Sandwich Making Appliance and Method of Making a Sandwich with the Same

Abstract

A small cooking appliance comprises a bottom housing, a top housing, and a cooking assembly. The bottom housing has a top surface that forms a bottom cooking surface of the appliance. The top housing has a bottom surface that forms a top cooking surface of the appliance. The top housing is hingedly attached to the bottom housing and moveable between a closed position and an open position. The cooking assembly is positionable between the top and bottom cooking surfaces when the top housing is in its closed position.

That which is claimed: 
     
         1 . An appliance for cooking a food item, the appliance comprising:
 a bottom housing having a top surface, the top surface forming a bottom cooking surface of the appliance, the bottom housing having a resistive heating element therein;   a top housing having a bottom surface, the bottom surface forming a top cooking surface of the appliance, the top housing being hingedly attached to the bottom housing, the top housing moveable between a closed position and an open position, the top housing having a resistive heating element therein;   a power cord connected at a first end to the bottom housing and at a second end to the top housing, the power cord routing power between the bottom housing and the top housing; and   a cooking assembly selectively positioned between the top and bottom cooking surfaces when the top housing is in its closed position, the cooking assembly comprising a top cooking assembly portion, a bottom cooking assembly portion, and a cooking plate therebetween, the top cooking assembly portion being stackable on the bottom cooking assembly portion and the cooking assembly conductively heated via at least one of the top cooking surface and the bottom cooking surface;   wherein a top cooking cavity is formed within the top cooking assembly portion when the cooking assembly is selectively positioned between the top and bottom cooking surfaces and when the top housing is in its closed position; and wherein a bottom cooking cavity is formed within the bottom cooking assembly portion when the cooking assembly is selectively positioned between the top and bottom cooking surfaces.   
     
     
         2 . The appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the bottom cooking assembly portion comprises guides to help maintain the top cooking assembly portion and the bottom cooking assembly portion in a stacked configuration. 
     
     
         3 . The appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the cooking assembly sits upon the bottom cooking surface when the appliance is in use but is otherwise unattached to the appliance. 
     
     
         4 . An appliance for cooking a food item, the appliance comprising:
 a bottom housing having a top surface, the top surface forming a bottom cooking surface of the appliance, the bottom housing having a resistive heating element therein;   a top housing having a bottom surface, the bottom surface forming a top cooking surface of the appliance, the top housing being movably hingedly attached to the bottom housing, the top housing moveable between a closed position and an open position, the top housing having a resistive heating element therein;   a power cord connected at a first end to the bottom housing and at a second end to the top housing, the power cord routing power between the bottom housing and the top housing;   a cooking assembly selectively positioned between the top and bottom cooking surfaces when the top housing is in its closed position, the cooking assembly comprising a cooking plate dividing a space within the cooking assembly into top and bottom cooking cavities; and   the cooking assembly conductively heated via at least one of the bottom cooking surface and the top cooking surface.   
     
     
         5 . The appliance of  claim 4 , wherein the cooking assembly further comprises a top cooking assembly portion and a bottom cooking assembly portion;
 wherein the cooking plate is selectively positioned between the top and bottom cooking assembly portions;   wherein the top cooking cavity is formed within the top cooking assembly portion; and   wherein the bottom cooking cavity is formed within the bottom cooking assembly portion.   
     
     
         6 . The appliance of  claim 4 , wherein the top cooking assembly portion is stackable on the bottom cooking assembly portion. 
     
     
         7 . The appliance of  claim 4 , wherein the top cooking assembly portion or the bottom cooking assembly portion comprise guides to help maintain the top cooking assembly portion and the bottom cooking assembly portion in a stacked configuration. 
     
     
         8 . The appliance of  claim 4 , wherein the cooking assembly sits upon the bottom cooking surface when the appliance is in use but is otherwise unattached to the appliance.