Heater cloaking grill grate system for downdraft cooking appliance

A cooking appliance comprising:

• a cooktop having an upper surface;
• a downdraft system including a grill arranged on the upper surface of the cooktop, said grill including a plurality of intake openings into which are adapted to be drawn cooking by-products by an airflow created during operation of the downdraft system;
• and
• a grilling unit mounted in the cooktop, said grilling unit including at least one electric heating element having a plurality of leg portions extending throughout a heating zone, at least one support element for suspending the at least one electric heating element directly adjacent to and spaced by a small air gap from said grill, and a grilling grate positioned over said at least one heating element, said grilling grate including an outer peripheral portion and an inner portion including a plurality of support members separated by a series of openings and joined by the outer peripheral portion with the openings leading to the at least one electric heating element, each of said support members including a plurality of downwardly projecting channel defining elements, said channel defining elements extending along the leg portions of the at least one electric heating element wherein, during operation of the cooking appliance, the channel defining elements cloak the leg portions of the at least one electric heating element from the airflow created during operation of the downdraft system to minimize convective heat losses.