A portable food and beverage heating device including an elongated heating element designed to be immersed in a substance and to radiate heat to increase the temperature of the substance. The device further including a removable cap designed to act as an intermediary between a power supply and the elongated heating element, such that in one embodiment the heating element can only receive power from the power supply when the removable cap is secured to a second end of a housing. Additionally, the device includes several safety features like a non-conductive heat-resistant tip, a burn guard, a non-conductive fastener, and optional foldability or removability of the heating element all of which are designed to safeguard against personal injury to a user, or damage to a container holding the substance being heated.

A modular, top-loading, food transport cabinet and serving platform apparatus is disclosed in various embodiments. The food transport cabinet and serving platform is advantageous because it is alternatively configurable in both a transport condition (e.g., for transporting or delivering prepared food while maintaining a desired (hot or cold) temperature of the food) and a serving condition (e.g., presenting the prepared food for serving while maintaining a desired (hot or cold) temperature of the food). The apparatus can be configured to accommodate various food presentation and serving requirements and arrangements, including heating (e.g., chafing or direct heat) and chilling (e.g., ice) without having to remove the food items to be presented and served from the food transport cabinet to a special serving platform.

There is provided an apparatus for heating a pot of food or beverage, the apparatus comprising at least one receptacle (20), each receptacle for temporarily receiving a pot of food or beverage to be heated. Each receptacle comprises a base (22), sidewalls (24), and an opening opposite from the base (22) for receiving the pot; a heater element (43) mounted to the sidewalls; a temperature sensor (45) mounted to the base; a pot sensor (40, 41) for detecting whether or not a pot is present in the receptacle; and a controller connected to the heater element, temperature sensor, and pot sensor. The controller is configured to control the heater element in response to the pot sensor and temperature sensor.

Cookware has both as copper and a stainless steel mesh embedded in the exterior facing surface of the bottom of the base. The embedding process work hardens the bottom of an aluminum cooper vessel. A ferromagnetic stainless steel is embedded into the cooper mesh, forming portion of the exterior bottom surface of the cookware to render the cookware compatible with induction cooking heat sources.

A stirring wand is configured for selective engagement with a mixing device. The stirring wand comprises a substantially vertical portion having an upper end and a lower end, a first tapered surface that includes a first pitch angle proximate the upper end of the substantially vertical portion and a second pitch angle proximate the lower end of the substantially vertical portion, a substantially horizontal portion having a base and a distal tip, and a second tapered surface extending from the base to the distal tip. The second tapered surface includes a third pitch angle proximate the base and a fourth pitch angle proximate the tip.

A two-story electric platter where more pots can be heated over the same ground surface. The second story may be removable or permanently attached to the first electric platter. An optional guard rail can protect the pots from falling off the electric platter.

A machine for processing liquid or semi-liquid food products, comprising: a container for processing liquid or semi-liquid food products and provided with walls and an outlet; a stirrer, made at least partly from ferromagnetic material and disposed inside the processing container, the stirrer rotating about a mixing axis to mix the product to be dispensed; an actuator connected to the stirrer to set the stirrer in rotation about the mixing axis, the machine being characterized in that it comprises an induction element comprising one or more wound conductors for generating a magnetic field when an electric current flows through them, the induction element being disposed outside the processing container so that the magnetic field generated passes through at least part of the walls of the processing container to reach the stirrer and causes heating by magnetic induction.

An induction warmer station includes a housing, a cooktop coupled to the housing, an induction coil positioned in the housing adjacent the cooktop, and a controller configured to adjust the frequency of a current input to the induction coil based on an indication of a response of an output current from the induction coil to a change in surface area of load material placed on the cooktop.

An apparatus for preparing a foam from a liquid, particularly a food liquid, such as milk or a milk-based liquid. The apparatus (10) includes a base body (16) provided with electrical connection means (52, 54) and an upper unit (12, 14) arranged to be releasably placed on the base body (16) to be electrically connected to the base body (16) through the electrical connection means (52, 54). The upper unit (12, 14) has an upper body (12) acting as a vessel and an intermediate body (14) separate from each other. The upper body (12) houses a stirring member (24). The intermediate body (14) houses electrically operated driver (42, 44, 46) for driving the stirring member (24) to rotate and a heating element (40) for heating the liquid contained in the upper body (12).

A portable food preparation assembly for storing and subsequently cooking food items includes a lunchbox that has a first compartment and a second compartment. The first compartment is defined by a thermally insulating material to store food items and ice for cooling the food items. A microwave oven is integrated into the lunchbox for directing microwave energy into the second compartment to cook food items positioned in the second compartment.