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A culinary tool is provided including a handle and a housing that pivot relative to one another during a forward stroke of the handle to incrementally move, and optionally ratchet, a ram within the housing toward a cutting grid, thereby extruding food through the cutting grid. A cutting blade, joine

A culinary tool is provided including a handle and a housing that pivot relative to one another during a forward stroke of the handle to incrementally move, and optionally ratchet, a ram within the housing toward a cutting grid, thereby extruding food through the cutting grid. A cutting blade, joined with the handle distal from the pivot, travels along a blade path near the cutting grid to mince the extruded food. The blade can be joined with the handle at a cantilevered connection, and can be flexible so that as it moves along the blade path, a portion of the blade flexes to allow the blade to cut the extruded food material without binding as the blade moves across the cutting grid. The blade can include one or more sledded feet that project outwardly from the blade and that guide the blade near the cutting grid in a non-binding manner.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A culinary tool comprising: a housing;a ram having a longitudinal ram axis, the ram disposed in the housing and moveable along a ram path;a cutting grid positioned at an end of the ram path;an elongated handle pivotally joined with housing at a pivot; anda blade joined with the handle distal from

1. A culinary tool comprising: a housing;a ram having a longitudinal ram axis, the ram disposed in the housing and moveable along a ram path;a cutting grid positioned at an end of the ram path;an elongated handle pivotally joined with housing at a pivot; anda blade joined with the handle distal from the pivot;wherein the handle is moveable along a forward stroke in which the handle incrementally moves the ram toward the cutting grid along the ram path,wherein the handle pivots about the pivot, and at least a portion of the handle moves generally toward the ram axis during the forward stroke,wherein the blade moves along a blade path that is adjacent the cutting grid during the forward stroke of the handle,wherein the blade is connected to the handle so the blade moves with the handle during the forward stroke of the handle,whereby the blade minces a food material extruded by the cutting grid during the forward stroke of the handle,wherein the housing includes a backlash pawl that selectively engages the ram to prevent the ram from regressing away from the cutting grid after the forward stroke of the handle. 2. The culinary tool of claim 1 wherein the handle is moveable along a return stroke, wherein a bias element engages the handle to urge the handle generally away from the ram axis during the return stroke. 3. The culinary tool of claim 1 wherein the blade is joined with the handle at a cantilevered connection so that the blade is adapted to flex away from the pivot as the blade traverses the cutting grid, whereby the blade moves generally adjacent an output side of the cutting grid during the forward stroke. 4. The culinary tool of claim 1 wherein the handle is joined with an indexing pawl, the indexing pawl configured to engage a first rack gear to move the ram toward the cutting grid during the forward stroke of the handle. 5. A culinary tool comprising: a housing;a ram having a longitudinal ram axis, the ram disposed in the housing and moveable along a ram path;a cutting grid positioned at an end of the ram path; an elongated handle pivotally joined with housing at a pivot; and a blade joined with the handle distal from the pivot;wherein the handle is moveable along a forward stroke in which the handle incrementally moves the ram toward the cutting grid along the ram path,wherein the handle pivots about the pivot, and at least a portion of the handle moves generally toward the ram axis during the forward stroke,wherein the blade moves along a blade path that is adjacent the cutting grid during the forward stroke of the handle,wherein the blade is connected to the handle so the blade moves with the handle during the forward stroke of the handle,whereby the blade minces a food material extruded by the cutting grid during the forward stroke of the handle,wherein the ram includes a first rack gear on a first side of the ram and a second rack gear on an immediately adjacent second side of the ram,wherein the handle is joined with an indexing pawl, the indexing pawl configured to engage the first rack gear to move the ram toward the cutting grid during the forward stroke of the handle,wherein the housing includes a backlash pawl, the backlash pawl configured to engage the second rack gear to maintain the ram in a generally fixed position after the forward stroke, and before another forward stroke. 6. The culinary tool of claim 5 comprising a backlash pawl reset actuator that is manually moveable to disengage the backlash pawl from the second rack gear, whereby the ram can be removed from the housing. 7. The culinary tool of claim 1, wherein the cutting grid is joined with a cutting grid frame,wherein the cutting grid frame is located in a cutting grid frame recess defined by the housing,wherein the cutting grid frame is removable from the cutting grid frame recess along a frame path, andwherein the frame path is generally perpendicular to the blade path, and generally perpendicular to the ram axis. 8. A culinary tool comprising: a housing defining a chamber;a ram moveable within the chamber;a cutting grid disposed at an end of the chamber, the cutting grid including an input side facing the chamber and an opposing output side, the cutting grid configured to extrude food material pushed through the cutting grid;a handle pivotally joined with the housing at a pivot, the handle moveable along a forward stroke generally toward the housing, the handle also moveable along a return stroke generally away from the housing;an indexing pawl joined with the handle, the indexing pawl extending toward and selectively engaging the ram at a first location; anda blade joined with the handle distal from the pivot,wherein the forward stroke of the handle pivots the handle about the pivot with the indexing pawl engaging the ram at the first location so that the ram pushes food material within the chamber through the cutting grid so as to produce extruded food material,wherein the forward stroke of the handle moves the blade along a blade path adjacent the output side of cutting grid so as to slice the extruded food material to produce minced food parts;whereby the culinary tool both extrudes material with the cutting grid and minces food material with the blade,wherein a backlash pawl joined with the housing, the backlash pawl extending toward and selectively engaging the ram at a second location,wherein the backlash pawl engages the ram at the second location after the forward stroke of the handle to selectively impair the ram from moving away from the cutting grid. 9. The culinary tool of claim 8 wherein blade includes a primary blade portion and a cutting edge, wherein the cutting edge is at least as wide as the cutting grid so that the cutting edge can slice through the extruded material to produce the minced food parts. 10. The culinary tool of claim 8 wherein the ram includes first and second rack gears located on adjacent sides of the ram. 11. The culinary tool of claim 8 wherein the backlash pawl is joined with the housing in a cantilevered manner so that the backlash pawl can flex to selectively engage and disengage the ram. 12. The culinary tool of claim of claim 8 wherein the blade is connected to handle at a cantilevered connection, wherein the blade includes a cutting edge, wherein during the forward stroke of the handle, the blade flexes so that the cutting edge moves, from a first level that is even with or above a cutting grid plane of the cutting grid, to a second level below the cutting grid plane. 13. A culinary tool comprising: a housing defining a chamber;a ram moveable within the chamber;a cutting grid disposed at an end of the chamber, the cutting grid including an input side facing the chamber and an opposing output side, the cutting grid configured to extrude food material pushed through the cutting grid;a handle pivotally joined with the housing at a pivot, the handle moveable along a forward stroke generally toward the housing, the handle also moveable along a return stroke generally away from the housing;an indexing pawl joined with the handle, the indexing pawl extending toward and selectively engaging the ram at a first location; anda blade joined with the handle distal from the pivot,wherein the forward stroke of the handle pivots the handle about the pivot with the indexing pawl engaging the ram at the first location so that the ram pushes food material within the chamber through the cutting grid so as to produce extruded food material,wherein the forward stroke of the handle moves the blade along a blade path adjacent the output side of cutting grid so as to slice the extruded food material to produce minced food parts;whereby the culinary tool both extrudes material with the cutting grid and minces food material with the blade,wherein a backlash pawl reset actuator joined with the housing, the backlash pawl reset actuator configured to selectively disengage the backlash pawl from the ram.