Cooking apparatus with adjustable walls

Abstract

Apparatus can cook foodstuffs with a pot and at least one support assembly adapted to rest atop the pot. The support assembly has a pair of walls. Each of the walls is dependently mounted from the support assembly. The walls are spaced apart an adjustable amount. The support assembly also has a floor hinged to and spanning the pair of walls.

We claim:  
     
       1. Apparatus for cooking foodstuffs in a pot  with a heater, comprising: 
       at least one support assembly adapted to rest atop said pot  hold said foodstuffs at said heater, said support assembly including:  
       a pair of walls, each dependently mounted from said support assembly, said walls facing each other and being spaced apart an adjustable amount; and  
       a floor  structure hinged to and spanning said pair of walls; and an adjustable one of said walls being spatially adjustable to move, relative to the other one of said walls: (a) together and down, or (b) apart and up, whereby one of said walls can be made lower in elevation than the other one of said walls  at least one member attached to at least one of said walls and coupled between said walls for adjustably setting the relative position of said pair of walls by establishing either: ( a )  a first motion incorporating both a converging and a sideward movement of said walls or  ( b )  a second motion that is the reverse of the first motion.    
     
     
       2. Apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein at least one of said walls comprises a grid. 
     
     
       3. Apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein each of said walls comprise a grid. 
     
     
       4. Apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein one of said walls is affixed in said support assembly. 
     
     
       5. Apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein one of said walls is affixed and the other one of said walls is spatially adjustable in said support assembly. 
     
     
       6. Apparatus according to  claim 5  wherein said floor  structure is hinged to fold up toward one of said walls as the walls approach each other. 
     
     
       7. Apparatus according to  claim 6  wherein said floor is hinged to become level  perpendicular to the walls as the walls reach a maximum separation. 
     
     
       8. Apparatus according to  claim 6  wherein said floor  structure comprises sheet metal. 
     
     
       9. Apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein said support assembly comprises: 
       a member with an arcuate slot, said adjustable one of said walls being adjustably mounted in said arcuate slot.  
     
     
       10. Apparatus according to  claim 9  wherein the adjustable one of said walls has an upper  peripheral rod slidably mounted in said arcuate slot of said member. 
     
     
       11. Apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein said support assembly comprises: 
       a spaced pair of members each with an arcuate slot, the adjustable one of said walls having an upper  peripheral rod slidably mounted in the arcuate slot of each of said members.  
     
     
       12. Apparatus according to claim  11   1 comprising: 
       at least one member having an arcuate slot, the adjustable one of said walls having a peripheral rod slidably mounted in the arcuate slot of said member; and 
       a clamping means for releasably holding said peripheral rod in position in the arcuate slot of said member.  
     
     
       13. Apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein a first one of said walls is fixed in said support assembly, and the other one of said walls is spatially adjustable to move, relative to the first one of said walls: (a) down and together and away from said support assembly, or (b) up and  apart and toward said support assembly. 
     
     
       14. Apparatus according to  claim 1  comprising: 
       at least one perch attached to one of said walls above said floor for supporting foodstuff above said floor.  
     
     
       15. Apparatus according to  claim 14  wherein that one of said walls supporting said perch is fixed in said support assembly. 
     
     
       16. Apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein said at least one support assembly comprises a plurality of support assemblies, said pot  heater being sized to allow said plurality of support assemblies to rest atop said pot  heater simultaneously. 
     
     
       17. Apparatus according to  claim 16  comprising: 
       a lid on said pot  heater having a plurality of parallel slots sized to separately receive the plurality of support assemblies.  
     
     
       18. Apparatus according to  claim 17  wherein said lid is hinged to said pot  heater. 
     
     
       19. Apparatus according to  claim 16  comprising: 
       a heater device mounted in said pot  heater for heating fluid in said pot  heater.  
     
     
       20. Apparatus according to  claim 19  wherein said heater comprises a pot has  having a viewing window for visually inspecting fluid level in said pot. 
     
     
       21. Apparatus according to  claim 19  wherein said heater comprises a pot has  having a drain for draining fluid in said pot. 
     
     
       22. Apparatus according to  claim 21  wherein said pot has a fill port for adding fluid to said pot. 
     
     
       23. Apparatus according to  claim 21  wherein said pot has a pair of handles for carrying said pot. 
     
     
       24. Apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein said support assembly has a handle for carrying said support assembly.