Food warming apparatus and method

A method of controlling the operation of a food holding oven, said oven comprising a cabinet, a plurality of separate, thermally isolated holding compartments in the cabinet, a plurality of trays for containing pre-cooked food having been previously cooked in a cooking appliance, each compartment being sized for removably receiving only one tray per compartment, and heat sources above respective trays adapted for activation to emit radiant heat to the food in the trays to warm the food, said method comprising:

• placing at least one tray of said plurality of trays in the oven such that only one tray is received in a respective compartment;
• setting a selected holding temperature for each compartment;
• setting a duration of holding time for each compartment, said duration of holding time comprising a duration of heated holding time;
• and
• activating each heat source during a respective duration of heated holding time thereby to maintain the food in a respective compartment at said selected holding temperature.

In combination with a plurality of trays for holding warm food, each tray having a bottom wall and side and end walls extending up from the bottom wall to an upper rim defining an open top of the tray, an oven for transferring heat to food in the trays, said oven comprising:

• a cabinet having an interior divided into a plurality of separate holding compartments each being sized for removably recieving only one tray of said plurality of trays;
• a plurality of covers covering the open tops of the trays, each cover having a metallic portion overlying the top of a respective tray;
• a source for heating the metallic portion of each cover whereby the metallic portion is adapted to emit radiant heat to the food in the respective tray to warm the food in the tray;
• and
• one or more openings in at least some of the covers for venting moisture from each tray having such a cover.

In combination with a plurality of trays for holding warm food, each tray having a bottom wall and side and end walls extending up from the bottom wall to an upper rim defining an open top of the tray, at least some of said trays having at least one vent hole opening for venting moisture from the tray, an oven for transferring heat to food in the trays, said oven comprising:

• a cabinet having an interior;
• partitions in the cabinet dividing said interior into a plurality of separate, thermally isolated holding compartments each adapted for removably receiving a tray of said plurality of trays;
• a plurality of heat sources in said compartments above said trays adapted for activation to emit radiant heat to the food in the trays to warm the food;
• and
• a control mechanism for controlling operation of the heat sources independent of one another whereby the temperature in each compartment may be independently controlled.

A method of controlling the operation of an oven, said oven comprising a cabinet, a plurality of separate, thermally isolated holding compartments in the cabinet, each compartment being adapted for removably receiving a tray for containing food, and heat sources above respective trays adapted for activation to emit radiant heat to the food in the trays to warm the food, said method comprising:

• setting a selected holding temperature for each compartment;
• setting a duration of holding time for each compartment, said duration of holding time comprising a duration of heated holding time;
• activating each heat source during a respective duration of heated holding time thereby to maintain the food in a respective compartment at said selected holding temperature;
• placing a tray containing food at a temperature above said selected holding temperature into a respective compartment;
• deactivating the heat source in the compartment while the temperature in the compartment cools down to said selected holding temperature during a duration of non-heated holding time;
• and
• activating and deactivating the heat source in said at least one compartment during successive duty cycles thereby to maintain the food in the compartment at said selected holding temperature for said duration of heated holding time.

A food holding oven for holding pre-cooked food at a selected food holding temperature, said food holding oven comprising:

• a cabinet having a front, a rear, and an interior space;
• a plurality of separate, thermally isolated holding compartments in the interior space of the cabinet for receiving trays for holding the pre-cooked food, each compartment being adapted for receiving one tray per compartment;
• each compartment having an open front end at the front of the cabinet for placement of a respective tray in the compartment and removal of said tray from the compartment;
• the cabinet having a first row of compartments and a second row of compartments, the first row being arranged above the second row;
• a plurality of heat sources in said compartments above said trays adapted for activation to emit radiant heat to the food in the trays to warm the food;
• and
• a control mechanism for controlling operation of the heat sources independent of one another whereby the food holding temperature in each compartment may be independently controlled.

A food holding oven for holding pre-cooked food at a selected food holding temperature, said food holding oven comprising:

• a cabinet having a front, a rear, and an interior space;
• a plurality of separate, thermally isolated holding compartments in the interior space of the cabinet for receiving trays for holding the pre-cooked food;
• a plurality of heat sources in said compartments above said trays adapted for activation to emit radiant heat to the food in the trays to warm the food;
• and
• a control mechanism for controlling operation of the heat sources independent of one another whereby the food holding temperature in each compartment may be independently controlled, the control mechanism being operable to activate and deactivate at least one of said heat sources during time-based duty cycles thereby to maintain the food in a respective compartment at a selected holding temperature for a duration of heated holding time, each duty cycle comprising a predetermined heating interval during which the heat source is activated followed by a predetermined non-heating interval during which the heat source is not activated, said control mechanism comprising a control for setting said heating interval and said non-heating interval for each duty cycle.

