A multi-compartment oven providing steam assisted cooking employs active venting to provide improved humidity control and reduced humidity leakage between closely adjacent compartments.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a toaster oven including: a cooking chamber; an air passage; and a fan. The cooking chamber includes a side wall and a top wall. One of the side wall and the top wall is provided with an air inlet in communication with a cooking space of the cooking chamber. The other of the side wall and the top wall is provided with an air outlet in communication with the cooking space. The air passage between the air inlet and the air outlet is disposed outside the cooking chamber. The fan blows air from the air inlet to the air outlet through the air passage.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a toaster oven including: a cooking chamber; an air passage; and a fan. The cooking chamber includes a side wall and a top wall. One of the side wall and the top wall is provided with an air inlet in communication with a cooking space of the cooking chamber. The other of the side wall and the top wall is provided with an air outlet in communication with the cooking space. The air passage between the air inlet and the air outlet is disposed outside the cooking chamber. The fan blows air from the air inlet to the air outlet through the air passage.

A steam cooking appliance includes a cooking chamber, a water supply unit including a removable water tank having a filling opening, and an evaporator unit connectable to the water supply unit. The water tank includes in an installed position a front side facing a user, a rear side opposite the front side, and a closure element for closing the filling opening. The closure element is configured to form at least in part the front side or the rear side of the water tank. The evaporator unit is configured to evaporate water from the water supply unit to generate steam for supply into the cooking chamber.

A steam cooking appliance includes a cooking chamber, a water supply unit including a removable water tank having a filling opening, and an evaporator unit connectable to the water supply unit. The water tank includes in an installed position a front side facing a user, a rear side opposite the front side, and a closure element for closing the filling opening. The closure element is configured to form at least in part the front side or the rear side of the water tank. The evaporator unit is configured to evaporate water from the water supply unit to generate steam for supply into the cooking chamber.

A process and apparatus for heating an oven using nebulized water particles and compressed air including the steps of heating water contained in reservoir that is located outside of a cooking chamber by transferring water within the reservoir through a water heater to reach a desired end point temperature that is less than boiling, heating compressed air by sending compressed air through an air heater that is submerged within the water of the reservoir, conveying the heated water and the heated compressed air to a nebulizer, nebulizing the heated water into heated water particles and introducing the heated water particles into the cooking chamber via the heated compressed air.

A kitchen appliance (100) is disclosed comprising a compartment (110) for receiving flour, said compartment comprising a sensor (120) for producing a sensor reading indicative of a dielectric property of said flour or a product comprising said flour. The kitchen appliance further comprises a processing arrangement (130) communicatively coupled to the sensor for determining an initial moisture content of said flour or product from said sensor reading and adapted to generate a control signal indicative of an amount of water to be added to the compartment as a function of the determined moisture content. A method of controlling a flour product-based food preparation process is also disclosed.

The present invention in particular relates to a method of operating a cooking oven, comprising: receiving a manual user setting for one or more than one primary cooking parameters; and, upon receipt of the one or more primary cooking parameters, executing an algorithm function for automatically and without further user input setting one or more than one additional secondary cooking parameters different from the received one or more primary cooking parameter the execution of the algorithm function comprising: accessing an electronic database (4, 7), the electronic database (4, 7) including a mapping between the e primary and secondary cooking parameters; and by automatically and without user input setting the secondary cooking parameters for controlling the cooking process.

The present invention in particular relates to a method of operating a cooking oven, comprising: receiving a manual user setting for one or more than one primary cooking parameters; and, upon receipt of the one or more primary cooking parameters, executing an algorithm function for automatically and without further user input setting one or more than one additional secondary cooking parameters different from the received one or more primary cooking parameter the execution of the algorithm function comprising: accessing an electronic database (4, 7), the electronic database (4, 7) including a mapping between the e primary and secondary cooking parameters; and by automatically and without user input setting the secondary cooking parameters for controlling the cooking process.

A high dew point humidity sensor includes an enclosure assembly, an ambient temperature sensor, air sample intake and exhaust openings, a fluid-moving device, a heater block assembly, an internal temperature sensor, a humidity sensor chip, and a controller. The controller is configured to: (i) collect a measured ambient temperature from the ambient temperature sensor; (ii) collect a measured humidity of sample air from the humidity sensor chip; (iii) collect a measured temperature from the internal temperature sensor; and (iv) control operation of the heater block assembly based, at least in part, on the measured ambient temperature and the measured temperature from the internal temperature sensor.