Methods and Devices for Making Pre-Cooked Eggs Having a Natural Appearance

Abstract

The present invention includes methods and devices for mass producing cooked, cooled egg products having a grill fried egg appearance. One device includes a portion for positioning whole, intact, shelled eggs positioned laterally across and above a cooking mold conveyor, and a portion for cracking the eggshells and depositing the eggs into cooking molds on the conveyor. Some devices and methods include an egg yolk splitter for rupturing the egg yolk sac to deposit a whole egg having a ruptured egg yolk into each mold. Other devices and methods include irregular shaped egg molds for providing a mass produced cooked egg having a natural, irregular shaped outlines and/or surfaces. Devices and methods according to the present invention can be used to produce irregular, outlined shaped cooked egg products including whole eggs, formulated eggs, or eggs made from scrambled egg mixes. The pre-cooked eggs can be delivered pathogen free to fast food establishments and reheated for consumers in less time than required to cook the egg.

That which is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An egg mold for producing eggs having irregular shaped peripheries comprising:
 a horizontal planar surface having a depression therein, wherein the depression has an irregular shaped outline that is asymmetric about any vertical plane drawn through the planar surface and the depression.   
     
     
         2 . The egg mold of  claim 1  wherein the planar surface is formed of a non-stick, food grade material. 
     
     
         3 . The egg mold of  claim 1  having a plurality of depressions in the planar surface. 
     
     
         4 . The egg mold of  claim 1  wherein the depression has a flat bottom. 
     
     
         5 . The egg mold of  claim 1  wherein the depression has upwardly and outwardly beveled edges. 
     
     
         6 . The egg mold of  claim 1  wherein the molds include a bottom surface having an irregularly varying depth over the bottom surface. 
     
     
         7 . The egg mold of  claim 1  wherein the depression includes a first depression and a second depression disposed within the first depression. 
     
     
         8 . A device for depositing cracked, liquid whole eggs comprising: an egg breaking device comprising a plurality of vertically oriented egg carrying carousels, wherein the egg carrying carousels each have a plurality of egg carriers rotatably disposed around a horizontal axis, further comprising an egg shell breaking knife for breaking the egg shells while in the egg carriers, further comprising an egg yolk breaking device disposed under a portion of each carrousel. 
     
     
         9 . A device as in  claim 8 , wherein the egg yolk breaking device includes a plate having a depression having an orifice with sharp edges for rupturing the egg yolk sac. 
     
     
         10 . A device as in  claim 8 , wherein the egg yolk breaking device has an orifice for receiving a falling liquid whole egg and having sharp edges for rupturing the egg yolk sac of the falling egg yolk. 
     
     
         11 . A device as in  claim 8 , further comprising a belt having a length dimension and a width dimension adapted to move in the length dimension, in which the belt includes a plurality of egg molds including a plurality of egg receiving depressions oriented along the width dimension, in which the mold depressions have an irregular shaped outline. 
     
     
         12 . A device for cooking cracked, liquid whole eggs comprising:
 an egg breaking device comprising a plurality of vertically oriented egg carrying carousels, wherein the egg carrying carousels each have a plurality of egg carriers rotating around a horizontal axis, further comprising an egg shell breaking knife for breaking the egg shells while in the egg carriers; and   a conveyor having a length dimension and a width dimension adapted to move in the length dimension, in which the conveyor includes a plurality of egg molds including a plurality of egg receiving depressions oriented along the width dimension, wherein the conveyor is disposed under the egg breaking device to capture falling liquid egg from the egg breaking device.   
     
     
         13 . A device as in  claim 12 , further comprising a cooking oven to receive the moving conveyor having the egg in the conveyor depressions. 
     
     
         14 . A device as in  claim 12 , in which the depressions have an irregular shaped outline. 
     
     
         15 . A device as in  claim 12 , further comprising an egg yolk breaking device disposed between the egg breaking device and the mold depressions to break the egg yolks. 
     
     
         16 . A device as in  claim 12 , further comprising egg deflectors disposed between the egg breaking device and the mold depressions to deflect falling liquid eggs laterally to fall into the mold depressions. 
     
     
         17 . A device as in  claim 16 , wherein the egg yolk breaking device comprises a plate including an orifice for receiving a falling liquid whole egg; the orifice having sharp edges for rupturing the egg yolk sac of the falling egg yolk. 
     
     
         18 . A method for mass producing edible egg products, said method comprising in order:
 a) depositing egg products into a plurality of molds, wherein each of the molds comprises a horizontal planar surface having therein a depression with an irregular shaped outline that is asymmetric about any vertical plane drawn through the planar surface and the depression;   b) cooking said egg products in said molds; and   c) removing said cooked egg products from said molds so as to provide said edible egg products.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  further comprising cooling said edible egg products to below 30° C. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18  wherein said deposited egg products include formulated eggs that comprise formulated yolks, said formulated yolks being deposited into a second depression located within said depressing having an irregular shaped outline.