Bottle sterilizer

A sterilizer for infant-feeding articles including at least one bottle and at least one nipple, said sterilizer comprising:

• a base provided with
• an upwardly open pan for receiving water,
• an electric heating element energizable for boiling water contained within said pan, and
• monitoring means for deenergizing said element;
• an insert in the form of a plate receivable on said base above said pan and provided with at least one holder for such articles, said holder being formed with steam-delivery means for supplying steam formed by the boiling of water in said pan to at least one of said articles in said holder;
• and
• a hood adapted to fit over said insert and to enclose said article thereon said insert being formed with a plurality of seats each adapted to receive one such article, at least some of the seats receiving bottles and others of said seats receiving nipples, said hood having a height sufficient to permit it to enclose infant feeding bottles disposed on respective seats on said insert, each of said seats communicating with a space below said insert and above said pan via a respective opening formed in said insert, the seats receiving said bottles being provided with means for conducting steam to the upper end of each bottle when the same is positioned on one of said seats, the steam-conducting means including a tube opening close to an upper end of a bottle on one of said seats and formed with a frustoconical lower end converging upwardly and disposed inwardly of the respective seat over one of said openings, said plate including a plurality of flat, upstanding plate-like ribs with said ribs cut out so as to form recesses therein providing for said plurality of seats.