CN112545297A

CN112545297A - Cooking method

Info

Publication number: CN112545297A
Application number: CN201910912122.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 姚斌; 樊杜平; 刘世强
Original assignee: Zhejiang Supor Electrical Appliances Manufacturing Co Ltd
Current assignee: Zhejiang Supor Electrical Appliances Manufacturing Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-09-25
Filing date: 2019-09-25
Publication date: 2021-03-26

Abstract

The invention provides a cooking method for a cooking appliance. The cooking appliance has a cooking space. The cooking method comprises the following steps: determining the total water amount required for cooking according to the cooking information; injecting a first amount of water, less than the total amount of water, into the cooking space; heating the cooking space until water therein boils; after boiling for a first predetermined time, injecting a second amount of water into the cooking space; the second quantity of water is repeatedly injected at second predetermined time intervals until the total quantity of water injected equals the total quantity of water. According to the present invention, less water is added to the cooking space at the initial stage of cooking, so that the time required for boiling is shortened, and the cooking time can be saved. During remaining water replenished into the culinary art space with a small amount of mode many times after the boiling, can satisfy the ratio of food and water, guarantee final taste, the water of newly adding can also play certain inhibiting action to the intensity of boiling in the culinary art space in addition, can avoid the emergence of excessive pot phenomenon effectively.

Description

Cooking method

Technical Field

The present invention generally relates to the technical field of cooking appliances.

Background

At present, when cooking food by using a cooking utensil, the cooking is usually started after food and water are added at one time. The more water, the longer the heating to boiling, and the more heat is required, which in some way results in wasted time and energy. In addition, when food is cooked by a cooking appliance, it is often necessary to heat water to boiling and maintain the boiling state for a predetermined time. During which a large amount of water vapor is generated. The more vigorous the boil, the longer the duration, the greater the amount of water vapor produced. Typically, the water vapor is discharged directly into the air. This not only results in a waste of water resources, but also the heat contained therein is lost.

Accordingly, there is a need for a cooking method that at least partially solves the problems of the prior art.

Disclosure of Invention

In this summary, concepts in a simplified form are introduced that are further described in the detailed description. This summary of the invention is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

To at least partially solve the above problems, the present invention provides a cooking method for a cooking appliance having a cooking space, the cooking method comprising:

determining the total water amount required for cooking according to the cooking information;

injecting a first amount of water into the cooking space, the first amount of water being less than the total amount of water;

heating the cooking space to boil water therein;

injecting a second amount of water into the cooking space after the boiling state in the cooking space continues for a first predetermined time;

repeating the injecting of the second amount of water into the cooking space at intervals of a second predetermined time until the entire amount of water injected into the cooking space is equal to the total amount of water.

According to the cooking method of the present invention, less water is added to the cooking space at the initial stage of cooking, so that the time required for boiling is shortened, and the cooking time can be saved. During remaining water replenished into the culinary art space with a small amount of mode many times after the boiling, can satisfy the ratio of food and water, guarantee final taste, the water of newly adding can also play certain inhibiting action to the intensity of boiling in the culinary art space in addition, can avoid the emergence of excessive pot phenomenon effectively.

Optionally, the cooking appliance further comprises a water tank for containing water, the first amount of water injected into the cooking space being from the water tank. Thereby, the water in the water tank can be subjected to special treatment, such as purification or addition of required nutrients, etc., according to the user's desire.

Optionally, the cooking method further comprises introducing water vapor generated in the cooking space into the water contained in the water tank. Therefore, the heat and water contained in the water vapor can be recovered by using the water in the water tank, and the effects of water saving and energy saving are achieved.

Optionally, the second amount of water injected into the cooking space is water in the water tank after heat exchange with the water vapor. Therefore, the temperature of water added into the cooking space subsequently is higher, the heat required by heating to boiling can be saved, and the energy-saving effect is achieved.

Optionally, the first predetermined time is greater than or equal to 10 s. Thus, the suitable duration of the first predetermined time can be set according to the cooking needs.

Optionally, the second predetermined time is greater than or equal to 10 s. Thus, the suitable duration of the second predetermined time can be set according to the cooking needs.

