Electric grill plate appliance for tortilla cuisine

Abstract

An appliance for cooking fajitas and other tortilla cuisine includes an electric grill plate having a plate component with a cooking surface, an electrical heating element component adapted to heat the plate component for purposes of cooking foodstuffs placed on the cooking surface, a portion of the plate component that defines a compartment adapted to hold a stack of tortillas for purposes of warming the tortillas with heat derived from the electric grill plate, and a cover for the compartment. One embodiment includes a removable tortilla tray within the tortilla warming compartment for holding the tortillas while they warm so that the cook can lift the tortilla tray from the tortilla warming compartment for purposes of transporting the tortillas to the table. Ribs on the plate component facilitate drainage of grease, oil, and other runoff liquids from the fajitas and other foodstuffs through a hole in the plate component to a removable collection drawer. A separate tortilla rack holds a tortilla in a semi-folded configuration that facilitates addition of the cooked foodstuffs to it. A removable plastic base holds the plate component during usage while disassembling from the plate component for cleaning.