A food cooking appliance which utilizes both steam and heat for rapidly cooking food products is disclosed. The food products are disposed within a food cooking housing and a steam generator is provided within a steam generator housing so as to generate steam which is fluidically conducted into the food cooking housing. In this manner, the food products are cooked as a result of the steam being conducted into upper regions of cooking chambers defined within the food cooking housing while the heat generated from the heated grills or platens impart heat to the lower regions of the cooking chambers thereby cooking the food in an accelerated manner which is extremely desirable by commercial fast-food establishments. The steam generator housing is wholly separate and apart from the food cooking housing but fluidically connected to the food cooking housing by a fluid conduit which may rigid or flexible. In this manner, the food cooking housing and the steam generator housing may be located at different locations within a kitchen facility in order that the kitchen facility be capable of accommodating both the food cooking housing and the steam generator housing. The steam generator housing may also be provided with multiple fluid conduits such that a single steam generator can supply steam to a plurality of different appliances.

The present food processing device is configured to hold food within a receptacle during cooking and subsequently during blending. It is desirable that the food processing device provides control for the flow of the steam during steam cooking of the food processing device, and then makes it easy to remove the food out after the food processing device has been blended.

An adaptable container assembly includes a container base, a container lid, and a steaming lid. The container base partially encloses a container base void that is configured to receive a food. The container base includes a first container base sidewall and a container base bottom wall. The container base bottom wall is contiguous with the first container base sidewall. The container lid is configured to enclose the container base void. The container lid includes a first container lid sidewall coupled to the first container base sidewall. The steaming lid includes a first steaming lid sidewall coupled to the first container lid sidewall. The steaming lid cooperates with the container base to enclose the container lid between the container base and the steaming lid.

A device (2) for preparing foods held in a vessel includes a preparation chamber (4) for holding the vessel, a steam-generating assembly (10), including at least one first steam-conducting path (18) and at least one cold-fluid-conducting path (54), a steam supply unit (62) having at least one steam dispensing opening into the preparation chamber (4), which steam supply unit is connected to the at least one steam-conducting path (18) for steam conduction, and a condensate supply unit (60) having at least one condensate dispensing opening into the preparation chamber (4), which condensate supply unit is connected to the steam-conducting path (18) and to the cold-fluid-conducting path (54). The device (2) can carry out preparation in which food held in the vessel can be prepared by the steam supply unit (62), and to carry out a rinsing operation, in which the preparation chamber (4) can be cleaned by the condensate supply unit (60).

A cooking system is provided. The cooking system includes a housing, a lid, a heating element, a vent tube, and a piston. The housing has a hollow interior. The lid is movable relative to the housing, where the lid and housing cooperate to form a cooking chamber. The heating element is mounted within the lid. The vent tube is arranged within the lid and extends between the cooking chamber and an external environment. The vent tube includes an inlet channel, an outlet channel, and a central channel arranged between the inlet and outlet channel. A piston is arranged within the central channel and configured to alternate between a venting and a non-venting position such that a low-moisture fluid is drawn through the inlet channel into the cooking chamber from the external environment, and a high-moisture fluid is evacuated through the outlet channel into the external environment from the cooking chamber.

A water pretreatment system connected to a water supply pipe for supplying water that has been preheated to a home appliance, including: a mixing valve having an inlet connected to the water supply pipe, and a pair of outlets; a water filter having an inlet communicated with one of the pair of outlets of the mixing valve, and having an outlet communicated with the home appliance; a bypass line having an inlet end connected to the other of the pair of outlets of the mixing valve, and having an outlet end connected to the home appliance, the mixing valve being configured to at least one of direct water to the water filter or direct water to the bypass line; and a controller configured to control the mixing valve such that preheated water supplied to the home appliance is one of unfiltered, mixed, or fully filtered by the water filter.

A configuration for an autonomous food preparation and meal production machine receives a menu order. A computer system of the machine retrieves from a database an automated recipe for fulfilment of the menu order and determines an availability of a threshold of ingredients to fulfill the menu order. The computer system transmits preparation instructions to fulfill the menu order to stations having controllers in a production line. The production line de-nests a vessel and moves it along a production line. The production line, in response to the controllers receiving the preparation instructions, automatically dispenses ingredients of the menu order into the vessel from dispensers, steams and heats the ingredients and places the vessel with the fulfilled menu order into a locker. The computer system transmits to a device a signal corresponding to the fulfillment of the menu order.

A steam generating system for an appliance includes a first tank positioned at a first vertical position and having an upper water outlet and a lower water outlet. A second tank is positioned at a second vertical position that is lower than the first vertical position of the first tank. A first and second interconnecting members respectively connect the upper and lower water outlets of the first tank to the second tank. Together, the first and second interconnecting members fluidically connect the first and second tanks. A valve assembly is positioned along the second interconnecting member to selectively provide access to the second tank from the first tank. Inlet and outlet pumps are respectively coupled to the first and second tanks to supply and discharge water from the steam generating system. The appliance further includes a retractable hose for connecting the steam generating system to a water source.

The apparatus for cooking food with superheated steam includes an external casing (2) comprising inside a cooking chamber (4), suitable for containing one or more foods; a steam generating device (30), capable of vaporizing a liquid; a superheating device (31) of said steam associated with said steam generating device (30), said superheating device (31) being configured to heat said steam up to an operating temperature (T) higher than the boiling temperature of said liquid and to enable said superheated steam to come out towards said cooking chamber (4).

A cleaning insert for removable arrangement in a cooking space of a cooking appliance includes a receiving device for receiving a cleaning unit with a cleaning composition in a reversibly fixed manner, and a supporting body connected to the receiving device for positioning the receiving device relative to the cooking space.