Heating means for comestible kettle

In a comestible cooking kettle comprising a shallow container of cooking fluid in which the comestibles float, a plurality of heaters extending transversely of said container below the surface of said fluid, burner means directing flames into first ends of said heaters, and flue means withdrawing combustion products from second ends of said heaters,

• the improvement, for reducing convection currents in the fluid and color variations in the cooked comestibles, which comprises means modifying the flame paths through the heaters to decrease the proportion of heat available to the fluid at the burner ends and increase that available at the flue ends,
• the modifying means including an inner shroud tube of perforated metal mounted within and spaced from said heater at the burner end thereof so that said flame is directed into said shroud tube, whereby some flame passes outward through the perforations to heat the heater directly, and some flame remains within said shroud tube to heat said shroud tube until it acts as a radiant heat source within said heater:
• and an inner baffle tube mounted coaxially at the flue end of said heater to displace hot gases from said shroud tube toward the inner surface of said heater and increase their velocity.