Abstract: A microwave oven includes a heating chamber into which an object to be heated is placed and heated for a predetermined period of time, a microwave heating unit, a plurality of electrothermal heating units, and a secondary battery charged by a commercial AC power supply and supplying electric power to at least a specific one of the electrothermal heating units. The predetermined heating period of time includes a part in which the specific electrothermal heating unit to which electric power is supplied by the secondary battery is operated simultaneously with the other heating units.

Abstract: A cooking appliance has a cooking compartment accessed by a door. After cooking is finished, a sensor detects the temperature within the cooking compartment. Then a cooling fan cools components in the cooking appliance for a period of time dependent on the detected temperature. A control circuit changes the period for cooling in accordance with the time that the door is open while the fan is on.

Abstract: A high frequency heating apparatus such as microwave ovens includes an inverter circuit having a switching element and converting a commercial ac power supply to a high frequency power supply by controlling "on" and "off" periods of the switching element, a magnetron driven by the inverter circuit, a counter cumulatively counting an operating period of time and a deenergization period of time of the magnetron, and a compensator for compensating an "on" period of the switching element based on a count value of the counter so that an input power to the inverter circuit is rendered constant.

Abstract: A control device for cooking apparatus includes an input panel for inputting a desired cooking condition. The input panel includes a flexible panel on which a plurality of cooking condition set key-patterns are formed in line. When a desired cooking condition set key-pattern is pressed, the input panel produces a voltage corresponding to the pressed key-pattern. The value of this voltage is changed step by step from one side key-pattern toward the other side key-pattern on the flexible panel.

Abstract: A housing of a cooking apparatus has a heating chamber and an operation section. Cooking operation keys are arranged to allow a user to perform cooking operations in the operation section. A display is arranged in the operation section for displaying at least numerical information. A cooking time-setter is arranged to set a required cooking time in the operation section, upon rotation of the setter. An encoder is coupled to the cooking time-setter, and it generates pulse signals, the number of pulses corresponding to the angular position of the cooking time-setter. A controller is connected to the heating chamber, the cooking operation keys, the display, and the encoder. The controller executes an interruption procedure in response to the pulse signals from the encoder, counts the pulses of the pulse signals, fetches the count values as the cooking time-setting information of the cooking time-setter, and supplies the cooking time-setting information to the display.