GB2240916A

GB2240916A - A tabletop burner for warming food

Info

Publication number: GB2240916A
Application number: GB9027835A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Diethard Kreiner
Original assignee: Rosenthal AG
Current assignee: Rosenthal AG
Priority date: 1990-02-16
Filing date: 1990-12-21
Publication date: 1991-08-21
Also published as: GB9027835D0; DE9001874U1

Abstract

The tapletop burner comprises a bottom part (10) which includes a holder (14) for a heat source and an upper support ring (24) as well as a top part (30) which is supported and centred on the support ring (24) by a base edge (34) formed at the top part. At least the top part (30) is made of a ceramic material which preferably contains cordierite, and it has a radially outer edge (38) spaced from the base edge (34) by a distance at least five times the average thickness of the top part outside of the base edge. <IMAGE>

Description

A tabletop burner for warming food The invention relates to a tabletop burner for warming food, comprising a bottom part which includes a holder for a heat source and an upper support ring and a top part which is supported and centered on the support ring by a base edge formed at the top part.

Tabletop burners of this kind may be in the form of candle warmers for keeping food warm by means of a candle which serves as their source of heat and may have a plate-like apertured top part. If such tabletop burners are to be used for preparing food, however, a stronger heat source is provided which uses liquid, solid, or paste-like fuel, for example a spirit burner. The top part in those cases, for instance, may be a metal kettle for preparing fondues or a wide-edge dish made of cast iron or sheet metal and known by the name of wok.

A lot of heating energy is needed to warm or, where desired, prepare food in such a metallic top part since a major portion of the amount of heat supplied is dissipated to the surroundings by the exposed outer surface of the top part instead of being dedicated to its actual purpose. Usually the top part gets so hot all the way to its edge that one cannot grasp it directly anywhere so that it must have a handle, grip, or the like in order to be lifted from or rearranged on the bottom part without any risk.

It is the object of the invention to improve a tabletop burner of the kind mentioned initially such that it will consume less heating energy in warming a certain amount of food to a given temperature and will be safer to handle than known tabletop burners of the same generic kind.

The object is met, in accordance with the invention, starting from a tabletop burner of the kind recited above in that the top part is made of ceramics and has a radially outer edge which is spaced from the base edge by a distance at least five times the average thickness of the top part outside of the base edge.

In the case of the tabletop burner according to the invention the weak thermal conductivity of ceramics is utilized to concentrate the heat needed for preparing food in the area which is radially inside the annular base edge of the top part. Radially outside thereof the top part is heated only moderately so that one runs no risk if one touches it at its radially outer edge, even if the heat source is burning uninterruptedly for any longer period of time.

In preferred embodiments of the invention the top part is made of a ceramic material which contains cordierite.

It is convenient if the bottom part as well is made of ceramics containing cordierite.

A top part on which food is to be prepared directly, conveniently has a bottom with parallel faces whose radially outer limits define the base edge. The bottom preferably has a thickness which is at least 20% greater than the greatest thickness of the top part, radially outside of the base edge.

In a particularly preferred embodiment the top part is a dish in the form of a wok without handle whose radially outer edge has a diameter at least twice as great as the diameter of the base edge. Such a top.part is especially well suited for preparing all kinds of végetables which are cooked in the central, preferably planar bottom zone of the top part and then kept warm in a marginal region of the top part.

The top part, however, also may be a plate having an annular depression in its upper surface near the radially outer edge and otherwise being planar. Such a plate is suitable especially for frying meat and other foodstuffs which do not have too much juice oozing out as they are heated. The annular depression impedes heat transfer to the radially outer edge which consequently remains cool even though its diameter is less than twice as large as the diameter of the base edge.

Finally, the top part also may be a tubular spacer having an upper annular support from which a pot may be suspended.

Embodiments of the invention will be described in greater detail below with reference to diagrammatic drawings. Figs. 1 to 3 show three embodiments of tabletop burners according to the invention, each in axial section.

Each of the tabletop burners illustrated has a pot-shaped bottom part 10 made of ceramic material which contains cordierite. The bottom part has a bottom 12 formed in its upper surface with a circular ring-shaped depression to serve as a holder 14 for a conventional heat source, such as a spirit burner. A circular ring-shaped projection 16 formed in the lower surface of the bottom 12 matches the holder 14. In its lower surface the bottom 12 further is formed with a foot rest 18 likewise of circular ring shape and concentric with the projection 16, yet being of greater diameter and greater height, to present the base of the bottom part 10.

