Food steamer with multi-level food supporting means

Claim 1

FOR USE IN A FOOD STEAMING VESSEL HAVING A BOTTOM WALL, A TOP WALL AND SIDE WALLS DEFINING A STEAMING COMPARTMENT, A HEATER FOR SUPPLYING HEAT TO THE BOTTOM WALL AND MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY TERMINATING THE HEAT SUPPLY WHEN THE FOOD HAS BEEN STEAMED, THE COMBINATION OF MEANS FOR SUPPORTING THE FOOD TO BE STEAMED AT TWO SEPARATE AND DISTINCT LEVELS WITHIN THE VESSEL AND COMPRISING: A RACK INCLUDING A BASE MEMBER HAVING A TOP SURFACE AND OPPOSED SIDE AND END EDGES, SAID RACK BEING REMOVABLY RECEIVED WITHIN SAID COMPARTMENT FOR ACCOMMODATING A FIRST FOOD CONTAINER ON THE TOP SURFACE OF SAID BASE MEMBER, SAID RACK FURTHER INCLUDING A PAIR OF GENERALLY USHAPED SUPPORT ARMS EACH HAVING A PAIR OF LEGS CONNECTED TO THE BASE MEMBER AND A CROSS MEMBER CONNECTING THE LEGS, SAID TWO CROSS MEMBERS EXTENDING BETWEEN THE SIDE EDGES OF THE RACK AND ABOVE THE TOP SURFACE THEREOF SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER IN THE SAME PLANE WITH EACH OTHER AND SPACED APART FROM EACH OTHER A DISTANCE LESS THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE OPPOSED END EDGES OF THE RACK; AND A SECOND FOOD CONTAINER HAVING SIDE WALLS AND A BOTTOM WALL WITH THE MAXIMUM DIMENSION OF THE CONTAINER BOTTOM WALL BEING GREATER THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE CROSS MEMBERS OF SAID SUPORT ARMS FOR SAID SECOND CONTAINER TO BE SUPPORTED WITHIN SAID VESSEL SPACED ABOVE SAID FIRST CONTAINER SOLELY BY SAID SUPPORT ARMS.