Importance

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Abstract

A hybrid oven for cooking by both hot air impingement and microwave cooking includes a housing defining a cooking chamber adapted to receive a food product for cooking, a hot air plenum configured and dimensioned to hold a large volume of air relative to the cooking chamber, and a conduit for selectively providing gaseous communication therebetween. Associated with the plenum are a thermal reservoir of high specific heat and high heat capacity relative to the air disposed in the plenum and an actuatable heater for maintaining the thermal reservoir at a high temperature. Also provided are an actuatable magnetron for microwave cooking of the product in the cooking chamber and an actuatable blower for causing impingement of air from the plenum onto the product in the cooking chambers. Controls are provided for actuating the heater to preheat the thermal reservoir and the ambient air in the plenum prior to actuation of the blower, for actuating the magnetron, and for actuating the blower at a predetermined time relative to actuation of the magnetron, whereby actuation of the blower causes the impingement of preheated air from the plenum through the conduit and onto the product in the cooking chamber.

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First Claim