GB2330520A - Roasting rack - Google Patents

Abstract

A rack is shown which comprises a conical member at ix for insertion into a cavity of poultry (ii figure 3), and a sloping support iv. A clamp (xi) is disclosed also.

Description

A Roasting System for cooking and sewing Poultry and other Meats Technical Field This Invention comprises a Roasting Rack and dual purpose Clamp which; 1) offers anovel and practical solution for Poultry to be roasted in a hot air Oven on the outside surfaces and the inside ofthe Abdominal cavity simultaneously.

2) Allows Roíled Joints and Un-symetrically shaped Meat roasting joints such as shoulder of Lamb etc, to be cooked more efficieiflly from both the top and bottom surfaces without having to be turned over.

(3) Allows the Meats and Poultry to be easily handled by a clamping device which enables the cook to easily place it on or off the Roasting Rack (I) and on to the caving plate, where it can be held in any position for carving.

It also clamps any non-symmetrical shaped Meats in (2) firmly to enable the cook to move it offthe Roasting Rack (1), on to the carving plate and hold it in any position for carving.

Background Poultry such as Chicken, Turkey, Duck etc. are often cooked whole by roasting in hot air Ovens.

There are many devices on the market, in the domestic kitchen and commercial catering area where lage ovens are used to roast many chickens at once either by hot air and f or Infra-red heating.

Such devices hold the carcass in a horizontal or often in a vertical position such as itl the form ofatree-like, or sitnilar, device with upward pointing ailils on to which the catcasses are impaled through the abdominal hole and in some cases the neck hole. The carcasses are held vertically aloiig the long axis with the neck end at the top and is ideal for close packing of many carcasses during commercial cooking.

Tile prior art in WO 88/05278 Al, US 4027583 A and GB 2 292 514 A teaches the cooking of poultry in a vertical position to roast it on the outside and the inside simultaneously but it has practical drawbacks since it uses up a large part of the vertical oven space and is awkward for the operator to handle in and out of the oven as the center of gravity is high and can easily topple over.

Bltlle majority of these cases if there is a clear passage right through, there is simultaneous heating of both the inside and outside thus speeding up the cooking process.

The prior art teaches; (a) The heating of the cavity is mainly by hot convection currents wtlich move upwards, quickly evaporating any surface water and raising the surface of the cavity to oven temperatures very early during cooking.

(b) As heat denaturation starts in the interior, all the free water and fats quickly drain out ofthe cavity causing the cavity to quickly attain the oven temperature.

(cj The main bone structure ofthe bird is situated on the surface ofthe abdominal cavity and due to the long time of cooking and high temperature exposure, tends to soften due to degradatioii ofthe collagen, especially in young birds, within the skeleton structure and the devices have to make provision to support the upper parts from collapsing under gravity during cooking.

The Ca casses are sold eitiler frozen or fresh and is usually prepared by eviscerating the bird and removing the head and neck vertebra Special care is taken to minimise spillage of visceral contents, which is usually contaminated with bacteria, especially within the inner cavity and on the skin surface.

It is also possible to get internal bacterial contamination when the birds are diseased or under stress prior to and during slaughter. Bacteria could pass through the gut wall when the bird is under stress and is to be found mainly in the blood If the blood is not filly drained due to faulty processing after killing, some residual bacteria can reside in the bone areas especially in the remote parts such as the inner thigh which are subject to under cooking and could be a source offood poisoning. If the final cooking temperature within the meat is below 70 deg.C. the bacteria are not killed and proliferation of bacteria is possible if the carcass is stored for further use.

The neck and offal are packaged and replaced inside the cavity before packaging the bird for sale either fresh or frozen.

Before roasting, the bird is first defrosted, iffrozen, the offal is removed and ttle bird is seasoned as required.

Traditionally the bird is roasted on its back, optionally on a horizontal roasting Rack, in a dish or pan. The Rack allows the bird to be clear ofthe juices and fat which are given off during roasting and prevents steaming ofthe underside which will not roast to the desired colour.

Roasting is calied out traditionally in a hot air oven at around I 8()0C and tlle recommended time today is calculated on the basis of approximately 20 minutes per pound wt. plus 20 niiiiites. The carcass is traditionally handled off the rack by either holding with the gloved hand or with a fork and is carved on aplate. Because the carcass is loosely held, carving can sometimes become all awkward operation.

