A rack oven includes a cooking chamber accessible via a door and a rack rotating mechanism within the cooking chamber. A combustion chamber is separated from the cooking chamber by at least one wall, the combustion chamber including a burner. A circulation flow path is provided for delivering gases from the cooking chamber into the heating chamber and past the burner in the combustion zone to pick-up heat and combustion gases for delivery back to the cooking chamber to heat the cooking chamber. A flame protector located in the heating chamber in the circulation flow path upstream of the burner prevents gases moving past the burner from extinguishing the burner.
