8  wherein the grill bars slope upwardly away from the manifold to provide a flue for the gas burner and ensure complete combustion.  
   
   
       11 . A cooking surface as claimed in  claim 10  wherein the burners have a slope of about 1%.  
   
   
       12 . A cooking surface as claimed in  claim 11  wherein the temperature of the grill bars is controlled to between 280° and 295° C.  
   
   
       13 . A cooking surface as claimed in  claim 12  further including a temperature sensor to provide an input to a feedback gas control to maintain the grill bar temperature at a selected level.  
   
   
       14 . A cooking surface as claimed in  claim 13  wherein the grill bars are convex on the upper surface.  
   
   
       15 . A cooking surface as claimed in  claim 14  wherein the gas burners are arranged in a series of discrete banks each including a selected number of burners.  
   
   
       16 . A cooking surface as claimed in  claim 15  wherein each of the banks has its own subsidiary manifold with a gas cock supplied from a primary manifold under the control of a single regulator valve.  
   
   
       17 . A cooking surface as claimed in  claim 16  wherein the bars are mounted by lower edges engaging tracks formed in transversely extending mounting rails.  
   
   
       18 . A vented barbeque hood assembly including a hood to cover at least part of a cooking surface and enclose a cooking region, a vent opening in said hood to provide a passageway for egress from the cooking region, and a manually operated baffle cooperating with said vent opening and selectively operable to move between an open position in which egress from the cooking region is permitted and a closed position in which egress is substantially prevented.  
   
   
       19 . A vented barbeque hood as claimed in  claim 18  wherein the baffle is formed by a part cylindrical member rotatable about its axis to move between the closed and open positions.  
   
   
       20 . A vented barbeque hood as claimed in  claim 19  wherein the opening extends along substantially all of a rear edge of the hood.  
   
   
       21 . A vented barbeque hood as claimed in  claim 20  wherein the cylindrical baffle is mounted on an axle and a handle is connected for rotation of the axle to move the baffle between the open and closed positions.  
   
   
       22 . A barbeque including a cooking surface as claimed in  claim 1 .  
   
   
       23 . A barbeque including a vented barbeque hood as claimed in  claim 18 .  
   
   
       24 . A barbeque including a cooking surface defined by an upperside of a series of parallel closely spaced bars and a corresponding series of burners extending respectively along and adjacent an underside of each bar so that melted fats or other material falling from or between the bars fall past a combustion zone around the burners and food on the surface is shielded from the radiant heat of the burners and a vented barbeque hood assembly including a hood to cover at least part of the cooking surface and enclose a cooking region, a vent opening in said hood to provide a passageway for egress from the cooking region, and a manually operated baffle cooperating with said vent opening and selectively operable to move between an open position in which egress from the cooking region is permitted and a closed position in which egress is substantially prevented.