An oven appliance includes a baking stone positioned within a housing at a bottom portion of a cooking chamber. A baffle is positioned within the housing below a lower heating element array. The baffle includes an upper plate and a lower plate. Holes of the upper plate are offset from holes of the lower plate. The holes of the lower plate are contiguous with a regulating air duct of the housing such that a flow of air enters the baffle through the holes of the lower plate. Regulating air exits the holes of the upper plate and is impinged onto a bottom surface of the baking stone in a pattern to regulate baking stone temperature.

An oven appliance includes a baking stone positioned within a housing at a bottom portion of a cooking chamber. A baffle is positioned within the housing below a lower heating element array. The baffle includes an upper plate and a lower plate. Holes of the upper plate are offset from holes of the lower plate. The holes of the lower plate are contiguous with a regulating air duct of the housing such that a flow of air enters the baffle through the holes of the lower plate. Regulating air exits the holes of the upper plate and is impinged onto a bottom surface of the baking stone in a pattern to regulate baking stone temperature.

A cooking oven comprising a housing, a cavity, an oven door, an air plenum, an infrared heating element, and a thermal insulating layer placed between the infrared heating element and the air plenum is disclosed. The infrared hearing element comprises a wire-like heating element shaped in a serpentine-pattern to form a plurality of fingers. The thermal insulating layer comprises a plurality of air channels interconnecting the air plenum and the cavity, and one or more temperature decoupling chambers for thermally insulating the air plenum from the infrared heating element. The air channels are positioned interleavingly between the plurality of fingers so that airstreams coming from the air plenum through each of the air channels into the cavity do not substantially contact and convectively cool the infrared heating element. The temperature decoupling chambers may use air as a thermal insulator.

A cooking device includes a user interface having an outer surface. The user interface is connected to an outer enclosure. A duct is connected to the user interface. A door is connected to the outer enclosure. A cooling device is in thermal communication with a member selected from the group consisting of the outer surface and the door. The cooling device is connected to the user interface or the door by the duct.

Present invention embodiments include a thermal treatment system for thermally treating and individually monitoring a plurality of medical or other items. The thermal treatment system includes a modular configuration with a control unit and one or more modular units coupled to the control unit, where each of the control and modular units thermally treat a plurality of corresponding medical items. The control unit includes a display to interact with a user for setting a desired temperature, and controls the modular units to thermally treat corresponding medical items to the desired temperature.

An apparatus for rapidly cooking food includes a housing having a reservoir, a heating element, a binary distributor, and a container. In a method of using the apparatus for rapidly cooking food, food is placed into the container and water is poured into the reservoir. The heating element heats the water in the reservoir, and the resulting steam travels into the binary distributor. Pressurized steam then exits the binary distributor to uniformally cook the top of the food. Condensed steam gathers at the bottom of the container and is kept at a temperature capable of cooking the food. In such a way, food in the container is rapidly cooked. In one embodiment, the food to be cooked is a single serving of ramen brick style noodles.

A continuous fire suppression system includes a fire suppressing vapor cooking medium circulating within a cooking chamber of a spiral oven; a temperature analyzer arranged to monitor a temperature of the fire suppressing vapor cooking medium; finned heating elements in communication with the temperature analyzer and arranged to heat the fire suppressing vapor cooking medium; a humidity analyzer arranged to monitor a relative humidity of the fire suppressing vapor cooking vapor medium; and a fire suppressing vapor cooking medium injector in communication with the humidity analyzers. the at least one fire suppressing vapor cooking medium injector arranged to inject the fire suppressing vapor cooking medium into the cooking chamber as needed to maintain a relative humidity equal to or greater than a relative humidity of no more than 10% vol. dry air with the remaining volume being the fire suppressing vapor cooking medium.

A cooking oven structure of conventional construction having a top vent provided thru an upper portion of the oven wall forming a cooking cavity, a bottom vent formed thru a lower portion of the wall, a chimney mounted on an exterior portion of the wall and exiting adjacent a top portion of the oven structure and communicating with the top and bottom cavity vents, and a damper mounted in the chimney and having a right angle configuration and pivotal about its apex to (a) a first position blocking gas flow both thru the top cavity vent and the chimney, (b) a second position blocking gas flow only thru the top cavity vent, and (c) a third position blocking gas flow only thru the chimney.

Method for maintenance of a non-computing appliance, such as a kitchen appliance, comprising the steps consisting in a2) identifying a datum representative of the lifetime of at least one component of the appliance, and determining a threshold value of the said datum beyond which a risk of malfunction of the component may occur, b2) monitoring the current value of the said datum of an appliance in a user's site, c2) performing a maintenance operation in respect of the appliance as soon as the said current value exceeds the said threshold value, with a view to undertaking for example the replacement of the said component, characterized in that step a2) comprises sub-steps consisting in obtaining a reference value of the said datum, obtaining information for one and the same component of several identical or similar appliances in users' sites, and calculating the said threshold value on the basis of the said reference value and the said information.

Method for maintenance of a non-computing appliance, such as a kitchen appliance, comprising the steps consisting in a2) identifying a datum representative of the lifetime of at least one component of the appliance, and determining a threshold value of the said datum beyond which a risk of malfunction of the component may occur, b2) monitoring the current value of the said datum of an appliance in a user's site, c2) performing a maintenance operation in respect of the appliance as soon as the said current value exceeds the said threshold value, with a view to undertaking for example the replacement of the said component, characterized in that step a2) comprises sub-steps consisting in obtaining a reference value of the said datum, obtaining information for one and the same component of several identical or similar appliances in users' sites, and calculating the said threshold value on the basis of the said reference value and the said information.