Patent ID: 8796598

Claim:
A cooking utensil for use with an induction cooktop having an induction coil, the cooking utensil comprising: an inner wall comprising an electrically conductive target layer in which heat is generated by the induction coil; an outer wall within which the inner wall is nested, the outer wall comprising an electrically non-conductive layer, wherein the outer wall cooperates with the inner wall to form a sealed gap between the inner wall and the outer wall and further cooperates with the inner wall to provide the cooking utensil a pan-like shape having a bottom portion wherein at least a portion of the electrically conductive target layer is disposed along a bottom portion of the inner wall; and a vacuum-sealed thermal insulator disposed within the gap within at least a portion of the bottom portion of the cooking utensil, wherein a surface of the vacuum-sealed thermal insulator faces towards and is spaced away from contact with the other surface the inner wall by a portion of the gap, wherein the vacuum-sealed thermal insulator is comprised of a thermally resistant material and a pair of sheets enclosing the thermally resistant material in a vacuum, and wherein the surface of the vacuum-sealed thermal insulator that faces towards the inner wall within at least the bottom portion comprises a sheet of the pair of sheets.