In combination with a plurality of trays for holding pre-cooked food having been previously cooked in a cooking appliance, each tray having a bottom wall and side and end walls extending up from the bottom wall to an upper rim defining an open top of the tray, a food holding oven for holding pre-cooked food at a selected food holding temperature, said food holding oven comprising:

• a cabinet having an interior;
• partitions in the cabinet dividing said interior into a plurality of separate holding compartments each sized for removably receiving only one tray of said plurality of trays;
• a plurality of heat sources in said compartments above said trays adapted for activation to emit radiant heat to the food in the trays to warm the food;
• and
• a control mechanism for controlling operation of the heat sources independent of one another whereby the food holding temperature in each compartment may be independently controlled.

A method of controlling the operation of a food holding oven, said oven comprising a cabinet, a plurality of separate holding compartments in the cabinet, a plurality of trays for containing pre-cooked food having been previously cooked in a cooking appliance, each compartment being sized for removably receiving only one tray per compartment, and heat sources above respective trays adapted for activation to emit radiant heat to the food in the trays to warm the food, said method comprising:

• placing at least one tray of said plurality of trays in the oven such that only one tray is received in a respective compartment;
• setting a selected holding temperature for each compartment;
• setting a duration of holding time for each compartment, said duration of holding time comprising a duration of heated holding time;
• and
• activating each heat source during a respective duration of heated holding time thereby to maintain the food in a respective compartment at said selected holding temperature.

A method of controlling the operation of an oven, said oven comprising a cabinet, a plurality of separate holding compartments in the cabinet, each compartment being adapted for removably receiving a tray for containing food, and heat sources above respective trays adapted for activation to emit radiant heat to the food in the trays to warm the food, said method comprising:

• setting a selected holding temperature for each compartment;
• setting a duration of holding time for each compartment, said duration of holding time comprising a duration of heated holding time;
• activating each heat source during a respective duration of heated holding time thereby to maintain the food in a respective compartment at said selected holding temperature;
• placing a tray containing food at a temperature above said selected holding temperature into a respective compartment;
• deactivating the heat source in the compartment while the temperature in the compartment cools down to said selected holding temperature during a duration of non-heated holding time;
• and
• activating and deactivating the heat source in said at least one compartment during successive time-based duty cycles thereby to maintain the food in the compartment at said selected holding temperature for said duration of heated holding time.

A food holding oven for holding pre-cooked food at a selected food holding temperature, said food holding oven comprising:

• a cabinet having a front, a rear, and an interior space;
• a plurality of separate holding compartments in the interior space of the cabinet for receiving trays for holding the pre-cooked food, each compartment being adapted for receiving one tray per compartment;
• each compartment having an open front end at the front of the cabinet for placement of a respective tray in the compartment and removal of said tray from the compartment;
• the cabinet having a first row of compartments and a second row of compartments, the first row being arranged above the second row;
• a plurality of heat sources in said compartments above said trays adapted for activation to emit radiant heat to the food in the trays to warm the food;
• and
• a control mechanism for controlling operation of the heat sources independent of one another whereby the food holding temperature in each compartment may be independently controlled.

A food holding oven for holding pre-cooked food at a selected food holding temperature, said food holding oven comprising:

• a cabinet having a front, a rear, and an interior space;
• a plurality of separate holding compartments in the interior space of the cabinet for receiving trays for holding the pre-cooked food;
• a plurality of heat sources in said compartments above said trays adapted for activation to emit radiant heat to the food in the trays to warm the food;
• and
• a control mechanism for controlling operation of the heat sources independent of one another whereby the food holding temperature in each compartment may be independently controlled, the control mechanism being operable to activate and deactivate at least one of said heat sources during time-based duty cycles thereby to maintain the food in a respective compartment at a selected holding temperature for a duration of heated holding time, each duty cycle comprising a predetermined heating interval during which the heat source is activated followed by a predetermined non-heating interval during which the heat source is not activated, said control mechanism comprising a control for setting said heating interval and said non-heating interval for each duty cycle.