HK1111579B - Tiltable pannini grill - Google Patents

Abstract

An electric grill for use to create healthier meals is disclosed. The electric grill comprises a support structure which holds a top heating section and a bottom heating section connected by a hinge. The hinge allows for a wide range of movement whereby the top heating section may be face to face with the bottom heating section, may be perpendicular, or may be at a 180 degree angle. Moreover, the top and bottom heating sections may be tilted such that excess grease, oils and juices may be separated from the food being cooked. The electric grill disclosed herein also may include a digital read-out display and a user input keypad.

Description

Tiltable Italian type sandwich grill

Cross referencing

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/779,944 entitled "tilt PANNINI GRILL" filed on 7.3.2006. The disclosure of that application is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to electric grills generally used to produce healthier meals. This type of grill typically separates excess oil and juice from the prepared food, so that the cooked food has a lower fat and cholesterol content.

Background

Many such grills are well known in the art. These grills typically include a bottom heating surface and an upper heating surface that become hot enough to cook various types of food when an electric current is introduced. Hinges are typically used to connect the top and bottom heating surfaces. The food is often placed on the bottom heating surface, while the top heating surface, which faces the bottom heating surface, is placed above the food. Thereby simultaneously cooking both sides of the food, which reduces cooking time.

However, a very common problem occurs when cooking larger food items because the top heating surface cannot be maintained parallel to the bottom heating surface. Thus, the food is not cooked uniformly because the misaligned top heating surface causes one side of the food to be compacted. Grills that attempt to address this problem require the use of springs, or other additional techniques and mechanisms, resulting in cumbersome and complex cooking systems. In addition, these past solutions limit the movement of the top cooking surface and therefore still create problems when cooking larger food items. In addition, these techniques and systems further limit the variety of cooking methods that may be performed on an electric grill.

Other types of electric grills allow the bottom heating surface to be configured at an angle. The angled bottom heating surface allows excess grease, oil and juice to be separated from the prepared food, thus creating a healthier meal. The bottom heating surface and the top heating surface are often fixed at predetermined angles or may be limited to adjustment between only two or three pre-specified angles. The constraints on the possible cooking angles severely limit the use of electric grills.

Most, if not all, electric grills are designed such that a hinge is utilized to attach the top heating surface to the bottom heating surface. Thus, the top heating surface can be raised or rotated perpendicular to the bottom heating surface. This feature allows the user to easily position the food on the bottom heating surface without interference from the upper surface. In fact, the top heating surface acts only as a secondary cooking surface. Thus, if the user only needs to cook one side of the food item, the top heating surface can be maintained in its vertical position and not used.

Generally, when the top heating surface is held in a vertical position, the top heating surface is still powered and still generating heat. There is no method of separately adjusting the temperature of the top and bottom heating surfaces. This not only wastes energy, but also poses a burn risk to the user who uses the grill to prepare food.

Other electric grills include manual controls such as cooking timers. Cooking timers often incorporate large manual dials or knobs that can be manually set by the user. After a predetermined period of time set by the user, the controller may turn off the grill so that current does not pass through the cooking surface, thereby allowing the surface to cool.

Despite the existence of such currently used electric grills, there remains a need for a simple and effective electric grill with improved features.

Disclosure of Invention

According to one aspect of the present invention, an electric grill is disclosed that includes a support structure having top and bottom heating portions. The top heating portion has a top cooking surface and the bottom heating portion has a bottom cooking surface. The top and bottom heating surfaces are connected to the support structure and at least one portion is pivotally associated with the support structure to move between a closed position (where the cooking surfaces face each other) and an open position (where the surfaces are at an angle equal to or greater than 90 degrees to each other). In the closed position, the top heating portion is preferably located directly above and facing the bottom heating portion, which reduces the cooking time required to cook both sides of the food item. Additionally, the top heating portion may be in an open position such that the top heating portion is perpendicular to the bottom heating portion. This open position allows the user to easily place food on the bottom cooking surface, and may also be used to cook only one side of the food. The top heating portion may be opened to 180 degrees so that both the top and bottom heating portions may be used as a flat cooking surface on which food may be placed. The support structure preferably includes a tilt mechanism that supports the top and bottom heated sections in a plurality of angular positions.

