Rotisserie and spit assembly

An enclosed cooking device with enhanced convenience in loading and unloading foods to be cooked, and with improved cleanup ease, and said device comprising:

• a) a cooking enclosure including a plurality of side walls,
• b) said enclosure housing within a heat source and said heat source providing heat to cook foods contained in said enclosure,
• c) an opening in one of said plurality of side walls,
• d) said opening being used to load and unload foods to be cooked inside said enclosure,
• e) said opening being covered from time to time by a door,
• f) said door coupled to said enclosure by means of members in said door which engage tracks linked to said enclosure,
• g) said members engaging said tracks allowing said door to rotate away from said opening,
• h) said members engaging said tracks allowing said door to slide beneath said enclosure,
• i) said members configured to manually disengage from said tracks without use of tools thus allowing said door to be removed free of said enclosure,
• whereby convenience in loading and unloading is enhanced by said door rotating away from said opening, and by said door sliding under said enclosure out of the way of said opening, and cleanup is made easier by said door being detachable from said enclosure for simpler cleaning of both said door and said enclosure.

An improved enclosed cooking device with added convenience in loading and unloading foods to be cooked, and said device comprising:

• a) an enclosure able to rest on a horizontal surface and said enclosure housing food while being cooked in said enclosure,
• b) an opening in the perimeter of said enclosure through which food to be cooked is introduced into and removed from said enclosure,
• c) said opening being covered from time to time by a door and said door having a first axle rod protruding from said door's perimeter and a second axle rod protruding from the perimeter of said door and said second axle rod protruding opposite said first axle rod,
• d) a first track and a second track each coupled to said enclosure and said first axle rod engaging said first track and said second axle rod engaging said second track such that;
• said door may pivot on said first axle rod and said second axle rod to cover said opening, and said door can pivot on said first axle rod and said second axle rod to be disposed below said horizontal surface, and said door may slide on said first axle rod and said second axle rod to be disposed directly under said rotisserie spit and above said horizontal surface,
• whereby food loading and unloading is made more convenient by said door swinging away from said opening to a position below said horizontal surface on which the device is resting or by said door sliding to a position below said rotisserie spit and above said horizontal surface.

A countertop enclosed rotisserie cooking device with safety features to allow use below over-counter cabinets, and said device comprising:

• a) an enclosure and said enclosure housing a rotisserie spit upon which foods to be rotisserie cooked are supported and rotated while being rotisserie cooked,
• b) said enclosure including an opening through which food to be rotisserie cooked is loaded into and removed from said enclosure,
• c) an essentially plainer door covering said opening and said door being inclined while covering said opening,
• d) a first gap and a second gap to allow hot air to escape from said enclosure during rotisserie cooking and said first gap being disposed between the inclined door and the left perimeter side of said opening, and said second gap being disposed between the inclined door and the right perimeter side of said opening,
• whereby the safety of cooking below over-counter cabinets is increased by the rising hot air exiting said enclosure during rotisserie cooking being dispersed and thus cooled by exiting through said first gap and said second gap on the sides of said opening covered by said inclined door.

A countertop enclosed rotisserie cooking device with safety features to allow use below over-counter cabinets, and said device comprising:

• a) an enclosure and said enclosure housing a rotisserie spit upon which foods to be rotisserie cooked are supported and rotated while being rotisserie cooked,
• b) said enclosure having a plurality of side walls and a roof,
• c) an obliquely inclined wall having openings to allow hot air to escape from said enclosure and said obliquely inclined wall coupled to at least one of said plurality of side walls and to said roof,
• whereby the safety of cooking below over-counter cabinets is increased by the rising hot air exiting said enclosure during rotisserie cooking being dispersed and thus cooled by exiting through said openings in said obliquely inclined wall.

An enclosed horizontal rotisserie cooking device with features to make it safer to load, unload and cook foods, and said device including:

• a) an enclosure and said enclosure housing a horizontal rotisserie spit upon which foods to be rotisserie cooked are supported and rotated,
• b) said enclosure having a floor, a ceiling, a back wall, and disposed opposite said back wall, a frontal opening for loading foods into and unloading foods from said enclosure,
• c) a heating element, and said heating element disposed directly adjacent to said back wall essentially midway between said floor and said ceiling,
• whereby loading and unloading of foods is made safer by said heating element being disposed opposite said frontal opening where foods are loaded into and unloaded from said enclosure, and safety is enhanced by said heating element being disposed midway between said floor and said ceiling and thus above said floor where grease and oil might collect and create a fire hazard if the grease and oil were close to said heating element.