During roasting the heat is mainly applied fi-om the outside surface with little heat elnerilig the cavity. This is due to the fact that the neck end is sealed by the neck skin flap and evisceration debris and the opening at the rear end is mainly at the upper surface ofthe carcass This creates a situation in which dense moisture laden cool air is trapped within the cavity and cannot be effectively heated by hot air of the oven. Any convection movement witliitlthe cavity is minimal and any heating is offset by the latent heat of evaporation from the surface ofthe cavity.

As the heat penrtrates the carcass from the outside there is a tendency to over cook the outside before the inner-most parts are cooked. As the heat reaches the surface ofthe imler cavity the moisture evaporates and cools the surface until it is dry and only then does the temperature start to rise quickly but is not long enough time to soften the bones.

In the case of Meat Roasts and shoulder of Lamb etc, most ofthe heat penetrates from the top and sides with the bottom cooking mainly at 100 deg C due to the liquid given off by the meat due to protein denaturation which saturates the air under the joint and restricts convection currents. negree of Cooking.

The degree of cooking is governed by organoleptic considerations and tlle fear of bacterial food poisoning if the meat has been contaminated.

Many people aim to cook their meat to the point where the pink colour ofthe meat just turns white at which point the meat is at its most succulent because the juices given off during denaturation are still closely associated with the muscle. If cooking continues, the juices associatedwith the muscle are slowly lost and the meat becomes progressively dry. It is therefore the aim ofthe invention to balance the cooking from inside and outside to effectively just cook the meat to the desired temperature and producing optimal succulence.

Food Poisoning is quite prevalant in some countries mainly due to intensive farming methods under unsatisfactory hygene conditions, use of contaminated feed and un-sanitary slaughter houses. In the United Kingdom it has been found that up to 36% of C'hickens are contaminated with Salmonella and 40% with Campylobacter (Lancet vol 337 April 20th 1991 p 984. and Which magagazine surveys of Sept. 1995 and Oct. 1996). More recently new strains of bacteria have been isolated such as Salmonella Typhimurium DT 104. which is found to be inunune to many antibiotics.

The simplest practical solution would be if all bacterial contamination are killed during cooking.

Ideally, in the case of Poultry, to accomplish this, the carcass should be heated to a recommended minimum temperature of 70 deg C. in all parts ofthe carcass in order to destroy Salmonella, Listeria, Campylobacter and any fecal contamination from gut spillage.

1raditionally the degree of browning ofthe skin has been an indicator of when the chicken is properly cooked and also if the inner thigh or breast is punctured witll a shalt instrument it should give off a clear liquid to indicate that the denattlration temperature of around 65 deg C. has been achieved. A pink liquid would therefore indicate that if bacteria are present, they could multiply when the meat is stored and cause food poisoning later on.

However these indicators are not infallable since the cooking time depends on oven temperature, weight of Chicken and initial temperature of the carcass u;tletl placed in the oven.

Forthese reasons the outer layers ofthe flesh is usually overcooked to ensure overall sterility resulting in excessive moisture loss and shrinkage on the surface layer with the resulting unsightly wrinkling and burning of the skin.

In the case of Meat Roasts and Joints it would be ideal if cooking could be as uniform as possible riglit around the meat witll no need to turn over the meat. This results in shorter and more efficient cooking times.

Objectives of the Invention.

It is the objective ofthe Invention; 1) To design a Roasting Rack, in the case ofPoultry, which creates conditions in which the hot air in the Oven is caused to flow tliroiigh the carcass cavity thus heating the carcass both from the inside and the outside. The direction of the hot air current however is the reverse to that of the prior art in that the hot air is made to flow downwards through the abdominal hole situated at the upper rear end and out of the neck hole.

Additionally the degradation of the skeleton structure in the prior art due to the length of time atveiyhightemperatures would result in collapse of the structural integrity of the carcass if the temperatures are too high thus limiting oven temperature and hence cooking time.

