Disclosed is a mesh heating system including: two or more electrodes configured to supply a current to the wire mesh heating element; a mesh heating element comprising filaments disposed between the two or more electrodes; and a tensioner to maintain the wire mesh heating element at tension along an axis of tension as the wire mesh heating element is heated, wherein some of the filaments of the mesh heating element are disposed to intersect the axis of tension at a non-orthogonal angle.

An enhanced electric oven (10) comprising an oven-body (12) and a vault or dome (14) which externally enclose an oven cavity or cooking cavity (17), a flue (16) for fume exhaust, a mouth (18) for accessing the oven cavity (17), closable by way of a door (20), a dish supporting plane (22) placed outside the mouth (18), a hood (23), if any, a lower heating plate (33), and an upper heating plate (33A) which accommodate electric resistors, a modular and removable cooking plane (34) made from a refractory material, and means for controlling and distributing heat flow within the oven.

An enhanced electric oven (10) comprising an oven-body (12) and a vault or dome (14) which externally enclose an oven cavity or cooking cavity (17), a flue (16) for fume exhaust, a mouth (18) for accessing the oven cavity (17), closable by way of a door (20), a dish supporting plane (22) placed outside the mouth (18), a hood (23), if any, a lower heating plate (33), and an upper heating plate (33A) which accommodate electric resistors, a modular and removable cooking plane (34) made from a refractory material, and means for controlling and distributing heat flow within the oven.

A heating appliance includes a housing defining a food product compartment having at least a front door and a rear wall opposite the front door. The heating appliance also includes a rack configured to support a food product within the food product compartment. The heating appliance also includes a heating assembly disposed within the food product compartment and an elongate heating device having a first length, and an angled heat distribution member having a second length disposed between the heating device and the rack. The heat distribution member includes a pattern of apertures and the heat distribution member is configured to prevent infrared radiation produced by the heating device from directly reaching the rear wall of the housing, except for infrared radiation that passes through the apertures of the heat distribution member.

Systems and methods for an oven include a housing, a heating chamber positioned within the housing, an external nesting rack coupled to the housing, the external nesting rack is stationary while coupled to the housing, and a movable cook surface, the movable cook surface movable between a position completely within the heating chamber and a position at least partially external to the heating chamber, such that when the movable cook surface is in the position at least partially external to the heating chamber, the movable cook surface is positioned at least partially recessed below a top surface of the external nesting rack.

A heating appliance includes a housing defining a food product compartment having at least a front door and a rear wall opposite the front door. The heating appliance also includes a rack configured to support a food product within the food product compartment. The heating appliance also includes a heating assembly disposed within the food product compartment and an elongate heating device having a first length, and an angled heat distribution member having a second length disposed between the heating device and the rack. The heat distribution member includes a pattern of apertures and the heat distribution member is configured to prevent infrared radiation produced by the heating device from directly reaching the rear wall of the housing, except for infrared radiation that passes through the apertures of the heat distribution member.

Food service equipment comprises a multiple-pass feeder conveyor and toaster which comprises an upper inclined food product infeed conveyor ramp for causing the food products to proceed in a first direction extending from the rear of the appliance toward the front of the appliance and onto the upper run of a first upper endless conveyor. The upper run of the first upper endless conveyor conveys the food products into a semi-circular return product feeder which causes the food products to be conveyed in a second opposite direction extending from the front of the appliance toward the rear of the appliance and into an entry space defined by means of the lower run of the first upper endless conveyor and the upper run of a second lower endless conveyor, the two conveyors being synchronized together. The pair of conveyors convey the food products between heated platens respectively associated with the two conveyors whereby the food products are cooked or toasted. Additional pairs of conveyors can also be incorporated within the system, in a vertically stacked array, so as to effectively increase the length of travel experienced by the multiple food products without increasing the footprint of the equipment. In addition, upper and lower heated platens are operatively associated with the first and second upper and lower endless conveyors, and the upper heated platen is movably mounted within the food service equipment so as to move upwardly and downwardly and thereby permit different food products, having different thickness dimensions, to be conveyed through the food service equipment.

Systems and methods for an oven include a housing, a heating chamber positioned within the housing, at least one oven door to provide access to the heating chamber, an external nesting rack positionable on or near the housing, and a movable cook surface, the movable cook surface movable between a position within the heating chamber and a position at least partially external to the heating chamber, such that when the movable cook surface is in the position at least partially external to the heating chamber, the movable cook surface is positioned at least partially recessed below a top surface of the external nesting rack. One or more heat packs can be included to provide variable forms of heat to the heating chamber.

An enhanced electric oven (10) comprising an oven-body (12) and a vault or dome (14) which externally enclose an oven cavity or cooking cavity (17), a flue (16) for fume exhaust, a mouth (18) for accessing the oven cavity (17), closable by way of a door (20), a dish supporting plane (22) placed outside the mouth (18), a hood (23), if any, a lower heating plate (33), and an upper heating plate (33A) which accommodate electric resistors, a modular and removable cooking plane (34) made from a refractory material, and means for controlling and distributing heat flow within the oven.

An enhanced electric oven (10) comprising an oven-body (12) and a vault or dome (14) which externally enclose an oven cavity or cooking cavity (17), a flue (16) for fume exhaust, a mouth (18) for accessing the oven cavity (17), closable by way of a door (20), a dish supporting plane (22) placed outside the mouth (18), a hood (23), if any, a lower heating plate (33), and an upper heating plate (33A) which accommodate electric resistors, a modular and removable cooking plane (34) made from a refractory material, and means for controlling and distributing heat flow within the oven.