When in the closed position, the top and bottom heating portions may be kept separated from each other by a distance such that the top cooking surface does not touch food on the bottom cooking surface, or the top heating portion may be lowered toward the bottom heating portion such that the top cooking surface does not touch food on the bottom cooking surface.

Additional aspects of the invention may include at least one hinge connected to the top and bottom heating portions and allowing for the pivoting described above. The hinge is preferably of the type that floats to accommodate various sizes of food. This allows the top heating portion to be in contact with the food at all times by maintaining a parallel position compared to the bottom heating portion when in the closed position. An electric grill that can maintain the top heating portion parallel to the bottom heating portion cooks food more evenly over the entire surface of the food.

More preferably, the top and bottom heating sections are hinged together by two hinges separated from each other, which allow grease, oil and juice from the cooked food to drip from between the two hinges and off the bottom heating section. The hinge and the tilting mechanism are preferably attached to the top and bottom heating sections at the same point on both the top and bottom heating sections.

In a preferred embodiment, two tabs may be engaged to hold the top heating portion at a position as high as possible above the bottom heating portion. This arrangement may result in a sear-type cooking arrangement once the protrusion is engaged.

In a preferred embodiment, the tilting mechanism comprises a gear that allows the top and bottom heating portions to be loosely fixed at a number of discrete angular positions. The tilting mechanism is more preferably a toothed gear (gear-toothed wheel) incorporating a rod that fits within two teeth of the toothed gear. The top and bottom heating surfaces are locked in place when the lever engages the wheel, and the combination of the top and bottom heating surfaces is free to move when the lever is disengaged. The lever is preferably engaged and disengaged from the wheel by a user-operated button. The series of gear teeth are preferably spaced to allow fine adjustment, i.e., five degree increments. However, it is also desirable that the tilting mechanism may allow the top and bottom heating portions to be releasably secured without adjustment. While holding the handle in front of both the top and bottom heating portions, the user can press the button, thereby removing the lever from the gear. The heating section as a single unit is then adjusted to the desired angle by manually moving the top and bottom heating sections using the handle, and the button is released. After releasing the button, the lever re-engages the gear at the desired angle and locks the heated portion at the desired angle. The angular positioning may preferably adjust the top and bottom heating portions to an angle of 0 to 60 degrees.

Another aspect of the present invention is a variety of cooking surfaces attached to top and bottom heating portions to enable the electric grill to operate in a variety of cooking applications. The cooking surface is removable, replaceable and washable. The top cooking surface may be the same as the bottom cooking surface. The top cooking surface may also be different from the bottom cooking surface, which is particularly useful when the electric grill is configured such that the top heating portion is at a 180 degree angle from the bottom heating portion, thus creating two flat surfaces on which different types of cooking may be performed at a time. Including, but not limited to, a grill pan, a flatbed baking pan, a pancake pan, a waffle pan, a pizza pan, a stir-fry pan, a cook-in pan, a frying pan, and a warming pan.

Another aspect of the preferred embodiments of the present invention is a digital reader that can provide information such as cooking time, top heating section heating intensity, and bottom heating section heating intensity. The digital reader may have additional functions such as pre-programmed cooking techniques and automatic setting of cooking times and heating intensities for the top and bottom heating portions.

In addition, the electric grill may preferably have a keypad including buttons to start and stop cooking, adjust the heating intensity of the top heating portion, adjust the heating intensity of the bottom heating portion, and adjust the cooking time.

Further, the electric grill may preferably include a drip tray, a heat shield, a splatter shield, and a fork. The fork is located on the base of the grill and provides additional stability.

The electric grill may also include a magnetic material to pull the top and bottom heating portions against each other.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electric grill in accordance with one aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the electric grill of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the electric grill of FIG. 1 with the top heating surface in an open position perpendicular to the bottom heating surface;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the electric grill of FIG. 1 with the top heating surface at 180 degrees from the bottom heating surface;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the electric grill of FIG. 1 showing the interaction of the top heating surface with the extendable protrusion;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the electric grill of FIG. 1 utilizing a tilting mechanism; and

fig. 7 illustrates a cross section of a support structure, a hinge assembly, and a tilting mechanism of the electric grill of fig. 1.

Detailed Description

The following are described embodiments of an electric grill according to certain aspects of the present invention. In describing the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be used for the sake of brevity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.

