Culinary apparatus

Claim 2

A culinary apparatus comprising a culinary template having a collar, a wall and a plurality of positioners, said collar having an inside margin and an outside margin, said collar having a lower surface and an upper surface, said lower surface defining a first plane, said lower surface having a first flanking portion adjacent said inside margin, a second flanking portion adjacent said outside margin, and a contact portion between said flanking portions, said wall extending downwardly from said first flanking portion, said wall and said inside margin together defining a central passage extending through said culinary template, a plurality of spaced positioners extending down from one of said flanking portions, each said positioner having a pair of opposed sides and a contact margin delimited by said sides, said contact margins each adjoining said contact portion of said lower surface, said contact margins each having a bowed shape extending down from said first flanking portion and away from said second flanking portion.

Claim 3

The culinary apparatus of claim 1 wherein said contact margins each have an upper portion, a middle portion, and a bottom portion, wherein said upper portions are each generally perpendicular to said first plane, wherein said middle portions are each convex, and wherein said bottom portions each face downward.

Claim 4

The culinary apparatus of claim 2 wherein said upper portions each adjoin said collar about midway between said inside margin and said outside margin.

Claim 5

The culinary apparatus of claim 2 wherein each said upper portion is semicircular in a cross-section parallel to said first plane.

Claim 6

The culinary apparatus of claim 1 wherein each said positioner has a length perpendicular to said first plane, a breadth parallel to said first plane and normal to said wall, and a width between said opposed sides, said length and breadth each being greater than said width.

Claim 7

The culinary apparatus of claim 5 wherein said width is substantially uniform adjacent said contact margin.

Claim 8

The culinary apparatus of claim 5 wherein said positioner length is less than half the length of said wall perpendicular to said first plane.

Claim 9

The culinary apparatus of claim 1 wherein said inside margin and said outside margin are each perpendicular to said first plane.

Claim 10

The culinary apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a piston complementary in shape to said wall, said piston being movable in a direction perpendicular to said first plane within said central passage.

Claim 11

The culinary apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a pan including a sidewall, said sidewall having a brim, said brim being displacably disposed in substantially continuous contact with said contact portion.

Claim 12

The culinary apparatus of claim 10 wherein said pan has a bottom connected to said sidewall opposite to said brim and defining a base plane parallel to said first plane, and wherein the length of said wall perpendicular to said first plane is less than the length of said sidewall perpendicular to said base plane from said brim to said bottom.

Claim 13

A culinary apparatus comprising a pan and a culinary template, said pan having a bottom and a sidewall extending up from said bottom, said sidewall having a brim, said culinary template having a collar and a wall and a plurality of spaced positioners, said collar having an inside margin and an outside margin, said collar having an upper surface and a lower surface, said lower surface having an inner flanking portion adjacent said inside margin and an outer flanking portion adjacent said outside margin and a contact portion, said contact portion being between said flanking portions, said contact portion defining a first plane, said contact portion being displacably disposed in at least substantially continuous contact with said brim of said pan, said wall extending downwardly from said inner flanking portion, said wall and said inside margin together defining a central passage extending through said template, said wall having an indenting edge spaced from said collar, said wall having a length from said first plane to said indenting edge less than the length of said sidewall from said bottom to said brim, said positioners extending down from one of said flanking portions, said positioners delimiting said contact portion.

Claim 14

A culinary apparatus comprising a pan and a culinary template, said pan having a bottom and a sidewall extending up from said bottom, said sidewall having a brim, said culinary template having a collar and a wall and a plurality of spaced positioners, said collar having an inside margin and an outside margin, said collar having an upper surface and a lower surface, said lower surface having an inner flanking portion adjacent said inside margin and an outer flanking portion adjacent said outside margin and a contact portion, said contact portion being between said flanking portions, said contact portion defining a first plane, said contact portion being displacably disposed in at least substantially continuous contact with said brim of said pan, said wall extending downwardly from said inner flanking portion, said wall and said inside margin together defining a central passage extending through said template, said wall having an indenting edge spaced from said collar, said wall having a length from said first plane to said indenting edge less than the length of said sidewall from said bottom to said brim, said positioners extending down from one of said flanking portions, said positioners delimiting said contact portion.

Claim 15

The culinary apparatus of claim 12 wherein said positioners each have a length from said first plane toward said indenting edge sufficient to offset said collar from said brim, upon disposition of at least one of said positioners against said brim.

Claim 16

The culinary apparatus of claim 12 wherein said positioners each have a contact margin extending downwardly from said collar adjacent said contact portion, curving convexly, and extending to said wall, and wherein said culinary template has a weight sufficient to prevent stable placement of said collar on said pan in a position with at least one of said contact margins disposed against said brim, whereby said positioners correct alignment of said contact portion and said brim by the action of gravity on said culinary template.

Claim 17

The culinary apparatus of claim 12 further comprising a piston disposed within said central passage, said piston being movable toward said bottom.

Claim 18

A culinary apparatus comprising a pan having a bottom and a sidewall extending up from said bottom, said sidewall having a brim, a culinary template having a collar and a wall, and a plurality of spaced positioners, said collar having an upper surface and a lower surface, said lower surface having a first inner flanking portion and a second outer flanking portion and a contact portion, said contact portion being between said flanking portions, said contact portion defining a first plane, said contact portion being displacably disposed, substantially continuous contact with said brim of said pan, said collar having an inside margin and an outside margin, said wall extending downwardly from said first inner flanking portion, said wall and said inside margin together defining a central passage extending through said culinary template, said wall having an indenting edge spaced from said collar, said indenting edge defining a second plane, said wall having a length from said first plane to said second plane less than the depth of said pan from said bottom to said brim, said positioners extending down from one of said flanking portions, said positioners delimiting said contact portion.

Claim 19

A culinary apparatus comprising a pan having a bottom and a sidewall extending up from said bottom, said sidewall having a brim, a culinary template having a collar and a wall, and a plurality of spaced positioners, said collar having an upper surface and a lower surface, said lower surface having a first inner flanking portion and a second outer flanking portion and a contact portion, said contact portion being between said flanking portions, said contact portion defining a first plane, said contact portion being displacably disposed, substantially continuous contact with said brim of said pan, said collar having an inside margin and an outside margin, said wall extending downwardly from said first inner flanking portion, said wall and said inside margin together defining a central passage extending through said culinary template, said wall having an indenting edge spaced from said collar, said indenting edge defining a second plane, said wall having a length from said first plane to said second plane less than the depth of said pan from said bottom to said brim, said positioners extending down from one of said flanking portions, said positioners delimiting said contact portion.