Cooking utensil with improved heat retention
First Claim
1. A cooking utensil comprising:
- an outer shell having an inner surface and an outer surface, said outer surface being exposable to the source of heat;
an inner shell positioned adjacent and in juxtaposed relation to the outer shell in a manner that encloses a chamber between the inner shell and the outer shell, said inner shell having an inner surface that is shaped to define a container, said chamber being evacuated to a level sufficient to inhibit heat transfer by gas molecular conduction between the inner shell and the outer shell; and
heat transfer control means operatively connected to the cooking utensil for varying heat transfer capability between the inner shell and the outer shell.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A cooking utensil with improved heat retention includes an inner pot received within an outer pot and separated in a closely spaced-apart relationship to form a volume or chamber therebetween. The chamber is evacuated and sealed with foil leaves at the upper edges of the inner and outer pot. The vacuum created between the inner and outer pot, along with the minimum of thermal contact between the inner and outer pot, and the reduced radiative heat transfer due to low emissivity coatings on the inner and outer pot, provide for a highly insulated cooking utensil. Any combination of a plurality of mechanisms for selectively disabling and re-enabling the insulating properties of the pot are provided within the chamber. These mechanisms may include: a hydrogen gas producing and reabsorbing device such as a metal hydride, a plurality of metal contacts which can be adjusted to bridge the gap between the inner and outer pot, and a plurality of bimetallic switches which can selectively bridge the gap between the inner and outer pot. In addition, phase change materials with superior heat retention characteristics may be provided within the cooking utensil. Further, automatic and programmable control of the cooking utensil can be provided through a microprocessor and associated hardware for controlling the vacuum disable/enable mechanisms to automatically cook and save food.
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Citations
58 Claims
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1. A cooking utensil comprising:
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an outer shell having an inner surface and an outer surface, said outer surface being exposable to the source of heat; an inner shell positioned adjacent and in juxtaposed relation to the outer shell in a manner that encloses a chamber between the inner shell and the outer shell, said inner shell having an inner surface that is shaped to define a container, said chamber being evacuated to a level sufficient to inhibit heat transfer by gas molecular conduction between the inner shell and the outer shell; and heat transfer control means operatively connected to the cooking utensil for varying heat transfer capability between the inner shell and the outer shell. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57)
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58. A method for automatically cooking food with a cooking utensil which includes a mechanism for controlling heat transferred from an outer shell of the cooking utensil to an inner shell of the cooking utensil, comprising the steps of:
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placing food in the inner shell; exposing the outer shell to heat; initiating the utensil to begin a predetermined cooking schedule; and controlling heat transferred from the outer shell to the inner shell in accordance with the predetermined cooking schedule by selectively disabling and enabling heat transfer capability between the outer shell and the inner shell.
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Specification