Referring to the drawings, fig. 1 depicts a perspective view of an electric grill according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the electric grill 10 has a top heating portion 11 and a bottom heating portion 12 attached to a support structure 14 by two hinges 70. Hinges 70 are attached to the rear of both the top and bottom heating sections 11 and 12, which allow the top heating section 11 to pivot about its rear side so that the top heating section 11 is raised from the bottom heating section 12 to a position substantially perpendicular to the bottom heating section 12, as shown in fig. 3. Each of the top and bottom heating portions 11 and 12 has a handle 15 at a front side for easy manipulation by a user. The handle 15 may be removable. In addition, both the top and bottom heating sections 11 and 12 include a splatter shield 16 on the front side to prevent a user from being splashed with hot grease, oil and juice released from the food during cooking. The support structure 14 preferably includes a number reader 17 and a user input keypad 18.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a removable drip tray 20 that is positioned above a center sill 21, the center sill 21 providing additional support and stability to the support structure 14. The drip tray 20 collects excess grease, oil and juices that run down the rear of the bottom heating portion 12 from the food. Excess liquid then flows out behind the bottom heating section 12 and falls into the drip tray 20. The drip tray 20 is removable for cleaning and is washable.

The electric grill 10 may be constructed of a variety of materials. Preferably, the electric grill will be constructed of a plastic that is suitable to withstand the temperatures reached in and around the oven or grill. Other materials such as various metals and other composites may also be utilized. For example, a partially stainless steel exterior may be required to match the mood of the kitchen and the appliances therein. Also, the top and bottom heating sections 11 and 12 are preferably composed of steel, and more preferably, stainless steel. It is preferable that most of the electric grill 10 should be made of plastic as much as possible, because the electric grill 10 of the present invention is advantageous in that it maintains light weight and thus is easy to position and use on a firm surface such as a counter top or a table. The light weight and compact structure allows the electric grill 10 to be easily stored in a cabinet or the like after use.

Attached to each of the top and bottom heating portions 11 and 12 is a cooking surface 31, as can be seen in fig. 3. The cooking surface 31 is a surface on which food to be cooked is placed. Cooking surface 31 is preferably constructed of a suitable and well known material for cooking food, such as steel, aluminum, or other suitable material. The cooking surface 31 may be, for exampleIs coated to facilitate the cooking and cleaning process. In addition, the heating plate 31 should be removable, washable and replaceable. It is contemplated that electric grill 10 will include a variety of cooking surfaces 31 suitable for various types of cooking procedures. The various cooking surfaces 31 include, but are not limited to, grill surfaces, flat baking surfaces, waffle baking surfaces, pizza baking surfaces, stir frying surfaces, cooking surfaces (steam surfaces), oilFrying surfaces and food warming surfaces.

Fig. 3 shows how the hinge 70 preferably connects the top and bottom heating sections 11 and 12 to each other so that they can interact with each other. The hinge 70 is preferably constructed in a circular design. This circular design allows the hinge 70 to smoothly interact with a unique tilt mechanism 80, which is shown in FIG. 7 and discussed below. The bottom heating section 12 is affixed to the hinge 70 such that the bottom heating section 12 remains stationary. Also, as will be discussed below, this design allows the hinge 70 to smoothly interact with the tilt mechanism 80. The hinge 70 is not allowed to move in the bottom heating section 12. However, when the hinge 70 is moved using the tilting mechanism 80, the bottom heating section 12 immediately moves in synchronism with the hinge 70 and the tilting mechanism 80, as they are both connected to each other to form one coherent and rigid structure.

As shown in fig. 7, the top heating section 11 preferably has a peg 73 extending from each rear corner. Each peg 73 is inserted into each channel 72 on each hinge 70. The peg 73 is free to navigate up and down through the passage 72. For simplicity, this pin-channel combination will be referred to hereinafter as a "floating hinge" 74.

The floating hinges 74 give the top heating section 11 sufficient flexibility and movement during which various cooking operations are performed. In addition, the floating hinge design 74 of the present invention is simpler than those designs known in the art because the floating hinge 74 does not include additional components such as springs or the like. The floating hinge 74, or at least its housing, is preferably made of a plastic suitable for withstanding the heat of a grill or oven.