The Invention results in; a) Shorter cooking times at higher oven temperatures than traditional methods and those ofthe prior art, resulting in lower energy costs. b) IJniform cooking throughout the Poultry carcass to achieve tlle minimal recommended temperature of 70 deg.C. in all parts of the carcass to ensure destruction of all food poisoning bacteria without over-cooking the meat surfaces and burning the skin. c) The inner cavity is never heated to more than 70 to 80 deg C and there is minimal degradation ofthe bone and collagen structure. c) Succulent cooked meat throughout, without excessive weight loss and overcooking ofthe surface layers. d) Longer refrigerated shelf life after roasting.

2) To design aRoasting Rack which (a) achieves all the criteria in (1) above, (b) is easy to handle, (c) the carcass sits essentially horizontally ( as traditional) thus economically using the limited space in a domestic oven and (d) provide means for the carcass to be easily liatidledbeftre roasting and aRer roasting can be lifted off the roasting Rack on to a serving dish and optionally caiheheld sufficiently rigid on the Rack for ease of carving or to easily remove the carcass off the Rack on to a dish for carving..

3) In the case of Meat Roasts and Joints, the Rack facilitates the cooking ofthe entire surface more efficiently than can be achieved traditionally without having to turn the meat over during cooking.

4) To design a dual purpose meat Clamp which can facilitate the removal ofthe cooked poultry or meats off the Roasting Rack on to the serving dish and to hold it firmly fot ease of carving.

Technical In order to achieve these Objectives, a Roasting Rack is here described which comprises a Member, a Frame and a Clamp which complement each other and which all together comprise the essential embodiments ofthe Invention now described as follows; 1) A Member which can be introduced into the neck end ofthe carcass through the hole wiiich is created during evisceration when the air and food passages are removed. This hole is normally obstmsted by loose tissue which has not been filly removed and by the skin flap which remains after removal ofthe neck vertebra and which is folded over the hole and tucked under the carcass when it is presented for sale. It is also essential to make sure that tile rear opening is not obstructed by fat which should be removed and which is usually left on after evisceration to increase the weight ofthe carcass.

The Member is so constructed that; a) it creates a clear air passage through the neck hole by forcing apart any loose flesh or other material left after evisceration. b) it is essentialty conical in shape with the base end of larger effective diameter than the distal end which is of smaller effective diameter. This smaller end first enters the neck hole of the carcass after either first making a slit, using a sharp pointed knife, through the neck flap or lifting or removing the neck flap altogether. The distance which the member penetrates the carcass depends on the size ofthe bird but ideally can just be seen when observed from the hole in the rear end and such that the member does not obstruct the Clamp when it is inserted. When filly in place there is a clear air passage through the neck end into the abdominal cavity..

The Member itself can optionally be used for roasting poultry when traditionally placed in a roasting tin or on a horizontal roasting Frame sitting in the tin. In this scenario, the hot moisture laden air within the cavity can flow out ofthe neck hole ioto the tin, drawing hot atrfinm the oven chamber to heat the cavity chamber thus heating the carcass from both the inside and outside.

As the cavity temperature rises to about 60 deg C. denaturation of protein starts and water is released which tends to slow down the temperature rise within the diamber due to the latent heat of evaporation. Eventually the temperature stabilises at around 7n cleg C.to 80 deg C which is the saturated vapour temperature achieved towards the end of roasting.

It has been found that when the carcass is placed on its back as described above, in a horizontal position as traditional, the internal heating within the carcass is too slow and is further restricted by the depression created by the natural curvature of the back and tlle thickness of tulle neck vertebra which together forms a well which traps a portion of the cooler dense moisture laden air within the cavity chamber resulting in uneven heating.

2) A Roasting Frame which is designed in such a way that one end is higher than the other so that the carcass sits on the Frame with its neck end positioned at the lower end of the frame which sits substantially within the well created by a tin with preferably sufficiently high side walls. The rear end is at a higher level well above the level ofthe walls ofthe tin.

The angle ofthe frame to the horizontal is sufficient to enable the dense air trapped within the well of stagnant dense moisture laden air in the back curvature referred to above to easily flow out of the chamber resulting in more efficient heating ofthe abdominal chamber. The angle is essentially more horizontal than vertical.

The direction offlow ofheat is the reverse ofthat which is produced by the prior art and is essential in order to keep the heat within the cavity low enough to prevent degradation of the collagen of the skeleton and to retain moisture from the meat within the cavity. As a result ofthe neck hole being lower than the rear hole, the dense moisture laden air within the cavity flows by gravity downwards through the neck hole drawing in tile hot oven air.