An enclosed rotisserie cooking device with enhanced ease of cleaning and said device comprising:

• a) an enclosure including a rear wall,
• b) said enclosure housing a powered horizontal rotisserie spit upon which foods to be cooked are placed and rotated and supported while cooking,
• c) said enclosure also housing a horizontal rod type heating element,
• d) said horizontal rod type heating element disposed adjacent to said rear wall,
• e) a cleaning shield, and said cleaning shield disposed intermediate of said horizontal rod type heating element and said rear wall,
• f) said cleaning shield able to be manually removed from within said enclosure without using tools,
• whereby ease of cleaning is enhanced by said cleaning shield being able to be manually removed free of said enclosure without use of tools thus allowing it to be more easily cleaned outside of said enclosure.

A horizontal spit rotisserie cooking device with enhanced versatility and ease-of-use, and said device comprising:

• a) a first horizontal spit rod,
• b) said first horizontal spit rod supporting food while it is being rotisserie cooked,
• c) a first drive plate coupled to and being essentially orthogonal to said first horizontal spit rod and,
• d) said first drive plate including a circular set of gear teeth,
• e) a powered drive gear, and said powered drive gear engaging said circular set of gear teeth on said drive plate,
• f) said first drive plate and included circular set of gear teeth able to be manually lifted free of engagement with said powered to drive gear without use of tools,
• whereby versatility and ease-of-use of said horizontal spit rotisserie cooking device is increased by said first horizontal spit rod and coupled first drive plate being able to be manually disengaging without using tools from said powered drive gear for food mounting or removal, or cleaning, or other purposes.

A horizontal spit rotisserie cooking device with enhanced versatility and ease-of-use, and said device comprising:

• a) a horizontal spit rod for mounting foods to be rotisserie cooked,
• b) a track which supports said horizontal spit rod in a first position and a second position
• c) while in said first position, said horizontal spit rod not coupled to a rotational power source,
• d) while in said second position, said horizontal spit rod being coupled to a rotational power source,
• whereby versatility and ease-of-use are enhanced by food being prepared for cooking while not being coupled to a rotational power source and being disposed in said first position, and being coupled to a rotational power source during cooking while being disposed in said second position.

A method of easily securing loose parts on foods to be rotisserie cooked, and said method comprising the steps of:

• a) securing the end of a string directly or indirectly to the food to be rotisserie cooked,
• b) rotating the food on a rotisserie spit and wrapping the string around loose parts of said food while said food rotates,
• c) after said loose parts are secured, cutting said string and securing the cut end directly or indirectly to said food,
• whereby securing loose part on foods to be rotisserie cooked is made easy by the foods automatically wrapping the loose parts while they rotate on the rotisserie.

A food warming device with enhanced versatility, and said device comprising:

• a) a cooking enclosure containing a heat source, and said enclosure including a roof,
• b) said roof able to transmit heat from the interior to the exterior of said enclosure,
• c) a food warming vessel including a floor and said floor supported on said roof by protrusions extending into stepped depressions,
• d) said protrusions extending into stepped depressions allowing said floor to directly contact said roof,
• e) said protrusions extending into stepped depressions also allowing said floor to rest above said roof with an intermediate air filled gap,
• whereby versatility is enhanced by food in said food warming vessel being heated faster or slower depending whether said protrusions extending into said depressions allow said floor of said food warming vessel to make direct contact with said roof or disposing said floor above said roof with an intermediate air filled gap.

A simplified lighted cooking enclosure with operation indicator light, and said enclosure comprising:

• a) a cooking enclosure including a periphery wall,
• b) a light mounted in said periphery wall and said light illuminating the interior of said cooking enclosure,
• c) said light also illuminating an indicator lens visible on the exterior of said enclosure,
• d) said light being on when said cooking enclosure is in use and off when said cooking enclosure is not in use,
• whereby simplification of the lighted cooking enclosure is achieved by a single light performing the functions of both illuminating the interior of said cooking enclosure and indicating when said cooking enclosure is operation.

