A cooking appliance including: a body providing a floor , a ceiling , and an intermediate wall located between the floor and the ceiling , the floor , the ceiling , and the intermediate wall at least partly surrounding a cooking cavity , the body having an opening via which a product to be cooked can be moved relative to the cooking cavity , and the ceiling having an axis extending perpendicularly between the floor and the ceiling , the axis being a central axis of the ceiling to centrally locate the product, a deck depending from the floor for receiving the product to be cooked; at least one upper heating element located in an upper portion of the cooking cavity to deliver radiant energy to cook the product; and at least one annular shield positioned relative to the heating element to shield a portion of the product from the radiant energy, characterized in that the at least one upper heating element includes a pair of inner and outer upper heating elements extending circumferentially around the ceiling relative to the axis , wherein the at least one annular shield includes a primary shield and a secondary shield respectively arranged relative to the inner and outer upper heating elements , with the primary shield being surrounded by the outer upper heating element , and with the secondary shield being surrounded by the inner upper heating element , and wherein the cooking appliance further includes a controller operatively associated with each of the inner and outer upper heating elements , wherein each of the inner and outer upper heating elements are independently controllable by the controller to provide for selective delivery of electric power thereto thereby to provide a heating profile across the product. a body providing a floor , a ceiling , and an intermediate wall located between the floor and the ceiling , the floor , the ceiling , and the intermediate wall at least partly surrounding a cooking cavity , the body having an opening via which a product to be cooked can be moved relative to the cooking cavity , and the ceiling having an axis extending perpendicularly between the floor and the ceiling , the axis being a central axis of the ceiling to centrally locate the product, a deck depending from the floor for receiving the product to be cooked; at least one upper heating element located in an upper portion of the cooking cavity to deliver radiant energy to cook the product; and at least one annular shield positioned relative to the heating element to shield a portion of the product from the radiant energy, characterized in that the at least one upper heating element includes a pair of inner and outer upper heating elements extending circumferentially around the ceiling relative to the axis , wherein the at least one annular shield includes a primary shield and a secondary shield respectively arranged relative to the inner and outer upper heating elements , with the primary shield being surrounded by the outer upper heating element , and with the secondary shield being surrounded by the inner upper heating element , and wherein the cooking appliance further includes a controller operatively associated with each of the inner and outer upper heating elements , wherein each of the inner and outer upper heating elements are independently controllable by the controller to provide for selective delivery of electric power thereto thereby to provide a heating profile across the product. <EOS>