FOOD SERVICE CART WITH INDIVIDUALLY REMOVABLE HEATERS

摘要

2065030 9102480 PCTABS00003 A heating system for use in a food service cart (12) includes a plurality of vertically spaced tray supports (30) attached to the cart (12) and a plurality of heaters attached to the cart at a plurality of vertically spaced locations in alignment with shelf locations for heating foods carried on service trays and supported by the tray supports. The heaters are individually removable from the cart. A thermostatic control controls the power supplied by each respective heater during a predetermined time period and includes a sensing mechanism for sensing temperature and a power adjusting mechanism for adjusting the power supplied by the heater. The sensing mechanism senses temperature over a predetermined range having upper and lower temperature limits, and the power adjusting mechanism reduces the power at which the heater operates to a lower power level when the sensing mechanism senses the upper temperature limit and increases the power at which the heater operates to a higher power level above the lower power level when the sensing mechanism senses temperature at or below the lower temperature limit. Food is rethermalized by a method that continuously applies power through a heater over the predetermined time period, alternately at the high and low power levels.