Furthermore Ble neck end sits in a well of less dense moisture ladetl hot air produced by the overheat evaporating the cooking liquids given off from the meat and this essentially acts as a one-way valve which allows movement of dense air from the sarcass into the pan which tiled spills over or mixes with the hot oven air. The tendency is therefore for the colunm of dense moisture laden air in the carcass to flow from the higher level at the top rear end of the carcass to approximately the level of the top of the well created by the side walls of the tin. Due to the latent heat of evaporation, the cavity attains a maximum temperature of around 80deg C. at the higher oven temperatures used in the invention and the rate of inside cooking is speeded up to balance out the rate of cooking on the outside even at these elevated oven temperatures to achieve an acceptable brown color on the skin without over-cooking the flesh.

3) A preferred embodiment ofthe Roasting Rack is a combination of the Member and the sloping Roasting Frame in which the Member is attached to the cross member at the lower end of the Frame. This arrangement presents some difficulty in removing the cooked carcass off the Frame while tlle Member is also within it. A Clamp is therefore provided which can both lift the carcass off the frame, on to which it tends to adhere and withdraw it by sliding it off the Member.

During roasting using the preferred embodiment ofthe Invention, the heat gradient through the flesh effectively proceeds from both inside and outside and therefore the recommended niinnlmtemperature of 70 deg C. within all the meat is more quickly achieved resulting in shorter roasting times.

In the case of Meat Joints, the joint is placed on the frame preferably along its long axis with one end lower than the other. This enables the dense moisture at the bottom to more easily flow upwards by convection currents around the joint and allows the bottom to heat up more quickly to efficiently roast the joint on all sides without the need to turn over the joint.

4) ADtialpuioseMeat Clamp which comprises two suitably shaped and strong handles made of any suitable material such as injection moulded Plastics etc. which are hinged together at one end and to the other ends are attached suitably shaped, optionally replacable, preferably metal Members preferably stainless steel wire of adequate strength to support the Meats. Wire is preferable since one set of Members pass between the other set in the poultry mode. One preferred Clamp is described itl the example below.

Example As an example to show the various embodiments of the Invention the accompanying clrawings are used to describe the principles ofthe Invention and is not intended to restrict its scope in any way.

The Member Figs. 1 and 2, describe some preferred forms ofthe Member referred to above and describes its use in the traditional roasting format.

Fig. 1 (a) and (b) shows a Member (i) made of any suitable heat stable material in the formofaconically shaped tube which is of sufficient size to be introduced into the neck end ofthe carcass (ii) which sits in a roasting pan (iii). The cone shape enables the Member to fit any size carcass.

Fig. 2 (a) and (b) shows a member (i) made of wire of any suitable metal and thickness preferably Stainless Steel or Chrome plated Steel and the like. The Member (i) is shaped fi-om one length of wire which is resistance welded together at its touching parts to essentially achieve the same effect as the conical shapes in Fig 1. One preferred form is shown which describes the outline shape which tile wire takes and at the wide end (viii) is an extension (x) over which the skin flap can be optionally draped to prevent it blocking the clear passage of air. through the neck end ofthe carcass. This operation usually results in the flap drying ting out and adhering to the member making it difficult to remove the carcass affer cooking. Another more preferred forum is to use a sharp knife to make a slit in the skin flap to allow the Member to enter the neck hole and because there is less adhesion ofthe flap to the member, the carcass is more easily witlldrawn from the Member at the end of roasting.

The Frame Fig. 3 shows a preferred form of the Roasting Rack Frame(iv) which is made of any suitable metal preferably Stainless Steel or Chrome Plated Steel wire and the like and the wiresarepreferrblyresistaiicewelded and in the case of stainless steel Electro-polished. The Frame in one preferred embodiment slopes upward from the front end from the horizontal at an angle ofabout 15 degrees which was sufficient to encourage optimal flow ofthe air out of the cavity. The optimal angle depends on the shape of the back bone structure of the carcass and the thickness ofthe neck vertebra but we have found that the 15 deg angle was sufficient for a range of carcasses. The cross member at the lower end (v) prevents the carcass from slipping foward off the Frame and together with the raised rear end (vi) can he used as handles to enable the Frame together with the carcass to be easily lifted off the pan.

