A belted food warmer assembly is disclosed that includes a housing containing a heated rotating drum, a belt roller, and a belt. The belt is draped over a portion of the heated rotating drum and is configured to hold a flexible food product against the heated drum as the food product rotates with the heated drum.

A cooking appliance, such as a toaster or oven, has a lifting arm including ribs that form a support surface for a food product in a cooking cavity of the appliance. Each rib can include an opening configured to permit infrared radiation from a heating assembly to pass through the rib to the food product supported by the lifting arm and/or to reduce a thermal mass and capacitance of the lifting arm. The heating assembly can include a support and/or heating element with a curved shape having a concave side facing a cooking cavity. The support and/or heating element can have a planar shape when unstressed and a curved shape when stressed. The heating element may be coupled to the support so as to be slidably movable relative to the support, e.g., so the heating element can slide relative to the support.

A system (1) of hot plates (2, 3) includes more than one hot plates (2, 3), a heating medium (4) which heats the hot plates (2, 3), and a cooking medium dispensing means (5). The hot plates (2, 3) have at least one of the plates as an upper plate (2) and at least one of another plate as a lower plate (3), wherein the upper plate (2) and the lower plate (3) are functionally coupled to press and heat a food item when the food item is placed between the plates (2, 3). The cooking medium dispensing unit/component/etc. (5) dispenses a predefined quantity of the cooking medium at least on an upper surface of the food item, or a lower surface of the food item.

A grilling apparatus for use in a cooking chamber of an oven, wherein the apparatus comprises: a panini press which comprises: an upper grill comprising a pair of oppositely disposed downwardly facing first guide rails; a lower grill comprising a pair of oppositely disposed upwardly facing guide surfaces; wherein the upper grill is reciprocally movable in a vertical direction towards and away from the lower grill by a pair of oppositely disposed alignment devices connected to opposing sides of the upper grill and disposed within a respective pair of upwardly facing guide surfaces connected to lower grill; and a paddle for holding at least one food product, which paddle comprises: a base portion, and a pair of oppositely disposed upward facing second guide rails which align with their respective the first guide rails, such that when the paddle enters the cooking chamber the second guide rails contact their respective the first guide rails which causes the upper grill to move upwardly away from the lower grill, thereby allowing the food product to be disposed between a lower surface of the upper grill and an upper surface of the lower grill; wherein upon removal of the paddle, the upper grill moves toward the food product and applies sufficient pressure to condense and impress grill marks on the food product during a cooking process.

A grill includes a base structure, a first platen assembly connected to the base structure, and a second platen assembly connected to the base structure. At least the second platen assembly is movable between a first position and a second position. A latch mechanism is operable to selectively retain the upper platen assembly in the second position. The latch mechanism includes a first portion and a second portion. The second portion further comprises a retaining ring movable to receive and cooperate with the first portion when the first portion and the second portion of the latch mechanism are misaligned.

A grill includes a base structure, a first platen assembly connected to the base structure, and a second platen assembly connected to the base structure. At least the second platen assembly is movable between a first position and a second position. A latch mechanism is operable to selectively retain the upper platen assembly in the second position. The latch mechanism includes a first portion and a second portion. The second portion further comprises a retaining ring movable to receive and cooperate with the first portion when the first portion and the second portion of the latch mechanism are misaligned.

A device for cooking eggs includes a frame, a support unit, a first burner, a top unit, a second burner, a motor unit and a control unit. The support unit defines a recess into which the pan fits. The first burner is adjacent to the recess. The top unit is attached to the support unit and defies a second recess. The second burner is adjacent to the second recess. The motor unit rotates the pan in response to a command. The control unit receives a desired recipe input from a user interface and generates commands that cause the motor unit to operate according to the desired recipe indicated by the input.

An electrical cooking device is disclosed, including a lower frame and an upper frame which are articulated about a pivot axis. The lower and upper frames each include: a removable cooking plate a heating resistor a peripheral heat reflection plate and a heat reflection plate for heat resistance

The upper frame has at least one insulating plate and the lower frame has a main drip port in the lower peripheral heat reflection plate. This main drip port is configured to discharge liquids generated, during use, into a receptacle located below the lower frame. The cooking plates are set back from the peripheral heat reflection plates.

Systems, methods, and devices include a griddle device with a heat management system and a digital control system. The griddle device includes a body defining an internal space and the heat management system is disposed within the internal space and below a griddle top. The heat management system includes one or more partitions and an underbracing panel to divide the internal space into a plurality of heat compartments, each with a primary burner, a secondary burner (e.g., a pilot burner), and/or a temperature sensor. The digital control system receives temperature data from the temperature sensors, compares the temperature data to a temperature threshold value, and actuates one or more gas valves to increase or decrease fuel supplied to the burners (e.g., the primary burner). Griddle leveling feet secure the griddle top to the body and are used to adjust the griddle top between a level position and a slanted position.

Provided for is a waffle maker comprising a top plate bound by a top body and a bottom plate bound by a bottom body, a cavity bound by the top plate and the bottom plate, the cavity configured to accept a batter, and a reservoir bound by a top plate reservoir trench and a bottom plate reservoir trench. The waffle maker may further comprise a sliding crescent gate bound by a top plate inner rim and a bottom plate inner rim, where the top plate inner rim is configured to rise as the batter expands.