Apparatus for heating food, such as french fried potatoes

A convection oven having a bottom, top and wall structure defining a chamber, the chamber having a lower section forming a compartment at the bottom of the chamber for a pan for holding an item or items and in particular food items to be heated such as french fried potatoes, the oven wall having an access opening to said compartment from one side of the oven constituting its front for insertion and removal of the pan, the chamber further having an upper section above the lower section constituting an air delivery and return section, the oven wall completely surrounding said upper section, a partition extending generally vertically in said upper section having its upper end spaced from the top of said chamber and its lower end adjacent the top of said compartment, said partition dividing said upper section into a first passage for downward flow of heated air into a pan in said compartment and a second passage for upward return flow of air from said compartment, means at the top of said upper section of the chamber for blowing air down through the first passage, into a pan in said compartment, over and around an item or items in the pan, and thence up and out of the pan and up through said second passage back to said blowing means, means in said upper section for heating the air, said compartment being formed to receive the pan with the pan, at its top, positioned in part directly under the lower end of the first passage for downward flow from the first passage into the pan and in part directly under the lower end of the second passage for flow of air up and out of the pan into the second passage, the upper section of the chamber and the compartment being formed to provide a shoulder facing downwardly toward said compartment all around the lower end of said upper section for engagement by the rim of a pan inserted in said compartment, so that the pan itself forms an intermediate generally closed passage through which the heated air is confined to flow from the first to the second passage, whereby substantially all of the air exiting from the lower end of the first passage flows through the pan over and around the item or items in the pan and thence up through the second passage and back to the blowing means.

A convection oven having a bottom, top and wall structure defining a chamber, the chamber having a lower section forming a compartment at the bottom of the chamber for a pan for holding an item or items and in particular food items to be heated such as french fried potatoes, the oven wall having an access opening to said compartment from one side of the oven constituting its front for insertion and removal of the pan, the chamber further having an upper section above the lower section constituting an air delivery and return section, the oven wall completely surrounding said upper section, a partition extending generally vertically in said upper section having its upper end spaced from the top of said chamber and its lower end adjacent the top of said compartment, said partition dividing said upper section into a first passage for downward flow of heated air into a pan in said compartment and a second passage for upward return flow of air from said compartment, means at the top of said upper section of the chamber for blowing air down through the first passage, into a pan in said compartment, over and around an item or items in the pan, and thence up and out of the pan and up through said second passage back to said blowing means, means in said upper section for heating the air, said compartment being formed to receive the pan with the pan, at its top, positioned in part directly under the lower end of the first passage for downward flow from the first passage into the pan and in part directly under the lower end of the second passage for flow of air up and out of the pan into the second passage, and means for interengagement of the pan generally all around the pan with respect to the lower end of said air delivery and return section and in surrounding relationship with respect to the lower end of both of said passages so that the pan cooperates with said air delivery and return section and itself forms an intermediate generally closed passage through which the heated air is confined to flow from the first to the second passage, whereby substantially all of the air exiting from the lower end of the first passage flows through the pan over and around the item or items in the pan and thence up through the second passage and back to the blowing means, said chamber being circular in horizontal cross section and the partition being constituted by a duct also circular in horizontal cross section smaller than the chamber and positioned generally concentrically in the upper section of the chamber extending generally vertically in said upper section, whereby there is an annular space in the upper section of the chamber around the duct, said annular space constituting the first passage, the duct being open at its upper and lower ends and the passage through the duct constituting the second passage, and wherein the upper section of the chamber and the compartment are formed to provide an annular shoulder facing downwardly toward said compartment surrounding the lower end of said upper section of the chamber for engagement by the rim of a pan inserted in said compartment.

A convection oven having a compartment therein, a pan received in said compartment for holding an item or items to be heated and in particular food to be heated, such as a serving of partially or fully precooked french fried potatoes supplied in a refrigerated or frozen state and requiring heating for being eaten, an access opening to said compartment for insertion of the pan holding the item or items to be heated in the compartment and removal of the pan from the compartment, a ductwork system in the oven above said compartment having an air delivery passage extending downwardly to said compartment for downward flow of heated air into the pan in said compartment and an air return passage extending upwardly from said compartment for upward flow of air from the pan, said passages being open at their lower ends to said compartment, means in the oven for blowing air down through the air delivery passage, into the pan in said compartment, over and around an item or items in the pan, and thence up and out of the pan through said return passage back to said blowing means, means in the oven for heating the air, said compartment and said pan being so formed relative to one another and the pan being so formed relative to the lower end of said ductwork system that the compartment receives the pan, as inserted into the compartment through said access opening, with the pan supported at its bottom in said compartment and with the top of the pan generally at the level of the lower end of said ductwork system, with the pan, at its top, positioned in part directly under the lower end of the air delivery passage for downward flow of air from the air delivery passage into the pan and in part directly under the lower end of the air return passage for flow of air up and out of the pan into the air return passage, and means for interengagement of the pan generally all around the pan with respect to the lower end of the ductwork system and in surrounding relationship with respect to both the lower end of the air delivery passage and the lower end of the air return passage with the pan, at its top, so positioned in part directly under the lower end of the air delivery passage and in part directly under the lower end of the air return passage that the pan itself cooperates with the ductwork system and forms an intermediate generally closed passage through which the heated air is confined to flow from the air delivery passage to the air return passage, whereby substantially all of the air exiting from the lower end of the air delivery passage flows through the pan over and around the item or items in the pan and thence up and out of the pan through the air return passage and back to the blowing means.