The present invention comprises a precision cooking oven that utilizes laser sheets to cook food, thus creating homogeneously heated and uniformly seared food bodies and surfaces. Laser sheets move back and forth evenly injecting heat into items being cooked. All food cold or hot areas can be eliminated since intersecting laser lines can be completely projected on and accommodate an item's exterior surfaces. Items with non-uniform cross-sections and properties can be cooked uniformly by controlling the exact amount of energy projected into differing sections of the food. The oven is also capable of cooking autonomously. Since laser sheets can be precisely controlled, cooking results can be very predictable once the boundary conditions for a thermal analysis are determined. The oven can detect the properties of the items to be cooked and thereafter compute the needed time and power to achieve the desired results stipulated by an oven operator.

A mechanism for raising and lowering a cooking surface within a recessed combustion chamber is provided.

A mechanism for raising and lowering a cooking surface within a recessed combustion chamber is provided.

A mechanism for raising and lowering a cooking surface within a recessed combustion chamber is provided.

A mechanism for raising and lowering a cooking surface within a recessed combustion chamber is provided.

A water receiving member is reduced in size and is therefore made difficult to visually recognize. A cooking device (1) includes a main body (11), a front door (12), and a waste receiving member (41). The front door (12) has a water droplet restraining part (33) provided on a lower portion of an inner surface of the front door (12) which inner surface faces the heating room (13). While the front door (12) is closed, the water droplet restraining part (33) protrudes diagonally downwardly or horizontally from the inner surface of the front door (12) toward a rear side of the main body (11).

A water receiving member is reduced in size and is therefore made difficult to visually recognize. A cooking device (1) includes a main body (11), a front door (12), and a waste receiving member (41). The front door (12) has a water droplet restraining part (33) provided on a lower portion of an inner surface of the front door (12) which inner surface faces the heating room (13). While the front door (12) is closed, the water droplet restraining part (33) protrudes diagonally downwardly or horizontally from the inner surface of the front door (12) toward a rear side of the main body (11).

A cooking appliance may employ one or both of a post-preheat phase and a two stage preheat phase to both accelerate preheating of an oven cavity while minimizing temperature differentials therein. A post-preheat phase may be performed subsequent to a preheat phase, but prior to a cooking phase, to cycle a cooking element disposed in a cooler portion of an oven cavity to reduce a temperature differential between the top and bottom of the oven cavity. A two stage preheat phase may sequentially activate each of top and bottom cooking elements in an oven cavity a single time.

A cooking appliance may employ one or both of a post-preheat phase and a two stage preheat phase to both accelerate preheating of an oven cavity while minimizing temperature differentials therein. A post-preheat phase may be performed subsequent to a preheat phase, but prior to a cooking phase, to cycle a cooking element disposed in a cooler portion of an oven cavity to reduce a temperature differential between the top and bottom of the oven cavity. A two stage preheat phase may sequentially activate each of top and bottom cooking elements in an oven cavity a single time.

A household appliance hinge includes a mounting portion and a mounting tab including a cam profile. A door mounting lever is pivotally connected to the mounting tab of the mounting portion. A spring-biased control system is connected to the door mounting lever and includes a spring-biased cam follower system including a cam follower that: (i) engages the cam profile in an engagement position and for all positions of the door mounting lever between the engagement position and a first operative position; and, (ii) separates from the cam profile for all positions of said door mounting lever located between the engagement position and a second operative position. The hinge is self-latching.