Corn popping kettle assembly

Abstract

A kettle assembly for popping corn comprises a Teflon coated, cast aluminum popping bowl with an sidewall aperture. The sidewall aperture introduces cooking oil directly into the popping bowl, and is in communication with an oil conduit leading from a cooking oil reservoir. The sidewalls of the bowl are surrounded by an insulating material and an exterior sheathing. The bowl has a lid attached with several thumbscrews for easy removal. The kettle assembly has a base with leg members mounted on a pivot axle. The pivot axle is supported by a housing. A piston and cylinder arrangement is connected between the housing and the axle. In one configuration this arrangement generates a damping force for controlling pivoting motion of the kettle assembly. In another configuration, this arrangement automatically generates pivoting forces to pivot the kettle assembly. The oil conduit and wires feeding electric heating elements, which heat the popping bowl, run from the housing through the pivot axle into the kettle assembly. The bowl temperature is sensed with a thermocouple and controlled by a solid-state controller providing for selectable popping temperatures.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.