Abstract: A cooking appliance has several sensors to detect which attachment has been placed in a cooking compartment. When a door to the compartment is closed and a start switch is operated within ten seconds, the appliance automatically starts cooking in a mode determined by the attachment detected by the sensors. After the door has been closed for ten seconds, even though the start switch is operated by accident, the appliance will not start cooking.

Abstract: A cooking oven includes a box-like casing defining a heating chamber wherein food in placed. A rear plate of the casing has a recess projecting outward, a number of suction holes cut in the bottom of the recess, and a number of discharge holes cut in sections located above and below the recess. A cover is fixed to the outer surface of the rear plate to define a storing chamber. In the storing chamber are arranged a fan for drawing air in the heating chamber into the storing chamber and discharging the air into the heating chamber, and a heater for heating the sucked air. The cover has a first air-directing section for directing part of the hot air from the fan in a direction parallel to the top plate of the casing, and a second air-directing section for directing part of the hot air in a direction different from the direction of the hot air directed by the first air-directing section.

Abstract: A microwave oven is provided with a machine chamber underside of a heating chamber, and a magnetron and a high-voltage transformer provided in the machine chamber are cooled by a pair of cooling fans also disposed in the machine chamber. One of the cooling fans driven directly by a fan motor cools the transformer and the other cooling fan cools the magnetron driven by the fan motor through transmission means, such as a belt. A frame-shaped member is provided in the machine chamber for defining the height of the chamber and for rigidifying the structure thereof, so that the outer diameters of the cooling fans can be effectively selected so as to reduce noise and vibration caused in the machine chamber.

Abstract: A microwave oven is equipped with a menu display device. In this device, a plurality of menu cards are turnably attached at their one end to the outer peripheral surface of a menu card bobbin which is rotatably supported on a shaft. A gear is mounted on the shaft of the menu card bobbin and connected to a motor, permitting the bobbin to be rotated. A curved transparent cover is fixed to a front panel of the microwave oven such that it faces the bobbin. Between the concave surface of the transparent cover and the menu card bobbin a path is defined where the menu cards are turnably moved. The convex surface of the transparent cover projects from the front panel to permit an adequate amount of external light to be received. To the rear side of the front panel a partition plate is fixed against the end of which the other end of the menu card abuts, and holds the abutting menu card erect.