Abstract: Apparatus for holding cooked food transiently in a warm condition pending service of the food, e.g., in restaurant settings, includes a housing structure defining a food holding area, and a heating device positioned adjacent the food holding area to apply radiant warming heat directly to food in the holding area. The housing structure defines a continuous air circulation path with a first portion of the path extending over the heating device and a second portion of the path extending through the food holding area. A fan is disposed outside the food holding area to produce recirculating movement of air in the air circulation path. The combination of direct radiant heating by the heating device and recirculation of air through the food holding area is effective to maintain cooked food against degradation in edibility for a period of time substantially extended beyond the heating of the cooked food alone.

Abstract: A programmable control system for a cooking apparatus having a housing defining a cooking chamber with one or more food transport conveyors traveling there-through between opposing cooking elements. A food probe is provided for insertion into cooked food items to ascertain the internal cooked temperature and a control program to automatically call for the probing of temperature readings of food items on a predefined schedule, and to record the temperature readings. The control program also compensates for temperature degradation when the apparatus is under significant cooking loads. The control program also compensates for the malfunction in the cooking elements, wherein if one cooking element on one side of the conveyor path malfunctions, a corresponding heating element on the opposite side of the conveyor is deactivated and simultaneously the conveyor speed is slowed to compensate for the reduction in heating to maintain balanced cooking of the food.

Abstract: An apparatus for conveyorized griddle-like cooking of food products simultaneously on two opposed product sides comprises a pair of cooking elements arranged in opposed spaced facing relation to emit thermal cooking energy toward one another and two endless food transport conveyors driven to travel between the cooking elements along respective food-conveying runs in a common transport direction in sufficient closely spaced, generally parallel relation to transport the food products to be cooked simultaneously on opposite sides. Each conveyor is preferably in the form of a belt having a substantially continuous imperforate food contacting surface so as to provide griddle-like contact with the opposite sides of the food product during cooking. Differing embodiments of the apparatus are contemplated to accommodate cooking of differing food products, e.g.

Abstract: Burning and other overcooking of sensitive areas of food products, e.g., a chicken's fatty thigh and back area or a pizza's crust area, is prevented in broiling, baking or otherwise cooking food products on an automated conveyorized commercial restaurant basis by interposing a screen, cover, or like element between a heater panel or other source of cooking energy and the sensitive area of the food product to selectively modify the cooking energy received by the food product's sensitive area in order to subject such area to a modified amount of cooking.

Abstract: This invention relates to conveyorized cooking apparatus and methods of cooking in such apparatus, and more particularly to such apparatus and methods useful in a commercial environment such as a fast service restaurant in which rapidly changing variable cooking loads must be accommodated. In accordance with the invention, cooling of the cooking zone after deenergization of electrical heaters which supply the thermal energy for cooking proceeds at a rate represented by a particular mathematical equation, as a result of the use of heaters of low thermal mass. By the use of such heaters and method, overcooking is avoided in conditions of low thermal load such as when cooking is on a light duty cycle.

Abstract: This invention relates to conveyorized cooking apparatus and particularly to such apparatus useful in a commercial environment such as a fast service restaurant in which rapidly changing variable loads must be accommodated. This invention accomplishes conveyorized cooking of servings of foodstuffs in such a way that the effects of variations in load are minimized or eliminated by eliminating or reducing the infuence of stored thermal energy on cooking capabilities so that stored energy may be esentially ignored as being ineffective to cause variation in product quality. This is accomplished by using heaters of low thermal mass such that the rate of thermal decay or temperature fall in the absence of thermal load imposed by servings of foodstuffs prevents the cyclical storage of thermal energy and thereby avoids the overcooking of foodstuffs during periods of light usage. The rates of thermal decay are variously characterized in the detailed specification.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for preparing foodstuffs, and particularly sausages and buns such as hot dogs. A reservoir containing heated water is provided and sausages are immersed in and moved through the heated water by a conveyor while buns are moved through heated vapor from the heated water to heat the sausages and buns to a desired serving temperature.

Abstract: A cooking apparatus in which an endless conveyor moving through a heated cooking zone along a closed path of travel having upper and lower runs is cleaned by engagement with a guide which directs the lower run along a sinuous path. The cooking zone is enclosed by a housing having air flow passages which cooperate with a particular air flow circulating arrangement for cooling portions of the apparatus while minimizing loss of conditioned air from the building in which the apparatus is located. Provision is made for accommodating varying usage loads by selection of conveyor speed and heating levels.