Improvements in Lids for Frying Pans and analogous Cooking Utensils.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Feb., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 11th Oct., 1898-Accepted, 3rd Dec., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Lids for Frying Pans and analogous Cooking
Utensils.
I, HIESTER AZARUS BOWERS, of 40, North Sixth Street, Reading, in the County
of Berks and State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, Lawyer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to a simple, inexpensive and efficient cover for frying pans,
and analogous cooking utensils; and the object that I have in view is to prevent
the grease from spattering or flying out of the pan, permit the free exit of the
smoke and vapours arising from the meat during the operation of frying the same,
obviate "sweating or the accumulation of moisture on the inner surface of the
cover, and collect the grease and condensed vapours which may lodge upon the
outside of the cover.
"
I attain the objects of my invention by a cover which has its body dome-shaped
in cross-section and provided in its upper part with a plurality of perforations, an
annular trough at the base of the dome-shaped body, and an offstanding flange
joined to the outer wall of the trough and arranged exterior thereto.
Having mentioned the objects of the invention, a general description of the same
is as follows:
A circular dome-shaped body, provided with an annular trough and an offstand-
ing-flange is stamped or struck from a single piece of sheet metal. The body is
imperforate or free from perforations for some distance from the lower edge thereof
upwardly to the arched top part thereof, and this arched or crowned upper part of
the body has a multiplicity of minor perforations, which extend through the area
of the arched upper part of the body and are so arranged as to provide for the ready
and free exit of the smoke and vapours as they arise from the meat during the
frying operation, thus overcoming any tendency of the meat to become "smothered "
and obviating the condensation of moisture, or sweating," on the imperforate
part of the cover, which moisture arising from the condensation of vapor on the
inner surface of the imperforate part of the cover would be liable to trickle back
into the frying pan and have a tendency to toughen the meat.
"
A horizontal supporting flange is located in a higher plane than the lower edges
of the body, and the interior diameter of this flange is greater than the exterior
diameter of said body at its greatest point.
This supporting flange is joined to the lower edge of the body by an inclined
imperforate wall, which forms, in connection with the lower part of the body, an
annular trough around the lower edge of the dome and below the supporting flange
of the cover. Any suitable means may be provided for facilitating the handling
of the cover, as for example, a knob secured axially to the crowned or arched part of
the body.
The dome-shaped perforated body of the cover is an important feature of my
invention, because such construction performs the important function of reducing
to a minimum the tendency of the grease to fly out or spatter beyond the cover.

page_text: while at the same time provision is made for the free and rapid escape of the smoke
and vapours resulting from the frying of meat in the pan. This tendency of the
grease to remain within the limits of the cover is due to the fact that the air con-
fined in the cover offers resistance to the upward passage of the solid particles of
the grease, while at the same time the vapors and smoke are free to escape, owing
to the natural tendency of the vapours to rise in the air.
I have found by practical experience that the dome-shaped perforated construc-
tion of the cover is an important factor in attaining the object of my invention
and that better results are secured by the cover of this construction than when covers
of other types are employed, which results are obtained by reason of the large
volume of air confined within the cover to offer resistance to the upward passage
of the grease.
It will be noted that the supporting flange, when the cover is in use, will rest
upon the upper edge of the pan, and that the lower edge of the dome-shaped body
and the trough will be located below the upper edge of the pan or within the same.
Supposing now that the pan thus covered is placed upon a stove and that the
meat or other substance to be fried is placed within the pan together with a
sufficient quantity of grease, the vapors arising will escape through the minor
perforations in the dome-shaped body and will largely dissipate into the atmos-
phere, the heavier portion and the grease finding its way to the exterior of the
cover and trickling over the dome-shaped body thereof until deposited in the
trough.
By this means the delicious flavor imparted to the meat by what is known
as free frying is obtained, for the reason that smothering or partial smothering is
impossible, and for the further reason that sweating of the cover, or in other words,
the accumulation of moisture upon the under surface which serves to retard the
frying process and tends to toughen the meat, will be prevented.
Dated this 21st dow of T
1000
Improvements in Lids for Frying Pans and analogous Cooking
Utensils.
