EP2608635A1 - Cooking device and method for operating same - Google Patents

Abstract

The method involves actuating a thermal heat source (4) by a regulating device for heating a cooking space (2), and subsequently actuating a microwave heat source (5) by the regulating device during each supplementary process for supporting the process, where the regulating device actuates the microwave heat source at controlled power. The power of the microwave heat source is changed over the course of the process, where the microwave heat source is connected only in a heating phase. The power of the microwave heat source is adapted to the power of the thermal heat source. An independent claim is also included for a cooking apparatus.

Description

The present invention relates to a cooking appliance and a method for operating a cooking appliance having at least one cooking chamber and at least one door closing the cooking chamber. The cooking chamber can be heated with at least one thermal heat source. There is further provided a microwave heating source.

When preparing a food, a user can resort to a variety of cooking systems that allow the preparation of food with different cooking methods. For example, in a cooking appliance with a cooking compartment, a user may choose between upper and lower heat, a grill function, recirculation mode, gas mode, steam cooking, and microwave mode to select the most appropriate cooking method for the particular dish.

However, the most advantageous cooking method for the cooking result is often not the method with the best energy efficiency. If crusting or browning of the food is desired, usually top and bottom heat or recirculation mode are selected. However, the efficiency of thermal heat sources, for example, is lower than the efficiency of a Mikrowellenheizquelle. This is due to the fact that when using a thermal heat source, the cooking chamber must first be brought to the desired temperature and that the hot air used for cooking reaches the food only from the outside. An advantage of thermal heat sources is an optimal cooking result, but the disadvantage is the relatively high energy consumption.

A microwave heating source, on the other hand, has better efficiency, since the energy of the microwaves is immediately available and the food is cooked from the inside. However, with a microwave, not every cooking result can be optimally reached. For example, a pleasant browning and / or crusting is not possible on the microwave operation. A microwave is mainly for warming up food.

Garments have become known which have top and bottom heat and also a microwave heat source. Then, if necessary, a pleasant cooking result can be achieved via top and bottom heat, or the microwave can be used to warm up food. It is also conceivable to operate both heat sources at the same time. However, a significant disadvantage is that complicated manual settings are necessary and the user does not know which settings lead to a desired result.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cooking appliance and a method for operating a cooking appliance, which has an appealing cooking result with a high efficiency.

This object is achieved by a method for operating a cooking appliance with the features of claim 1 and by a cooking appliance with the features of claim 10. Preferred embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims. Further advantages and features will become apparent from the general description and the description of the embodiment.

The inventive method is suitable for operating a cooking appliance with at least one cooking chamber and at least one door closing the cooking chamber. In this case, at least one thermal heat source and at least one microwave heat source are provided for heating the cooking chamber, which are controlled by at least one control device. For heating the cooking chamber, the at least one thermal heat source is controlled by the control device. Additionally, in essentially any cooking process, the microwave heating source is powered by the controller to assist the cooking process.

In this case, a thermal heat source means any heat source through which the cooking space is heated and a food to be cooked is cooked from the outside. In particular, this type of heat source includes top and bottom heat, recirculation, grill function, gas heating and steam cooking or a combination of these heat sources.

Such a configured method for operating a cooking appliance offers many advantages. A considerable advantage is that the efficiency or the efficiency of such a combi appliance or Kombigargerätes increases. Regular combination of microwave operation with another thermal mode of operation avoids that a user disregards an energetically advantageous combination mode, as adjusting it may be too cumbersome. The method according to the invention combines the advantages of the individual operating modes. An appealing cooking result, for example a nice crust, is achieved, whereby the cooking time can be shortened by the combination with the microwave heating source.

In the method according to the invention, the operation of a thermal heat source is essentially always combined with the microwave heating source, whereby a user no longer needs to manually adjust the combination operation. As a result, cooking processes can be shortened, which increases the efficiency of the cooking appliance.

The control device preferably controls the microwave heating source with reduced power. As a result, a combination operation is possible, the same cooking result compared to pure operation with a thermal heat source, since the Mikrowellenheizquelle only supports the cooking process.

Under the reduced power operation of the microwave heating is understood an operation in which the cooking process is significantly supported. The proportion of the microwave heating source in the entire cooking process should not be less than 5%. The average power should still not be less than 5% of the maximum power of the microwave heat source.

For this purpose, the microwave heat source is particularly preferably operated clocked. By the clocked turning on and off of the microwave heating source, the average power of the microwave heating source can be adjusted.

In advantageous embodiments, the power of the microwave heating source can be regulated. This way you can directly influence a cooking process. These sensors can be provided in the oven. But it can also be provided for example a temperature sensor in the food. Then, the controller can adjust the power of the Mikrowellenheizquelle accordingly.

Suitably, the power of the microwave heat source is changed over the course of the cooking process. At the beginning of a cooking process, it may be advantageous to operate the microwave heating source at 100% power. In the course of the cooking process, in particular at the end of the cooking process, it may be advantageous in some cases for an optimal cooking result or, for example, a desired crust formation, to reduce the microwave power to, for example, 25%. Other benefits or performance curves may be advantageous depending on the cooking process.

