Provided is an apparatus and method for protecting against unsafe electric current conditions. A protections circuit may be used in a device, as an electric grill, that has one or more electric loads, such as heating elements. The protection circuit may protect against various failure scenarios, including, without limitation, instances of ground fault, over current, driver failure, and failure of a microprocessor. In response to a failure, the protection circuit may trip a latch relay or disable a triac driver to stop current from flowing.

Provided is an apparatus and method for a digital power supply that can provide independent power control, and control variable power, for two or more electrical loads. Disclosed embodiments may reduce the magnitude of harmonic currents and/or flicker introduced into a power system. Embodiments include a microprocessor that delivers power to electric loads using phase-controlled AC current. The microprocessor may calculate a power array corresponding to a requested power for each electric load. Logic is provided for populating the power array in a pattern that reduces the magnitude of harmonic currents and flicker.

Described herein is an automatic cooking apparatus (100) and a method of operating the same. The apparatus comprises a planar heating means, such as a heater plate (102a), which can be placed and operated in an inclined position and rotates about its axis. A dispensing mechanism (104) comprising a storage tank (112) automatically dispenses a desired quantity of a semi-solid liquid substance on the heating surface under gravitational force. The heater plate, in the course of dispensing of the semi-solid liquid substance on the heating surface, rotates about its axis to spread the semi-solid liquid substance on the heating surface, and attains one or more cooking positions after the semi-solid liquid substance is suitably spread on the heating surface for cooking the semi-solid liquid substance. The removal of cooked food item (156′) is performed by an elongated blade (106) by further rotating the heater plate in the same direction.

Examples are disclosed herein that relate to a grill with a continuous cooking surface having individually controllable heating zones separated by one or more isolation zones. One example provides a grill, comprising a continuous cooking surface comprising a plurality of individually controllable heating zones separated by one or more isolation zones, each heating zone comprising a heating zone plate with one or more heating elements disposed beneath the heating zone plate, and each isolation zone comprising an isolation bar joined to adjacent conductive plates of adjacent heating zones, each isolation bar comprising a cooling channel extending at least partially along a length of the isolation bar.

Provided is an electric grill capable of precisely controlling the temperature of a grilling plate by directly applying a heating paste including carbon nanotubes to the bottom of the grilling plate. The present invention includes the grilling plate on which food to be cooked is placed; a heating body that is applied so as to be arranged on the lower portion of the grilling plate so as to heat the grilling plate; a heat insulating material which is disposed to be spaced apart from the heating body at a predetermined distance so as to block heat conduction to the outside; and a temperature sensor which is disposed between the heating body and the heat insulating material so as to measure the temperature of an upper plate. A pair of electrodes for supplying electricity to the heating body are arranged along opposite edges of both sides of the heating body, and a heating region can be divided and controlled by dividing and combining the pair of electrodes, the heating body, the coating thickness, and the like.

Several embodiments include a cooking appliance/instrument (e.g., oven). The cooking instrument can draw an alternating current (AC) power and generate a maximum available power for a heating system of the cooking instrument via a power component that converts the drawn AC power. The cooking instrument can then directionally heat each of different zones in a cooking chamber of the cooking instrument in sequence using one or more heating elements of the heating system on at least one side of the cooking chamber such that each step in the sequence utilizes the maximum available power for the heating system.

A cooking appliance, such as a toaster or oven, has a lifting arm including ribs that form a support surface for a food product in a cooking cavity of the appliance. Each rib can include an opening configured to permit infrared radiation from a heating assembly to pass through the rib to the food product supported by the lifting arm and/or to reduce a thermal mass and capacitance of the lifting arm. The heating assembly can include a support and/or heating element with a curved shape having a concave side facing a cooking cavity. The support and/or heating element can have a planar shape when unstressed and a curved shape when stressed. The heating element may be coupled to the support so as to be slidably movable relative to the support, e.g., so the heating element can slide relative to the support.

A cooking appliance, such as a toaster or oven, has a lifting arm including ribs that form a support surface for a food product in a cooking cavity of the appliance. Each rib can include an opening configured to permit infrared radiation from a heating assembly to pass through the rib to the food product supported by the lifting arm and/or to reduce a thermal mass and capacitance of the lifting arm. The heating assembly can include a support and/or heating element with a curved shape having a concave side facing a cooking cavity. The support and/or heating element can have a planar shape when unstressed and a curved shape when stressed. The heating element may be coupled to the support so as to be slidably movable relative to the support, e.g., so the heating element can slide relative to the support.

A modularized multifunctional electronic iron griddle. The modularized multifunctional electronic iron griddle comprises a top panel, an inner panel, a mounting recess, and an electronic assembly which are arranged from top to bottom; the electronic assembly comprises an outer frame and a plurality of induction coils arranged in the outer frame, each of the induction coils generating heat independently; the top panel is divided into a plurality of independent heating spaces and one operating area by a division bar, the heating spaces being used for placing heating panels; each heating panel is arranged corresponding to each induction coil so as to generate an electromagnetic heating effect with the induction coil. By means of such structural design, heating can be separately controlled for different heating panel areas, and the iron griddle can be heated by utilizing the electromagnetic heating principle.

The present technology provides a multi-purpose cooking apparatus that provides simultaneous smokeless grilling for food products and air frying for food products utilizing the same fan and heating elements. A lower portion of the apparatus includes an enclosed air fryer cooking chamber with a closable door. The air fryer cooking chamber is heated with heating elements and a fan for blowing heated air through the cooking chamber. The upper portion of the apparatus utilizes the same upper heating elements as the air fryer chamber and includes a grilling surface, such as a grilling plate, in an enclosed interior cooking environment. The fan pulls air from the upper portion, filters smoke from the air, and returns the air to the lower portion of the apparatus. The heated, smokeless, circulated air from the fan is used to air fry in the lower portion.