The floating hinge design 74 of the present invention allows the top heating section 11 to operate in three different positions. First, as shown in fig. 1, the top heating section 11 may be in a closed position such that it is in face-to-face relation with the bottom heating section 12. This configuration results in faster cooking times because both sides of the food are cooked simultaneously. In addition, if the food is particularly large, the floating hinge 74 allows the rear end of the top heating section 11 to be raised, thereby increasing the space between the rear ends of the top and bottom heating sections 11 and 12. In a preferred embodiment, the floating hinges allow the top heating portion to rise about 3 inches above the bottom heating portion. Thus, even when cooking larger food, the top heating portion can be maintained parallel to the bottom heating portion 12, and allows even the entire surface of the food to be cooked.

If the food being cooked is particularly small, the top heating portion 11 may interact directly with the bottom heating portion and "seal" the food between the top and bottom heating portions 11 and 12. This is expected to be particularly useful, for example, when using a stir-fry surface. The bottom heating portion 12 has a frying surface affixed thereto, and the top heating portion is lowered to this first position to "seal" the food being fried between the bottom heating portion frying surface and the top heating portion 11. This concentrates the heat and allows for faster cooking of the food. In addition, the "seal" may also operate as a pressure cooker for use in certain cooking functions that require pressure cooking. It is envisioned that clips or springs may be added to the top and bottom heating sections 11 and 12 to increase pressure cooker capacity by locking the top and bottom heating sections 11 and 12 together when they are in this position.

The second position depicted in fig. 3 is a position where the top heating section 11 is preferably substantially perpendicular to the bottom heating section 12. The top heating section 11 becomes rested in a preferably substantially vertical position and is maintained there without the need for user support. The top heating section 11 rests on a support structure 14. This is particularly useful when positioning food on the bottom heating portion 12. In addition, this position can be used when the user needs to cook only one side of the food item at a time. As will be discussed in more detail below, when the top heating portion 11 is in this position, the user input keypad 18 allows the top heating portion 11 to be completely disconnected so that the top heating portion 11 does not heat and does not run out of power.

In a third possible position illustrated in fig. 4, the top heating portion 11 may continue to be raised toward the back of the electric grill 10 to a position approximately 180 degrees from the bottom heating portion 12. This is contemplated to be achieved by positioning the top heating section 11 at a substantially vertical position similar to the second position discussed above. The top heating section 11 can then be raised so that the peg 73 travels up the channel 72 of the floating hinge 74. This action lifts the top heating section 11 from its resting point on the support structure 14. The top heating portion 11 may then be pushed further towards the back of the electric grill 10 until it lies flat on the same plane as the bottom heating portion 12. As in the other two positions, the heat intensity of the top and bottom heating portions can be adjusted separately in this third position.

This creates two cooking surfaces-a top cooking surface 31 on which food can be placed and a bottom cooking surface 31. The two cooking surfaces may cook the same food or different foods. The cooking surfaces 31 may be the same or may be different in order to accommodate different foods or cooking activities. For example, the bottom heating portion 12 may have a grilling surface for cooking chicken, while the top heating portion 11 has a grilling surface for sauting vegetables. It should be noted that, in addition, both the top and top heating portions 11 and 12 may be tilted when in the 180 degree open position to allow for the separation of excess grease, oil and juice from the food being cooked. Thus, the 180 degree open position may be changed to, for example, a 170 degree or 160 degree open position, which allows excess grease, oil, and juice to separate from the food being cooked and collect in the drip tray 20.

Thus when in the 180 degree open position, the top and bottom heating sections 11 and 12 may be utilized to cook the same food on both sections 11 and 12. Alternatively, different types of food may be cooked in this open position with the top and bottom heating portions 11 and 12 on different cooking surfaces 31 and at different heat intensities as adjusted using the keypad 18 and as displayed on the digital readout 17.