It is also preferred, for example, that the microwave heating source is switched on only in the heating phase. Then the food can be quickly brought to temperature. A subsequent cooking with the thermal heat source alone then leads to a nearly identical cooking result compared to the solo operation with thermal heat source.

In preferred embodiments, the power of the Mikrowellenheizquelle is matched to the performance of the thermal heat source. Thus, unfavorable influences of the microwave heat source on sensitive foods can be avoided. If the cooking space with the thermal heat source, for example, only heated to 80 ° C, the microwave heat source could be operated at a maximum with, for example, 50% power. If a cooking chamber temperature of 250 ° C is provided, the microwave heating source could possibly also be operated at 100% maximum.

The power curve of the microwave heating source preferably depends on the food to be cooked and is adjusted accordingly.

Particularly preferably, the control of the microwave heating source is predetermined in at least one automatic program. Then a user could very easily select optimal presets of the combined mode. This achieves even better efficiency and a particularly good cooking result.

The cooking appliance according to the invention comprises at least one cooking chamber and at least one door closing the cooking chamber. The cooking chamber can be heated with at least one thermal heat source and with at least one microwave heat source. At least one control device is provided, which is suitable and designed to control the at least one thermal heating source and the microwave heating source at the same time, preferably over the entire cooking process.

The cooking appliance according to the invention also has many advantages. A significant advantage is that a regular combination of thermal heat source and microwave heating source is provided. This automatically provides a user with a very efficient mode of operation with a particularly good efficiency.

In all embodiments, it is preferred that the operation of a thermal heat source be combined with the microwave heating source at each cooking operation to ensure effective operation. But it is also possible that in special programs or maintenance functions or the like, only the Mikrowellenheizquelle or the thermal heat source is used. It is also possible that in certain cooking programs or operating modes over a certain time portion of the cooking process only the microwave heating source or the thermal heat source is used.

Further advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the embodiment, which will be explained below with reference to the accompanying figures.

Fig. 1:

eine stark schematische Darstellung eines erfindungsgemäßen Gargerätes, das als Einbaugerät ausgeführt sein kann;

Fig. 2:

die stark schematische Darstellung des Temperaturverlaufs des Garraumes und der beispielhafte Leistungsverlauf der Mikrowellenheizquelle;

Fig. 3:

die stark schematische Darstellung des Temperaturverlaufs an einem Lebensmittel während des Garvorgangs mit und ohne unterstützende Mikrowellenheizquelle; und

Fig. 4:

eine stark schematische Ansicht in den Garraum eines erfindungsgemäßen Gargerätes, wobei der kombinierte Betrieb rein schematisch dargestellt ist.

In the figures show:

Fig. 1:

a highly schematic representation of a cooking appliance according to the invention, which may be designed as a built-in appliance;

Fig. 2:

the highly schematic representation of the temperature profile of the cooking chamber and the exemplary performance of the Mikrowellenheizquelle;

3:

the highly schematic representation of the temperature profile of a food during cooking with and without supporting Mikrowellenheizquelle; and

4:

a highly schematic view into the cooking chamber of a cooking appliance according to the invention, wherein the combined operation is shown purely schematically.

In FIG. 1 is shown in a highly simplified perspective view of a cooking appliance 1, which is designed here as a combined device 100. In this case, the combined device 100 comprises a microwave heating source 4 and a thermal heating source 5, which are not shown here in detail. The thermal heat source 5 is provided here as a recirculation mode available. However, other thermal heat sources, such as upper / lower heat, gas operation, steam or a grill function may be provided in addition to or instead of the recirculation mode.

The Kombigargerät 100 has a housing 7, on which a cooking chamber 2 is provided, which is closable with a door 3. When the door 3 is open, a food can be introduced into the cooking chamber 2. The door 3 comprises a viewing window 8, through which the cooking process can be optically checked even when the door 3 is closed. In this case, the viewing window 8 is designed such that the radiation prevailing during microwave operation can not escape from the cooking chamber 2.

For controlling the cooking appliance 1, a control panel 9 is provided, the control elements not shown here 10 and also a display device 11, such as a display 12 may include.

Furthermore, in the embodiment shown here, a control device 6 is provided, which controls the thermal heat source 4 and the microwave heating source 5. If sensors are provided in the cooking chamber or, for example, a temperature spit is used, the control device 6 can readjust the power curve of the microwave heating source 5 during operation as a function of the measured values provided by the sensors and / or the temperature spit.

FIG. 2 shows a graph 14, which represents by way of example the temperature profile 13 of a cooking process in the cooking chamber 2 over time very schematically. It becomes clear that the selected cooking space temperature, here 200 ° C, only after a certain period of time t1 is achieved by the thermal heat source. This heating phase can be poorly or sometimes not even used for the cooking process. Often the food is even introduced after reaching the desired temperature in the cooking chamber 2.