Optionally, the first amount of water is 1/3-2/3 of the total amount of water. Thereby, a suitable first amount of water can be set according to the cooking needs.

Drawings

The following drawings of embodiments of the invention are included as part of the present invention for an understanding of the invention. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

In the drawings, there is shown in the drawings,

fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cooking appliance according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural view of the cooking appliance shown in FIG. 1; and

fig. 3 is a flowchart of a cooking method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without one or more of these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the embodiments of the invention.

In the following description, a detailed structure will be presented for a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. It is apparent that the implementation of the embodiments of the present invention is not limited to the specific details familiar to those skilled in the art.

The invention provides a cooking appliance. The cooking appliance according to the present invention may be an electric rice cooker, an electric pressure cooker, or other cooking appliances, and the cooking appliance according to the present invention may have various functions such as cooking porridge, cooking soup, cooking, etc., in addition to the function of cooking rice. Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the cooking appliance 1 according to the present invention may include a pot body 10 and a cover 20. The inner pot 11 is arranged inside the pot body 10. The inner pot 11 may be configured to be removably disposed in the pot body 10. For example, in one embodiment, a cylindrical inner pot receiving portion may be provided at the pot body 10, and the inner pot 11 may be freely put into or taken out of the inner pot receiving portion. The removable arrangement allows the user to conveniently remove the inner pan 11 for cleaning. Of course, in other embodiments, the inner pot 11 may be fixedly provided in the pot body 10 in an unreleasable manner. A heating means (not shown) for heating the inner pot 11 is also generally provided in the pot body 10.

The lid 20 is provided to the pot body 10 in an openable and closable manner. Therefore, the lid body 20 generally has a shape adapted to the shape of the pot body 10, so that the pot body 10 can be easily covered. When the lid body 20 is opened with respect to the pot body 10, the opening of the inner pot 11 in the pot body 10 is exposed, and the user can add food materials to the inner pot 11 or take cooked food out of the inner pot 11. When the cover 20 is covered on the pot body 10, it covers the inner pot 11 and forms a cooking space 12 with the inner pot 11. A sealing member (not shown) is further provided between the cover body 20 and the inner pot 11 to maintain good sealing of the cooking space 12.

As shown in fig. 2, the cooking appliance 1 further includes a water tank 30 and a pumping device 40 according to the present invention. The water tank 30 serves to contain water used in cooking. Preferably, in the present embodiment, the water tank 30 is provided in the pot body 10, and is configured as an integral structure therewith. Therefore, the whole structure of the cooking appliance 1 can be simplified, and the cooking appliance is convenient to carry and use. By providing the water tank 30 to contain water for cooking, the water for cooking can be specially treated according to the user's desire, for example, multiple purification of water in the water tank, or addition of healthy trace elements or minerals thereto, etc., to meet the diversified needs of cooking.

The pumping device 40 is used to pump water contained in the water tank 30 into the cooking space 12 to participate in cooking. Specifically, as shown in fig. 2, the water pumping device 40 includes a first water pipe 41, a second water pipe 42, and a water pump 43. Both ends of the first water pipe 41 communicate with the water tank 30 and a water inlet (not shown) of the water pump 43, respectively. Both ends of the second water pipe 42 communicate with a drain port (not shown) of the water pump 43 and the cooking space 12, respectively. Thus, when the water pump 43 is operated, water in the water tank 30 can be drawn into the cooking space 12. It will be appreciated that the inlet of the first water line 41 needs to extend below the liquid level in the water tank 30.

With continued reference to fig. 2, the cooking appliance 1 according to the invention further comprises a steam outlet channel 50 having a steam inlet 51 and a steam outlet 52. Wherein the steam inlet 51 communicates with the cooking space 12. The steam outlet 52 is provided in the water tank 30 and opens into the water contained in the water tank 30. During cooking, steam generated in the cooking space 12 may be introduced into the water tank 30 through the steam guide-out passage 50 and discharged into water. Since the temperature of the water is significantly lower than that of the steam, the steam discharged into the water is liquefied, re-condensed into water, and stored in the water tank 30. During subsequent cooking, this water may again enter cooking space 12 through water extraction device 40 to participate in cooking. This can achieve the effect of saving water.

