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 . A mold for producing a cooked egg product having the appearance of a grill fried egg with irregular shaped peripheries, said mold 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, said irregular shaped outline providing the appearance of a grill fried egg to said cooked egg product. 
     
     
         2 . The mold of  claim 1  wherein the planar surface comprises a plurality of depressions. 
     
     
         3 . The mold of  claim 1  wherein the depression has a flat bottom. 
     
     
         4 . The mold of  claim 1  wherein the depression has upwardly and outwardly beveled edges. 
     
     
         5 . The mold of  claim 1  wherein said depression has an irregularly uneven bottom surface which provides an irregularly varying depth to said depression and an irregularly varied show surface to said cooked egg product. 
     
     
         6 . The mold of  claim 1  wherein the irregular shaped outline comprises a first convex protuberance and a first concave protuberance. 
     
     
         7 . The mold of  claim 6  wherein said first convex and first concave protuberances are rounded. 
     
     
         8 . The mold of  claim 6  wherein said irregular shaped outline comprises an outward vertex formed between a first substantially straight region and a second substantially straight region. 
     
     
         9 . The mold of  claim 8  wherein said irregular shaped outline includes a second convex protuberance defined between a first concave region and a second concave region. 
     
     
         10 . The mold of  claim 9  wherein each of said concave regions is larger than the first concave protuberance. 
     
     
         11 . The mold of  claim 1  wherein said irregular shaped outline includes a plurality of rounded convex protuberances and a plurality of rounded concave protuberances. 
     
     
         12 . The mold of  claim 11  wherein said irregular shaped outline includes an outward vertex formed between a first substantially straight region and a second substantially straight region. 
     
     
         13 . A cooking mold formed of a non-stick, food grade material, said mold adapted to provide cooked egg products having the appearance of grill fried eggs with irregular shaped peripheries, said cooking mold comprising a horizontal planar surface having a plurality of depressions therein, each of said depressions having
 (1) an irregular shaped outline that is asymmetric about any vertical plane drawn through the planar surface and the depression and that comprises a first convex protuberance and a first concave protuberance,   (2) upwardly and outwardly beveled edges, and   (3) an irregularly uneven bottom surface which provides an irregularly varying depth to said depression   said irregular shaped outline providing the appearance of a grill fried egg to the cooked egg product.   
     
     
         14 . The cooking mold of  claim 13  wherein each of said first convex and first concave protuberances is rounded. 
     
     
         15 . The cooking mold of  claim 13  wherein said irregular shaped outline comprises an outward vertex formed between a first substantially straight region and a second substantially straight region. 
     
     
         16 . The cooking mold of  claim 15  wherein said irregular shaped outline includes a second convex protuberance defined between a first concave region and a second concave region. 
     
     
         17 . The cooking mold of  claim 16  wherein each of said concave regions is larger than the first concave protuberance. 
     
     
         18 . A method for producing a plurality of cooked egg products, said method comprising in order:
 a) depositing liquid egg into the depressions of the cooking mold of  claim 13 ;   b) cooking said deposited liquid egg so as to provide egg products;   c) removing said egg products from said depressions of said cooking mold;   d) cooling said egg products to below 30° C. before packaging said cooked egg products.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  wherein a plurality of said cooking molds are provided on a belt. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18  wherein said depositing step includes depositing a liquid that comprises a formulated yolk into a second depression located within each of said plurality of depressions.