Fig. 5 illustrates another position that may be used with the electric grill 10. In this position, the top heating section 11, positioned in the first or closed position, is raised to the maximum height of the floating hinge 74, which may be about 3 inches. The tab 50 is then extended from the support structure 14 by pressing on the tab end located on the outside of the support structure 14. The protrusion 50 is spring-loaded such that the protrusion 50 extends toward the center of the electric grill 10 when pressed once. When pressed again, the projection 50 retracts into the support structure 14. Each protrusion 50 extends far enough toward the middle of the electric grill 10 so that the groove 51 associated with the top heating portion 11 can interact with each of the protrusions. A groove 51 in the top heating section 11 is preferably located on each side to interact with the projections 50 to lock the top heating section 11 in place. The protrusions 50 also position the top heating section 11 approximately 3 inches above the bottom heating section 12, and parallel to the bottom heating section 12. It is contemplated that a series of projections 50 at different heights may be incorporated to allow for multiple levels on which the top heating portion 11 may rest. For example, multiple sets of protrusions 50 may be added to the support structure 14 at 3 inches, 2-1/2 inches, 2 inches, etc., to allow for greater flexibility in the cooking process. This produces a grilling effect when the top heating section 11 is suspended above the food item, which can be used to grill the food item. As will be discussed below, user input keypad 18 may be used to increase the heat intensity of top heating portion 11 and decrease the heat intensity of bottom heating portion 12 to produce a suitable searing effect.

Fig. 6 illustrates yet another position of the electric grill 10 that may be used in the present invention, in which the top and bottom heating portions 11 and 12 may be adjustably tilted so that excess grease, oil and juice may be separated from the food being cooked. The steeper the angle of inclination, the more grease, oil and juice will flow down from the food. Thus, by varying the angle of inclination, the user can determine the extent to which the user desires grease, oil and juice to flow from the food. In addition, maximizing the angle of inclination (about 60 degrees) produces a grilling effect that allows most of the excess grease, oil and juice to be separated from the food as much as possible. This results in a grill that cooks food as healthy as the user desires, and balances the taste and juice of the meat, for example, with lower fat and cholesterol content.

Preferably, the user can adjust the tilt angle of the top and bottom heating portions 11 and 12 by holding the two handles 15 and pressing and holding the buttons 81 provided on the support structure 14. By holding the button 81, the top and bottom heating portions 11 and 12 are free to pivot at the hinge 70, as the button 81 releases the hinge 70 and allows the hinge 70 to pivot about the center of its circular shape. Once the desired tilt angle is achieved, the user may release the button 81 and the tilt mechanism 80 locks the hinge 70 in place.

As seen in fig. 7, the tilt mechanism 80 may include a toothed gear 85 fixedly attached to the hinge 70. The wheel 85 may have a number of teeth 86, and preferably has about 16 evenly spaced teeth along the front side of the wheel. These teeth 86 (as shown) may span about 30 degrees along the wheel 85, providing about 30 degrees of inclination in stepped increments. The tilt mechanism 80 locks the hinge 70 in place by using a lever 82 that interacts with a toothed gear 85. The lever 82 is fixedly attached to the button 81 such that when the user depresses the button 81, the lever 82 disengages the teeth 86 on the wheel 85. When the button 81 is released, the lever 82 re-engages the wheel 85 between the two teeth 86 and again locks the hinge 70 in place. Although a toothed gear/lever combination is the preferred embodiment, the tilt mechanism 80 is not limited to the design described. It is also possible to create a tilting mechanism using an electronic servo, a ratchet system or a friction system. The tilt mechanism 80 may tilt the grill in discrete positions when gears 85 are used, or the tilt mechanism 80 may allow the tilt angle to be infinitely variable when a servo motor or friction system is used.

In the various drawings of the exemplary grill 10, there is also shown a series of magnets 88 in the interior corners of each of the top and bottom heating portions 11, 12. Although the magnets 88 are shown in the corners, it will be appreciated that the magnets may be located at multiple locations. In any event, the magnets 88 are used to assist in closing the top heating section 11 against the bottom heating section 12. For example, it will be appreciated that when two pieces of food product having different heights are placed on the lower cooking surface 31, and the top heating portion 11 is closed against the bottom heating portion 11, it is possible for the shorter of the two food products not to be squeezed by the two cooking surfaces 31. The magnets 88 assist in drawing the two cooking surfaces 31 together to help avoid this problem. It will be appreciated that the magnet may have a variable strength such that it is preferably strong enough to pull the components together, but not so strong as to restrict the user's ability to open the electric grill 10. Additionally, the magnet may be removable so that it can be temporarily removed when desired.

As seen in fig. 1-6, the preferred embodiment of the electric grill 10 of the present invention includes a number reader 17 and a user input keypad 18. The digital readout may display the cooking time, top heating portion heat intensity, and bottom heating portion heat intensity. The cooking time may be displayed in two-digit minutes and two-digit seconds, while the heat intensity of the top and bottom heating portions is preferably displayed by a series of bars, whereby a higher heat intensity is represented by a larger number of bars and a lower heat intensity is represented by a smaller number of bars. If no strip is near a designated heating portion, the heating portion does not generate heat. The top heating section heat intensity readings are on the top of the reader, while the bottom heating section heat intensity readings are along the bottom of the reader. Of course, any suitable heat reader is contemplated.

