Portion dividing frying basket

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to the drawings in detail wherein like numerals designate like parts, the numeral 20 designates a conventional food deep frying basket which is substantially rectangular and elongated, open at its top, and which has side and end walls 21 and 22 which are slightly convergent downwardly.
At one end, the basket 20 is equipped with a sturdy lifting handle 23 formed of heavy wire which projects above the top of the basket and beyond one end thereof.
The handle includes a generally vertical portion 24 which reinforces the adjacent wire mesh end wall 22 and an underlying horizontal portion 25 which extends along the basket bottom wall and reinforces it.
The basket is conventional, as stated, and is sized according to restaurant industry requirements.
The invention proper is embodied in a partition unit 26 for use with the standard basket 20.
The partition unit is L-shaped in side profile including wire mesh serving divider and cover panels 27 and 28 connected at right angles.
The two mesh panels 27 and 28 have stiff wire frames 29 and 30 to rigidify them, and the panel 27 is slightly downwardly tapering to match the shape of the basket 20, while the panel 28 is rectangular, and sized to extend across the open top of the basket 20 between the two long side walls to cover a portion of the open top when the divider panel 27 is engaged with the bottom of the basket 20.
A lifting handle 31 for the partition unit 26 is provided thereon at the juncture of the two right angular panels 27 and 28 and at the transverse center of the unit.
Two small dependent positioning arms 32 on the opposite sides of the unit 26 are adapted to engage over the tops of basket side walls 21 to stabilize the partition unit on the basket during use.
A depending locator pin 33 on the bottom of divider panel 27 engages within one screen mesh aperture of the basket bottom wall to further locate and stabilize the partition unit 26 during the use of the invention.
As depicted in FIGS.
6 and 7 of the drawings, a pair of the partition units 26 according to the invention is preferably utilized on the standard size basket 20 to maximize efficiency