Patent ID: 7164101

Claim:
An electric heating assembly comprising: a cooking plate having an upper surface and a lower surface, the upper surface being provided with marking means identifying a heating zone on the upper surface of the cooking plate for receiving a cooking plate thereon; an electric heater incorporating an electric heating element, the heater being supported beneath the lower surface of the cooking plate and adapted to heat a cooking utensil within the heating zone on the upper surface of the cooking plate; a temperature-responsive device provided within the heater and screened from direct thermal radiation from the heating element whereby the temperature-responsive device is adapted to monitor temperature of the cooking utensil through the cooking plate solely within a predetermined region which is of substantially lesser extent than the heating zone and is confined to an edge area thereof; and marking means provided on the upper surface of the cooking plate and identifying the predetermined region, whereby the user is able to use the temperature-responsive device to determine the temperature of the cooking utensil irrespective of the size thereof.