A blending appliance includes a housing with a jar receiving area defined between an upper housing and a support base. A blender jar includes a base portion and a receptacle portion, and is configured to be laterally received within the jar receiving area of the housing. A magnetic coupling system includes an upper magnetic coupler disposed in the base portion of the blender jar and a lower magnetic coupler disposed in the support base of the housing. The upper and lower magnetic couplers are magnetically coupled to one another for driving a blade assembly disposed in the receptacle portion of the blender jar. A brake mechanism is disposed on the upper magnetic coupler and is configured to stop rotation of the upper magnetic coupler when the blender jar is removed from the jar receiving area.

Described herein are automated cooking apparatuses for storing and cooking food items as well as methods of operating such apparatuses. In some examples, an automated cooking apparatus comprises a storage unit, a delivery unit, and a cooking unit. The storage unit may be equipped with a refrigeration unit and a container delivery opening. The delivery unit is aligned with this opening and configured to load a set amount of the food items into each food compartment of the cooking unit. The cooking unit moves its food compartments through a cooking tank (e.g., filled with a cooking liquid and heated using a set of heating elements) and into a cooked food receiver. The storage unit or, more specifically, its uncooked food container unit is positioned proximate (e.g., within 200 millimeters) to the cooking tank thereby reducing the time for transporting the food items relative to the cooking time.

Described is a blending system. The blending system may include frothers, foamers, aerators, and the like. The blending system may include a container selectively attachable to a motor base and including a frothing device. The blending system may include firmware logic and sensors to sense ingredients. The blending system may sense ingredients as they are added to the container, and may prevent blending until all ingredients or the certain quantity of ingredients have been added to the container. The blending system may provide more consistent and duplicable blends and may minimize user judgment or error. The blending system may be used to froth dairy and non-dairy milks or creamers. The blending system may include drive coupling to facilitate a desired fit between a motor drive shaft and a container or other attachment.

A beverage-making machine includes: a housing; a fluid reservoir mounted to the housing; a pump fluidly connected with the water reservoir; a heating unit; and a brew station having an outlet; wherein the fluid reservoir, the pump, the heating unit and the brew station define a fluid path. The beverage-making machine further comprises a controller configured to: (a) detect performance of a pre-brewing action, and in response initiate preheating of the heating unit; then (b) detect performance of a brew activation action, and in response activate the pump to convey fluid from the fluid reservoir along the fluid path to the outlet of the brew station to prepare a brewed beverage.

The coffee machine comprises a drip tray (1), in turn comprising a container (2) and a covering grille (3) for covering the container (2), the grille (3) being provided with a plurality of openings (12) for the passage of the liquids to the container (2), the tray (1) further comprising a plurality of vertical protrusions (13) passing through the openings (12) and defining with the upper ends thereof a resting surface that is raised with respect to the outer surface (15) of the grille (3).

A flavor infusing system includes a container kit and a vacuum device. The container kit includes a control valve and a container having receiving space and an opening. The vacuum device can draw the inside air to flow out of the receiving space through the opening or introduce the outside air to flow into the receiving space through the opening. The opening is not fully covered by the control valve for allowing inside air to flow out of the receiving space and allowing outside air to flow into the receiving space when the control valve is located at a first position. The opening is fully covered by the control valve for allowing the inside air to flow out of the receiving space and preventing the outside air from flowing into the receiving space when the control valve is located at a second position. Besides, a related vacuum device is provided.

An automatic dispenser for mixed measurement of grain includes a storage bin having a plurality of holes on a bottom surface and storing grains, a main measurer having a plurality of partitioned measurement compartments and rotatably installed at a position overlapping any one of a plurality of holes provided on the bottom surface of the storage bin, an auxiliary measurer having a plurality of partitioned measurement compartments and installed at a position overlapping the rest of the plurality of holes provided on the bottom surface of the storage bin, the measurement compartment being installed to be rotatable only in one direction with respect to the main measurer, a measurer housing installed below the main measurer and the auxiliary measurer and having a discharge port discharging grains introduced into the main measurer and the auxiliary measurer from the storage bin, and a motor rotating the main measurer in both directions, wherein only the main measurer is used or both the main measurer and the auxiliary measurer are used depending on a rotation direction of the motor.

A multi-purpose kitchen tool including a hollow body having a distal and proximal end-including an inner wall, an outer wall, and a base at the distal end-a handle connected to the outer wall of the body, a tapered scooping edge on the proximal end of the body, opposite to the handle, a compartment releasably fixed to the base, and optional measuring indices.

A liquid heating appliance including a reservoir including a first and second chambers and a heating arrangement is provided. A mode valve is arranged to selectively allow liquid to flow between the first and second chambers. The appliance operates in a first mode in which the mode valve is closed and only liquid in the first chamber is heated and a second mode in which the mode valve is open and liquid in the first and second chambers is heated. A dispense outlet is moveable between a dispensing position and a non-dispensing position. The dispense outlet is mechanically coupled to the mode valve such that when the dispense outlet is moved into the dispense position, the mechanical coupling closes the mode valve and when the dispense outlet is moved into the non-dispensing position, the mechanical coupling opens the valve.

A beverage brewer includes a pump assembly, a pressure chamber, an intake channel, and a brewing material holder assembly. The pump assembly has an inlet port and is configured to provide negative fluid pressure at the inlet port. The pressure chamber is configured to hold liquid and has an intake port, a draw port arranged for fluid communication with the inlet port of the pump assembly, and a drain. The intake channel is arranged for fluid communication with the intake port of the pressure chamber. The brewing material holder assembly is configured to hold ground brewing material and is arranged to receive fluid from the drain. The pump assembly is configured to draw liquid through the intake channel into the pressure chamber such that the drawn liquid issues to the brewing material holder assembly through the drain, thereby brewing a beverage in the brewing material holder assembly.