Abstract: An oven includes two tungsten-halogen lamp units strategically positioned, so that infra-red radiation generated by the units is emitted into the oven cavity to brown or grill food placed in the cavity. The cavity also includes, in one embodiment, an infra-red-reflective support for reflecting infra-red radiation emitted from the lamp units onto the underside of the food. In another embodiment, the support includes a heat transfer medium for absorbing infra-red radiation from the lamp units to produce heat and convey the heat to the underside of the food for browning. The oven may include a source of microwave energy and the support may have a microwave absorbent coating, which produces heat for browning the underside of the food.

Abstract: A heating unit includes two tubular tungsten-halogen lamps, each having a tungsten filament. The lamps are supported within a ring of ceramic fibre material and the unit is preferably mounted beneath an infra-red-transmissive cooktop to define a hotplate area of a cooking hob. A control circuit provides a range of discrete power outputs of the lamps, each power output corresponding to a power control setting set by a user of the cooking hob. The circuit includes a phase control circuit for switching power to the lamps at a predetermined phase angle to achieve one or more of the lower power outputs.

Abstract: A grilling arrangement comprises a compartment including two tungsten-halogen lamps mounted adjacent the top of the compartment behind a screen of infra-red-transmissive material. The lamps are emissive of infra-red radiation, which grills food supported on a shelf in the compartment. Each lamp has a reflector, which is preferably parabolic in cross-section, to reflect infra-red radiation from the lamps onto the grilling surface. A control arrangement is also provided to impart oscillatory movement to the reflectors and lamps, so that infra-red radiation from the lamps is swept across the grilling surface, thereby achieving a substantially uniform distribution of intensity of infra-red radiation over the surface over a given length of time.

Abstract: A microwave oven consists of an oven cavity containing a turntable, a source of microwave energy and a waveguide for directing microwave energy into the oven cavity. Two lamp units accommodate tungsten-halogen lamps for browning food cooked by the microwave energy. To inhibit arcing through the lamps due to exposure to the microwave energy, support coils supporting the filament of each lamp are each formed from an incomplete turn of the coil to inhibit arcing between adjacent regions thereof. Other modifications to the lamps and/or the units may also be provided to protect the lamps from exposure to the microwave energy.

Abstract: Carbonating apparatus includes a reservoir to be filled with fresh water through an outlet. Rotation of a control opens a valve, so that water passes from the reservoir into a pressure vessel. The control is then depressed to cause pressurized gas to be introduced into the water in the vessel, via a nozzle, from a gas cylinder, so as to carbonate the water. A slidably-operable control is then moved by an initial amount to cause a venting valve to open, thereby venting excess gas in the vessel to atmosphere. Further sliding movement of the slidably-operable control depresses a lever connected to an outlet valve, which permits dispensing of the carbonated water from the vessel, via a spout.