Patent ID: 7378617

Claim:
A heating system for a cooking appliance, the cooking appliance comprising a cabinet defining a cooking cavity, the cooking cavity configured to support a food item therein during a cooking process, said heating system comprising: a first upper heating element and a second upper heating element positioned within said cooking cavity, said second upper heating element at least partially surrounding said first upper heating element, each of said first upper heating element and said second upper heating element positioned with respect to an upper portion of the food item; a lower heating element positioned within said cooking cavity, said lower heating element positioned with respect to a bottom portion of the food item; and a controller operatively coupled to said lower heating element and said first and second upper heating elements, said controller configured to energize said first upper heating element and said second upper heating element to heat a first area of an upper portion of the food item to a first temperature and to heat a second area of the upper portion of the food item to a second temperature different than the first temperature.