Pressurized oven assembly

Abstract

A pressurized oven is provided having a fully sealed cavity, reduces heat lost, shortens cooking time and saves energy of oven operation. The pressurized oven includes a cavity component, a door assembly, heating elements and a control system that includes a relief valve on top of the cavity. The relief valve includes a valve weight and a venting stub, wherein the valve weight sits on the top of the venting stub. The valve weight disposed on top of the venting stub remains closed and the gas is not released when the pressure is not sufficient to lift the valve weight. When the pressure inside the oven is sufficient to lift the valve weight, the valve weight block is lifted to open the valve, the gas is released and the pressure is decreased. Once the pressure becomes less than the valve weight, the valve closes and gas is no longer released.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A pressurized oven, comprising:
 a control system;   a cavity configured to withstand a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure;   a heater configured to heat an interior of the cavity to a predetermined temperature;   a locking mechanism configured to hermetically seal the cavity; and   a relief valve configured to release gas from inside the cavity of the pressurized oven when a pressure inside the cavity of the pressurized oven is equal to or above a first given pressure.   
     
     
         2 . The pressurized oven of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the relief valve is located on a top portion of the pressurized oven;   a weight of the relief valve maintains the relief valve closed when the pressure inside the cavity of the pressurized oven is below the first given pressure; and   the relief valve is configured to open when the pressure inside the cavity of the pressurized oven is equal to at least the first given pressure.   
     
     
         3 . The pressurized oven of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a pressure sensor configured to sense the pressure inside the cavity of the pressurized oven;   wherein the heater is turned off when the pressure is equal to at least a second given pressure.   
     
     
         4 . The pressurized oven of  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined temperature is up to about 230° C. 
     
     
         5 . The pressurized oven of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the locking mechanism comprises a transmission part and a lever; and   when the lever is actuated, the transmission part is moved to hermetically seal a door frame of the cavity by pulling a door of the pressurized oven against the door frame, the door being sealed via a first sealing gasket disposed between the door and the door frame.   
     
     
         6 . The pressurized oven of  claim 1 , wherein the relief valve is positioned on a venting stub and is coupled to the cavity of the pressurized oven via a second sealing gasket. 
     
     
         7 . The pressurized oven of  claim 2 , wherein gas inside the cavity of the pressurized oven is released when the relief valve is open. 
     
     
         8 . The pressurized oven of  claim 2 , wherein the relief valve is configured to gradually release gas as the pressure inside the cavity of the pressurized oven increases. 
     
     
         9 . The pressurized oven of  claim 8 , wherein an accidental explosion of the pressurized oven is prevented by the configuration of the relief valve. 
     
     
         10 . The pressurized oven of  claim 2 , wherein:
 an inside diameter of the venting stub is about 5 mm to about 8 mm; and   the weight of the relief valve is about 22 g to about 24 g.   
     
     
         11 . The pressurized oven of  claim 1 , wherein:
 a rotisserie may be disposed inside the cavity of the pressurized over;   the rotisserie may rotate during cooking at a rotation speed of about 2 rpm to about 3 rpm.   
     
     
         12 . The pressurized oven of  claim 1 , wherein the control system comprises:
 a relief valve controller;   a temperature controller;   a temperature selection switch;   a function switch that switches between top heating elements, rear heating elements and bottom heating elements; and   a timer.   
     
     
         13 . The pressurized oven of  claim 1 , wherein a top wall, a bottom wall, a rear wall and side walls of the cavity are welded together to form a sealed chamber. 
     
     
         14 . The pressurized oven of  claim 1 , wherein a pressure inside the oven is maintained to between about 6.8 kPa to about 10 kPa. 
     
     
         15 . The pressurized oven of  claim 12 , wherein the relief valve controller is configured to open the relief valve when cooking is complete to decrease the pressure inside the cavity of the pressurized oven. 
     
     
         16 . A method of food preparation using a pressurized oven, comprising:
 disposing a food product inside a cavity of the pressurized oven;   sealing the cavity of the pressurized oven;   setting a cooking temperature of the food product; and   setting a desired pressure inside the cavity of the pressurized oven;   wherein the cooking temperature is only reached when the pressure inside the cavity of the pressurized oven reaches the desired pressure.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 regulating the pressure inside the cavity via a relief valve;   wherein the relief valve opens to release gas from the cavity as the pressure inside the cavity increases.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 controlling the pressure inside the cavity to between about 6.8 kPa to about 10 kPa.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 controlling the temperature inside the cavity to be no more than 230° C.