Oven appliance and methods for adaptive cooking
An oven appliance may provide for a method of adaptive cooking. The method may include receiving an oven temperature signal to indicate an oven temperature and directing activation of a bottom heating element according to a first heating cycle based on the oven temperature signal. The method may further include receiving a bottom temperature signal to indicate a bottom temperature and directing activation of the bottom heating element according to a second heating cycle based on the bottom temperature signal, the second heating cycle being distinct from the first heating cycle.
1. An oven appliance comprising:
a cabinet;
a plurality of chamber walls mounted within the cabinet, the plurality of chamber walls defining a cooking chamber, the plurality of chamber walls comprising a back wall, a top wall, a first side wall, a second side wall, and a bottom wall;
a cooking surface defined in the cooking chamber between the bottom wall and the top wall of the plurality of chamber walls;
a top heating element mounted above the cooking surface to heat the cooking chamber;
an oven temperature sensor disposed within the cabinet;
a bottom heating element mounted below the cooking surface to heat the cooking surface;
a bottom temperature sensor disposed below the oven temperature sensor; and
a controller in operative communication with the top heating element, the oven temperature sensor, the bottom heating element, and the bottom temperature sensor, the controller being configured to initiate a cooking operation comprising
receiving an oven temperature signal from the oven temperature sensor to indicate an oven temperature,
directing activation of the bottom heating element according to a first heating cycle based on the oven temperature signal,
receiving, following the first heating cycle, a bottom temperature signal from the bottom temperature sensor to indicate a bottom temperature,
evaluating the bottom temperature against one or more predetermined temperature thresholds,
selecting a second heating cycle from a plurality of discrete predetermined cycles based on evaluating the bottom temperature, the plurality of discrete predetermined cycles comprising a first cycle option having a first operating characteristic and a second cycle option having a second operating characteristic, the second operating characteristic being distinct from the first operating characteristic, and
directing activation of the bottom heating element according to the selected second heating cycle, the second heating cycle being distinct from the first heating cycle.
2. The oven appliance of claim 1 , wherein the cooking operation further comprises determining the bottom temperature meets or exceeds a maximum threshold,
wherein directing activation of the bottom heating element according to the second heating cycle is in response to determining the bottom temperature meets or exceeds the maximum threshold,
wherein the first heating cycle comprises a first bottom heat output of the bottom heating element, and
wherein the second heating cycle comprises a second bottom heat output of the bottom heating element, the second bottom heat output being less than the first bottom heat output.
3. The oven appliance of claim 2 , wherein the first heating cycle comprises a set first top heat output of the top heating element, and
wherein the second heating cycle comprises a set second top heat output of the top heating element, the set second top heat output being equal to the set first top heat output.
4. The oven appliance of claim 2 , wherein the first heating cycle is a repeating activation sequence comprising a first bottom heat (BH) active time of the bottom heating element and a first top heat (TH) active time of the top heating element, and
wherein the second heating cycle is a repeating activation sequence comprising a second BH active time of the bottom heating element, a second TH active time of the top heating element, the second BH active time being less than the first BH active time.
5. The oven appliance of claim 1 , wherein the cooking operation further comprises determining the bottom temperature is below a minimum threshold, and
wherein the second heating cycle comprises activating the bottom heating element at a temperature-responsive condition based on a subsequent bottom temperature signal received from the bottom temperature sensor.
6. The oven appliance of claim 5 , wherein the second heating cycle comprises alternately directing the bottom heating element between an active state and an inactive state.
7. The oven appliance of claim 5 , wherein the second heating cycle comprises
holding the top heating element in an inactive state for an entire duration of the second heating cycle, and
directing the bottom heating element to an active state while the top heating element is in the inactive state.
8. The oven appliance of claim 1 , wherein the oven temperature signal is a first oven temperature signal, and wherein the cooking operation further comprises
receiving a second oven temperature signal from the oven temperature sensor subsequent to directing activation of the bottom heating element according to the second heating cycle, and
directing activation of the top heating element and the bottom heating element according to the first heating cycle based on the second oven temperature signal.
9. The oven appliance of claim 1 , wherein the bottom temperature signal is a first bottom temperature signal, and wherein the cooking operation further comprises
receiving a second bottom temperature signal from the bottom temperature sensor, and
directing activation of the bottom heating element according to the second heating cycle based on the second bottom temperature signal.
