Multiple purpose cooking appliance

Claim 2

A multiple purpose cooking appliance comprising a primary cooking vessel formed of material having high thermal conductivity, said vessel having a bottom wall and side walls defining a mouth, an electric heating element mounted in good conducting relationship with said vessel, thermostatic control means connected in circuit with said heating element and mounted to respond to the temperature of said vessel to cyclicly energize said heating element producing a fluctuating temperature in said vessel, means for selectively controlling said thermostatic control means to establish the temperature at which said thermostatic control means fluctuates, said primary vessel with its associated heating element and thermostatic control means being adapted to perform cooking and roasting functions at temperatures in excess of 200*F., a removable ceramic vessel having a bottom and side walls defining a mouth, said ceramic vessel having a peripheral shoulder on said side walls spaced downwardly from said mouth thereof, said shoulder being formed to engage the uppermost edge of said side walls defining said mouth of said primary cooking vessel to center said ceramic vessel with respect to said primary cooking vessel and support said vessels with their side walls and bottom walls in spaced relation forming an air space therebetween to produce a thermal lag between said heating element and the contents of said ceramic vessel, said ceramic vessel extending above said side walls of said primary vessel facilitating removal of said ceramic vessel from said primary vessel, said appliance with said ceramic vessel supported within said primary vessel being adapted to cook foods at a low temperature on the order of 190* - 200*F. for substantial periods of time without undesirable bacteria growth in the foods cooked therein, means on said primary vessel for supporting said appliance on a supporting surface, and an outer housing secured to said primary vessel and forming an enclosure for said primary vessel and said heating element.

Claim 3

The appliance of claim 1, wherein said ceramic vessel extends upwardly from said peripheral shoulder to such an extent that the volumetric capacity of said ceramic vessel is substantially equal to the capacity of said primary cooking vessel.

Claim 4

The appliance of claim 1 wherein each of said vessels is formed at its mouth with an annular shoulder for supporting a cover to close said mouth, either of said shoulders beiNg adapted to support said cover.

Claim 5

The combination of claim 1 wherein said primary cooking vessel is formed of an aluminum alloy and said ceramic vessel is formed of ceramic material having a wall thickness substantially greater than the wall thickness of said primary cooking vessel.

Claim 6

The combination of claim 1 wherein said primary vessel is formed of an aluminum alloy, said heating element being a sheathed heating element secured to the bottom of said primary vessel, said thermostatic control means being mounted on said primary vessel, said primary vessel having a cylindrical wall with a flange at the top thereof supporting said ceramic vessel, said primary vessel being spaced from said ceramic vessel exept for the engagement between said flange and said ceramic vessel.

Claim 7

The combination of claim 1 wherein said primary cooking vessel is on the order of 0.040 inches in thickness and said ceramic cooking vessel is in excess of 0.25 inches in thickness, said thermostatic control means cycling over a range of at least 25*F. 7. A multiple purpose cooking appliance comprising a primary cooking vessel formed of drawn aluminum and having high thermal conductivity, said vessel having a bottom wall and side walls defining a mouth, a sheathed electric heating element mounted in good conducting relationship with said vessel, thermostatic control means connected in circuit with said heating element and mounted to respond to the temperature of said vessel to cyclicly energize said heating element producing a fluctuating temperature in said vessel, means for selectively controlling said thermostatic control means to establish the temperature at which said thermostatic control means fluctuates, said primary vesssel with its associated heating element and thermostatic control means being adapted to perform cooking and roasting functions at temperatures in excess of 200*F., a removable second vessel being formed of a material from the group of ceramic and glass and having a bottom and side walls defining a mouth, said second vessel having a wall thickness of on the order of in excess of 0.25 inches, said second vessel having a peripheral shoulder on said side walls spaced downwardly from said mouth thereof, said shoulder being formed to engage the uppermost edge of said side walls defining said mouth of said primary cooking vessel to center said second vessel with respect to said primary cooking vessel and support said vessels with their side walls and bottom walls in spaced relation forming an air space therebetween to produce a thermal lag between said heating element and the contents of said second vessel, said air space being in excess of one-eighth inch, said second vessel extending above said side walls of said primary vessel facilitating removal of said second vessel from said primary vessel, said appliance with said second vessel supported within said primary vessel being adapted to cook foods at a low temperature on the order of 190* -200*F. for substantial periods of time without undesirable bacteria growth in the foods cooked therein, and means on said primary vessel for supporting said appliance on a supporting surface.

Claim 8

The multiple purpose cooking appliance of claim 7 wherein said second vessel is formed with an inwardly angled wall portion extending downwardly from said shoulder engaging said primary vessel to center said second vessel with respect to said primary vessel and provide a uniform air space between the walls of said vessels.

Claim 9

The multiple purpose cooking appliance of claim 7 wherein the walls of said vessels define mouth openings of substantially the same size to accommodate a single vessel cover alternatively in either of said vessels for closing said mouth openings.