GB2379153A

GB2379153A - Cooking process

Info

Publication number: GB2379153A
Application number: GB0206692A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Katharina Hufnagel; Andrea Jurgens; Michael Greiner; Jurgen Klasmeier; Jaroslav Klouda; Rene Markus
Original assignee: Rational AG
Current assignee: Rational AG
Priority date: 2001-03-22
Filing date: 2002-03-21
Publication date: 2003-03-05
Anticipated expiration: 2022-03-21
Also published as: GB2379153B; FR2822529A1; DE10114080C1; GB0206692D0; ITMI20020527A0; FR2822529B1; ITMI20020527A1

Abstract

The cooking of food is controlled in response to the sensing of a liquid substance released by the food during cooking. Liquid substances released by food 6 during cooking are sensed by a sensor 9. The sensor may detect temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, optical properties, smell or the reaction to enzymes. Cleaning of the cooking apparatus may be controlled in response to such measurements.

Description

PATENTS ACT 1977

"Improvements in or relating to cooking" THIS INVENTION relates to cooking, and more particularly relates to a method of determining a cooking parameter from substances released by food during cooking and a cooking appliance for performing this method.

Cooking appliances are known generally from the prior art. These

cooking appliances frequently comprise sensors by means of which gaseous substances released from the food during a cooking process can be detected.

EP 0 701 388 A2, for example, describes a cooking appliance wherein the cooking process can be controlled in dependence on the measurement of the moisture inside the cooking chamber. For this purpose, a humidity measuring sensor is disposed in a bypass to the cooking chamber to avoid excessive thermal loading of the sensor.

DE 29 35 862 C2 discloses a cooking and roasting oven in which the energy supply to a heating source is adjusted in dependence on a control signal delivered by a sensor. The sensor is a gas sensor for determining the concentration of at least one gas liberated from the food during the cooking or roasting operation and is disposed outside the cooking chamber of the cooking and roasting oven.

42 39 334 Al discloses the spatial arrangement of a gas sensor in a side channel port of a vapour discharge channel for controlling cooking processes,

wherein a functionally correct and non-destructive operation of the gas sensor is to be guaranteed by a special spatial arrangement.

EP O 148 162 Bl describes a cooking appliance comprising a sensor to detect a gaseous substance released by food heated in the cooking chamber of the cooking appliance. The sensor is disposed outside the cooking chamber in such manner that the gaseous substance must diffuse towards the sensor or be fed to the sensor via a fan.

A disadvantage of the methods or cooking appliances known from the prior art is that only the gaseous components such as moisture or volatile

organic substances released by the food during cooking are detected and used for the open and/or closed loop control.

The object of this invention therefore is to provide a method which obviates the disadvantages of the prior art.

According to the present invention, there is provided a method of determining at least one cooking parameter from at least one organic liquid substance released from food during a cooking process in the cooking chamber of a cooking appliance, and open and/or closed loop control of the cooking process and/or of a cleaning process in dependence on the cooking parameter detected. Preferably, the substance is detected qualitatively and/or quantitatively for the purpose of determining the cooking parameter.

Advantageously, the cooking parameter detected is the temperature of the substance, the pH of the substance, the electrical conductivity of the

substance, optical properties of the substance, the smell of the substance and/or the behaviour when the substance is subjected to the action of enzymes.

According to the present invention, there is provided a method of determining a method of determining at least one cooking parameter from at least one organic liquid substance released from food during a cooking process in the cooking chamber of a cooking appliance, and open and/or closed loop control of the cooking process andlor of a cleaning process in dependence on the cooking parameter detected.

Conveniently, there is provided a cooking appliance for performing a method as set out above, characterised by at least one sensor for detecting a cooking parameter from at least one organic liquid substance released by food during a cooking process in the cooking chamber of a cooking appliance.

Conveniently, the sensor is disposed in a bypass to the cooking chamber and/or an outlet from the cooking chamber.

