Abstract: A cooking utensil utilizes a flat heating surface having in it a multitude of holes whose diameters are in the 1.5 to 3 mm. range. The holes are distributed over the heating surface and open into a chamber beneath the cooking surface. The chamber is formed by a collar that extends downwardly from the periphery of the cooking surface. The collar acts as a chimney that causes the hot gases to rise through the holes in the cooking surface and permeate the food with the aroma of the fuel, which may be wood chips, charcoal, or other substances that lend a distinct odor to food.

Abstract: A wire rack has upward extending bent points and downward extending similar bent points. Preferably, the spacing between points at one end is greater than the spacing at the other end. The points at one end serve as prongs which may be forced between the leaves of an inverted artichoke. The bottom ends function as legs to support the rack upright on the bottom of a pan of water. Steam rising from the pan penetrates between the leaves, steaming, rather than boiling, the vegetable. Either end may be placed up, depending on size of the artichoke. Very small artichokes may be placed inside the upturned points. Eggs and other products may be supported by the rack for steaming. The rack is also usable when serving food since it may be placed on the diner's plate. Even uncooked products such as oranges may be "presented" in this way. In a preferred form, two identical lengths of wire are bent to provide two upward and two downward extending points.

Abstract: In order to boil eggs or other foods not suitable for cooking with direct microwave radiation, a receptacle containing such foods is separated from a microwave source by a radiation shield overlain by a heating vessel partly filled with water which is exposed to the microwaves. This vaporizes the water and the resulting steam is admitted through one or more tubes into the receptacle for a rapid heating of its contents. The shield may reflect the incident microwaves into the water bath.

Abstract: A microwave-reflective first container, designed to preclude microwave exposure of the sides and bottom and limit exposure to the top of a shelled, raw egg contained therein, is covered by a microwave-permeable lid and nested within a microwave-permeable second container so that the bottom and lower sides of said first container are in physical contact with a microwave-lossy liquid contained therein. Also, disclosed are (1) temperature monitoring, (2) a spoon shape to said first container's bottom, (3) restricting the ability of said first container to rotate and (4) methods of using said apparatus to soft and hard cook raw, shelled eggs from both their prefrozen and room temperature states.

Abstract: This invention features an automatic egg cooker in which one of the eggs to be cooked is continuously tested for consistency by being placed in an oscillatory system. The magnitude and duration of oscillations due to an initial displacement of the system are measured. An alarm is set to ring when the desired consistency of the egg is reached.

Abstract: A whistling teakettle with an attached food boiling device is disclosed which is especially suitable for soft-boiling eggs and the like. Both the teakettle and the boiling device are designed to be exposed to a burner surface. However, due to the decreased volume of water in the boiling device, this water boils sooner than the water in the teakettle. Thus, a food, such as eggs, placed in the boiling device is cooked during the same time that water in the teakettle reaches a boil and causes the teakettle to "whistle". By measuring the volume of water in the teakettle, the "whistle" of the teakettle is used as a timed alarm for the cooking of the eggs.

Abstract: An automatic control for egg cookers, baby bottle warmer, etc. is designed around a conventional slide switch of the type normally biased to the open position. Manually actuated means are provided to move the slide switch to its ON position, whereupon a mechanical latch automatically latches onto the knob of the slide switch to hold it in its ON position. When the cooking has been completed, a bi-metal releases the latch and permits the biasing means to open the switch and terminate the heating.

Abstract: A device for cooking meatballs has a frame supporting an open-ended drum for rotation on the frame about a substantially horizontal axis. The drum is open at both its inlet end and its outlet end and has for part of its length an outer wall together with the inner wall forming a jacket. Heating oil is brought into the jacket through an axial rotary joint and discharged from the jacket through a similar axial rotary joint. Within the drum is a plurality of helical fins spaced apart circumferentially. The fins are of a sufficient height to propel axially of the drum meatballs introduced thereto through the inlet end and to carry the meatballs to the outlet end for discharge therethrough. Extending axially a short distance away from the inner wall and preferably carried by adjacent portions of the fins are tumbling bars. These are effective to lift and release the meatballs.

Abstract: A cooker for meatballs and the like has a semi-cylindrical trough mounted on a frame for rotation about its own substantially horizontal but slightly inclined axis. The trough is rocked to and fro by a controlled driving device to swing between extreme positions and optionally to stop between the extreme positions. The trough has a meatball inlet at one end and a meatball outlet at the other end. Between those ends the trough has interrupted, interior, helical vanes staggered with respect to each other on opposite sides of the center of the trough to impell the meatballs from one end to the other as the trough rocks. The trough includes a jacket having inlet and outlet connections for heating oil and may also have radiant heaters directed toward the inside of the trough.