Abstract: An oven for heating food is disclosed. The oven has at least one heating compartment with a left side wall, a right side wall, a back wall, a top wall, a bottom wall, and an open front, without a door, in open communication with a surrounding environment outside the oven. Gas flow openings are provided in the left and right side walls. The oven includes a blower for blowing gas through the gas flow openings into the heating compartment, and a heater for heating gas blowing into the heating compartment through the openings. In certain embodiments, the gas flow openings are configured such that substantially all of the gas blowing into the heating compartment is directed generally away from the open front of the compartment.

Abstract: A countertop merchandiser unit facilitates impulse purchasing of heated and chilled items by providing for placement and display of the items in close proximity with a cash register. The countertop unit has an enclosed transparent refrigerated compartment located above a countertop, an enclosed transparent heated compartment located above the refrigerated compartment and a refrigeration unit located above the heated compartment. Access doors at the rear of the countertop unit allow a vendor or cashier to access items stored therein. Access doors at the front of the countertop unit allow a customer to access items stored therein, the front access doors may be selectively fastened closed to deter shoplifting of items stored therein.

Abstract: A countertop merchandiser unit facilitates impulse purchasing of heated and chilled items by providing for placement and display of the items in close proximity with a cash register. The countertop unit has an enclosed transparent refrigerated compartment located above a countertop, an enclosed transparent heated compartment located above the refrigerated compartment and a refrigeration unit located above the heated compartment. Access doors at the rear of the countertop unit allow a vendor or cashier to access items stored therein. Access doors at the front of the countertop unit allow a customer to access items stored therein, the front access doors may be selectively fastened closed to deter shoplifting of items stored therein.

Abstract: Cooking apparatus is provided which, in use, continuously circulates cooking oil from a cooking pot, where a removable basket for comestibles to be cooked is disposed, through a heating unit and then back to the cooking pot. The heat input of the heating unit is turned on and off by a controller which responds to the temperature that is sensed for the cooking oil to maintain the cooking oil at a predetermined temperature selectable from within a variable range of comestible cooking temperatures. The controller also has a fixed setting which overrides the selectable variable range setting of the controller and which is operable to maintain the cooking oil at a low non-cooking temperature for extended non-use periods of the cooking apparatus.