A transfer mechanism for use in a continuous cooking system includes a non-metallic counter-balance having a contact bar located toward its uppermost end and a load located toward its lowermost end. The contact bar is sized to span a useable width of the belt and the load is sized to urge the contact bar into continued contact with a portion of the belt as the belt travels around the end roller. Means such as a rotational joint is provided for pivoting the counter-balance toward and away from belt, the joint being arranged to provide a predetermined amount of travel relative to the belt. Means such as a slot is provided for adjusting a position of the counter-balance relative to the belt. The uppermost product-contact surface of the bar can be round, flat, or angled and can include grooves to reduce the amount of contact area.