Food preparation apparatus and associated appliance modules and methods. Appliances modules can be selectively docked at docks of an appliance interface of a base. An appliance module includes a food container support surface movable between cooking and holding positions. An appliance module includes a receptacle having a holding well that can be selectively configured in a generally horizontal position or an inclined position.

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 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 cooking unit includes a plurality of vertically oriented cooking slots and a loader for staging a volume of individual food products for transfer to the plurality of vertically oriented cooking slots. The loader is configured to position a plurality of individual food products in a first orientation, and the loader is configured to change the orientation of the plurality of individual food products to a second orientation for parallel transfer of the plurality of individual food products from the loader to the plurality of cooking slots. The loader may be rotatable rotatable between a first orientation, where each of the load slots is oriented to support a single food product, and a second orientation, where a plurality of single food products moves from a respective one of the plurality of load slots to a respective one of the plurality of vertically oriented cooking slots.

A modular food holding system includes a plurality of individual modularized food holding chambers, each of the plurality of food holding chambers being physically and communicatively removably connected to one another. Each of the food holding chambers includes a food holding cavity and at least one of a heating element and/or a cooling element for heating or cooling the food holding cavity. A chamber base is physically and communicatively removably connected to one of the food holding chambers and operation of at least one food holding chamber is controlled by the chamber base.

A modular food holding bin has multiple food holding units or bins, which can be connected and disconnected from each other in multiple different configurations. Each bin can be set to its own temperature, independently of the others. The modular holding bin includes a power recover mode.

A modular food holding bin has multiple food holding units or bins, which can be connected and disconnected from each other in multiple different configurations. Each bin can be set to its own temperature, independently of the others. The module holding bin may be programmed using tunable parameters that may be set remotely.

A vending machine system for loading and dispensing pre-baked unpackaged food including a fixed cartridge disposed in a refrigerator of a vending machine, and a transport cartridge adapted to removably attach to the fixed cartridge, the transport cartridge operable for holding trays of unpackaged food and loading the trays of unpackaged food from the transport cartridge into the fixed cartridge, wherein, when the transport cartridge is removably attached to the fixed cartridge, a front opening of the transport cartridge aligns with a front opening of the fixed cartridge, and wherein the rack of the transport cartridge aligns with the conveyor system of the fixed cartridge such that trays of unpackaged food within the transport cartridge can simultaneously be transitioned from the rack to the conveyor system.

An open food storage container is provided. The container includes a housing with side walls and end portions that establish a holding volume. The side walls and end portions are arranged with the right side wall extending from the first and second end portions and the left side wall also extending from the first and second end portions. The first and second end portion include air handling units and heating elements, the air handling units are configured to draw air in a first direction through a suction substantially parallel to a plane parallel to the side walls and discharge air in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the plane. The second end portion is configured to draw air in a third direction through a suction, wherein the third direction is opposite from the first direction and substantially parallel to the plane, and discharge air in the second direction.

A system to store food products within a heated compartment is provided. The system includes an enclosure that receives stacked trays, and an elevator to lift trays to a position to receive a plurality of food products from a conveyor or another source. A fork may be provided that receives a cooked food product thereon and rotates to allow the cooked food product to fall into the positioned tray while being maintained in a horizontal manner. A shuttle moves a full tray into a heated compartment, which moves trays therewithin to organize them for future use within a restaurant operation.