A catering box with active climate control is configured to transport “delicate” foods, such as grilled cheese sandwiches, hot dogs, and hamburgers, without inducing substantial sogginess in the bread of those food items. The catering box includes a heat mass configured to retain heat generated by a hot plate and to then radiate that heat, during transport, after the hot plate has been disconnected from a power source. In addition, the catering box includes an exhaust fan that actively controls internal specific humidity levels in order to prevent moisture from settling within the bread of stored food items. A microcontroller within the catering box monitors temperature and absolute humidity levels, computes the current specific humidity level, and then selectively engages or disengages the exhaust fan in response. With his approach, the catering box may limit the degree to which humidity settles within the bread of delicate food items stored within.

A conveyor-type oven is particularly well suited for cooking food products such as pizza. The oven may comprise a housing defining a baking chamber, and a primary chamber that is positioned beneath the baking chamber, the housing having an opening at each of the two longitudinal ends of the baking chamber. A continuous conveyor belt transports food to be cooked through the baking chamber, and a source of hot air is arranged to introduce hot air into the primary chamber. An upper plenum assembly is disposed in the baking chamber and includes a plurality of orifices from which to discharge hot air downwardly towards the conveyor belt, while a lower plenum assembly is disposed in the baking chamber and includes a plurality of orifices from which to discharge hot air upwardly towards the conveyor belt. Ducting interconnects the primary chamber with the upper and lower plenum assemblies, and one or more fans are operable to transport hot air from the primary chamber through the ducting to the upper and lower plenum assemblies. The conveyor-type oven enables fast, even cooking of food products while maintaining a relatively small floor-space footprint.

A conveyor-type oven is particularly well suited for cooking food products such as pizza. The oven may comprise a housing defining a baking chamber, and a primary chamber that is positioned beneath the baking chamber, the housing having an opening at each of the two longitudinal ends of the baking chamber. A continuous conveyor belt transports food to be cooked through the baking chamber, and a source of hot air is arranged to introduce hot air into the primary chamber. An upper plenum assembly is disposed in the baking chamber and includes a plurality of orifices from which to discharge hot air downwardly towards the conveyor belt, while a lower plenum assembly is disposed in the baking chamber and includes a plurality of orifices from which to discharge hot air upwardly towards the conveyor belt. Ducting interconnects the primary chamber with the upper and lower plenum assemblies, and one or more fans are operable to transport hot air from the primary chamber through the ducting to the upper and lower plenum assemblies. The conveyor-type oven enables fast, even cooking of food products while maintaining a relatively small floor-space footprint.

A steam cooker having a main body, a cavity provided inside the main body, a steam generator provided to generate steam, a supply pipe connecting the steam generator to the cavity to supply steam into the cavity, a discharge pipe arranged to discharge the steam inside the cavity to the outside of the cavity, a discharge nozzle coupled to an end of the discharge pipe, and a cooling fan provided between the cavity and the main body to cool the cavity, and wherein the discharge nozzle is disposed adjacent to the bottom of the cooling fan such that steam discharged through the discharge nozzle is guided downward between the cavity and the main body by the cooling fan. The steam cooker can prevent the condensation water from falling down on the lower part of the main body.

In a method for operating a household cooking appliance with a cooking chamber, a humidity value is monitored in the cooking chamber, and a sign is output when the humidity value reaches or falls below a predetermined threshold value.

A method of controlling a cooking apparatus, comprising a cleaning process comprising controlling a temperature in a cooking chamber such that the temperature in the cooking chamber is maintained at a preset first temperature for a preset first time, and controlling a temperature in a cooking chamber such that the temperature in the cooking chamber is maintained at a preset second temperature higher than the first temperature for a preset second time. A cooking apparatus comprising, a main body having a cooking chamber formed therein, a convection flow unit comprising a convection heater to heat air in the cooking chamber and a convection fan to circulate the air in the cooking chamber, and a metal foam installed at a periphery of the convection flow unit to collect and decompose cooking gas contained in the air in the cooking chamber.

A method of controlling a cooking apparatus, comprising a cleaning process comprising controlling a temperature in a cooking chamber such that the temperature in the cooking chamber is maintained at a preset first temperature for a preset first time, and controlling a temperature in a cooking chamber such that the temperature in the cooking chamber is maintained at a preset second temperature higher than the first temperature for a preset second time. A cooking apparatus comprising, a main body having a cooking chamber formed therein, a convection flow unit comprising a convection heater to heat air in the cooking chamber and a convection fan to circulate the air in the cooking chamber, and a metal foam installed at a periphery of the convection flow unit to collect and decompose cooking gas contained in the air in the cooking chamber.

Air-based fryer including a food preparation chamber including an outer wall, an inner wall defining a food receiving space with an air inlet and an air discharge opening, and a circulation channel defined between the outer wall and the inner wall. The fryer includes an air heater for heating air in the food preparation chamber, a fan for moving a flow of hot air successively through the air inlet, the food receiving space, the discharge opening, and the channel. The fryer includes a steam generator including at least one nozzle extending into the food receiving space for spraying temperature-controlled steam onto the food; and a controller adapted to control the steam generator to spray steam to food placed in the food receiving space for a first predetermined period, and to control the air heater and the fan to circulate hot air to the food for a subsequent second predetermined period.

Air-based fryer including a food preparation chamber including an outer wall, an inner wall defining a food receiving space with an air inlet and an air discharge opening, and a circulation channel defined between the outer wall and the inner wall. The fryer includes an air heater for heating air in the food preparation chamber, a fan for moving a flow of hot air successively through the air inlet, the food receiving space, the discharge opening, and the channel. The fryer includes a steam generator including at least one nozzle extending into the food receiving space for spraying temperature-controlled steam onto the food; and a controller adapted to control the steam generator to spray steam to food placed in the food receiving space for a first predetermined period, and to control the air heater and the fan to circulate hot air to the food for a subsequent second predetermined period.

A steam generator has a water container and an upper heating device and a lower heating device, a first temperature detection device covering a temperature detection area including the area covered by the two heating devices, a control device for monitoring and evaluating the first temperature detection device and for controlling the activation state of the two heating devices. For operation of the steam generator, water is filled into the container, at least one of the two heating devices is activated for generating steam for an operation of a steam household device, wherein finally this operation is over. Then at least the lower heating device is activated, until the first temperature detection device detects that a pre-defined first temperature threshold has been reached, upon which the lower heating device is deactivated. Remaining water is pumped off from the water container for a pre-defined first pumping duration.