Additionally, it is contemplated that the present invention allows for future upgrades, such as pre-programmed modules or updates that may include pre-selected settings or cooking programs. For example, one of these preprogrammed updates may have preprogrammed specific cooking settings for cooking the steak. By selecting the "steak" program, the cooking time and the top and bottom heating portion heat intensity can be automatically set to properly cook the steaks according to the preprogrammed module. The present invention may incorporate a plurality of such pre-programmed modules for a variety of foods, such as, but not limited to, chicken, fish, vegetables, pancakes, waffles, hamburgers, and steaks.

The user input keypad 18 provides an interface between the user and the electric grill 10. The user can input a desired grilling time and the heat intensity of the top and bottom heating portions. The cooking time, at the end of which an alarm is issued, can be entered by adjusting the desired minutes and seconds for cooking. The top and bottom heating portions may be individually adjusted to be different or the same in heat intensity. For example, the user may simply adjust the number of strips next to the "top" and "bottom" to obtain the desired heat intensity for each heating portion.

Although the invention herein has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present invention. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims (28)

1. An electric grill comprising:

a support structure;

a top heating portion having a top cooking surface and a bottom heating portion having a bottom cooking surface, the top and bottom heating portions being connected to the support structure and at least one portion pivotally associated with the support structure for movement between a closed position in which the top and bottom cooking surfaces face each other and an open position in which the top and bottom cooking surfaces are at an angle of about 180 degrees to each other; and is

The support structure including a tilt mechanism supporting the top and bottom heating portions in a plurality of angular positions;

wherein the top and bottom heating sections are hinged together on at least one hinge provided on the support structure; and is

Wherein each of the hinges has a channel therein and the top heating section has a peg inserted into the channel to slide up and down the channel so that the top heating section can move between the closed position and the open position.

2. The electric grill of claim 1 wherein the tilt mechanism comprises a gear that allows the top and bottom heating portions to be releasably secured at a number of discrete angular positions.

3. The electric grill of claim 2 wherein the tilting mechanism is a toothed gear in combination with a lever that fits within two teeth of the gear such that when the lever engages the gear, the top and bottom heating surfaces are locked in place and when the lever is disengaged, the combination of the top and bottom heating surfaces is free to move.

4. The electric grill of claim 3 wherein the lever engages and disengages the toothed gear with a push button.

5. The electric grill of claim 1 wherein the tilt mechanism allows the top and bottom heating sections to be releasably secured, and the tilt mechanism allows the top and bottom heating sections to be tilted in a manner that the tilt angle can be infinitely varied.

6. The electric grill of claim 1 wherein the tilt mechanism allows angular positioning at discrete positions between 0 and 60 degrees.

7. The electric grill of claim 1 wherein the top and bottom heating portions are capable of being maintained separated from each other by a distance such that food on the bottom cooking surface is not contacted by the top cooking surface, or capable of allowing the portions to close toward each other such that food on the bottom cooking surface is contacted by the top cooking surface.

8. The electric grill of claim 1 wherein the top and bottom heating sections are hinged together by two hinges that are separate from each other, which allows grease, oil and juice from the food being cooked to drip from between the two hinges away from the bottom heating section.

9. The electric grill of claim 1 or 8 wherein the tilt mechanism and the hinge are attached together to the top and bottom heating portions at the same point.

10. The electric grill of claim 1 or 8 wherein the at least one hinge allows the top heating portion to be separated from the bottom heating portion by a distance of up to 3 inches while still in a closed position.

11. The electric grill of claim 10 further comprising tabs positioned on both sides of the top heating surface and adjacent to the hinge, wherein the tabs are extendable to interact with the top heating portion and can secure the top heating portion in place at a height of about 3 inches above and parallel to the bottom heating portion.

12. The electric grill of claim 11 further comprising a digital reader comprising a digital display for cooking time, top heating portion heat intensity, and bottom heating portion heat intensity.

