Patent ID: 8333213

Claim:
A cooking vat for heating food, comprising: a chamber that holds the food; a valve assembly; said valve assembly including a valve body and a stem; said stem including a valve head having a sealing member connected thereto; said valve assembly having an outlet in fluid communication with said chamber; said sealing member being in fluid communication with said outlet and said chamber and selectively operable between a discharge position, for allowing the food to drain from said chamber, and a closed position, for allowing the food to remain in the chamber; said sealing member defining an axis of rotation and being comprised of one or more polymers; said sealing member having a first portion and a second portion; said first portion of said sealing member being of a generally frusto-conical shape and defining an extreme end face; said second portion of said sealing member being of a generally frusto-conical shape generally co-axial with said axis of rotation of said sealing member and defining a circumferential surface; at least one elongated fastener that attaches said sealing member to said stem; said second portion of said sealing member defining a recess open to said circumferential surface and extending generally radially inwardly with respect to said axis of rotation of said sealing member from said circumferential surface, and into which said elongated fastener is radially inserted; and said second portion of said sealing member being configured such that said elongated fastener, upon being received in said recess, is not exposed to said extreme end face of said first portion of the sealing member.