Cooking apparatus

Claim 2

A pressure cooker comprising a main container provided with a removable lockable sealing cover, means to heat the interior of the main container, means to support food articles in said main container, a depending drain conduit communicatively connected to the bottom wall of said main container, a manually operated drain valve in said drain conduit, a cup member adapted to receive combustible food-flavoring material mounted in said container below said support means adjacent said bottom wall of the container and adjacent the peripheral wall portion thereof, an auxiliAry heating assembly mounted on said peripheral wall portion and including an inwardly projecting heating element extending into said cup member and arranged to char combustible flavoring material in the cup member and to cause the flavoring material to diffuse upwardly around said support means, and an externally exposed manually adjustable control element operatively connected to said auxiliary heating assembly.

Claim 3

A pressure cooker comprising a main container provided with a removable lockable sealing cover, means to heat the interior of the main container, means to support food articles in said main container, a depending drain conduit communicatively connected to the bottom wall of said main container, a manually operated drain valve in said drain conduit, a cup member adapted to receive combustible food-flavoring material mounted in said container adjacent a peripheral wall portion thereof, an auxiliary heating assembly mounted on said peripheral wall portion and including an inwardly projecting heating element extending into said cup member and arranged to char combustible flavoring material in the cup member, and an externally exposed manually adjustable control element operatively connected to said auxiliary heating assembly, wherein said drain valve has a manually operated rotatable control member which can be actuated to open and close said drain valve, said control member being mounted so as to substantially cover and prevent access to said control element of the auxiliary heating assembly when the drain valve is open, but to expose said control element when the drain valve is closed.

Claim 4

A pressure cooker comprising a main container provided with a removable lockable sealing cover, means to heat the interior of the main container, means to support food articles in said main container, a depending drain conduit communicatively connected to the bottom wall of said main container, a manually operated drain valve in said drain conduit, a cup member adapted to receive combustible food-flavoring material mounted in said container adjacent a peripheral wall portion thereof, an auxiliary heating assembly mounted on said peripheral wall portion and including an inwardly projecting heating element extending into said cup member and arranged to char combustible flavoring material in the cup member, and an externally exposed manually adjustable control element operatively connected to said auxiliary heating assembly, wherein said drain valve has a manually operated rotatable control member which can be actuated to open and close said drain valve, said control member being mounted so as to substantially cover and prevent access to said control element of the auxiliary heating assembly when the drain valve is open, but to expose said control element when the drain valve is closed.

Claim 5

The pressure cooker of claim 2, and wherein said cup member has a peripheral wall formed with a notch, said heating element extending substantially horizontally through said notch.

Claim 6

The pressure cooker of claim 3, and wherein said pressure cooker is provided with an energizing circuit including an adjustable timer, said timer having a manually operated control element located adjacent said manually adjustable auxiliary heating assembly control element so as to be also substantially covered by said drain valve control member when said drain valve is open.

Claim 7

The pressure cooker of claim 4, and wherein said energizing circuit includes a main control switch mounted so as to be also substantially covered by said drain valve control member when the drain valve is open.

Claim 8

The pressure cooker of claim 5, and wherein said energizing circuit includes pressure-responsive normally closed switch means exposed to the interior of the main container, and circuit means to deenergize said heating element responsive to opening of said switch means.

Claim 9

The pressure cooker of claim 6, and wherein said drain valve is provided with a horizontally extending rotatable control shaft, said control member being rigidly secured to said control shaft.

Claim 10

The pressure cooker of claim 7, and wherein said control member comprises a sector-shaped rigid plate.

Claim 11

The pressure cooker of claim 8, and wherein said sector-shaped plate has its apex portion rigidly secured to said control shaft and wherein the radius of said plate is at least as great as the distance from said control shaft to the furthermost of the manually adjustable control elements of he the auxiliary heating assembly and timer and the main control switch.

Claim 12

The pressure cooker of claim 9, and wherein the manually adjustable control elements and the main control switch are mounted at substantially equal distances from said control shaft.