For residential use primarily, a compact quick-cooking convection oven for
cooking a food product at least partially by hot gas flow, includes a
housing defining (i) a cooking chamber having a top, a bottom and a
support means therebetween and spaced above the chamber bottom for
receiving and supporting a food product for cooking, and (ii) conduit
means for providing gaseous communication outside of the cooking chamber
upwardly from the chamber bottom to the chamber top. Associated with the
cooking chamber are (i) adjacent the chamber top, directing means for
directing gas flow from the conduit means downwardly onto a top of the
food product on the support means, and (ii) adjacent the chamber bottom,
return means for directing the gas flow from the cooking chamber into the
conduit means. Flow means cause gas flow from the directing means via the
conduit means. Control means independently vary without human intervention
at least one of the effective volumetric flow rate of the gas flow into
the cooking chamber and the temperature of the gas flow into the cooking
chamber. The cooking means are selected from the group consisting of
microwave radiant heating, non-microwave radiant heating, convection
heating, and combinations thereof.