A cooking system for cooking food, the cooking system includes a housing having a hollow interior and a lid movable relative to said housing. The lid and housing cooperate to form a cooking chamber. A liquid source for delivering liquid to said cooking chamber during operation of the cooking system and a heating element mounted within the lid. The heating element is operable to transform said liquid into a vapor during operation of the cooking system.

A multi-zone food holding bin has a continuous food supporting surface with multiple food holding zones. Each food holding zone is independently controllable so that different food temperatures may be maintained in adjacent food holding zones.

A food station includes a base configured to support a food product, a frame coupled to the base and including a longitudinal member having a length extending in a longitudinal direction, and a heat strip module coupled to the longitudinal member. The heat strip module includes a housing, a heating element coupled to the housing, and a reflector coupled to the housing. The heat strip module is at least one of (a) selectively rotatable relative to the longitudinal member between a first orientation and a second orientation and configured to emit the energy in both the first orientation and the second orientation or (b) selectively repositionable along the length of the longitudinal member between a first position and a second position and configured to emit the energy in both the first position and the second position.

The invention relates to a method for operating a heating element (210), in particular in a food processor (1) for the at least partially automatic preparation of foodstuffs, wherein the following steps are performed: a) detecting an electrical resistance of the heating element (210) such that at least one resistance value is determined, b) performing a heating operation on the heating element (210) based on the at least one determined resistance value to perform the heating operation depending on a temperature of the heating element (210).

Autonomous hydraulic unit comprising a liquid inlet (1); a flow meter (2) which is jointly attached to an inlet (3) of a compression chamber (4) of a pump (5) where a piston (6) injects the compressed liquid through a nozzle (7) into a heating chamber (8). A plastic body (9) integrates in one piece the compression chamber (4), a self-priming valve (10) and a safety valve (11). A heating element (12) contained within a body (9) determines with a disk (14) the heating chamber (8) where the temperature of the liquid injected by the piston (6) is raised in its passage towards the outlet (13).

A multi-zone food holding bin has a continuous food supporting surface with multiple food holding zones. Each food holding zone is independently controllable so that different food temperatures may be maintained in adjacent food holding zones.

A 3D food printer includes a printer head including, an extrusion nozzle and a laser assembly with at least one laser, and a heated printing platform. The extrusion nozzle is configured to extrude food onto the printing platform, and each of the printing platform and the at least one laser are configured to heat food extruded onto the printing platform.

An automated sous vide rethermalization and finishing system includes a refrigerated compartment configured to store laminated sous vide food product; a sous vide food product rethermalization channel, operatively connected to the refrigerated compartment, configured to guide conveyance of laminated sous vide food product from said refrigerated compartment; a delamination system, operatively connected to the refrigerated compartment and the sous vide food product rethermalization channel, configured to delaminate laminated sous vide food product; and a sous vide food product finishing system, operatively connected to the sous vide food product rethermalization channel, configured to create a Maillard reaction upon a delaminated sous vide food product.

An automated pizza oven assembly includes an oven that has an entry and an exit. A conveyor extends through the entry and the exit, and a pizza is positionable on the conveyor. The conveyor transports the pizza through the oven to cook the pizza. A cutting unit is coupled to and extends away from the oven such that the cutting unit is positioned above the conveyor. The cutting unit includes a plurality of blades and each of the blades radiating outwardly from a central point of the cutting unit. The blades are urged downwardly onto the pizza when the cutting unit is turned on to cut the pizza into a plurality of slices. A control unit is coupled to the oven and the control unit is in communication with the heating element in the oven, the conveyor and the cutting unit. The control unit controls operational parameters of the heating element, the conveyor and the cutting unit.

Embodiments include systems and methods for heating materials, including heating materials for cooking and soldering. A representative system and method for cooking food includes passing electric current through the food, sensing a characteristic of the food, and modulating the electric current in response to the characteristic of the food to achieve a selected internal temperature of the food. The system and method can include searing the food with hot oil or photons directed at the surface of the food. A representative system and method for heating a material includes modulating a plurality of semiconductor light sources to emit photons toward the material, measuring a temperature of the material, and modulating the plurality of semiconductor light sources in response to the temperature of the material. The material can include solder and the method can include heating solder in a reflow soldering process.