Abstract: A fork for engaging and holding a food item while the food item is cooking includes an elongate fork body; a fork distal end including at least one tine; a fork proximal end with a fork handle; a stopwatch timer with a timer display mechanism and a timer actuating mechanism for timing the emersion of a food item within a fondue liquid to determine that the food item is cooked sufficiently but not excessively; and a timer power source connected to the timer.

Abstract: A flowable materials pump for moving flowable materials includes a substantially tubular pump housing having opposing first and second housing longitudinal open ends; an impeller assembly including an impeller rotatably mounted within and connected to the pump housing through which material flows through and around the impeller; and an impeller drive mechanism extending through the housing wall to and drivably connected to the impeller. The laterally position of the impeller drive mechanism relative to the pump housing permits stacking of the flowable materials pumps in linear series and in mutual fluid communication, so that the desired level of pumping force can be established incrementally by selecting the number of the pumps needed for a given application.