Abstract: A carbon heater comprising heater members (11, 111, 121 . . . 161, 212, 222, 315, 325 . . . 345, 411, 515, 612) in which a plurality of carbon fiber bundles having a plurality of carbon fibers whose diameter is 5 to 15 .mu.m bundled are woven into a longitudinally elongated shape such as a wire shape or a tape shape and the impurity content is less than 10 ppm in ashes.

Abstract: A compressible and thermally conductive heat transfer membrane is placed between heating blocks and the bottom of a reservoir in a steam oven. This heat transfer membrane assists in distributing the heat from the heating block to the reservoir while serving as a compliant interface for maximizing contact uniformity and heat distribution between the heating block and the reservoir. Optionally, spaces within and around the heat transfer membrane may be filled with a thermally conductive grease material to facilitate thermal contact and heat transfer. The inclusion of the heat transfer membrane in steam ovens provides an economical, thermally efficient way to compensate for surface irregularities and mis-matches between heating blocks and reservoir surfaces.