Abstract: A cooking appliance particularly useful as a multi-function toaster oven includes an impaling member in its cooking compartment for impaling a food article to be grilled, and horizontally-extending electrical heaters above and below the impaling member, which electrical heaters are sequentially energized and de-energized according to a predetermined sequence to produce a rotating heat front for heating the food article on the impaling member. The appliance may also include shelf supports for removably supporting one or more wire-screen shelves to enable the appliance also to be used as a toaster oven, a broiler oven, and/or a microwave heater to enable the appliance also to be used as a microwave oven.

Abstract: A food handling appliance particularly useful as a toaster, includes a food compartment for receiving a food article to be heated, at least one heating element (43b) located laterally of the food compartment for heating a food article therein, and a heat transfer-plate (44) located between the food article compartment and the heating element (43b). When the appliance is a toaster for toasting a slice of bread, there would be two heating elements and two heat-transfer plates for toasting the opposite side of a slice of bread mounted on a pop-up stand with the heat transfer plates being brought into contact with the slice of bread when the stand is in its lower position, and being moved out of contact therewith when the stand is in its upper position.

Abstract: A grilling appliance includes a housing defining an internal grilling compartment for receiving food articles to be grilled; an impaling member mounted within the grilling compartment for impaling a food article to be grilled; a circular array of electrical heaters surrounding and spaced from the impaling member for heating a food article when impaled thereon; and an electrical system for sequentially energizing the electrical heaters to produce a rotating heating front which rotates around a food article when impaled on the impaling member. Each electrical heater is shaped in the form of a loop extending for a part of the circumference of the grilling compartment and has a pair of mounting legs at one end joined by a U-section at the opposite end.