A food preparation appliance includes a housing, a conveyor, a thermal element, a first sensor, a second sensor, and a third sensor. The housing defines an inlet, an outlet, and a processing zone between the inlet and the outlet. The conveyor is configured to move a food product from the inlet, through the processing zone, and to the outlet. The thermal element is positioned within the processing zone. The first sensor is positioned proximate the inlet of the housing and along a lateral side of the conveyor or along a first cantilever arm extending laterally across the conveyor. The second sensor is positioned within the processing zone. The third sensor is positioned proximate the outlet of the housing and along a lateral side of the conveyor or along a second cantilever arm extending laterally across the conveyor.

A method of producing an edible food product includes the step of forming a vessel core with a first material having a first level of susceptibility to heating by induction. The method also includes the step of casting an apron of a second material with a second level of susceptibility to heating by induction lower than said first level around at least a first portion the vessel core in an in situ casting process to form a clad cooking vessel having a cooking surface. An uncooked food product is then disposed on the cooking surface of the clad cooking vessel and heated to produce the edible food product by subjecting the vessel core to a magnetic field.

A conveyor belt includes a plurality of spaced rods and a plurality of slats. Each of the plurality of slats includes a base portion for carrying an item. The base portion has a perpendicular leading edge of the base portion relative to a direction of conveyance travel of the conveyor belt and a perpendicular trailing edge of the base portion relative to the direction of conveyance travel of the conveyor belt. At least one of the leading edge and the trailing edge is coupled to one of the plurality of rods.

A grilling belt includes a flexible support having first and second major surfaces, an extruded fluoropolymer layer overlying the first major surface, and a cast or skived fluoropolymer layer overlying the extruded fluoropolymer layer. Another grilling belt can include a support having first and second major surfaces, and a first fluoropolymer film overlying the first major surface. The support can include a first fabric having a first bias angle, and a second fabric laminated to the first fabric and having a second bias angle different from the first bias angle by between 20 and 160.

A food heating device includes a conveyor belt having a loop provided by a unitary, continuous sheet of metal or other suitable material.

A conveyor belt includes a conveyor belt slat that is coupled to a side carrier by a locking connection between the slat and the carrier at least along the side edges of the conveyor belt slat.

A food recognition system includes a sensor and a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The sensor is configured to acquire data regarding (i) a respective type of each of multiple food products and (ii) a positioning of the multiple food products relative to one another spaced along a single conveyor. The non-transitory computer-readable medium has instructions stored thereon. The instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to control the single conveyor and a heating element to facilitate providing independent zone processing based on the data such that the multiple food products spaced along the single conveyor can be processed with different operating parameters as the single conveyor moves the multiple food products simultaneously through a processing zone of the food preparation appliance to achieve target processing for each of the multiple food products.

A forced hot air roller conveyor drying assembly is provided. It consists primarily of two parts; a roller conveyor for rolling cylindrical elongated food members while transporting them horizontally from one end of the conveyor to the other, and a hot air drying assembly for blowing hot air around the product as it is being rolled. The combined rolling of the product and the drying of the product helps ensure that the physical roundness of the food product remains nice and uniform while it is being uniformly dried. The forced hot air assembly may include a fan and heating elements, the fan directing warm air to the product rolling horizontally through the assembly and the roller conveyor may be comprised of a multiplicity of paired roller members driven by chain links, which chains are in turn driven by an axle engaging a drive sprocket.

An automated skewer grill is an apparatus that can cook several kebabs efficiently, rapidly, and automatically. The apparatus includes a structural frame, a motorized belt conveyor, at least one heating device, a skewer-molding mechanism, a control system, and a power system. The structural frame corresponds to the structure that supports the rest of the components of the apparatus. The motorized belt conveyor enables the automated movement of the desired food products throughout the apparatus. The at least one heating device enables the even and complete cooking of the desired food products carried by the motorized belt conveyor. The skewer-molding mechanism enables the automatic generation of the food products to be carried by the motorized belt conveyor to the at least one heating device. The control system and the power system enable the automated operation of the motorized belt conveyor, the at least one heating device, and the skewer-molding mechanism.

An apparatus and method for cooking, heating, or drying in which, as items or materials are conveyed through a heating chamber by a linear, spiral, or other type of conveyor, hot combustion product gases are delivered upwardly through an upwardly extending first annulus or other flow gap which is closest to the conveyor. The hot combustion product gases are then delivered downwardly through the heating chamber into contact with the items or materials on the conveyor. Next the combustion product gases are delivered from the lower portion of the heating chamber into the lower portion of a second annulus or other flow gap or passage. The second flow gap or passage is separated from the heating chamber by the first annulus or other flow gap. Subsequently, the combustion product gases are delivered upwardly through the second flow gap or passage.