Microwave browning utensil

Abstract

A microwave browning and searing utensil for microwave ovens is provided having a plurality of conductive metal members each folded in such a manner as to provide a continuous apex portion and two substantially equidistant adjacent legs spaced apart and defining two free ends. The legs are substantially one-quarter of a wavelength in height. The induced electric currents along the legs results in a total current excursion of one-half of a wavelength to establish a 180.degree. phase reversal plus and minus mode adjacent to the exposed ends. Planar microwaves radiated within an oven enclosure are converted by the array of conductive members to provide an intense fringing electric field 180.degree. out-of-phase in close proximity to the material being heated. The fringing electric fields decay exponentially a short distance away from the exposed ends. A low dielectric constant dielectric material such as Silastic reduced the length of the conductive leg members for the quarter wavelength dimension to result in a thinner browning member.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.