Multi-functional oven with air fryer capability

A multi-functional oven, comprising:

• a housing having a floor, a rear wall, a ceiling, and first and second side walls;
• a door that serves as a front wall of the housing;
• an internal side wall that divides the housing into a cooking cavity and a control cavity;
• a removable cooking rack that defines a cooking surface;
• a lower heating element positioned in a lower region of the cooking cavity beneath the cooking surface;
• an upper heating element positioned in an upper region of the cooking cavity above the cooking surface;
• a fan residing in a recirculation duct, the recirculation duct further comprising a shroud that surrounds the fan, the recirculation duct and the shroud located in the control cavity, the fan configured to draw air from the cooking cavity through one or more lower vents located in a lower area of the internal side wall, thereby creating an airstream below the cooking surface that flows into the lower vents, and to force air from the control cavity through upper vents into the cooking cavity;
• and
• a recirculation duct vent located in the recirculation duct, the vent including a flapper plate connected to the recirculation duct via a hinge, the flapper plate including a closed position wherein the flapper plate obstructs the recirculation duct vent below a predetermined pressure level and an open position wherein the recirculation duct vent is uncovered above a predetermined pressure magnitude, wherein the flapper plate actuates to the open position from the closed position when the fan operates and maintains the closed position when the fan does not operate.