A cooking appliance has a cooking plate for the direct preparation of food products thereon and has a heating device thereunder, wherein the heating device runs parallel to the cooking plate and bears at least partially against the bottom side of the cooking plate. The heating device has a flat carrier disc running parallel to the cooking plate, on the bottom side and top side of which carrier disc there are arranged in each case heating means which in each case substantially cover the carrier disc. Both heating means have in each case a multiplicity of heating conductors to cover the bottom side and top side of the carrier disc. The carrier disc may be composed of micanite, and the heating conductors may be thick-film heating conductors.