Electric rotisserie

Abstract

A cooking apparatus is provided in which a cooking cavity is defined by a front wall, a back wall, two opposing sidewalls, a ceiling, and a floor, a substrate for supporting a food item, substantially enclosed by the cavity, a plurality of heating elements located proximal to the ceiling of the cavity, a dividing member in which a first portion is disposed from the back wall of the cavity, a second portion is disposed from the ceiling of the cavity, wherein the first portion and second portion define a plenum that extends from an area proximal to the bottom of the back wall to an area proximal to the top of the front wall; and a void is located in the second portion intermediate of the plurality of heating elements and the substrate; and at least one air handling unit located on the top portion of the cavity.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field of the invention[0002]This invention is directed to an electric powered heating apparatus, and specifically, this invention relates to an electric cooking apparatus wherein a single heat source provides both radiative and convective heating.[0003]2. Background of the Invention[0004]Rotisserie ovens provide an efficient way to identically cook several food items at the same time. Such food items include red meat, fish, fowl, vegetables and combinations thereof. Chicken remains one of the most popular rotisserie-cooked foods. Rotisserie cooking begets the succulent meat, crisp skin, and caramelized appearance sought by chicken aficionados everywhere. Consistently and economically producing these visual, textural, and flavorful characteristics is an art form. It requires careful cooking and a balance between convection and thermal radiation.[0005]Convection is a form of heating in which heat is transferred as the result of the movement of parti...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides a cooking apparatus that uses a single heating source for both radiative and convective heating. It has an air plenum that allows hot air to circulate throughout the oven. The plenum also has an adjustable aperture or window that exposes the heating elements, which helps to control the cooking temperature. The improved system of air circulation ensures a more homogeneous cooking temperature. The invention also reduces the failure rate of heating elements, improves cooking consistence, and produces well-balanced food items with ideal physical properties.

Problems solved by technology

However, it can be blocked or absorbed by objects between the source of the radiation and the food item.

If the surface dries too quickly, not only does the final product lose its succulence, but thermal conduction within the food item is slowed.

Consistently providing balanced heating environs remains elusive in the food arts.

Grease on the heating elements causes hot spots to form there.

This uneven heating causes thermal stresses, which result in the eventual failure of the element.

This option, however, limits the effectiveness of the heating element to providing convective heat, not infrared radiation.

Even if these separate radiation heating elements are shielded from spatter, their failure rate is still quite high when compared to the radiative heat source, and so, they have to be replaced often.

Besides failure from grease splatter, these elements also are easily mishandled, and failure can result from oil deposits from a user's skin left during installation, breaking during installation or cleaning, or burnout.

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