A motor-actuated actuated-vent-valve is configured to operatively couple to a vent port of a solid-fueled cooker. The vent port is in series with both a flow of air into a combustion region of the cooker, and a flow of resulting combustion gases from the cooker, the flow of air being responsive to a position of the actuated-vent-valve. A first controller adapted to receive a sensed-temperature signal responsive to a temperature within a cooking region of the cooker, and operatively coupled to an externally-located actuator motor of the motor-actuated actuated-vent-valve, provides for automatically electronically controlling the position of the actuated-vent-valve to a continuum of positions within a range of the positions, thereby substantially regulating the first temperature within the cooking region of the solid-fueled cooker to a user-defined temperature level responsive to the sensed-temperature signal by controlling an exclusively-naturally-occurring flow of air into the combustion region of the cooker.

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.

The present invention discloses a slow cooker capable of frying food. The slow cooker includes a main body assembly, a ceramic inner container, a glass lid assembly and an airfryer head assembly, where the ceramic inner container is located inside the main body assembly, the glass lid assembly and the main body assembly are fitted to each other, the airfryer head assembly is fitted with the main body assembly, the glass lid assembly is used when the food is slowly stewed, and the airfryer head assembly used when the food is fried. By using the slow cooker of the present invention, it not only can realize slow stewing of food, but also can incorporate the function of food frying, thus realizing multi-purpose use of one machine.

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 system and method for processing a coextruded meat product including a casing enclosing a meat batter after brining in which a heated, high velocity air stream is applied to the coextruded meat product thereby mechanically removing moisture from a surface of the casing and cooking the coextruded meat product. This system and method can further improve the ability for a liquid coating to be added to the coextruded meat product in a non-drenching manner because of the superior surface preparation of the casing by the jets.

A method for sous-vide cooking includes receiving food type, food quantity, cook begin time, and cook finish time parameters and looking up a default time-temperature pair in a cooking services database. When the default time-temperature pair is suitable for yielding a cooked food meeting the food type, food quantity, cook begin time, and cook finish time parameters, a cooking control routine is derived from the default time-temperature pair. Subsequently, a cooking process may be performed in accordance with the cooking control routine.

Disclosed is an air fryer, including: an air fryer body; a carrier and/or a stirring paddle; a driving mechanism, which is detachably mounted outside the air fryer body, can be detachably connected with the carrier and/or the stirring paddle and can drive the carrier and/or the stirring paddle to rotate.

A connected oven, including a set of in-cavity sensors and a processor configured to automatically identify foodstuff within the cooking cavity, based on the sensor measurements; and automatically operate the heating element based on the foodstuff identity.

A connected oven, including a set of in-cavity sensors and a processor configured to automatically identify foodstuff within the cooking cavity, based on the sensor measurements; and automatically operate the heating element based on the foodstuff identity.

A method for producing a fruit or vegetable product, wherein the method consists essentially of (a) infusing a whole or sliced fruit or vegetable with an infusible molecule to between 10 and 55 Brix; (b) pre-drying the whole or sliced fruit or vegetable at a temperature between 80 C. and 120 C. to produce a pre-dried fruit or vegetable; (c) exposing the pre-dried fruit or vegetable to freezing temperatures and to vacuum to a temperature between 1 C. and 40 C. and a pressure between 7.5 mmHg and 0.53 mmHg, thereby partially subliming the fruit or vegetable; (d) puffing the fruit or vegetable under vacuum between 0.1 mmHg and 600 mmHg at a temperature between 40 C. and 110 C.; (e) cooling the fruit or vegetable under vacuum to a temperature between 0 C. and 40 C., to thereby produce the fruit or vegetable product.