The feet (vii) keeps the Frame away from the dripping produced during cooking.

The Roasting Rack Fig 4 shows the preferred combination of the Member in Fig 2(a) and the preferred Roasting Frame in Fig 3(iv) and 4. The wide end (viii) oftlie Member (i) as shown in Fig 2 has provision for two loops (ix) which allows the Member to be fixed to the Frame at the lower end cross member (v) and the member can rotate around the cross member but is restricted frotn moving sideways by two wires (xii) which are extensions ofthe structure wires (xi) weldedtotflecrossme2nber on both sides ofthe Member (i). The loops (ix) allows the Member to swivel around and move up and down to address ally size of carcass and when swiveled right around forms a three legged less ang@ed Rack for use with meat roasts.

In this preferred combination the cooked poultry is held firmly by the Member on the Frame.

During cooking, the juices tend to harden and cause the carcass to adhere to the Member and the Frame making it difficult to separate them after roasting. In the event that the carcass has to be removed from the frame to a serving plate, because the carcass is held by the Member on the Frame it is necessary to both lift and withdraw the carcass making it very difficult to remove it off the Roasting Rack traditionally while holding down the Rack.

Therefore, it is absolutely necessary as part of the system to provide a special clamping device to easily remove the carcass from the Rack in a kitchen environment.

The Clamp Fig 5 shows atliree dimensional view ofthe Clamp. The Handles (xi) are attached to each otherby means of a Hinge connector (xii) which is fixed in position by means of pins (xiii) which allow the handles to swivel around the connector. The design of the Hinge Connector allows tile Handles to assume different parallel positions to accomodate asymmetrical shaped meats. At the other end of the handle are the members (xiv), comprising parallel sets of wires, with one set closer to each other, which allows one set to pass through the other as shown and which can optionally have means to be easily replaced and is made preferably of stainless steel wire. The members are shaped essentially as shown and are strengthened by means of cross wires (xv) which are welded as shown. To the members are welded suitably sized spikes (xvi), withthe narrow spaced set having them welded between the Members and the wide spaced set outside the Members as shown allowing the sets to pass between each other unhindered.The spikes may optionally be welded on one side of the wider set to allow the other side to be used as a template for cutting thin slices of meat.

Optionally, means may be provided to allow the spikes (xvi) of the Clamp to remain embedded in the poultry or meat Roast when the pressure on the handlers is released. The means can comprise an extension spring or an elastic rubber arrangement attached to the members (xiv) which maintains some pressure sufficient to prevent the clamp from falling away from the meats when the pressure on the handles is released.

Fig 6(a) shows the Clamp in the Poultry Roast (ii) mode after clamping ,with arrows indicating the force applied by the cook gripping the handle. Fig 6(b) shows the Clamp itl the Roast Meat (xvii) mode after clamping.

Experunental.

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Claims (21)

1. Claims 1) A Roasting System for cooking and serving Poultry and other Meats comprises (n) A Member (ix) Figs 2 and 3 which is essentially conical in shape as described and which enables it to fit many sizes of poultry (ii) and which is introduced at the neck end through the opening created during evisceration either by lifting or removing the neck skin flap or by creating slit in the skin flap covering the opening thus creating a clear air passage into tlle abdominal cavity which allows the dense moist air within the cavity to flow downward through the neck hole drawing in hot air from the oven to heat the said cavity. (b) A sloping Frame (iv) Figs 3 and 4 at whose lower end the carcass neck end is positioned within the well created by the walls ofthe roasting tin and at whose upper end the the main body is positioned and (c) A dual purpose Clamp Figs 5 and 6 for ease ofhandling before and after roasting, which in one mode is inserted within the cavity ofthe poultry and opens outward to firmly clamp the carcass allowing it to be simultaneously lifted off the Frame and withdrawn off the Member and in the other mode it grasps the meat joint froni the outside for lifting and carving.

   2) A Roasting Rack as in claim (1) in which the Member is optionally attached to a raised cross member (v) ofthe wire frame of the Roasting Rack (iv) which is positioned to prevent the carcass from slipping downward and the angle ofslope is approximately 15 deg. from the horizontal sufficient to ensure that tile air trapped in the well created by tile backbone can easily flow out.

