Method for controlling the duration of heating and/or cooking in an oven and oven for implementing the method

Process for controlling the duration of reheating and/or cooking of an undetermined quantity Z of a food product (5) of given type disposed in the chamber (1) of an oven comprising a heating source (2) and a detector (4) for a signal T.sub.car (t) characteristic of the state of reheating and/or cooking of the food product, characterized in that it consists in:

• (A) supplying said heating source (2) at an initial instant t.sub.0 such that it delivers a constant predetermined power P.sub.0 ;
• (B) measuring said characteristic signal T.sub.car (t) at a plurality of successive instants t over a measurement interval extending from said initial instant t.sub.0 to a final predetermined instant t.sub.c, and
• (C) computing over this measuring interval the value S.sub.Zc of the integral of the measurements of the characteristic signal taken as an absolute value;
• (D) determining the residual time t.sub.r for reheating and/or cooking for said indeterminate quantity Z of foodstuff according to a predetermined and memorized polynomial equation relating said residual time t.sub.r to the value S.sub.Zc of the integral calculated as a function of said type of food product;
• and
• (E) stopping the supply of the heating source when the residual time t.sub.r has passed.