Abstract: Cooking apparatus, comprising a support structure, a cooking vessel having an opening therein, a cover controlling access to the vessel, and cover actuation apparatus. The cover actuation apparatus pivots the cover, and optionally includes slide structure enabling the cover to slide out of full overlying relationship with the vessel opening to a partially overlying relationship, before the pivoting action occurs. Optional biasing structure biases the cover upwardly from a position overlying the vessel opening. Preferred structure combines both sliding action and pivoting action to displace the cover from over the vessel opening, and to present the cover to the opening for sealing over the cooking vessel.

Abstract: The invention comprises a vertical spit for retaining one or more fowl such as chickens or other birds during display, roasting, and warming. The vertical spit comprises a unitary zig-zagging rod comprising two or more roast retaining means, each roast retaining means comprising a downwardly projecting cradle portion for holding trussed legs of the fowl and an upwardly projecting triangular portion for insertion into a carcass of the fowl. Each roast retaining means is positioned in continuous vertical relationship and preferably each roast retaining means projects from an opposite side of the vertical spit from an adjacent roast retaining means.

Abstract: A nozzle extends through an opening in the side wall of the vessel of a pressure fryer and normally is disposed in an inactive position in which discharge ports in the nozzle are sealed with respect to and are protected from the contents of the vessel. If a fire occurs, pressurized fire suppressant first extends the nozzle into the interior of the vessel to render ineffective the seal at the discharge ports. The suppressant then sprays through the discharge ports of the extended nozzle to extinguish the fire in the vessel.