Food cooking apparatus and heat storage member

Abstract

A cooking apparatus includes a cooking chamber having one or more cooking zones. One or more of a heating element, an air mover, and a steam generator may be associated with one or more of the cooking zones.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A cooking apparatus comprising:
 a. a cooking chamber having an openable door; and,   b. at least a first and a second cooking container removably receivable in the cooking chamber, each of the cooking containers defining a cooking volume wherein, when each of the cooking containers is positioned in the cooking chamber, cooking conditions in each cooking volume are individually controllable.   
     
     
         2 . The cooking apparatus of  claim 1  wherein, when installed in the cooking chamber, the cooking containers subdivide the cooking chamber into different cooking zones that are in fluid flow communication with each other. 
     
     
         3 . The cooking apparatus of  claim 2  wherein, when the cooking containers are removed from the cooking chamber, the cooking chamber defines a single contiguous volume. 
     
     
         4 . The cooking apparatus of  claim 1  wherein each cooking container is individually removably from the cooking chamber. 
     
     
         5 . The cooking apparatus of  claim 2  wherein each cooking zone has its own heating element. 
     
     
         6 . The cooking apparatus of  claim 5  wherein each cooking zone has at least one infrared heating element positioned above or below the cooking zone. 
     
     
         7 . The cooking apparatus of  claim 2  wherein each cooking zone has at least one infrared heating element positioned above the cooking zone and a common heating element is positioned below at least two cooking zones. 
     
     
         8 . The cooking apparatus of  claim 7  wherein an IR absorber is provided between the cooking zones and the common heating element. 
     
     
         9 . The cooking apparatus of  claim 8  wherein the IR absorber has portions that have differing rates of IR absorption. 
     
     
         10 . The cooking apparatus of  claim 8  wherein the IR absorber has an upper surface on which food is positionable for cooking. 
     
     
         11 . The cooking apparatus of  claim 1  wherein at least one of the cooking volumes is provided with steam. 
     
     
         12 . The cooking apparatus of  claim 2  wherein at least one of the cooking zones is in fluid communication with a source of steam. 
     
     
         13 . The cooking apparatus of  claim 2  wherein at least one of the cooking zones has a steam generator. 
     
     
         14 . The cooking apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the first and second cooking containers have a different cooking volume. 
     
     
         15 . The cooking apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the first and second cooking containers have a different shape. 
     
     
         16 . The cooking apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a controller wherein the controller is operable to control the cooking conditions in the cooking volume of the first cooking container and the controller is also operable to separately control the cooking conditions in the cooking volume of the second cooking container. 
     
     
         17 . The cooking apparatus of  claim 16  wherein the controller is programmable to individually control the cooking conditions in each of the first and second cooking containers. 
     
     
         18 . The cooking apparatus of  claim 16  wherein the controller is operable such that cooking of different food in different cooking containers is completed at a common time. 
     
     
         19 . The cooking apparatus of  claim 16  wherein the controller is operable such that cooking of different food in different cooking containers is completed is a particular sequence.