Patent ID: 8109205

Claim:
A cooking apparatus comprising: a housing having a top, a bottom and at least one side, the housing defining a vertical slot, the vertical slot receptive to a plurality of food cartridges operable to contain food items; a first thermal element and a second thermal element, the first and second thermal elements disposed within the housing on opposed sides of the slot; a plurality of pairs of rails disposed within the housing, wherein each rail in the plurality of pairs of rails extends from the vertical slot along a respective longitudinal rail axis that is perpendicular to the force of gravity, each respective longitudinal rail axis of each respective rail being parallel to each other, the plurality of pairs of rails being vertically stacked such that an alignment line that is parallel to the force of gravity passes perpendicularly through each respective longitudinal rail axis, each pair of rails operable to receive a respective one of the plurality of food cartridges via the vertical slot; and a finishing rack disposed above an opening in the top of the housing, the finishing rack in thermal communication with the first and second heating elements.