A food baking apparatus includes a compressible die and a mechanical stop for controlling a die spacing of the compressible die. The mechanical stop includes a supporting system and a mounting element mounted onto the supporting system. The mounting element includes at least one protrusion having a particular amount of protrusion from the mounting element, which amount of protrusion may be adjustable for any single protrusion. By translation or rotation of the supporting system and/or the mounting element during operation of the apparatus, a protrusion is selected. The protrusions mechanically stop further compression of the dies during an operation of the food baking apparatus. Thus, the selection determines the die spacing applicable for the baking process, based on the amount of protrusion of the selected protrusion.

A food heating appliance comprises a grill member with an upper food contact surface having an articulated surface having upwardly-open cooking troughs for receiving food items such as tacos. The trough sidewalls are tapered and narrow upwardly. Each trough is defined by spaced-apart cooking sidewalls connected at a lower surface portion, with a horizontal heating element connected to the lower surface portions, A plurality of heat sink facilities are registered with each with its trough. Each heat sink facility defines a channel that closely receives a portion of the heating element assembly. Each trough is defined between an inboard cooking sidewall and an outboard cooking sidewall, with the inboard sidewalls being proximate each other and being thicker that than the outboard cooking sidewalls. The grill is a unitary casting with a peripheral rim encompassing the heating element assembly and free of undercuts and of negative draft angles.

A versatile kitchen appliance for electrically frying and simultaneously producing a plurality of plantain pieces, while manually shaping them into flat or basket-shaped fried, by exchanging removable trays, and pressing the plantain slices placed in a frying oil container, thereby creating fried, pressed plantain slices that are flat, or otherwise basket-shaped for further stuffing with other food fillings such as meat, seafood, cold meats, fruit.

Disclosed is sandwich maker comprising top and bottom conveyor belts which transport a sandwich, or other food item suitable for simultaneous heating and compression inserted in one end of the apparatus to the other end of the apparatus. As the sandwich travels on the conveyor belts, the apparatus simultaneously compresses the sandwich and applies heat to both the top and the bottom sides of the sandwich so that it emerges from the sandwich maker fully cooked and ready to serve.

A grill is provided including a base structure. An upper platen assembly is connected to the base structure and includes an upper grilling surface. A lower platen assembly is connected to the base structure and includes a lower grilling surface. A plurality of leveling mechanisms is mounted to the base structure with a mounting bracket. A portion of each leveling mechanism is arranged in contact with the lower platen assembly. The leveling mechanisms are configured to automatically level the lower grilling surface relative to the upper grilling surface. Each of the plurality of leveling mechanisms is configured to independently move a portion of the lower grilling surface about a different axis.

A contact grill includes upper and lower grill assemblies connected together by a hinge assembly. Contact grills of the present invention are advantageously easier to clean including components that can be submerged in water or washed within a dishwasher. In one aspect of the present invention, the upper and lower grill assemblies are fully separable from one another and from the hinge assembly so that the upper and lower grill assemblies, each comprising a housing, grill plate, and heating element, are free of electrical components so that they can be submerged or washed in a dishwasher. In another aspect of the present invention, upper and lower grill plates that are assembled with respective upper and lower heating elements are separable from an assembly of upper and lower housings connected together with a hinge assembly. All electrical components are provided within the hinge and housings assembly so that the grill plates and heating elements can be separated from the contact grill to be submerged or washed in a dishwasher.

A grilling appliance with a grilling surface for placing food to be cooked, with a heat source located below the grilling surface for heating a food item on the grilling surface and with a second heat source located above the grilling surface. The second heat source is adjustable in such a way that it can be used to heat a food item located on the grilling surface from the side and/or from above, depending on the position of the second heat source, in that the second heat source is retained on a rear wall of the grilling appliance that extends beyond the top of the grilling surface so as to be translationally height-adjustable, and in that the second heat source can be pivoted about a pivot axis, in order to adjust the direction of the desired heat radiation downward between a position for releasing heat in a horizontal direction and a position for releasing heat in a vertical direction.

An apparatus for heating food includes a base and a lid coupled to one another by a hinged handle. Two fluid-filled thermal fluid vessels with flexible surfaces are installed in the lid and base to form a chamber for holding a food item in a low temperature cooking container f. The thermal fluid vessels may be replaced with high temperature cooking plates to sear or brown the food items. A user of the appliance is protected from exposure to hot thermal fluid retained in the vessels during low temperature cooking.

A griddle system includes one or more of a variety of performance-enhancing structures and functions. For example, the griddle system may include a set of sensors and a latch mechanism to provide a closed and locked platen configuration which can be controlled according to a cooking routine controlled by a controller. A counterbalance assembly may be provided to minimize the effort required to pivot a base frame and cooking attachment between their open and closed configurations. A pullback linkage may be provided to draw a pivotable cooking attachment up at its distal portion when the base frame is pivoted open, creating extra space for placement of food items at the distal portion of the cooking surface. The cooking attachment may include provisions for self-leveling when closed, in order to apply even pressure to food items having varying thicknesses. Height adjusters may be provided to expand or contract the cooking space.

A grill including a first platen assembly, an second platen assembly movable with respect to the first platen assembly, a motor operable to move the second platen assembly with respect to the first platen assembly, and a control operable to measure movement of the second platen assembly with respect to the first platen assembly while the motor is off.