Disclosed herein is a cooking system including a housing defining a hollow chamber. The housing has an upper portion defining an opening to the hollow chamber. A food container is receivable within said hollow chamber. A lid, movable relative to said housing, contacts the upper portion of the housing in a closed position to close the opening to the hollow chamber. At least one heating element is associated with at least one of said housing and said lid. The cooking system is operable in a conductive cooking mode and a convective cooking mode. In the conductive cooking mode, the cooking system is operable as a conductive cooker and in said convective cooking mode, the cooking system is operable as a convection cooker. The cooking system is operable in the conductive cooking mode and then is operable in said convective cooking mode without removing said food container from said hollow chamber.

Disclosed herein is a cooking system for cooking food, the cooking system being functional in a plurality of cooking modes. The cooking system including a housing defining a hollow chamber and including an upper portion defining an opening to the hollow chamber. A lid is positionable relative to the housing to cover the opening to the hollow chamber. At least one heating element is associated with one of the housing and said lid. An air movement device is located in at least one of the housing and the lid to circulate air through the hollow chamber. An air diffuser positionable in the hollow chamber and is configured to impart rotation to air circulating through the hollow chamber when the air diffuser is positioned in the hollow chamber during at least one of the plurality of cooking modes.

A vibration damper system used in a food processor to reduce the vibration of a high power motor that has varying speed cycles is disclosed. The motor is suspended from a ceiling that is mounted to the motor base through a plurality of bolted joints. The bolted joints are surrounded by a grommet that has a unique shape. The grommet comprises generally three parts, which are an upper portion, a middle portion, and a lower portion. The middle portion is smaller than other portion so that it creates a recess for the ceiling to be sandwiched between the grommet. In a preferred embodiment, the lower portion of the grommet further comprises a plurality of petal members that provide a non-uniform spring rate to the grommet so that the grommet is adapted best to reduce the upward impulse of the motor. The food processor also contains a novel air ventilation system.

A food-processing device for blending and mixing food comprises a mixing vessel, a blade holder, and a motor base. The motor is a high power motor. The device has various safety features designed for the high power motor. The blade holder comprises a safety mechanism that prevents the motor base from operating without the mixing vessel covering the blade. The mixing vessel also contains emitters that interact with detectors on the motor base that can allow a user to select an alternate blend speed according to the mixing vessel that is attached.

A food processing container includes a food processing chamber and a cover assembly with a latch mechanism operable between latched and unlatched positions. The latch mechanism includes a first magnetic member disposed therein. An interlock assembly is disposed outside of and adjacent to the food processing chamber and includes a sealed cavity with a plunger member moveable disposed within the sealed cavity. The plunger is operable between at-rest and actuated positions within the sealed cavity and includes upper and lower magnetic members disposed at opposite ends of the plunger member. The plunger member moves to the actuated position as the latch mechanism moves to the latched position due to a repulsion force between the first magnetic member and the upper magnetic member, and further wherein the lower magnetic member moves into the lower portion of the sealed cavity as the latch mechanism moves to the latched position.

Disclosed herein is a cooking system for cooking food, the system including a housing defining a hollow chamber configured to receive a food container. The housing has an upper portion defining an opening to the hollow chamber. A food container having a hollow container interior is positionable within the hollow chamber. An end of the food container extends above the upper portion of the housing when the container is installed within the hollow chamber. A lid is moveably attached to the housing and is moveable between a first position that covers the upper portion of the housing and the opening to the hollow chamber when the food container is installed within the hollow chamber and a second position where the lid does not cover the opening to the hollow chamber. At least one heating element is associated with at least one of said lid and said housing.

Disclosed herein is a cooking system for cooking food, the system including a housing defining a hollow chamber configured to receive a food container. The housing has an upper portion defining an opening to the hollow chamber. A food container having a hollow container interior is positionable within the hollow chamber. An end of the food container extends above the upper portion of the housing when the container is installed within the hollow chamber. A lid is moveably attached to the housing and is moveable between a first position that covers the upper portion of the housing and the opening to the hollow chamber when the food container is installed within the hollow chamber and a second position where the lid does not cover the opening to the hollow chamber. At least one heating element is associated with at least one of said lid and said housing.

A food steamer includes a base, a cooking container receivable by said base, a lid receivable atop said cooking container, a boiler housed within the base, a steam flow pathway extending from said boiler to said lid for directing steam generated by said boiler into said container through said lid, a control unit configured to control operation of said food steamer in response to a user input. The control unit is configured to automatically deactivate the boiler when the lid is removed from the cooking container.

A food processor apparatus. The apparatus may include: a base having a motor; a processing bowl that is releasably couplable to the base; a lid for the processing bowl having a feed tube. A pusher device, having a body and a safety rail that extends from the body, cooperates with the feed tube. A longitudinal slot, is located about the feed tube, and has a pilot opening that is located about the top of the longitudinal slot for receiving the safety rail. A linkage assembly is located about the longitudinal slot. The safety rail engages the linkage assembly when the safety rail is at least partially inserted into the longitudinal slot. A majority of the longitudinal slot, as located below the pilot opening, has a full width of the longitudinal slot directly exposed to an interior of the feed tube.

A blending system is shown and described herein. The blending system may include a base including a motor, a blade assembly selectively and operably engaged with the base, where the motor drives the blade assembly, and a container having an inner and outer layer. The blending system may also include a magnet positioned between inner and outer layers of the container, and a sensor positioned in the base, where the magnet in operative proximity to the sensor permits operation of the motor.