Sensor and control systems for food preparation

A temperature-regulating unit comprising:

• a base configured to support a pan;
• a resonant tank having an inductive heating coil positioned within the base and a capacitor, the inductive heating coil positioned to thermally regulate the pan, the resonant tank having a resonant frequency that is affected by a material of the pan and a temperature of the pan, the resonant tank configured to acquire first sensor data regarding the pan including the resonant frequency;
• a contactless sensing assembly including at least one of one or more infrared sensors or one or more scanning devices, the contactless sensing assembly positioned on top of or elevated above the base to acquire second sensor data regarding at least one of the pan or a food product;
• and
• a controller configured to:
• receive the first sensor data from the resonant tank;
• and
• adaptively control the inductive heating coil based on the first sensor data.

A temperature-regulating unit comprising:

• a base configured to support at least one of a pan or a food product;
• a thermal element positioned to thermally regulate the at least one of the pan or the food product, the thermal element including at least one of a heating element, a cooling element, or a dual functioning heating/cooling element;
• a resonant tank having a sensing coil and a capacitor, wherein the resonant tank has a resonant frequency that is affected by a material of the pan and a temperature of the pan;
• a contactless sensing assembly including at least one of one or more infrared sensors or one or more scanning devices, the contactless sensing assembly positioned on top of or elevated above the base to acquire sensor data regarding the at least one of the pan or the food product;
• and
• a controller configured to:
• receive the sensor data from the contactless sensing assembly;
• and
• adaptively control the thermal element based on the sensor data.