According to one embodiment, a cooking unit includes a rear housing, a heating chamber coupled to the rear housing, and one or more vertical tracks coupled to the rear housing. The cooking unit further includes a support shelf coupled to the vertical tracks, and operable to be moved vertically along the vertical tracks. The cooking unit also includes a sliding tray coupled to the support shelf, and operable to be moved horizontally with respect to the rear housing. The cooking unit further includes a handle coupled to a front surface of the sliding tray, and an actuator positioned adjacent to the handle so as to allow both the handle to be grasped and the actuator engaged by a single hand of a user. The actuator is operable to unlock the horizontal support shelf so as to allow the horizontal support shelf to be moved vertically along the vertical tracks.