In addition, the steam also releases a large amount of latent heat of liquefaction during liquefaction. This heat is absorbed by the water in the tank 30, and the water temperature can be raised. Preferably, the water tank 30 is further provided with a heat insulating structure for insulating water therein. Since the water in the water tank 30 has a high temperature itself after absorbing latent heat of liquefaction, the amount of heat required to heat the water to boiling while participating in cooking can be reduced, so that the heating time can be shortened, and the energy required for heating can be saved.

Generally, the amount of water vapor generated in one cooking process is 40-300 g. The latent heat of vaporization of water vapor at 0.1MPa and 100 ℃ is 2257.2 kJ/kg. Assuming that the cooking process produces 100g of water vapor, the amount of heat carried is at least 225.72 kJ. And the specific heat capacity of water is 4.2 kJ/kg. The heat can raise the temperature of 1kg of water to 53.74 ℃.

It should be noted that only the latent heat of vaporization carried by the water vapor is considered here, and the heat released by the cooling when the water vapor is liquefied into 100 ℃ water and then mixed with the water in the water tank 30 is not considered. In other words, ideally, the temperature rise is higher. Of course, in practice, the effect of temperature increase is often not as high due to heat dissipation or heat transfer of water vapor with other devices such as the vapor outlet channel 50, etc. But even considering the loss factor, the energy-saving effect is still very obvious.

One form of insulation structure may be a double-walled structure. Specifically, as shown in fig. 2, the walls of the water tank 30 include an inner wall 31 and an outer wall 32. The inner wall 31 and the outer wall 32 are spaced apart to form a hollow sandwich therebetween. The hollow interlayer can weaken the heat transfer function between the inner wall 31 and the outer wall 32, thereby reducing the loss of heat in the water tank 30 to the outside.

The insulation structure can also be constructed as an insulation layer of an insulation material. This heat preservation can be attached on the wall of water tank 30, weakens the heat transfer effect between the inside of water tank 30 and the external world to reduce thermal loss. In the present embodiment, the insulating layer 33 is provided between the inner wall 31 and the outer wall 32. That is, the hollow interlayer between the inner wall 31 and the outer wall 32 is filled with an insulating material such as phenolic resin foam or absorbent cotton to form the above-described insulating layer 33. Therefore, the heat preservation effect is realized through a dual means, and the heat loss can be greatly reduced.

Of course, in another embodiment, the heat insulating structure may not be provided. It will be appreciated that in such an embodiment, the effect on the heat recovery of the steam is weak due to the heat dissipation of the water tank.

It will be appreciated that with a closed water tank 30, when the sum of the air pressure therein and the water pressure at the steam outlet 52 is greater than the pressure within the cooking space 12, steam will not enter the water tank 30 through the steam outlet channel 50. Therefore, it is preferable that the water tank 30 is provided with a vent passage 34 to communicate with the outside so that the pressure inside the water tank 30 is balanced with the outside. Therefore, the situation that the pressure in the water tank 30 is gradually increased due to the continuous introduction of the steam, and the steam cannot enter the water tank 30 due to the overlarge pressure can be avoided.

In addition, the cooking space 12 communicates with the water tank 30 through the steam lead-out passage 50, and the steam outlet 52 is located in the water. Therefore, when the air pressure in the cooking space 12 is reduced (e.g., after stopping heating and cooling) to be less than the air pressure in the water tank 30, there is a possibility that the water in the water tank 30 enters the cooking space 12 through the steam outlet passage 50. This is undesirable for the user. Therefore, the steam lead-out channel 50 is provided with a suck-back prevention structure to prevent water from entering the cooking space 12 through the steam lead-out channel 50.

As shown in fig. 2, in the present embodiment, the suck back prevention structure is constructed as a needle hole 53 which is provided on a portion of the steam lead-out passage 50 inside the water tank 30 and is higher than the highest liquid level inside the water tank 30. The pin hole 53 can balance the air pressure between the water tank 30 and the cooking space 12, and avoid the situation that the pressure in the cooking space 12 is lower than the pressure in the water tank 30, thereby preventing the suck-back phenomenon.

