Food cooking apparatus and heat storage member

A portable air fryer comprising, when positioned on a horizontal surface, a top, a bottom, a front, a rear and, when viewed from the front, a left side and an opposed right side, the front having an openable door that is moveable between a closed position and an open position and the portable air fryer having a unitary cooking zone,

• wherein, when the openable door is in the open position, a first cooking container is slidably insertable through the front of the portable air fryer into the portable air fryer and a second cooking container is slidably insertable through the front of the portable air fryer into the portable air fryer, each of the first and second cooking containers is individually slideably insertable into the portable air fryer,
• wherein each cooking container has a lower wall, sidewalls extending upwardly from the lower wall and an open top and, when each of the cooking containers is positioned in the portable air fryer, a first cooking volume is provided in the first cooking container and a second cooking volume is provided in the second cooking container whereby, when each of the first and second cooking containers is inserted into the unitary cooking zone, the first and second cooking containers subdivide the unitary cooking zone into the first and second cooking volumes,
• wherein the first cooking volume has a first heating element positioned at an upper end thereof and a first fan is positioned above the first heating element, the first heating element is physically spaced from the first cooking container the second cooking volume has a second heating element positioned at an upper end thereof and a second fan is positioned above the second heating element, the second heating element is physically spaced from the second cooking container,
• wherein, when each of the cooking containers is positioned in the portable air fryer and when viewed from the front, the first cooking container is positioned on the right side of the portable air fryer, the second cooking container is positioned on the left side of the portable air fryer and a left side of the first cooking container is spaced from a right side of the second cooking container,
• a descending wall descends from an upper wall of the portable air fryer and terminates above a lower wall of the first and second cooking volumes, the descending wall includes a rail mount wherein, when the portable air fryer is positioned on a horizontal surface, the rail mount is at an elevation below the first heating element, and
• wherein the first and second heating elements are individually controllable whereby, when each of the cooking containers is positioned in the unitary cooking zone, cooking conditions in each of the first and second cooking volumes are individually controllable and, when each of the cooking containers is absent from the unitary cooking zone and the openable door is in the closed position, the unitary cooking zone is an enlarged cooking zone.

A portable air fryer comprising, when positioned on a horizontal surface, a top, a bottom, a front, a rear and, when viewed from the front, a left side and an opposed right side, the front having an openable door that is moveable between a closed position and an open position and the portable air fryer having a unitary cooking zone,

• wherein, when the openable door is in the open position, a first cooking container is slidably insertable through the front of the portable air fryer into the portable air fryer and a second cooking container is slidably insertable through the front of the portable air fryer into the portable air fryer, each of the first and second cooking containers is individually slideably insertable into the portable air fryer,
• wherein each cooking container has a lower wall, sidewalls extending upwardly from the lower wall and an open top and, when each of the cooking containers is positioned in the portable air fryer, a first cooking volume is provided in the first cooking container and a second cooking volume is provided in the second cooking container whereby, when each of the first and second cooking containers is inserted into the unitary cooking zone, the first and second cooking containers subdivide the unitary cooking zone into the first and second cooking volumes,
• wherein the first cooking volume has a first heating element positioned at an upper end thereof and a first fan is positioned above the first heating element, the first heating element is physically spaced from the first cooking container, the second cooking volume has a second heating element positioned at an upper end thereof and a second fan is positioned above the second heating element, the second heating element is physically spaced from the second cooking container,
• wherein, when each of the cooking containers is positioned in the portable air fryer and when viewed from the front, the first cooking container is positioned on the right side of the portable air fryer, the second cooking container is positioned on the left side of the portable air fryer and a left side of the first cooking container is spaced from a right side of the second cooking container,
• a descending wall descends from an upper wall of the portable air fryer and terminates above a lower wall of the first and second cooking volumes, the descending wall includes a rail mount wherein, when each of the cooking containers is positioned in the portable air fryer, the rail mount is located between the left side of the first cooking container and the right side of the second cooking container, and
• wherein the first and second heating elements are individually controllable whereby, when each of the cooking containers is positioned in the unitary cooking zone, cooking conditions in each of the first and second cooking volumes are individually controllable and, when each of the cooking containers is absent from the unitary cooking zone and the openable door is in the closed position, the unitary cooking zone is an enlarged cooking zone.