Cooking apparatus with thermal energy storage system

A cooking apparatus with a thermal energy storage system comprising:

• a heat storage unit having a thermally insulated housing containing a heating core of thermal storage material and an electric heating element for heating the heating core to a desired temperature,
• heat extraction apparatus for extracting thermal energy from the heating core,
• the heat extraction apparatus comprising an air heat exchanger mounted within the heating core to heat air in the air heat exchanger,
• an air circulation pipe connected between the air heat exchanger and an oven compartment to be heated,
• an air circulation fan mounted at an outlet of the oven compartment for circulating air through the air circulation pipe between the air heat exchanger and the oven compartment,
• wherein the heat exchanger has a housing with an air passageway extending through the heat exchanger housing between an air inlet and an air outlet of the heat exchanger housing, the heat exchanger comprising an upper heat transfer plate and an associated lower heat transfer plate with the heat exchanger housing formed therebetween by side walls extending between the upper heat transfer plate and the lower heat transfer plate, an internal baffle plate which extends between the upper heat transfer plate and the lower heat transfer plate within the heat exchanger housing forming a U-shaped air passageway within the heat exchanger housing between the air inlet and the air outlet of the heat exchanger housing.