A cooking apparatus includes a main body having a cooking chamber, a coupler having a pair of pressure surfaces and rotatably provided, and a tray provided-to-be withdrawn from the cooking chamber by sliding movement. The tray has a pair of seating projections each capable of being brought into contact with the pair of pressure surfaces and being rotatably pushed by the coupler. Therefore it is possible to easily switch between the rotatable state of the tray and the state of sliding movement of the tray.

The present invention relates to a thawing-apparatus, in which a substance is preferably heated. The present invention further relates to a method to thaw a substance with radio-frequency waves.

A microwave treatment device comprises a treatment chamber, in which an object to be treated can be arranged, and a microwave emission device, by which microwave radiation can be radiated into the treatment chamber or emitted therein. The microwave emission device comprises at least one array antenna with a plurality of individual emitters and a microwave control device which can be used to specify an emission characteristic for each individual emitter of the at least one array antenna. A phase and/or amplitude of the microwave emission can be specified for each individual emitter by the microwave control device. A phase and/or an amplitude of the microwave emission can be specified for each individual emitter by the microwave control device. Furthermore, a frequency of the microwave emission can be specified within a frequency range for each individual emitter by the microwave device.

Method and apparatus for industrial microwave (MW)-assisted thermal sterilization and pasteurization using solid-state MW generators. One or more phased array generators heat packaged foods or liquids conveyed in transport carriers through a processing liquid providing supplemental temperature control and hydrostatic pressure. Generator output signals are computer controlled, allowing phase and power-ratio modulation to both adjust interference patterns within heating cavities and shift focus of heating energy.

In certain examples, a food processing machine for processing a food product includes a housing defining a cavity, a conveyor with a belt comprising metal for conveying the food product through the cavity in a longitudinal direction, and a convection heating system for heating air in the cavity such that heated air heats the food product as the food product is conveyed through the cavity. A microwave launch box system is configured to emit microwave energy into the cavity in a lateral direction transverse to the longitudinal direction to thereby further heat the food product as the food product is conveyed through the cavity.

A high-frequency heating cooker includes: a heating chamber; a high-frequency heating unit; a tray table; a tray table rotating shaft which includes a cylindrical shaft portion and which holds the tray table; and an electric motor which rotates the tray table. The electric motor is fixed to the heating chamber by an electric motor mounting plate, and is configured to transmit a force of an electric motor rotating shaft to the tray table rotating shaft. The tray table rotating shaft transmits a rotating force to the tray table, and is made of a resin molding material. The tray table rotating shaft includes a tray table rotating shaft protrusion formed on a side surface of the cylindrical shaft portion, thereby being configured not to be easily removed from interior of the heating chamber.

The present application firstly discloses a cooking system comprising two cooking apparatuses, each capable of producing a cooked food from food or food ingredient(s). The first cooking apparatus comprises a plurality of microwave ovens which can be moved by an intermittent motion mechanism or a transport system. The second cooking apparatus comprises a cookware and a motion mechanism to move the cookware to dispense a cooked food to a food container. A semi-cooked food is produced by a microwave oven of the first cooking apparatus and is used as an ingredient in the second cooking apparatus to produce cooked food.

Systems and processes for use in heating articles include passing a carrier loaded with an article through a vessel inlet and into a first vessel portion and moving the loaded carrier in a first direction through the first vessel portion away from the inlet. During at least a portion of the movement through the first vessel portion, the article is contacted with a first fluid medium. The loaded carrier is moved carrier in a second direction opposite the first direction through a second vessel portion toward a vessel outlet. During at least a portion of the movement through the second vessel portion, the articles is contacted with a second fluid medium. In certain implementations, each of the first direction and the second direction are vertical.

A food preparation appliance includes a processing mechanism, a thermal element, a sensor positioned to acquire identifying data regarding identifying characteristics of a food product to be processed by the food preparation appliance, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive the identifying data from the sensor, identify a type of the food product based on the identifying data, and automatically set a predefined operating parameter of at least one of the processing mechanism and the thermal element to provide target processing of the food product based on the type and the identifying characteristics.

Carriers suitable for transporting a plurality of articles through a microwave heating zone are provided. Carriers as described herein may include an outer frame and upper and lower support structures vertically spaced from one another to provide a cargo volume into which the articles are loaded. At least a portion of the upper and/or lower support structures may be formed of an electrically conductive material. Additionally, the carrier may include removable article spacing members, such as vertical spacing members and dividers, that can be selectively inserted to adjust the size and/or shaper of the cargo volume. Carriers as described herein may be configured to receive a variety of different articles, including trays and pouches, and the articles may be loaded into the carrier in a nested or overlapping manner.