Patent ID: 7322278

Claim:
A fryer, comprising: a cooking vessel configured to contain a cooking medium, wherein the cooking vessel comprises at least one wall; means for heating the cooking medium; a first temperature sensor which determines a first temperature and generates a first signal indicating the first temperature, wherein the first temperature is a temperature of the cooking medium or a temperature of air within the cooking vessel; a second temperature sensor which determines a second temperature of the at least one wall and generates a second signal indicating the second temperature; and means for selectively activating and deactivating the means for heating, based at least on the second temperature, wherein the means for activating and deactivating is electrically coupled to the first temperature sensor and to the second temperature sensor, wherein the means for activating and deactivating receives the first signal, receives the second signal, and deactivates the means for heating when at least one predetermined condition is satisfied, wherein the means for selectively activating and deactivating compares the first signal to the second signal to determine a difference between the first temperature and the second temperature and compares the second temperature or the temperature difference to a predetermined temperature and the at least one predetermined condition is at least one condition selected from the group consisting of: the second temperature is greater than or equal to the particular predetermined temperature; and the temperature difference between the second temperature and the first temperature is greater than or equal to a predetermined temperature difference.