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.

A toaster includes a housing having a slot for receiving a food item, a heating element associated with the slot for toasting the food item, a carriage assembly having a supporting rack movably mounted in the slot for supporting the food item within the slot, a first slider member connected to the supporting rack, and a second slider member operatively connected to the first slider member, a motor, and a driving member having a first end operatively connected to the motor and a second end received in a slot in the second slider member such that when the motor is driven to rotate the driving member, the driving member drives the supporting rack, via the first slider member and the second slider member, to slidably move within the slot.

There is provided a cooking apparatus for cooking multiple food items, including: a housing including multiple separate cooking bays; a control module communicatively linked to each of the cooking bays to receive or determine a cooking time and cooking temperature for the food item received by the respective cooking bay; and a coordination module configured to: determine a total cooking time for each of a plurality of the cooking bays; determine the cooking bay with the longest associated cooking time; determine an offset of the start of the cooking process for each of the other cooking bays such that the cooking times of all the cooking bays end approximately simultaneously; and at each determined offset, direct the respective cooking bay to start the cooking process at the cooking temperature.

A heating and cooking apparatus inside the cooking chamber of a 3D food printer includes a laser cooking apparatus controlled by a processor implementing particular computer program instructions specific to the operation of the heating and cooking apparatus. The laser cooking apparatus includes at least one laser system with at least one laser beam able to heat the food product to its cooking temperature. Each laser system provides two or more laser beams, each of which can be deflected and focused into the food product with a beam spot of adjustable diameter. The heating and cooking apparatus also can include an electromagnetic radiation heating apparatus that is controlled by the processor and emits electromagnetic radiation to warm the food product inside the cooking chamber to a temperature below its cooking temperature.

Methods and systems for processing ready-to-eat bacon with pan-fried bacon characteristics comprising a combination of cooking in a microwave oven and finishing in a searing unit.

A radiation grill unit (1) comprises (i) a food support unit (100) with bars (110), (ii) a radiation unit (200) that includes a reflector (210) (with reflector opening (223)) hosting an IR radiation heater (220), wherein the radiation unit (200) is configured to provide IR radiation (201) in a direction of the food support unit (100), and (iii) a radiation grill unit cavity (3) configured to host a drip tray (300). The drip tray is configured in the radiation grill unit cavity below a lower part edge of the reflector and out of a line of sight of direct IR radiation from the IR radiation heater. The drip tray further comprises a drip tray face and at least one drip tray reservoir configured at a side edge of the drip tray in a location that does not receive direct IR radiation, and configured to store a lipid comprising liquid.

A cooking apparatus (1) comprises a base (7) comprising a lower heater (2) defining a bottom cooking surface (4) where a foodstuff (F) to be cooked can be positioned; a cover (8) closable onto the base (7) and comprising an upper heater (3) defining a top cooking surface (5) and a lifting system (16) for moving the upper heater to and from the lower heater when the cover is closed onto the base; a database (103) storing a plurality of selectable cooking programs each including one or more cooking phases each associated with corresponding cooking parameters including a temperature of the upper heater and a distance (d) of the top cooking surface from the bottom cooking surface; and a controller (18) configured to control the operations of the lifting system and the upper heater based on the cooking parameters of a selected program.

A multi-component package is provided which enables simultaneous heat cooking of a food product which does not require a long cooking time and a food product which requires a longer cooking time. The multi-component package includes a lower container including a bottomed, lower container main body for containing a first food product. The container further includes an upper container including an upper container main body for containing a second filled food product. A flange of the lower container main body and a flange of the upper container main body are engaged with each other so that the lower container and the upper container are combined integrally. A vapor vent is provided in a lower container lid material, whereby water vapor generated upon heating of the first food product heats the second food product in the upper container.

A cooking apparatus may include a cooking chamber, a heating mechanism, a microwave generator, and a waveguide. The cooking chamber may hold cooking media. The heating mechanism may be disposed at the cooking chamber and may heat the cooking media. The microwave generator may produce microwave energy. The waveguide may be disposed on the cooking chamber and may transmit the microwave energy from the microwave generator to the cooking chamber. The microwave generator may be mounted to the waveguide at one end portion of the waveguide. An opening may be formed in an opposite end portion of the waveguide through which the microwave energy may enter the cooking chamber. The opposite end portion of the waveguide may be opposite to the one end portion of the waveguide.

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.