The bottom part 10 has a clindrical wall 20 with at least one lateral opening 22 to light and watch the heat source. The opening 22 likewise serves to admit combustion air unless the bottom 12 is formed with a sufficient number of apertures, for instance in the area between the annular projection 16 and the annular foot rest 18.

At the top, the bottom part 10 terminates by a support ring 24 which is interrupted by a plurality of approximately semicircular recesses 26 to permit the escape of combustion gas. A radially inwardly projecting annular shoulder 28 is provided directly underneath the recesses 26.

As shown in fig. 1, a top part 30 in the form of a wok made of ceramics containing cordierite is placed on the bottom part 10. The top part 30 has a bottom 32 with parallel faces defined at the lower side by a annular base edge 34 by which it is centered in the support ring 24 of the bottom part 10. A wall 36 extends from the bottom 32 towards the outside at an inclination of approximately 45 . It terminates in a radially outer edge 38 which projects almost flatly towards the outside. The bottom 32 serves for cooking food which subsequently may be kept warm along the wall 36. The radially outer edge 38 has a diameter which is from two to two and a half times bigger than the diameter of the base edge 34.

In the case of the tabletop burner illustrated in fig. 2 a plate-like top part 40 of ceramics containing cordierite is placed on the bottom part 10. The top part 40 has a bottom 42 with parallel faces again defined by a circular base edge 44 which is centered by the support ring 34. The top part 40 has a planar upper surface 46 and a radially outer edge whose diameter is just barely twice as great as the diameter of the base edge 44. An annular depression 48 is incorporated in the upper surface 46, slightly spaced inwardly from the radially outer edge , to collect juice when meat and the like are being fried.

As shown in fig. 3, a top part 50 is placed on the same bottom part 10 again. The top part 50 is designed as a tubular spacer made of ceramics containing cordierite. Instead of a bottom, the top part 50 has an annular flange 52 which is defined outwardly by a circular base edge 54. The top part 50 has a cylindrical wall 50 passing over into a radially outer edge 58. At the transition from the cylindrical wall 56 to the radially outer edge 58 an annular support 59 is formed which projects radially inwardly. A pot 60 made of metal, for instance, may be suspended from the top part 50 such that a flange 62 formed in the pot comes to rest on the annular support 59. The flange 62 will lie so much below the radially outer edge 58 that it cannot be touched unintentionally.

In contrast to the flange 62, the radially outer edge 58 will remain cool even if the tabletop burner is used for an extended period of time. This is so because the overall length, measured in the cross sectional profile, of the distance between the base edge 54 and the radially outer edge 58 is approximately eight times as great as the thickness of the cylindrical wall 56 so that even extraordinary heating of the top part 50 in the region of its base edge 54 can spread to the radially outer edge 58 only in very much weaker form.

An annular insert 64, likewise made of ceramics containing cordierite, may be placed on the flange 62 to serve for fondue forks and the like to lean on.

Claims

1. A tabletop burner for warming food, comprising - a bottom part (10) which includes a holder (14) for a heat source and an upper support ring (24) and - a top part (30;40;50) which is supported and centered on the support ring (24) by a base edge (34;44;54) formed at the top part, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the top part (30;40;50) is made of ceramics and has a radially outer edge (38;48;58) which is spaced from the base edge (34;44;54) by a distance at least five times the average thickness of the top part outside of the base edge.

2. The tabletop burner as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the ceramic material contains cordierite.

3. The tabletop burner as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the bottom part (10), too, is made of a ceramic material which contains cordierite.

4. The tabletop burner as claimed in one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the top part (30;40) has a bottom (32;42) with parallel faces whose radially outer limits define the base edge (34;44).

5. The tabletop burner as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the bottom (32;42) has a thickness which is at least 20% greater than the greatest thickness of the top part (30;40) radially outside of the base edge (34;44).

6. The tabletop burner as claimed in one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the top part (30) is a dish shaped like a wok without handle whose radially outer edge (38) has a diameter at least twice as large as that of the base edge (34).

7. The tabletop burner as claimed in one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the top part (40) is a plate in the upper surface (46) of which an annular depression (49) is formed near the radially outer edge, while the rest is planar.

8. The tabletop burner as claimed in one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the top part (50) is a tubular spacer having an upper annular support (59) for a pot (60) to be suspended from.