13. The electric grill of claim 12 further comprising a user input keypad comprising buttons to start and stop heating of the top and bottom heating portions, adjust the heat intensity of the top heating portion, adjust the heat intensity of the bottom heating portion, and adjust the cooking time.

14. The electric grill of claim 1 wherein the top and bottom cooking surfaces are removable and food can be directly contacted and cooked thereon.

15. The electric grill of claim 14 wherein the top and bottom cooking surfaces are washable and replaceable.

16. The electric grill of claim 14 wherein the top and bottom cooking surfaces comprise grilling surfaces, flat-bottomed grilling surfaces, pancake baking surfaces, waffle baking surfaces, pizza baking surfaces, stir-frying surfaces, steaming surfaces, food warming surfaces, and frying surfaces.

17. The electric grill of claim 13 wherein the top cooking surface and bottom cooking surface are the same type of cooking surface.

18. The electric grill of claim 13 wherein the top and bottom cooking surfaces are different types of cooking surfaces.

19. The electric grill of claim 1 further comprising a removable drip tray.

20. The electric grill of claim 1 further comprising a splash shield.

21. The electric grill of claim 1 further comprising a base for additionally supporting the grill.

22. The electric grill of claim 13 wherein the number reader, user input keypad, tilt mechanism and protrusion are all positioned on the support structure.

23. An electric grill comprising:

a support structure;

a top heating portion having a top cooking surface and a bottom heating portion having a bottom cooking surface, the top and bottom heating portions connected to the support structure and pivotally associated with each other for movement between a closed position in which the top and bottom cooking surfaces face each other and an open position in which the top and bottom cooking surfaces are at an angle equal to or greater than 90 degrees to each other; and is

The top and bottom heating portions can be maintained at a distance from each other such that food on the bottom cooking surface is not contacted by the top cooking surface while the top and bottom heating portions are maintained parallel to each other, or the top heating portion can be lowered toward the bottom heating portion such that food on the bottom cooking surface is contacted by the top cooking surface;

wherein the top and bottom heating sections are hinged together on at least one hinge provided on the support structure; and is

Wherein each of the hinges has a channel therein and the top heating section has a peg inserted into the channel to slide up and down the channel so that the top heating section can move between the closed position and the open position.

24. The electric grill of claim 23 wherein the peg slides up and down in the channel such that the top heating portion is lowerable toward the bottom heating portion or is separable from the bottom heating portion while the top and bottom heating portions remain parallel to each other.

25. The electric grill of claim 24 further comprising at least one set of protrusions positioned on both sides of the top heating surface and adjacent to the hinge, wherein the protrusions are extendable to interact with the top heating portion and can secure the top heating portion in place at a height of about 3 inches above and parallel to the bottom heating portion.

26. The electric grill of claim 23 further comprising a tilt mechanism comprising a gear that allows the top and bottom heating portions to be releasably secured at a number of discrete angular positions.

27. An electric grill comprising:

a support structure;

a top heating portion having a top cooking surface and a bottom heating portion having a bottom cooking surface, the top and bottom heating portions connected to the support structure and at least one portion pivotally associated with the support structure for movement between a closed position in which the top and bottom cooking surfaces face each other and an open position in which the top and bottom cooking surfaces are at an angle of about 180 degrees to each other; and

separate heat intensity control for the top heating section and separate heat intensity control for the bottom heating section such that the top and bottom heating sections have the same heat intensity or different heat intensities;

wherein the top and bottom heating sections are hinged together on at least one hinge provided on the support structure; and is

Wherein each of the hinges has a channel therein and the top heating section has a peg inserted into the channel to slide up and down the channel so that the top heating section can move between the closed position and the open position.

28. An electric grill comprising:

a support structure;

a top heating section having a top cooking surface and a bottom heating section having a bottom cooking surface, the top and bottom heating sections being connected to the support structure and at least one section pivotally associated with the support structure for movement between a closed position in which the top and bottom cooking surfaces face each other and an open position in which the top and bottom cooking surfaces are at an angle to each other;

a first magnetic material in the top cooking surface and a second magnetic material in the bottom cooking surface; and

wherein the magnetic material pulls the top cooking surface and the bottom cooking surface together;

wherein the top and bottom heating sections are hinged together on at least one hinge provided on the support structure; and is

Wherein each of the hinges has a channel therein and the top heating section has a peg inserted into the channel to slide up and down the channel so that the top heating section can move between the closed position and the open position.