Patent ID: 8227728

Claim:
An apparatus for cooking food with infrared radiant energy, the cooking apparatus comprising: an emitter tube which extends upright, the emitter tube having an upwardly extending outer surface and an upwardly extending inner surface, wherein the upwardly extending outer surface has a lower end, the upwardly extending inner surface defines a cavity of the emitter tube, and the cavity of the emitter tube is adapted for receiving the food; an outer tube which extends upright and has an upwardly extending inner surface that defines a cavity of the outer tube, wherein the emitter tube is positioned in the cavity of the outer tube and the outer tube extends substantially all the way around the emitter tube; an upwardly extending heating cavity defined between the upwardly extending outer surface of the emitter tube and the upwardly extending inner surface of the outer tube; and a heating unit configured and positioned to heat the upwardly extending outer surface of the emitter tube so that heat energy is transferred by conduction from the upwardly extending outer surface of the emitter tube to the upwardly extending inner surface of the emitter tube during cooking, and the upwardly extending inner surface of the emitter tube emits infrared radiant energy into the cavity of the emitter tube such that a majority of the energy that is transferred to the food within the cavity of the emitter tube is in the form of infrared radiant energy that is directed to the food from a plurality of directions by emission of the infrared radiant energy, reflection of the infrared radiant energy or any combination thereof; wherein the heating unit is located in a first or second position; in the first position, the heating unit is entirely positioned at an elevation which is at least about the height of the lower end of the upwardly extending outer surface of the emitter tube and is located outside of the upwardly extending outer surface of the emitter tube; and in the second position, at least a portion of the heating unit is positioned at an elevation which is lower than the lower end of the upwardly extending outer surface of the emitter tube wherein the heating unit comprises a plurality of flame discharge ports which are substantially coaxial with a longitudinal axis of the emitter tube, each of the flame discharge parts being located substantially at a greater outward radial distance from the longitudinal axis than the lower end of the upwardly extending outer surface of the emitter tube.