Fryer

Claim 1

A cooking apparatus primarily designed for cooking food products in shortening material, said apparatus comprising: a housing, cooking tank means mounted on said housing and configured to contain shortening therein, said tank means comprising a plurality of heating zones, including at least a first and second zone disposed in communicating relation with one another, both said first and second zones mounted within said tank means in substantially adjacent relation to one another and each comprising base means, said base means of said first and second zone disposed in substantially stepped relation to one another, wherEin said base means of said second zone is disposed lower than said base means of said first zone, heating means disposed in substantially contiguous relation to said base means of said first zone and out of direct fluid contact with the interior of said tank means, said heating means further disposed in substantially spaced relation to said second zone, whereby the temperature in said first zone is maintained at a substantially higher temperature than in said second zone; shortening removal means mounted on said base of said second zone in fluid communication with said fluid tank means, flow regulating means removably attachable to said shortening removal means and configured to regulate the flow of shortening from said tank, seal means removably attached in sealing engagement with said shortening removal means, said flow regulating means comprising a stand pipe including an elongated conduit having oppositely disposed open ends, one of said ends removably engaging said shortening removal means and the opposite end oriented in spaced relation thereto adjacent the surface of the shortening in said tank means, said seal means disposed in non-sealing engagement with said removal means when said stand pipe is connected thereto, whereby the removal of shortening adjacent said base of said second zone is prevented.