A powered rotisserie with increased versatility, safety, and convenience, and said rotisserie comprising:

• a) a powered rotisserie spit and a heating element and said rotisserie spit rotating food being rotisserie cooked in front of said heating element,
• b) a switching countdown timer,
• c) a switch control having three positions,
• d) when said countdown timer is counting down, one of said three positions of said switch control switching off said heating element while leaving on the rotation of said powered rotisserie spit,
• e) when said countdown timer is counting down, one of said three positions of said switch switching off said rotisserie spit while simultaneously switching on said heating element,
• f) when said countdown timer is counting down, one of said three positions of said switch control switching on both said rotisserie spit and said heating element,
• g) when said countdown timer has completed counting down, it turns off both said rotisserie spit and said heating element,
• whereby versatility and convenience are increased by said powered rotisserie providing:
• rotisserie cooking, as well as providing for the searing foods by holding the foods on a motionless spit in front of the heating element, as well as by providing continued basting of foods while the foods cool after cooling through said spit rotating with said heating element off;
• and safety and convenience are increased by said countdown timer turning off both said rotisserie spit and said heating element at the end of a preset time interval.

A powered horizontal rotisserie with added convenience, and said rotisserie comprising:

• a) a horizontal spit rod and a drive plate,
• b) said spit rod orthogonally coupled to said drive plate,
• c) said drive plate including a circular set of gear teeth and a central engagement member,
• d) a track including a pivot position,
• e) said engagement member intermittently coupled to said track in said pivot position,
• f) a powered drive gear,
• g) said powered drive gear engaging said circular set of gear teeth and rotationally powering said drive plate and coupled horizontal spit when said engagement member is intermittently coupled to said track in said pivot position,
• whereby convenience is enhanced by said spit rod and drive plate being able to be intermittently disengaged from said drive gear and said track.

A shish kabob cooking device with improved evenness of cooking and ease of use, and said device comprising:

• a) a first wheel and a second wheel, and said first wheel rotating about an axis and said second wheel rotating about an axis in line with said axis of said first wheel, and there being space between said first wheel and said second wheel,
• b) a first mounting point on said first wheel and said first mounting point being offset from said axis of said first wheel and a second mounting point opposite said first mounting point and disposed on said second wheel,
• c) a shish kabob rod, and said kabob rod mounting to said first mounting point and to said second mounting point in said space between said first wheel and said second wheel, and said kabob rod having a first cam extending outward from said rod,
• d) a rotational power source,
• e) said first wheel and said second wheel receiving rotational power from said rotational power source and rotating in synchrony with one another and in cooperation conveying said interconnected kabob rod,
• f) a stationary cam, and said stationary cam upon each rotation of said first wheel and said second wheel contacting said first cam extending from said kabob rod thus causing said kabob rod to rotate relative to said first wheel,
• g) said first wheel and said second wheel being manually removable, without use of tools, from said rotational power source,
• whereby cooking evenness is improved by said kabob rod rotating relative to said first wheel upon every revolution of said first and second wheels;
• and ease of use is improved by said first and said second wheel being manually removable from said rotational power source without use of tools.

A shish kabob cooking device with improved evenness of cooking, and said device comprising:

• a) a first wheel and a second wheel, and said first wheel rotating about an axis and said second wheel rotating about an axis in line with said axis of said first wheel, and there being space between said first wheel and said second wheel,
• b) a first mounting point on said first wheel and said first mounting point being offset from said axis of said first wheel and a second mounting point opposite said first mounting point and disposed on said second wheel,
• c) a shish kabob rod, and said kabob rod mounting to said first mounting point and to said second mounting point in said space between said first wheel and said second wheel,
• d) a first cam, and said first cam being circumferential to said kabob rod,
• e) said first mounting point including an engaging camming surface and said first cam engaging said engaging camming surface,
• f) a rotational power source,
• g) said first wheel and said second wheel receiving rotational power from said rotational power source and rotating in synchrony with one another and in cooperation conveying said kabob rod,
• h) upon each rotation of said first wheel and said second wheel, gravity causing the engagement between said engaging camming surface and said first cam to rotate said kabob rod relative to said first wheel,
• whereby cooking evenness is improved by said kabob rod rotating relative to said first wheel upon every revolution of said first wheel.

A countertop enclosed rotisserie with increased efficiency in utilizing valuable countertop space, and having reduced visual size, and said rotisserie comprising:

• a) a cooking enclosure which is essentially rectangular in plan view and is essentially rectangular in front view, and
• b) said enclosure having a first side wall and a second side wall, and
• c) said second side wall being essentially flat, and vertical, and
• d) said first side wall being essentially flat and vertical and parallel to said first side wall,
• e) a heat source and a spit and they being disposed within said enclosure, and
• f) a motor and controls to regulate said motor and they being disposed exterior to said enclosure,
• g) said controls and said motor mounted within a housing and said housing coupled to and protruding from said second side wall,
• h) said housing disposed at least one-third of the way back along said second side wall,
• whereby efficiency in utilizing countertop space is increased by the housing containing said motor and controls being recessed back from the front of the enclosed rotisserie thus freeing up valuable countertop space along the front of the rotisserie, and visual size is reduced by the front of the enclosed rotisserie not being visually widened or increased in height by the housing containing said motor and controls.

