An apparatus configured to perform pressure cooking includes a housing comprising a rim; a lid coupled to the housing, the lid configured to engage the rim to form an air-tight seal that enables pressure cooking within the housing; and a cooking vessel defining a chamber in which food to be cooked is disposed. A maximum inner diameter of the cooking vessel is at least 1.5 times greater than a maximum vessel depth of the cooking vessel. In addition, or alternatively, at least a portion of a power circuit that controls a heating element, and/or at least a portion of a power circuit housing that houses the power circuit, is higher than a bottom of the cooking vessel.

An apparatus configured to perform pressure cooking includes a housing comprising a rim; a lid coupled to the housing, the lid configured to engage the rim to form an air-tight seal that enables pressure cooking within the housing; and a cooking vessel defining a chamber in which food to be cooked is disposed. A maximum inner diameter of the cooking vessel is at least 1.5 times greater than a maximum vessel depth of the cooking vessel. In addition, or alternatively, at least a portion of a power circuit that controls a heating element, and/or at least a portion of a power circuit housing that houses the power circuit, is higher than a bottom of the cooking vessel.

A cooking vessel according to one example embodiment includes a food receptacle for holding food during cooking. The cooking vessel includes an inner shell and an outer shell. An outside surface of the inner shell forms the food receptacle. A portion of an inside surface of the inner shell is spaced from a portion of an inside surface of the outer shell forming a sealed volume between the inner shell and the outer shell. A heat pipe is positioned within the sealed volume between the inner shell and the outer shell for distributing heat through the sealed volume between the inner shell and the outer shell. Embodiments include those wherein each of the inner shell and the outer shell includes a respective bottom wall and a respective side wall.

A cooking vessel according to one example embodiment includes a food receptacle for holding food during cooking. The cooking vessel includes an inner shell and an outer shell. An outside surface of the inner shell forms the food receptacle. A portion of an inside surface of the inner shell is spaced from a portion of an inside surface of the outer shell forming a sealed volume between the inner shell and the outer shell. A heat pipe is positioned within the sealed volume between the inner shell and the outer shell for distributing heat through the sealed volume between the inner shell and the outer shell. Embodiments include those wherein each of the inner shell and the outer shell includes a respective bottom wall and a respective side wall.

A high-speed energy saving container apparatus includes a vertical container unit. The vertical container unit is formed of a chamber and includes a bottom portion formed underneath thereof. The bottom portion thereof is formed of at least one heat accumulation recess thereon, and an outer edge of each one of the heat accumulation recess includes a thermal conductive shield extended upward into the chamber. Accordingly, the bottom portion and the thermal conductive shields are able to advantageously increase the heating surface area of the chamber.

A heat distribution apparatus uniformly distributes heat and air for efficient cooking and retention of heat. The apparatus includes an inner container containing an object requiring heating, such as food and water. The inner container includes a closed end to receive heat, an open end, a sidewall having an inner surface and an outer surface, and a cavity. The sidewall extends between the closed and open ends. The outer surface of the sidewall includes a heat absorption portion fabricated from a material efficacious for absorbing heat. The outer surface includes a heat guidance portion spiraling between the open and closed ends of the inner container for funneling heat and air. An outer cylinder encompasses the inner container. A gap forms between the inner container and outer cylinder. Heat and air flow through the gap and out a vent portion in the outer cylinder.

A heated air popcorn popper and related methods of popping popcorn in which unpopped kernels are retained in a heating zone and are prevented from being expelled before they have been exposed to a heated air stream for sufficient time to result in popping of the kernels. The popcorn popper can have a popping portion including a retention mechanism capable of moving in response to physical contact with popped kernels that experience a dramatic volumetric increase in size following popping. As the number of popped kernels within the popping portion increases, the level of the popped kernels rises until they physically contact the retention mechanism, whereby the retention mechanism is forced to transition from a covering disposition to an open disposition in which popped kernels are allowed to exit the heating zone.

Cookware such as griddles and pots are formed with an oscillation mini-channel that winds back-and-forth between direct and indirect heating regions. An operating fluid that occupies 30-90 percent of the volume of the oscillation mini-channel is placed under vacuum. The mini-channel is dimensioned to produce capillary forces that create vapor bubbles and liquid slugs interspersed throughout the oscillation mini-channel. Heating of the direct heating region creates oscillatory movements of the vapor bubbles and liquid slugs that transfers heat from the direct heating region to the indirect heating region to maintain a more uniform temperature across the food-heating zone. The cookware may exhibit an effective thermal conductivity of at least 1,000 W/m.Math.K.

Cookware such as griddles and pots are formed with an oscillation mini-channel that winds back-and-forth between direct and indirect heating regions. An operating fluid that occupies 30-90 percent of the volume of the oscillation mini-channel is placed under vacuum. The mini-channel is dimensioned to produce capillary forces that create vapor bubbles and liquid slugs interspersed throughout the oscillation mini-channel. Heating of the direct heating region creates oscillatory movements of the vapor bubbles and liquid slugs that transfers heat from the direct heating region to the indirect heating region to maintain a more uniform temperature across the food-heating zone. The cookware may exhibit an effective thermal conductivity of at least 1,000 W/m.Math.K.

Provided is an article of cookware and a method of making same. The cookware is made from a bonded, multi-layer composite comprising a core construction having a central core disc of a high heat conductive material and an outer ring-shaped core disc surrounding and spaced from the central core disc by a gap to minimize thermal conduction from the central core disc to the outer ring-shaped core disc.