I, HIESTER AZARUS Bowers, of 40, North Sixth Street, Reading, in the County
of Berks and State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, Lawyer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following state-
ment:
-
My invention relates to a simple, inexpensive and efficient cover for frying pans,
and analogous cooking utensils; and the object that I have in view is to prevent
the grease from spattering or flying out of the pan, permit the free exit of the
smoke and vapours arising from the meat during the operation of frying the
obviate "sweating" or the accumulation of moisture on the inner surface of the
cover, and collect the grease and condensed vapours which may lodge upon the
outside of the cover.
same,
I attain the objects of my invention by a cover which has its body dome-shaped
in. cross-section and provided in its upper part with a plurality of perforations, an
annular trough at the base of the dome-shaped body, and an offstanding flange
joined to the outer wall of the trough and arranged exterior thereto.

page_text: Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved frying pan cover.
Figure 2 is a plan view thereof.
Figure 3 is a vertical cross sectional view of the same.
Like numerals of reference denote like and corresponding parts in each of the
several figures of the drawing.
1 designates a circular dome-shaped body which, with the trough and flange, is
stamped or struck up from a single piece of sheet metal. The body is imperforate
or free from perforations for some distance from the lower edge thereof upwardly
to the arched top part thereof, as indicated at 3, and this arched or crowned upper
part of the body has a multiplicity of minor perforations, 2, which extend through-
out the area of the arched upper part of the body and are so arranged as to provide
for the ready and free exit of the smoke and vapours as they arise from the meat
during the frying operation, thus overcoming any tendency of the meat to become
smothered" and obviating the condensation of moisture, or sweating," on the
imperforate part of the cover, which moisture arising from the condensation of
vapour on the inner surface of the imperforate part of the cover would be liable to
trickle back into the frying pan and have a tendency to toughen the meat.
66
46
5 indicates a horizontal supporting flange located in a higher plane than the
lower edges of the body, and the interior diameter of this flange is greater than the
exterior diameter of said body at its greatest point.
This supporting flange is joined to the lower edge of the body by an inclined
imperforate wall, 4, which forms, in connection with the lower part of the body,
an annular trough around the lower edge of the dome and below the supporting
flange, 5, of the cover. Any suitable means may be provided for facilitating the
handling of the cover, as for example, a knob secured axially to the crowned or
arched part of the body, as shown.
The dome-shaped perforated body of the cover is an important feature of my
invention, because such construction performs the important function of reducing
to a minimum the tendency of the grease to fly out or spatter beyond the cover,
while at the same time provision is made for the free and rapid escape of the smoke
and vapours resulting from the frying of meat in the pan. This tendency of the
grease to remain within the limits of the cover is due to the fact that the air con-
fined in the cover offers resistance to the upward passage of the solid particles of
the grease, while at the same time the vapours and smoke are free to escape, owing
to the natural tendency of the vapours to rise in the air.
I have found by practical experience that the dome-shaped perforated construc-
tion of the cover is an important factor in attaining the object of my invention
and that better results are secured by the cover of this construction than when covers
of other types are employed, which results are obtained by reason of the large
volume of air confined within the cover to offer resistance to the upward passage
of the grease.
It will be noted that the supporting flange 5, when the cover is in use, will rest
upon the upper edge of the pan, and that the lower edge of the dome-shaped body
and the trough will be located below the upper edge of the pan or within the same.
Supposing now that the pan thus covered is placed upon a stove and that the
meat or other substance to be fried is placed within the pan together with a
sufficient quantity of grease, the vapours arising will escape through the minor
perforations in the dome-shaped body and will largely dissipate into the atmos-
phere, the heavier portion and the grease finding its way to the exterior of the
cover and trickling over the dome-shaped body thereof until deposited in the
trough. By this means the delicious flavour inparted to the meat by what is known
as free frying is obtained, for the reason that smothering or partial smothering is
impossible, and for the further reason that sweating of the cover, or in other words,
the accumulation of moisture upon the under surface which serves to retard the
frying process and to tend to toughen the meat, will be prevented.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
:-
A over for frying pans and analogous cooking utensils comprising a partially
imperforate body having its arched or crowned upper part provided with a plurality
of minor perforations, an exterior supporting flange outside of the body, and an
inclined wall which joins the flange and the lower edge of the body and forms with
the body an exterior collecting trough at the base of the body, substantially as
described.
1