In further embodiments, the suck back prevention structure may also be configured as a check valve disposed in the vapor lead-out passage 50. The one-way valve can only be opened in a direction from the cooking space 12 to the water tank 30. While the one-way valve remains closed in the direction from the water tank 30 to the cooking space 12. Thus, the function of preventing suck-back can be achieved.

In the present embodiment, the cooking appliance 1 includes two portions, a pot body 10 and a lid 20. Wherein the steam outlet channel 50 and the water pumping device 40 are at least partially disposed in the cover body 20. As shown in fig. 2, a part of the first water pipe 41, the second water pipe 42, and the water pump 43 are provided in the cover 20. The steam inlet 51 of the steam discharge channel 50 is provided on the cover 20. When the cover 20 is closed, the first water pipe 41 and the portion of the steam outlet channel 50 provided at the cover 20 are closely aligned with the respective portions provided at the water tank 30. Such a configuration can integrally provide a part of the components in the cover body 20, facilitates maintenance and replacement, and can make the structure compact.

Of course, at least a portion of one of the steam outlet channel 50 and the water pumping device 40 may be provided in the cover body 20, or both may not have a portion provided in the cover body 20.

Further, as shown in fig. 2, an exhaust passage 34 is also provided in the cover body 20. When the cover 20 is closed, the air discharge passage 34 communicates with the water tank 30. Of course, the exhaust passage 34 may be provided at other positions than the cover 20.

Further, turning again to fig. 1, the cooking appliance 1 according to the present invention may further comprise a capsule mounting means 60 and a capsule opening means (not shown). Wherein the capsule mounting means 60 can accommodate a capsule 61. The capsule 61 may enclose therein food material to be cooked, such as rice, beans, etc. The capsule opening means may open the capsule 61 to allow the food material therein to enter the cooking space 12. Thus, the cooking appliance according to the present invention can automatically add ingredients and water according to the user's setting, and complete cooking. Fully automated cooking is achieved.

According to the cooking utensil, the water tank has a heat preservation function, the steam generated during cooking is guided into the water tank, the heat contained in the steam and the condensed water can be recovered, so that the cooking utensil can be reused in subsequent cooking, and the heat preservation function is beneficial to reducing the loss of the heat, so that the effects of saving energy and water can be achieved.

According to another aspect of the invention, a cooking method for the cooking appliance is also provided. This is described in detail below in conjunction with the flow chart shown in fig. 3.

When cooking with the cooking appliance as described above, the user needs to select a cooking type (steaming, boiling, or stewing) and a required cooking amount (which may be the amount of food or the number of people having a meal, etc.) of the current cooking. Then a corresponding amount of food material is added in the cooking space. The process of adding the food material may be manually completed by the user, or automatically added by the cooking appliance by opening the capsule.

Then, the total water amount Q required for the current cooking is determined according to the cooking information. The cooking information may include the type of cooking, the amount of food material, and user preference settings (e.g., if the user likes harder and drier rice, the total water amount Q is less than the normal amount of water, and if the user likes softer and more viscous rice, the total water amount Q is more than the normal amount of water). Of course, this step may be performed by the user, and then the total water amount Q is set on the cooking appliance. The value of the total water amount Q may be calculated by a built-in algorithm or the like from the cooking information by the cooking appliance.

After determining the total amount of water Q, a first amount of water Q1 may be injected into the cooking space. Wherein the first quantity of water Q1 is less than the total quantity of water Q.

Preferably, the first amount of water Q1 may be drawn from the water tank by a water drawing device and injected into the cooking space. It will be appreciated that the water pumping device may additionally be provided with a metering device such as a flow meter to measure the amount of water injected into the cooking space. In addition, the first amount of water Q1 may also be injected from another source of water (e.g., a tap water pipe or a water purifier, etc.) in communication with the cooking space, or manually by the user. The step and the step of adding food materials into the cooking space have no fixed sequence, and a user can randomly select the food materials according to own preference.

After the food material is mixed with the water of the first amount Q1 of water in the cooking space, the cooking appliance starts cooking and heats the cooking space until the water therein boils. Since the amount of water initially injected is less than the total amount of water, the time and heat required to heat this portion of water to boiling are reduced, thereby enabling time savings in cooking.