In the graph 14, the use of the Mikrowellenheizquelle 5 according to the inventive method is additionally shown by way of example. The power curve 15 over time shows that the microwave heating source 5 in the cooking process shown here supports the thermal heating source 4 during the heating phase with 100% power. Thus, an effective cooking process takes place on the food even though the desired oven temperature has not yet been reached.

If the thermal heat source 4 has reached the setpoint temperature at the end of the period t1, the power of the microwave heating source 5 can be reduced or possibly even completely exposed over long stretches of the cooking process. In the example shown here, the power is initially reduced to approximately 30%. Later in the microwave heat source supports the thermal heat source only about 15%.

In the method according to the invention, the microwave heating source can be combined with a thermal heating source 4, depending on the food and cooking process, with an advantageous performance. By the combined operation and an advantageous insertion of the microwave heat source 5 during the cooking process, the cooking time can be shortened without the cooking result changes significantly. Thus, the efficiency of the cooking appliance 1 increases.

In the in FIG. 3 graphs 15 shown are exemplary temperature curves 16, 17 of two cooking processes over time. The temperature curves are shown very schematically. The dashed temperature profile 16 shows the change in temperature during the cooking process in solo mode with top and bottom heat. The temperature curve 17 shown as a solid line shows the combined operation with a microwave heat source 5. It is readily apparent that the temperature of the food increases faster and thus the cooking process is shorter. This makes energy savings of up to 30% possible. Depending on the application and cooking, however, a larger or even a smaller energy savings may be possible.

In FIG. 4 the operation of a cooking appliance 1 according to the invention with the thermal heat source 4 in combination with the Mikrowellenheizquelle 5 shown purely schematically. In this case, three insertion levels 20 can be seen, wherein in the lowest insertion level, a support 19 is inserted. On the carrier 19 is a food to be cooked 21, which should be cooked in combined operation.

The thermal heat source 4 is shown schematically here as Heißluftheizquelle 22, which distributes the heat generated by the heat source 4 by means of a fan 23 evenly in the cooking chamber 2. This distribution of heat is indicated by the curved arrows on the heat source 4. Thus, the food to be cooked 21 can be heated from the outside, whereby an optimal cooking result, here a crust formation is achieved. However, other thermal heating sources, such as, for example, top / bottom heat, gas operation, steam or a grill function may additionally be provided or instead of the hot air heat source 22.

The food to be cooked 21 is additionally cooked by the supportively operated Mikrowellenheizquelle 4 from the inside. The microwaves are indicated by the dashed arrows. By partially or even during the entire cooking process driving the Mikrowellenheizquelle the cooking process can be significantly shortened under certain circumstances.

It is further within the skill of one skilled in the art to modify the described embodiments in a manner not shown in order to achieve the effects described, without departing from the scope of the invention.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

Cooking appliance

2

oven

3

door

4

thermal heat source

5

Mikrowellenheizquelle

6

control device

7

casing

8th

window

9

control panel

10

operating element

11

display

12

display

13

temperature curve

14

graph

15

performance history

16

graph

17

temperature curve

18

temperature curve

19

carrier

20

Shelf position

21

be cooked

22

Heißluftheizquelle

23

Fan

100

combi boiler

t1

Period of time

Claims (10)

Method for operating a cooking appliance (1) having at least one cooking chamber (2) and at least one door (3) closing the cooking chamber (2), at least one thermal heating source (4) and at least one microwave heating source (5) for heating the cooking chamber (2) ) are provided, which are controlled by at least one control device (6),
characterized,
in that for heating the cooking chamber (2) at least one thermal heating source (4) is controlled by the control device (6) and that in addition during at least one heating phase the microwave heating source (5) activates the cooking process assistingly by the control device (6) during essentially every cooking process becomes. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the control device drives the microwave heat source reduced power. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the microwave heating source (5) is operated clocked to adjust the power. Method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the power of the microwave heating source (5) is regulated, for which purpose at least one sensor in the cooking chamber and / or a temperature sensor is provided in the food and the power of the Mikrowellenheizquelle (5) depending on the the measured values provided to the sensors and / or the temperature sensor is regulated. Method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the power of the microwave heating source (5) is changed over the course of the cooking process. A method according to claim 4, characterized in that the Mikrowellenheizquelle (5) is switched on only in the heating phase. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the power of the Mikrowellenheizquelle (5) is adjusted to the power of the thermal heat source (4). Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the activation of the microwave heating source (5) is predetermined in at least one automatic program. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the power curve of the microwave heating source (5) depends on the food to be cooked. Cooking appliance (1) having at least one cooking chamber (2) and at least one door (3) closing the cooking chamber (2), the cooking chamber (2) being heatable with at least one thermal heat source (4) and at least one microwave heating source (5), characterized in that
at least one control device (6) is provided, which is suitable and designed to simultaneously control the at least one thermal heat source (4) and the microwave heating source (5) at least during a heating phase of the cooking process.

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