초록 ▼

An open-air cooking apparatus for cooking pizza and the like, includes a horizontal, rotatable, circular turntable cooking surface, sized to support and cook several items simultaneously. The turntable should preferably structured to provide constant, even heat throughout its surface. As the oven is

An open-air cooking apparatus for cooking pizza and the like, includes a horizontal, rotatable, circular turntable cooking surface, sized to support and cook several items simultaneously. The turntable should preferably structured to provide constant, even heat throughout its surface. As the oven is open-air, the cooking of the items will be primarily conduction of heat from the surface of the turntable through the bottom of the item. As the items rotate, they will pass under a static radiant heat source located above the turntable. The radiant heat source will thus direct heat towards the top of the item only periodically, i.e. at one point per rotation. This allows the item, such as a pizza, to cook thoroughly from below by way of the cooking surface, while cooking and/or browning the top portion at a different, desired degree.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. An open-air cooking apparatus, comprising: a base, a rotatable cooking surface element supported on the base, the cooking surface element being in the form of a hollow disk containing vaporizable fluid, means for rotating the cooking surface element, a heat source for directi

What is claimed is: 1. An open-air cooking apparatus, comprising: a base, a rotatable cooking surface element supported on the base, the cooking surface element being in the form of a hollow disk containing vaporizable fluid, means for rotating the cooking surface element, a heat source for directing heat towards at least a portion of the cooking surface element for heating said cooking surface element, and a radiant heat source located above the cooking surface element for directing radiant heat towards the cooking surface element. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heat source directs heat towards at least a portion of the bottom of the cooking surface element. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a hollow interior of the cooking surface element comprises at least one supporting rib connecting interior top and bottom walls of the cooking surface element. 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the at least one supporting rib is a series of spokes radiating from the center of the cooking surface element. 5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the at least one rib has pass-through openings for allowing the fluid to flow throughout the interior of the cooking surface element. 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein cooking surface element is a conduction heat cooking source, the radiant heat source is a radiation heat cooking source, and wherein the apparatus is free of a dedicated means for providing convection cooking heat. 7. A cooking surface element comprising an upper wall having a flat cooking surface on an upper side thereof, a lower wall, and at least one lateral wall connecting the upper wall and lower wall, the upper, lower and lateral walls forming a hollow enclosed space containing a vaporizable fluid. 8. The element of claim 7, wherein the element is in the form of a disk and the at least one lateral wall is a circumferential wall. 9. The element of claim 7, wherein at least one rib supportingly connects the upper wall and lower wall. 10. The element of claim 9, wherein the at least one rib is constructed to allow free flow of the fluid therethrough or therearound. 11. The element of claim 10, wherein the rib has pass-through openings for allowing free flow of the fluid. 12. The element of claim 7, wherein the element is in the form of a disk and the at least one lateral wall is a circumferential wall, further comprising a plurality of ribs supportingly connecting the upper and lower wall, the ribs radiating outward from the center of the disk.