A microwave heating device includes radiating portions adapted to radiate microwaves to the heating chamber and is operated according to operational configurations that differ in frequency or in phase shift(s) between the radiated microwaves. A learning procedure is executed by sequentially operating the radiating portions in several operational configurations. Energy efficiency data are calculated for those operational configurations. An operating frequency is selected based on energy efficiency data. An operational configuration with a maximum energy efficiency at the selected operating frequency is taken as a reference. A heating procedure is executed by sequentially operating the radiating portions in operational configurations having the selected operating frequency and respective phase shift(s) chosen around the respective phase shift(s) of the reference operational configuration. The phase shift(s) of each chosen operational configuration may have a phase shift distance from the respective phase shift(s) of the reference operational configuration, such that, in the space of the phase shifts, the reference operational configuration is surrounded by the chosen operational configurations.

An oven appliance may include a cabinet, a heating element, temperature sensor, and controller. The heating element may be within the cabinet to heat a cooking chamber. The temperature sensor may be mounted in thermal communication with the cooking chamber. The controller may be configured to initiate a cooking operation. The cooking operation may include directing the heating element according to a predetermined holiday heating cycle during a first holiday occurrence, collecting a plurality of temperature readings from the temperature sensor during the first holiday occurrence as a first temperature group, determining, following the first holiday occurrence, a temperature deviation from a set reference temperature, the temperature deviation being based on the first temperature group, generating a modified holiday heating cycle based on the determined temperature deviation, and directing the heating element according to the modified holiday heating cycle during a second holiday occurrence following the first holiday occurrence.

A method of pairing foods, performed on a smart device includes combining data from at least two of: a food pairing database, which comprises data based on taste profiles of said foods, a food heating profile database, which comprises data based on a length of time said foods require in order to be cooked, and a taste correction at altitude database, which comprises data based on a taste of said food at a particular altitude, and comparing said data, and outputting an optimized pairing of foods, based on one or more of taste, heating time and taste at altitude.

A disclosed computer-implemented method for heating an item in a chamber of an electronic oven towards a target state includes heating the item with a set of applications of energy to the chamber while the electronic oven is in a respective set of configurations. The set of applications of energy and respective set of configurations define a respective set of variable distributions of energy in the chamber. The method also includes sensing sensor data that defines a respective set of responses by the item to the set of applications of energy. The method also includes generating a plan to heat the item in the chamber. The plan is generated by a control system of the electronic oven and uses the sensor data.

A heated probe is provided that cooks food from the inside-out in order to help reduce cooking times. The probe may be used within an oven, or it may be used as a standalone cooking source. The probe may include heat control, such that foods may be cooked at a low temperature for extended periods of time without drying out the food. Such heat control may help keep proteins tender to produce a result similar to proteins cooked in a sous vide style.

A device for receiving signals via an electrically driveable or adjustable furniture element includes a receiving device for receiving at least one wirelessly transmitted signal, and the at least one wirelessly transmitted signal that has been received by the receiving device can be transmitted on to a furniture element. The receiving device is designed such that the at least one wirelessly transmitted signal can be received and processed via a first transmission protocol and a second transmission protocol, wherein the first transmission protocol is different from the second transmission protocol.

A method for controlling an oven that incudes selecting a function of the oven using an actuator located in or on a control panel of the oven to cause an electrical signal to be generated that identifies a function of the oven. In response to the electrical signal being generated, energizing an electrical motor that is mechanically coupled to a rotary position switch and not mechanically coupled to the actuator. The method including rotating the rotary position switch to a position corresponding to the function of the oven by use of the electric motor after the electrical signal is generated.

A commercial oven, such as a combination oven providing steam and convection heating, may provide for two different peak power modes and for steam cooking. A temperature sensor sampling temperature from a region of the oven may be used to detect a complete filling of the oven with steam. The temperature of the temperature sensor is compared against different temperature thresholds depending on the selected peak power so that temperature may be used to discriminate steam filling for different peak power levels.

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.

Methods for heat treating food products include controlling a temperature of a heating element to a maximum temperature correlated to a desired temperature for the food product. A sensed temperature of the heating element may be used to control the maximum temperature. An oven includes a heating element and a temperature sensor configured to sense the temperature of the heating element, and a controller that limits the temperature of the heating element based on output from the temperature sensor.