   3) A Roasting Rack as claimed in claims 1 and 2 in which the Member, Roasting Rack Frame and Clamp Members are made ofElectro-polished Stainless Steel or Chrome Plated wire ofsullicient diameter to sustain the weight of the carcass and sits in a roasting tin which has high enough walls such that the Member sits within the well created by the walls.

   4) ARoastingRackas claimed in claims 1,2 and 3 in which the Member is held centrally by the wires (xii) ofthe Roasting Rack fame (iv) but is able to swivel around the cross member (v) ofthe Frame by means of loops (ix) created in its design at the wide end and which also enables the whole Member to move up and down to match any size of carcass.

   5) A Roasting Rack as claimed in any of the preceeding claims in whicll the temperature rise within the cavity is governed by the flow of hot air from the oven which is being sucked in through the rear opening of the cavity by the contl olled flow, order gravity, of cooler dense moishre laden air from the cavity throught neck hole which sits in a well of moist hot air created by evaporation of moisture given off during cooking and which is cooler than the dry air of the oven due to the latent heat of evaporation and which is confined within the walls ofthe roasting pan. The moisturised air within this well spills over the sides as it is replenished by the column of dense moist air from the cavity which is always trying to find its own density level.

   6) A Roasting Rack as in any ofthe previous claims in which the amount of heating is sufficient to speed up cooking from the inside without degrading the collagen of the skeleton which will weaken the skeletal structure and make clamping and carving more difficult.

   7) A Roasting Rack as claimed in any ofthe preceeding claims in which the oven temperatures are 10 iso to 30 deg higher than that used traditionally and which is determined by the size of the carcass and the balance between over browning the skin and undercooking the interior meat and which results in reduction of cooking times of up to 25% over traditional roasting times with savings on energy costs and which results in temperatures within all palms ofthe carcass achieving at least 70 deg C to achieve destruction of food poisoning bacteria 8) A Roasting Rack as claimed in any of the preceeding claims which has means whereby the cooked carcass on the Frame can be held at its front and back cross members and lifted on to a serving dish and which the Member (x) allows the carcass to be held firmly to allow ease of carving.

   9) ADual Purpose Clamp as claimed in Claim 1 Figs 5 and 6 essentially as described in tlle patent description above in which the curved clamping members (xiv) shaped as sltowlLwhiclloptinlallyhave means to be easily replaced, when they are swiveled around the Hinge Connector (xii) which allow the members to to assume two modes Fig 6 (a) and (b) and when they are actuated by clasping of the handle (xi) and squeezing; a) open outwards after being inserted within the abdominal cavity of the roasted poultry and the outward pressul-e clamps the carcass firmly fi-om within by means the spikes (xvi) attached to to the members (xiv) allowing the carcass to be easily handled and carved. b) close inwards to grasp the meat roll or other whole meats from the outside surface and hold it firmly by means of the spikes (xvi) attached to the members (xiv)to enable it to be easily handled and carved. Optionally the spikes may preferably attached to three of the curved members to allow a knife to slide against the unspiked member which acts as a template for cutting thin even slices.

   10) A Dual Purpose Clamp as described in any of the above claims in which means is providedtoholdthe clamping spikes essentially in place when pressure is released on the handles.

   11) A Roasting Rack and dual purpose Clamp substantially as described herein with reference to all the figures and descriptions and text in the accompanying drawings and descriptions. above and which is not intended to limit the scope ofthe Invention.

   Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows 1. A roasting system for cooking and serving poultry and other meats comprising; a) A roasting rack which comprises a member insertable into an internal cavity of poultry and means for supporting the poultry in an inclined position. and b) A dual - propose food tongs essential for handling the poultry on to and off the roasting rack which comprises a pair of food holding members each having a handle end and afood egging end, the pair being hinged together at their respective handle ends and being movable between two configurations by pivoting about the hinge, one configuration for holding food by clamping between the two food ends (eg. a Meat Roast) and one configuration for holding food ( eg. the internal cavity of a chicken) by expanding outwardly the food ends, both configurations allowing use by forcing together their respective handle ends.
2. 2. Aroastisgnkas claimed in Claim la in which the member insertable into an internal cavity ofpoultry is a heat resistant tube such as a metal tube which is essentially conical in shape and in which th smaller diameter end is of sufficient dimension that it can be first introduced into the cavity through the opening in the neck end, the member being of sufficient length and progressively increasing diameter to wedge itselffirmly into a range of neck openings of many sizes of poultry.
3. 3. A roasting rack as claimed in claims 1 and 2. in which the member creates a clear air passage through the neck hole into the cavity and out ofthe rear opening.
4. 4. Arnastingrckas claimed in Claim 2 and 3. in which the member is made of suitable gauge wire, preferably stainless steel which is made into an essentially conical shape and which when inserted into the neck opening essentially achieves the same result as the metal tube.
5. 5. A roasting rack as claimed in any of the preceding Claims in which the skin flap over the neck is lifted up or removed before inserting the member or alternatively by making an incision through the intact skin flap to allow the member to force an opening through the skin flap and into the neck opening.
6. 6. A roasting rack as claimed in any ofthe preceding claims in which dry hot oven air enters through the rear opening to heat the cavity and flows by gravity unidirectionally out ofthe neck end which is anatomically at a lower level relative to the rear opening when the poultry is on its back resting horizontially in a roasting pan and the flow rate is controlled by the diffidence in the higher density of the cooler moist air within the cavity and the lesser relative density ofthe hotter moist air within the walls ofthe roasting pan.
7. 7. AroastirRgrack as in any ofthe above claims in which the member is used independently of the support.
8. 8. A roasting rack as claimed in claim la and any ofthe preceding Claims in which the angle ofslope ofthe poultry is approximately 15 deg. from the horizontal with the neck end at the lott-er level and which is sufficient to ensure that there is no stagnant pool of air trapped in the depression formed by the curved backbone within the cavity.
9. 9. A roasting rack as claimed in Claim I.a and any of the preceding claims in which the member and means for supporting the poultry in the inclined position are incorporated into one structure.
10. 10. Aroastingrack as claimed in Claim la and any ofthe preceding claims in which the means ofsupport comprises a suitably strong metal wire structure which supports the poultry in the inclined position with the neck end essentially situated within the walls of the roasting pan and the rear end essentially above the walls ofthe pan.
11. 11. Aroastingnck as claimed in claim 10. in which the member is hinged at its larger diameter endto the lower end of the inclined means for supporting the poultry such that it can move in a vertical plane around the hinge.
12. 12. Roasting rack as claimed in any of the previous claims in which the poultry is acceptably cooked at temperatures up to 35 deg Centigrade higher than and with cooking times up to 25% lower than, hditionally used and the moist air within the cavity never rises above 80 90 deg Centigrade which is low enough to retard the conversion ofcollagen ofthe bone into gelatine and thereby preserving the structural integrity ofthe skeleton during cooking.
13. 13. Afoodto2ngs as claimed in Claim I.b. in which the food engaging ends are made ofwire and the handles are made of any suitable material such as moulded plastic.
14. 14. A food tongs as claimed in Claims I.b. and 13. in which the food engaging ends in the poultry configuration are spaced apart at different widths which allow the narrower food engaging end to pass between the wider food engaging end when transforming itself between configurations.
15. 15. Afoodtongs as claimed in Claim 14. in which the food engaging ends have means to assist in gripping the food such as spikes attached to the inside edge ofthe narrower food engaging end and to the outside edge of the wider food engaging end and being thus positioned, ensures unimpeded passage ofthe food engaging ends between each other.
16. 16. Afoodtonns as claimed in Claim 15. in which at least one edge ofthe wider food engaging end is free of spikes so that a carving knife can freely slide against the side ofthe tongs as aguide for obtaining uniform slices of meat.
17. 17. A food tongs as claimed in Claims 13 - 16. in which means is provided to hold the tongs in position after the pressure on the handles is released in both configurations.
18. 18. In combination, a roasting rack and food tongs as claimed in all the previous claims and subsantially as described herein with reference to the drawings and text ofthe specifications which comprises a roasting system for cooking poultry and meats.
19. 19. A roasting rack substantially as herein described and with reference to the accompanying drawings and is not intended to limit the scope or principles of the invention.
20. 20. A food tongs substantially as herein described and with reference to the accompanying drawings and is not intended to limit the scope and principles ofthe invention.
21. 21. Roasting system comprising in combination a roasting rack and a food tongs substantially as described herein and with reference to to the accompanying drawings and is not intended to limit the scope and principles ofthe invention.