An oven appliance has a reflector positioned within a housing above an upper heating element. An air distribution manifold defines an entrance proximate a cooking chamber of the housing. A catalytic smoke reducer is positioned above the reflector at the entrance of the air distribution manifold. An air handler is operable to draw air from above the reflector through the catalytic smoke reducer and the entrance of the air distribution manifold.

An electric oven with a heating element designed to conduct broiling operations includes a reflector that is mounted between the heating element and a ceiling of a cooking cavity. The reflector can include reflecting portions that extend downward from side, rear or front edges of the reflector to help focus radiant energy produced by a heating element downward onto an underlying cooking surface. The reflector can also include a plurality of curved segments that are designed to reflect radiant energy emitted upward by the heating element back downward onto an underlying cooking surface. The curved segments can have varying focal lengths to help more evenly distribute the reflected radiant energy across the underlying cooking surface.

An electric oven with a heating element designed to conduct broiling operations includes a reflector that is mounted between the heating element and a ceiling of a cooking cavity. The reflector can include reflecting portions that extend downward from side, rear or front edges of the reflector to help focus radiant energy produced by a heating element downward onto an underlying cooking surface. The reflector can also include a plurality of curved segments that are designed to reflect radiant energy emitted upward by the heating element back downward onto an underlying cooking surface. The curved segments can have varying focal lengths to help more evenly distribute the reflected radiant energy across the underlying cooking surface.

A patio heater, has: a base to be supported on a ground; a stem protruding upwardly away from the base; and a heat generating device secured to the stem, the heat generating device having: a burner fluidly connected to a source of a fuel to be burned; a diffusion sheet enclosing a combustion chamber, the burner located inside the combustion chamber and surrounded by the diffusion sheet; a reflective shield located above the diffusion sheet; and at least one reflective fin mounted to the diffusion sheet and extending away therefrom.

A patio heater, has: a base to be supported on a ground; a stem protruding upwardly away from the base; and a heat generating device secured to the stem, the heat generating device having: a burner fluidly connected to a source of a fuel to be burned; a diffusion sheet enclosing a combustion chamber, the burner located inside the combustion chamber and surrounded by the diffusion sheet; a reflective shield located above the diffusion sheet; and at least one reflective fin mounted to the diffusion sheet and extending away therefrom.

Systems and methods for user configurable cooking appliances include receiving system resources having associated budgets, facilitating user allocation the system resources to a plurality of heating elements without exceeding the associate budgets, applying the system resources to the heating elements to heat one or more food substances within a cooking chamber, and selectively regulating delivery of the system resources to the heating elements such that no more than the associated budget of each of the system resources is delivered to the heating elements. Computing components can execute a heating algorithm to cook at least one food substance in the cooking chamber, detect a state change of the food substance, and modify the heating algorithm to reconfigure the system resources supplied to the heating elements in response to the state change and in accordance with user configured allocation and associated budgets for the system resources.

An electric stove includes an electric heating element arranged at a distance from a position right below a target to be heated. A first mirror surface portion is arranged to surround the electric heating element and configured to reflect heat rays radiated from the electric heating elements. A second mirror surface portion is arranged below the electric heating elements and configured to collect the heat rays reflected by the first mirror surface portion to a side below the target by reflecting the heat rays substantially immediately upwardly. The first mirror surface portion includes a plurality of partial elliptical mirror surface portions having one focus near the electric heating elements and the other focus below the electric heating elements, and the second mirror surface portion includes a partial elliptical mirror surface portion a having one focus near the electric heating elements and the other focus below the electric heating elements.

An electric stove includes an electric heating element arranged at a distance from a position right below a target to be heated. A first mirror surface portion is arranged to surround the electric heating element and configured to reflect heat rays radiated from the electric heating elements. A second mirror surface portion is arranged below the electric heating elements and configured to collect the heat rays reflected by the first mirror surface portion to a side below the target by reflecting the heat rays substantially immediately upwardly. The first mirror surface portion includes a plurality of partial elliptical mirror surface portions having one focus near the electric heating elements and the other focus below the electric heating elements, and the second mirror surface portion includes a partial elliptical mirror surface portion a having one focus near the electric heating elements and the other focus below the electric heating elements.

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 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.