Abstract: Cooking appliances, cooking assemblies, and cooking assembly components that improve heat distribution are provided. In one embodiment, a cooking assembly has a sear grid including a radiant panel having an undulating shape. The panel defines at least one generally parabolic dome with a radiused peak to allow liquids at the peak to be rapidly heated by the burner. The dome has sides extending away from the peak with a generally increasing slope to cause liquids flowing down the sides of the dome to accelerate. In another embodiment, a double U-shaped burner is provided. A U-shaped burner has a base for positioning at the front of the cooking assembly and a pair of legs that extend toward the rear of the cooking assembly. A second U-shaped connecting tube is positioned to connect the U-shaped burner base to the front of the cooking assembly housing.

Abstract: Cooking appliances, cooking assemblies, and cooking assembly components that improve heat distribution are provided. In one embodiment, a cooking assembly has a sear grid including a radiant panel having an undulating shape. The panel defines at least one generally parabolic dome with a radiused peak to allow liquids at the peak to be rapidly heated by the burner. The dome has sides extending away from the peak with a generally increasing slope to cause liquids flowing down the sides of the dome to accelerate. In another embodiment, a double U-shaped burner is provided. A U-shaped burner has a base for positioning at the front of the cooking assembly and a pair of legs that extend toward the rear of the cooking assembly. A second U-shaped connecting tube is positioned to connect the U-shaped burner base to the front of the cooking assembly housing.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling a cooking apparatus operates at least one cooking energy source with a control including switches that reduce the input manipulations required by a user and responses to component manipulations in order to operate one or more of the cooking energy sources to complete a cooking operation. The control responds to a first selection of the Sabbath operating mode and responds to a second selection for setting a first cooking source and at least one related feature function. An actuator maintains the performance status of the cooking energy source and the related feature, and disables the selectors during maintained performance.

Abstract: A gas burner for maintaining a correct gas and air mixture for low-flame ignition. The gas burner includes a burner cap having a gas inlet and a plurality of gas outlets each having a predetermined diameter. The plurality of gas outlets are circumferentially spaced about a periphery of the cap and communicate with the gas inlet. The burner cap further includes an ignition enhancing outlet having a predetermined diameter and a longitudinal axis. The ignition enhancing outlet is aimed at the ignitor. Preferably, the longitudinal axis of the ignition enhancing outlet is aligned with the ignitor.

Abstract: A burner control provides a pulsed flame sequence in response to a user's selective manipulation of an actuator through a range of response. A microcontroller-based control module switches both a burner ignitor control and an electric valve for gas supply to the burner in a predetermined time sequence depending upon the actuator position within the predetermined range. Preferably, one or more of a plurality of burners on a single cooking top are controlled for pulsed sequence operation, and a single actuator for each channel, preferably in a form of a rotary knob, provides a simple user interface for utilizing the pulsed flame sequence, preferably in a low gas flow or simmer cooking range.