Holding or cooking oven

The combination comprising:

• a heat sink formed from a good conductor of heat and having a bottom wall and side walls that extend upwardly from the bottom wall and together with the bottom wall define a cavity having ends, at least one of which opens out of the heat sink;
• a heating element on the heat sink for elevating the temperature of the heat sink;
• and a food container located in the cavity of the heat sink, the food container having a bottom wall that is located along the bottom wall of the heat sink, side walls that extend upwardly from the container bottom wall and are located along the side walls of the heat sink, and end walls that extend upwardly from the container bottom wall and connect the container side walls, whereby heat from the heat sink is transferred to the food container.

In combination with a tray having a bottom wall and an upwardly opening interior that is enclosed at least by side walls and, where it opens upwardly, is surrounded by a rim that is located on the side walls, an oven for keeping contents of the tray warm, said oven comprising:

• a cabinet;
• a heat sink located within the cabinet, the heat sink being formed from a good conductor of heat and having a channel-shaped configuration which provides a cavity in which the tray is received, with the spacing between the tray and the sides of the heat sink not exceeding 0.5 inches when the tray is centered in the cavity, the cavity of the channel-shaped heat sink having at least one open end that opens out of the cabinet;
• and a heating element on the heat sink for elevating the temperature of the heat sink and thereby transferring heat to the tray that is in the heat sink.

A cover for a food-containing tray that fits within a heat sink having shoulders for supporting the cover generally above the tray, said cover comprising:

• a pair of vertical legs, each provided with parallel first and second horizontal edges;
• and a cross wall joined along its sides to the legs closer to the first edges of the legs than to the second edges of the legs and extending between the legs.