After the first quantity of water Q1 in the cooking space is boiled for the first predetermined time T1, a second quantity of water Q2 is injected into the cooking space. It can be understood that the boiling state in the cooking space is stopped at this time because water having a temperature lower than the boiling state is injected.

Then, a second amount of water Q2 is again injected into the cooking space after a second predetermined time T2. And repeating this step until the entire amount of water injected into the cooking space is equal to the total amount of water Q, and then stopping the addition of water into the cooking space. The cooking appliance may execute the remaining cooking program until the present cooking is finished.

In the subsequent water adding step, on one hand, water can be complemented, so that the ratio of the food materials and the water cooked at this time meets the normal requirement, and the cooked food has good taste; on the other hand, the added water can inhibit the intensity of boiling in the cooking space to a certain extent, thereby having the anti-overflow effect. In addition, the second amount of water Q2 is injected into the cooking space at intervals, instead of filling the water required for cooking all at once, so that the acting time of the anti-overflow effect can be prolonged.

Preferably, during the whole heating process, the steam generated in the cooking space can be guided into the water tank through the steam guide-out channel, and then condensed again into water under the cooling effect of the water stored in the water tank to be recovered, and meanwhile, the water absorbs the heat released by the condensation of the steam and heats up.

Further preferably, the second amount of water Q2 injected into the cooking space may be drawn from the water tank by a water drawing device. As such, the temperature of the water injected into the cooking space in the second amount of water Q2 is generally high. Thus, the time and heat required for the water in the cooking space to heat to re-boil is reduced. In other words, during the heating process of cooking, a part of the heat is carried out by the steam. And a part of the heat is absorbed by the water in the water tank and is brought into the cooking space again during the subsequent water filling. Thus, the heat is recycled, and the effect of saving energy is achieved.

Preferably, in the above cooking method, the first water amount Q1 may be 1/3-2/3 of the total water amount Q, depending on the food material cooked, user preference, and the like. And, the second water amount Q2 can be flexibly set according to the cooking time length, so that water can be added into the cooking space in the second water amount Q2 for a plurality of times. Provided that Q1+ Q2 n, where n is the number of times water is added to the cooking space in the second quantity of water Q2, Q is guaranteed.

Preferably, the first predetermined time T1 may be greater than or equal to 10s, such as 10s, 20s, 30s, or 40s, etc. In addition, the second predetermined time T2 may preferably be greater than or equal to 10s, such as 10s, 20s, 30s, 40s, or the like. The specific time duration of T1 and T2 may be determined by the kind of food material, the type and duration of cooking, and user preferences, etc. It is understood that the greater the total duration of cooking, the greater the difference of Q-Q1, the greater T1 and T2 may be, and thus the water temperature of the water (the second amount of water Q2) subsequently added to the cooking space may be increased.

Unless defined otherwise, technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Terms such as "disposed" and the like, as used herein, may refer to one element being directly attached to another element or one element being attached to another element through intervening elements. Features described herein in one embodiment may be applied to another embodiment, either alone or in combination with other features, unless the feature is otherwise inapplicable or otherwise stated in the other embodiment.

The present invention has been described in terms of the above embodiments, but it should be understood that the above embodiments are for purposes of illustration and description only and are not intended to limit the invention to the scope of the described embodiments. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many variations and modifications may be made to the teachings of the invention, which fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

Claims

1. A cooking method for a cooking appliance having a cooking space, the cooking method comprising:

heating the cooking space to boil water therein;

2. The cooking method of claim 1, wherein the cooking appliance further comprises a water tank for containing water, the first amount of water injected into the cooking space being from the water tank.

3. The cooking method of claim 2, further comprising introducing water vapor generated within the cooking space into water contained in the water tank.

4. The cooking method of claim 3, wherein the second amount of water injected into the cooking space is water in the water tank after heat exchange with the water vapor.

5. The cooking method of claim 1, wherein the first predetermined time is greater than or equal to 10 seconds.

6. The cooking method of claim 1, wherein the second predetermined time is greater than or equal to 10 seconds.

7. The cooking method of claim 1, wherein the first amount of water is 1/3-2/3 of the total amount of water.