摘要 |
A cooking and grilling appliance and a method for cooking and grilling food products including whole chickens are provided. The cooking appliance includes a bas unit (42) supporting a lower cooking plate (54); a top unit (44) containing an upper cooking plate (52) and a pair of side levers (56) pivotally connecting the upper cooking plate to the lower cooking plate. The angle of the upper cooking plate is variable relative to the lower cooking plate. The cooking appliance further includes an operating and locking mechanism (105, 112) in communication with the side levers and a pressure bar (68) connected to the side levers. When the upper cooking plate is lowered, the locking mechanism locks the upper and lower plates together and on lifting the handle the pressure bar, the operating mechanism releases the locking mechanism, thereby allowing the upper cooking plate to be raised from the lower cooking plate. |