10. A method of operating an oven appliance comprising a plurality of chamber walls mounted within a cabinet and defining a cooking chamber, a cooking surface defined in the cooking chamber between a bottom wall and a top wall of the plurality of chamber walls, a top heating element mounted above the cooking surface to heat the cooking chamber, and a bottom heating element mounted below the cooking surface to heat the cooking surface, the method comprising:
receiving an oven temperature signal to indicate an oven temperature;
directing activation of the bottom heating element according to a first heating cycle based on the oven temperature signal;
receiving a bottom temperature signal to indicate a bottom temperature;
evaluating the bottom temperature against one or more predetermined temperature thresholds;
selecting a second heating cycle from a plurality of discrete predetermined cycles based on evaluating the bottom temperature, the plurality of discrete predetermined cycles comprising a first cycle option having a first operating characteristic and a second cycle option having a second operating characteristic, the second operating characteristic being distinct from the first operating characteristic; and
directing activation of the bottom heating element according to the selected second heating cycle, the second heating cycle being distinct from the first heating cycle.
11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
determining the bottom temperature exceeds a maximum threshold,
wherein directing activation of the bottom heating element according to the second is in response to determining the bottom temperature meets or exceeds the maximum threshold,
wherein the first heating cycle comprises a first bottom heat output of the bottom heating element, and
wherein the second heating cycle comprises a second bottom heat output of the bottom heating element, the second bottom heat output being less than the first bottom heat output.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first heating cycle comprises a set first top heat output of the top heating element, and
wherein the second heating cycle comprises a set second top heat output of the top heating element, the set second top heat output being equal to the set first top heat output.
13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first heating cycle is a repeating activation sequence comprising a first bottom heat (BH) active time of the bottom heating element and a first top heat (TH) active time of the top heating element, and
wherein the second heating cycle is a repeating activation sequence comprising a second BH active time of the bottom heating element, a second TH active time of the top heating element, the second BH active time being less than the first BH active time.
14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
determining the bottom temperature is below a minimum threshold,
wherein the second heating cycle comprises activating the bottom heating element at a temperature-responsive condition based on a subsequent bottom temperature signal.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the second heating cycle comprises alternately directing the bottom heating element between an active state and an inactive state.
16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the second heating cycle comprises
holding the top heating element in an inactive state for an entire duration of the second heating cycle, and
directing the bottom heating element to an active state while the top heating element is in the inactive state.
17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the oven temperature signal is a first oven temperature signal, and wherein the method further comprises:
receiving a second oven temperature signal subsequent to directing activation of the bottom heating element according to the second heating cycle; and
directing activation of the top heating element and the bottom heating element according to the first heating cycle based on the second oven temperature signal.
18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the bottom temperature signal is a first bottom temperature signal, and wherein the method further comprises:
receiving a second bottom temperature signal, and
directing activation of the bottom heating element according to the second heating cycle based on the second bottom temperature signal.
19. An oven appliance comprising:
a cabinet;
a plurality of chamber walls mounted within the cabinet, the plurality of chamber walls defining a cooking chamber, the plurality of chamber walls comprising a back wall, a top wall, a first side wall, a second side wall, and a bottom wall;
a cooking surface defined in the cooking chamber between the bottom wall and the top wall of the plurality of chamber walls;
a top heating element mounted above the cooking surface to heat the cooking chamber;
an oven temperature sensor disposed within the cabinet;
a bottom heating element mounted below the cooking surface to heat the cooking surface;
a bottom temperature sensor disposed below the oven temperature sensor; and
a controller in operative communication with the top heating element, the oven temperature sensor, the bottom heating element, and the bottom temperature sensor, the controller being configured to initiate a cooking operation comprising
receiving an oven temperature signal from the oven temperature sensor to indicate an oven temperature,
directing activation of the bottom heating element and the top heating element according to a first heating cycle based on the oven temperature signal, the first heating cycle comprising a first top heat output setting for the top heating element,
receiving, following the first heating cycle, a bottom temperature signal from the bottom temperature sensor to indicate a bottom temperature,
evaluating the bottom temperature against one or more predetermined temperature thresholds,
selecting a second heating cycle from a plurality of discrete predetermined cycles based on evaluating the bottom temperature, the plurality of discrete predetermined cycles comprising a hot-bake cycle and a cold-bake cycle, the hot-bake cycle having a HB top heat output setting for the top heating element that is equal to the first top heat output setting, the cold-bake cycle having a CB top heat output setting for the top heating element that is less than the first top heat output setting, and
directing the selected second heating cycle, the second heating cycle being distinct from the first heating cycle.