A device with increased ease to stir fry cook foods, and said device including:

• a) a heat source,
• b) a horizontal powered axis,
• c) a cooking container mounted to said horizontal powered axis and rotating thereon proximate to said heating source, and said cooking container enclosing and holding traditional stir fried foods while they are being rotated on said horizontal axis and thus being stir fried cooked,
• whereby ease of cooking stir fry foods is increased by said foods not needing typical hand stirring, but instead receiving stirring by being agitated within said cooking container as it rotates on said horizontal powered axis.

A rotisserie producing cooked foods with superior flavor and texture, and said rotisserie comprising:

• a) a powered horizontal rotisserie spit,
• b) a linear radiant heating element,
• c) an enclosure housing said heating element and said rotisserie spit,
• d) said heating element capable of producing cooking temperatures within said enclosure of at least 250 degrees F,
• e) said heating element being disposed essentially parallel to and horizontal with said heating element, and
• f) said powered spit rotating food being cooked at least 2.5 rotations per minute,
• whereby the combination of enclosed cooking temperatures above 250 degrees F, radiant heat emanating from a linear heating element which is essentially horizontally even with and parallel to the rotating spit holding the food being cooked, and fast rotation times of at least 2.5 rotations per minute has been found to produce rotisserie cooked foods with exceptional flavor and texture.

A cooking vessel with enhanced safety, and said vessel comprising:

• an open top lower vessel in which foods with liquid are heated,
• a) a lid covering the open top of said open top lower vessel,
• b) said lid including partial wall structures extending downward from the inner face of said lid,
• c) said partial wall structures being inward of and essentially parallel to the perimeter of said lid,
• whereby safety is enhanced by when said lid is lifted off said lower vessel after heating foods with liquid, the hot water droplets which have condensed on said the inner face of said lid dripping off the inner face of said lid at the location of said partial wall structures extending downward, before the droplets reach the outer perimeter of said lid where they might drip onto the user of said vessel and lid.

A countertop horizontal rotisserie with particular efficiency in cooking food for a family while minimizing used countertop space, and said rotisserie comprising:

• a) an enclosure including a horizontal floor, a horizontal roof, a vertical back wall, two vertical side walls each essentially at right angles to said back wall, and an inclined front wall which is hinged and swings down to allow food to be loaded into and removed from said enclosure,
• b) said front wall being inclined inward toward the enclosure at an angle between five and twenty-five degrees,
• c) said enclosure housing a power driven rotisserie spit which rotates about a horizontal axis,
• d) said enclosure housing a drip pan,
• e) said enclosure housing a heat source,
• f) said enclosure having an interior height from the top of said drip pan to the underside of said roof of between ten and twelve inches,
• g) said enclosure having an interior depth measured at the height of said horizontal axis of between ten and twelve inches,
• h) said enclosure having an interior width of between eleven and thirteen inches,
• whereby efficiency is improved by said enclosure being able to cook common foods, such as a large turkey, for a family, while being particularly stable on a countertop, and minimizing countertop space consumed.

A countertop horizontal rotisserie with particular efficiency in cooking food for a family while minimizing used countertop space, and said rotisserie comprising:

• a) an enclosure including a horizontal floor, a horizontal roof, a vertical back wall, two vertical side walls each essentially at right angles to said back wall, and an inclined front wall which is hinged and swings down to allow food to be loaded into and removed from said enclosure,
• b) said front wall being inclined inward toward the enclosure at an angle between five and twenty-five degrees,
• c) said enclosure housing a power driven rotisserie spit which rotates about a horizontal axis,
• d) said enclosure housing a drip pan,
• e) said enclosure housing a heat source,
• f) said enclosure having an interior height from the top of said drip pan to the underside of said roof of between seven-and-a-half inches and nine inches,
• g) said enclosure having an interior depth measured at the height of said horizontal axis of between seven-and-a-half inches and nine inches,
• h) said enclosure having an interior width of between nine-and-one-half inches and eleven inches,
• whereby efficiency is improved by said enclosure being able to cook common foods, such as a single large chicken or two smaller chickens, for a family, while being particularly stable on a countertop, and minimizing countertop space consumed.