Abstract:
A pressure cooking vessel using a cylindrical cooking chamber and rectangular food racks. This combination allows one to enjoy the benefits of using a cylindrical chamber to pressure cook along with the benefits of using rectangular racks to display the food.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
   In the fried food industry, it is common to use a pressurized cooking vessel, such as a pressure fryer, to prepare products such as fried chicken, fish, or the like. The advantage of using a pressurized vessel is that it significantly reduces cooking time while providing a moist and tender product. 
   The typical operation of a pressure fryer may be summarized as follows: (1) fill the fryer with shortening; (2) raise the temperature of the shortening to a specific point through internal heating elements; (3) place food on wire cooking racks; (4) place the wire cooking racks with food in the fryer; (5) close the lid on the fryer; (6) heat the shortening, raising the pressure and cooking the food; (7) remove racks with fried food from the vessel; (8) drain; (9) remove the fried food from the cooking racks and place it on display racks; and (10) display fried food for consumers. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY 
   The embodiments that are shown and described herein combine a cylindrical cooking chamber with rectangular wire racks. This combination optimizes the structural integrity of the pressure cooking vessel, and it allows the same rack to be used both for cooking the food and for displaying the food, thereby eliminating the labor required to move the food from a cooking rack to a display rack and minimizing the risk of food contamination that occurs whenever food is handled. 
   A cylindrical shape is preferred over a rectangular shape in order to provide superior structural strength to withstand the internal pressure. 
   In one embodiment, the heating elements project into opposite sides of the vessel, allowing for good surface contact between the heating elements and the shortening. 
   Another feature of one embodiment of the invention is a pair of draining bars located near the top of the cooking vessel. The draining bars temporarily support the rectangular rack after it is removed from the vessel so that the shortening on the food can drain back into the vessel. The rectangular rack is simply lifted, rotated 90 degrees, and then placed on the draining bars. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a pressure cooking vessel made in accordance with the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a broken-away side view of the pressure cooking vessel of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 2A  is a broken-away side view of the pressure cooking vessel of  FIG. 1  with the rectangular rack removed for clarity; 
       FIG. 3  is a top view of the pressure cooking vessel of  FIG. 1  with the lid removed for clarity; 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the rectangular rack of  FIG. 2 ; 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of another embodiment of a rectangular rack, which is made up of stacked rack elements, that could be used instead of the rack of  FIG. 4 ; 
       FIG. 6  is a front view of the rectangular rack shown in  FIG. 5 ; and 
       FIG. 7  a perspective view showing lifting tongs that can be used to lift the rack set of  FIG. 5 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  3  show one embodiment of a pressure cooking vessel  10  made in accordance with the present invention. As best shown in  FIG. 2 , the pressure cooking vessel  10  includes a housing  20  with a wall defining a cylindrical chamber  30  with a central vertical axis  31 . The cylindrical chamber  30  has a closed bottom and an open top. It also includes a lid assembly  40 , which is hinged to the housing  20  and encloses the open top. 
   The cylindrical chamber  30  contains heating elements  50 . As best shown in  FIG. 3 , the heating elements  50  are positioned on opposing sides of the central vertical axis  31  of the cylindrical chamber  30 . The heating elements  50  are strategically placed so that a rectangular rack  60 , i.e. a rack that has a rectangular cross-section in the horizontal plane, may be placed between the heating elements  50 . This design provides the benefits of using a cylindrical chamber and the benefits of using a rectangular rack without wasting space. 
   In one embodiment, the center of the rectangular cross-section of the rectangular rack  60  shares the central vertical axis  31  of the cylindrical chamber  30 . The rectangular rack  60  has two long opposing sides and two short opposing sides, and the heating elements  50  are positioned between the long sides of the rectangular rack  60  and the wall of the cylindrical chamber  30 . The heating elements  50  are designed for a three phase system, with one phase on one side of the long side of the rectangular rack  60 , the second phase on the other side of the long side of the rectangular rack  60 , and the third phase having heating elements  50  on both sides, below the first and second phase heaters. 
   In typical operation, the cylindrical chamber  30  is filled with shortening (not shown). The shortening is heated to the desired cooking temperature by the heating elements  50 . Then, uncooked food is placed in the rectangular rack  60 , and the rack  60  is placed inside the cylindrical chamber  30 . The lid assembly  40  is closed. The heating elements  50  continue heating the shortening, pressure develops in the chamber  30 , and the food is cooked. After the food has cooked for a predetermined length of time, the pressure is reduced to atmospheric pressure, the lid  40  is opened, the rack  60  is removed from the cylindrical chamber  30 , and the shortening is allowed to drain from the food. Then, the rack  60  is moved to a separate location, where the food is displayed for consumers, such as into a rectangular display case (not shown), which receives the rectangular rack  60 . 
   In one embodiment, draining bars  70  are attached to the walls of the cylindrical chamber  30  on the same opposing sides as the heating elements  50 . As best shown in  FIG. 3 , the draining bars  70  are generally U-shaped and project inwardly. As best shown in  FIG. 2 , the bars  70  are positioned near the top of the cylindrical chamber  30  and above the heating elements  50 . The draining bars  70  provide a simple and effective means to facilitate the drainage of shortening back into the cylindrical chamber  30  after cooking. Once the rectangular rack  60  is removed from the cylindrical chamber  30 , the rack is merely rotated ninety degrees and is then placed on top of the draining bars  70 . The technique is less complicated than using a supplemental hook arrangement or similar device to hang the racks, and it involves less effort than manually holding the rack while it drains. The technique is also very clean because the entire cross-sectional area of the rack  60  is encircled by the cross-sectional area of the chamber  30 . Therefore, all the shortening that drips from the food falls directly into the chamber  30 . 
     FIGS. 4 ,  5  and  6  show two different embodiments of rectangular racks that may be used with the pressure cooking vessel  10 . The first embodiment is shown in  FIG. 4 . In this case, horizontal rack elements  60 A are slid into a frame  80 . The frame  80  is constructed so that it has a front, back, top, bottom, and two sides. The sides have inwardly protruding rails  82 , and the front is open. The horizontal rack elements  60 A rest on the rails  82  and may be slid in and out of the frame  80  through the front opening. 
   Another type of rectangular rack is depicted in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . In this case, the horizontal rack elements  60 B are stacked directly on top of each other as best shown in  FIG. 6 . Each rack element  60 B has downwardly pointed corners  61  on its bottom side and corresponding downwardly directed recesses  63  on its top side, so that the rack elements  60 B nest together with the pointed corners  61  of one rack element  60 B fitting into the recesses  63  of the next lower rack element  60 B. Thus, the rack elements  60 B do not slide relative to each other when they are stacked together. In addition, the downwardly pointed corners act as legs or feet to separate the food (not shown) that is resting on the rack element  60 B from the counter or table or other surface on which it is placed. As a result, potential contamination is reduced. 
     FIG. 7  depicts a pair of lifting tongs  90  that may be used to lift and transport the rectangular racks  60 . Although the drawing shows the tongs being used to lift the stackable rack elements  60 B, the tongs  90  may be used with other variations of the rectangular racks  60  as well. When used with the stackable rectangular rack elements  60 B, the tongs  90  are used to grasp one of the rack elements  60 B and then lift that rack element  60 B as well as any rack elements above the rack element that is being grasped. As a result, the tongs  90  may be used to transport several rack elements  60 B together, or it can transport one rack element  60 B by itself. 
   It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the scope of the present invention.