A cooking grate includes a peripheral frame defining a periphery of the cooking grate, a plurality of fingers extending from the peripheral frame toward a center of the cooking grate, and a slot formed in the peripheral frame, the slot forming a passageway through the peripheral frame from a lower portion to an upper portion thereof in the vertical direction.

A cooking appliance includes a secondary venting arrangement within an oven cavity to supplement a primary venting arrangement with localized venting of combustion products adjacent a flame detector that detects a flame emitted by a gas burner disposed under the oven cavity. Doing so may assist with stabilizing the flame generated by the gas burner prior to establishment of steady state flow pattern within the oven cavity.

A system and method are provided for performing a test operation of a gas household cooking appliance having an oven cavity and a gas burner within the oven cavity. The system and method include an infrared thermocouple configured to be portably and temporarily positioned within the oven cavity and configured to produce an output signal in response to a change in temperature within the oven cavity to confirm that the gas burner has ignited. A control unit is configured to execute the test operation only upon receipt of the output signal from the infrared thermocouple within a predetermined amount of time following an initiation of a gas flow to the gas burner.

One or more embodiments relates to a portable, personal device for providing cooking and power and adapted for use with a burner, the device including a plurality of metal-supported solid oxide fuel cells (MS-SOFCs) coupled together; a microelectronic control circuit connected to at least the MS-SOFCs; a light source coupled to at least the microelectronic control circuit; and at least one USB port coupled to at least the microelectronic control circuit; whereby the device is able to simultaneously provide light and power a personal device.

A gas valve for a cooking appliance is provided and includes a valve housing defining a valve chamber therein. A plug is disposed within the valve chamber. A valve stem interacts with the plug such that rotation of the valve stem correspondingly rotates the plug to selectively permit a flow of gas through the gas valve. The valve stem is axially translatable between a locked position wherein rotation thereof is inhibited and an unlocked position wherein rotation thereof is permitted. A first spring exerts a compressive force against the valve stem, toward the plug, to bias the valve stem into the locked position. A second spring exerts a compressive force against the plug in order to seat the plug within the valve chamber regardless whether the valve stem is in the locked or the unlocked position.

Cooktop appliances are provided. A cooktop appliance can include a gas burner; a manifold having a gas input; a primary line extending between the manifold and the gas burner, wherein the primary line operates as a non-modulated minimum gas flow line when the cooktop appliance is in an automatic mode; a secondary line extending between the manifold and the gas burner, wherein a gas flow rate of the secondary line is controllable by a flow control valve; a primary valve in fluid communication with at least the primary line; and a control system including: a sensor configured to detect a temperature corresponding to the gas burner; and a controller regulating: (i) the flow control valve in response to the detected temperature to achieve a desired temperature, and (ii) the primary valve when the flow control valve is closed and the detected temperature exceeds the desired temperature.

A cooktop appliance includes a top panel with a gas burner disposed on the top panel. The cooktop appliance also includes a grate with a plurality of fingers. The grate is removably positioned above the gas burner. The plurality of fingers includes a sensor finger. The cooktop appliance also includes a hermetically sealed temperature sensor mounted to the sensor finger of the plurality of fingers of the grate. The hermetically sealed temperature sensor includes a base, a sheath extending from the base to a rounded tip, and a contact pad in the base.

A cooking grate includes a peripheral frame defining a periphery of the cooking grate, a plurality of fingers extending from the peripheral frame toward a center of the cooking grate, and a slot formed in the peripheral frame, the slot forming a passageway through the peripheral frame from a lower portion to an upper portion thereof in the vertical direction.

A mobile kitchen unit includes a storage container, a first module, and a second module. The first module can include a sink for receiving water. The first module can be positioned within the storage container and mounted on a first set of rails such that it can slide at least partially out from the storage container. The second module can have a stove and propane tank in one example. The second module can be positioned within the first module and mounted on a second set of rails such that the second module can slide at least partially out from the first module. In one example, the first and second modules are independently slidable with respect to one another. In an example, the second module can fit substantially within the first module with the stove and propane tank still attached to the second module.

Devices, systems, and methods are provided for baking a food product in a portable baking oven. The baking oven includes a main body, lower and upper stones, a heat shield suspending the upper stone above the lower stone, and a heat element emanating heat upward to a rotating flat panel having the lower stone thereon. Convection heat from the heat element moves upward from below the rotating flat panel and past a periphery of the flat panel, channeled by the heat shield to the upper stone, to move along the upper stone, and then down along the heat shield, on the opposite side. With this arrangement, the heat element heats the upper and lower stones with convection heat moving between the lower and upper stones in a side-to-side manner.