Abstract: The present invention relates to an oven that includes, in an exemplary embodiment, a cooking cavity assembly, a controller, a halogen lamp and fan assembly, and a vent assembly. The halogen lamp and fan assembly, sometimes referred to herein as a convection module, includes one or more halogen lamps and a fan for circulating heat from the lamps into the cooking cavity. The oven can be operated in two modes, namely, thermal emulation and customized cooking. In the thermal emulation mode, the oven is pre-heated to a target temperature by lamps cycling on and off under the control of the controller. Once the target temperature is reached, the user places the food into the cooking cavity and the food is cooked for the same amount of time as in a conventional thermal oven. In the customized cooking mode, food is placed in cooking cavity for the entire cooking cycle, including pre-heat.

Abstract: A thermal compensation system for an oven including at least one visible light cooking element includes a thermistor in thermal communication with an oven cavity, and a microcomputer coupled to the thermistor and operatively connected to the cooking element from control thereof. When the oven cavity temperature exceeds a minimum threshold prior to cooking operation, the microcomputer reduces a power level of the cooking unit to compensate for latent heat in the oven cavity and avoid overcooking the food.