Abstract: In an appliance for cooking or frying foodstuffs in a fluid, comprising: a cooking tank; an external housing surrounding the cooking tank, providing an external wall of the appliance and having an opening; a heating member in thermal communication with the cooking tank; pilot units for controlling operation of the appliance; and a support plate carrying at least a part of the pilot units and removably mounted in the opening in the housing to constitute a portion of the external wall of the appliance, the pilot units including a heating control unit for controlling the temperature of fluid in the cooking tank, mounted on the plate in heat exchange communication with the cooking tank.

Abstract: The article is constituted from a plate produced from a relatively soft first metal (1). It has, on one of its faces, a metallic element (2) in the form of a perforated sheet or a grid produced from a second metal or alloy harder than that of the plate (1). The metallic element (2) is fixed to the plate by drop-forging or stamping in order to embed it, at least partially, in this plate. The article is especially useful as a cooking vessel.

Abstract: A cooking vessel produced from a disc (3) of light alloy or metal includes a bottom (1) intended to be placed on a cooking plate, a burner or the like. The bottom (1) includes a plate (2) made of a metal having properties different from those of the metal of the disc (3). This plate (2) is completely or partially embedded in the bottom (1) and its periphery is preferably adjacent to a groove (4). The bottom of such a cooking vessel exhibits improved resistance to deformation.

Abstract: A machine for making hot beverages composed of a chamber having at least one water outlet, a filter holder located beneath the chamber holding a mass of ground product, a water distribution member disposed below the water outlet for directing water onto the surface of the ground product contained in the filter holder, the water distribution member being provided with a plurality of perforations for conducting water into the filter holder, and a device for regulating the distribution of water into the filter holder. The water distribution member is composed of a plate having a center and a periphery, and a plurality of walls extending upwardly from the plate to divide the member into a plurality of individual sections, and the plate is provided with a plurality of water passage perforations each located in one of the sections. The member and the chamber are mounted in the machine in a relatively movable manner for establishing a desired relative position of the water outlet above the individual sections.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for grilling and/or reheating a food product by subjecting the product, for an operating time T, to infrared radiation from at least one electrically operated unit for producing infrared radiation, the process comprising: setting a preestablished value for a frequency f; and varying, during at least part of the time T, the electrical supply to the electrically operated unit in a discontinuous manner between a first supply level during a time T1 and a second supply level, different from the first level, during a time T2 in cycles having the preestablished frequency f in order to generate infrared radiation of variable wavelength, wherein 1/f=T1+T2 whereby the product is heated by the infrared radiation.

Abstract: A process for the preparation of a metallic surface permits securing a coating to this latter. The process comprises etching on a matrix (11) of hard metal a series of relief designs (12) separated by empty spaces (13). The etching has the effect of creating microcavities (15) in the metal adjacent to the empty spaces (13). The matrix (11) is applied by pressing to a disc of metal softer than that of the matrix (11) to impress the relief designs (12) and the microcavities of the matrix on the disc. The process is particularly useful for the production of a stamped cooking utensil.

Abstract: A manually operable grooming device for animal coats, the device including: a main body; a scratching unit carried by the main body and including a support member and a plurality of scratching teeth carried by, and extending from, the support member, the scratching teeth having free ends which define a scratching surface; a removable screen penetrated by at least a portion of the scratching teeth for recovering animal fur from between the scratching teeth; and a suction unit mounted in the main body behind the scratching surface for producing an air flow along a path adjacent the scratching unit and in a direction from the scratching surface toward the support member, wherein the screen extends across a surface which is spaced from the scratching surface and includes an annular portion which surrounds the scratching teeth, is free of teeth, and is in the path of the air flow.

Abstract: The cooking appliance includes a cooking plate (1) which is removable and provided with openings (2), heating elements (3) mounted beneath the plate (1) and a container (7) for collecting the fats from cooking. The lower face of the cooking plate (1) includes housings (9) of "U"-shaped cross section above the heating elements (3), the openings (2) not emerging into the housings (9). These housings (9) rest at their lower part on a metal wall (10) separate from the housings (9) and are adjacent to the edges of the cooking plate (1).

Abstract: A flexible heating element is composed of at least one resistive conductor circuit having a first pair of ends, two sheets of electrically insulating material enclosing the conductor circuit, and a member for connecting the conductor circuit to at least one exterior electric unit. The member for connecting is constututed by at least one flexible connection tongue forming a projecting portion of the heating element. Two connection strips are each conductively connected to a respective end of the conductor circuit and are dimensioned to have a resistance appropriate to their connection function.

Abstract: In order to fix a perforated plate (2) to the bottom (1) of a vessel, the plate is fixed by closed-die forging, in particular by cold striking so as to make the metal of the bottom (1) penetrate into the openings (4) in the plate (2). At the same time as the closed-die forging operation, a series of reliefs (5) is formed on the surface of the perforated plate (2) as well as on the surface of the bottom (1) of the vessel.

Abstract: A steam iron including a vaporization chamber (2) connected by a water/steam supply device (8,11) to a flexible hose (9) extending from an external large-capacity reservoir(13). A device (5) regulates the water discharge that is also connected to the vaporization chamber (2), this discharge regulating device (5) being connected to an internal reservoir (4) incorporated in the iron (1).

Abstract: An electric beverage maker comprising: a water reservoir; a water delivery tube for conducting hot water from the reservoir; a water distribution chamber located above a location of a filter holder and disposed for receiving water from the water delivery tube, the chamber being provided with a water outlet opening; a water recycling conduit providing a water flow path between the water distribution chamber and the reservoir; and a valve for blocking or unblocking the water outlet opening for permitting, when the water outlet opening is blocked, recycling of water via the recycling conduit, the improvement wherein the recycling conduit is constituted by a guide member forming a channel enclosing the water delivery tube.

Abstract: A dispenser for dispensing a thermoplastic product in a fluid state, the dispenser including: a case having a manual holding part; a reservoir composed of a wall forming an enclosure for holding a supply of the product; a product applicator disposed in proximity to a reservoir opening for receiving product in a fluid state from the reservoir, wherein at least a portion of the reservoir wall is made of an electrically conductive plastic constituting a heat source, and the dispenser further has electrodes connected to the electrically conductive plastic of the reservoir portion for delivering heating current to the heat source.