Preferably, the sensor is a temperature sensor, a pH sensor, a sensor for the electrical conductivity, an optical sensor, a smell sensor and/or an enzyme sensor. Advantageously, there is provided an open and/or closed loop control system operatively connected to the sensor.

Advantageously, the cooking process and/or a cleaning process is adapted to open and/or closed loop control via the open and/or closed loop control system.

The invention is therefore based on the surprising finding that it is possible to determine a cooking parameter from an organic liquid substance released from food during a cooking process, by the provision of at least one sensor which qualitatively and/or quantitatively detects a specific proper of the liquid substance. The specific proper of the substance may be its pH value, its electrical conductivity, its optical behaviour, including spectroscopic behaviour, its smell and/or its behaviour when subjected to enzymes acting thereon, and after they have been detected they can be used for open and/or closed loop control of a cooking process and/or of a cleaning process.

The invention also provides a cooking appliance in which, preferably, a sensor for detecting the said specific properties is so disposed that it is protected from negative influences from the cooking chamber. In this connection, it should be specially mentioned that conventional sensors have a high temperature sensitivity so that care should be taken to avoid thermal overloading of the sensor. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, therefore, the sensor is disposed in a bypass and/or an outlet of the cooking chamber. Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description in which one exemplified embodiment of the

invention is explained in detail with reference to a diagrammatic drawing consisting of a single figure. The drawing is a cross-section through a cooking appliance according to the invention in which the method according to the invention can be applied.

List of references 1 Cooking appliance 2 Cooking chamber 3 Fan chamber 4 Air baffle plate 5 Tray 6 Food for cooking 7 Collector 8 Outlet 9 Sensor 1 0 Valve A cooking appliance 1 according to the invention comprises a cooking chamber 2 and a fan chamber 3 which is separated from the cooking chamber 2 by an air baffle plate 4. Other components of the cooking appliance 1, such as the impeller, motor, steam generator, outgoing air duct and the like, have been omitted in order to avoid overloading the drawing. Food 6 for cooking is disposed on a tray S inside the cooking chamber. Beneath the tray 5 is a collector 7 which leads into an outlet 8 which is taken out of the cooking appliance. A sensor 9 is disposed inside the outlet 8. The outlet 8 is closable via a closure device 10 such as a flap or slide valve.

During cooking in the cooking appliance 1 according to the invention, the food 6 is heated to a predetermined temperature. On heating up, the food 6 evolves gaseous substances, such as water vapour, and readily volatile organic substances, and also liquid substances, for example in the form of a juice exuded from a piece of meat during roasting. Determining the quality and/or

quantity of these liquid organic substances provides information as to the quantity and/or quality of the food.

The liquid organic substances exuded by the food 6 can pass to the outlet 8 via the collector 7, and in the outlet they can be determined in respect of quality and/or quantity by means of the sensor 9. The sensor 9 may, for example, be a pH sensor. It is also feasible for other sensors to be provided in the cooking appliance 1 in addition to the sensor 9, and, for example, they also enable the gaseous substances evolved by the food to be determined.

The sensor 9 can be connected operatively to a closed and/or open loop control system so that on the basis of the data detected by the sensor 9 it is possible to provide open and/or closed loop control of a cooking process and/or of a cleaning process following the cooking process.

In the present specification "comprises" means "includes or consists of'

and "comprising" means "including or consisting of''.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following

claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

- 1. A method of determining at least one cooking parameter from at least one organic liquid substance released from food during a cooking process in the cooking chamber of a cooking appliance, and open and/or closed loop control of the cooking process and/or of a cleaning process in dependence on the cooking parameter detected.
2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the substance is detected qualitatively and/or quantitatively for the purpose of determining the cooking parameter.
3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the cooking parameter detected is the temperature of the substance, the pH of the substance, the electrical conductivity of the substance, optical properties of the substance, the smell of the substance and/or the behaviour when the substance is subjected to the action of enzymes.
4. A method of determining at least one cooking parameter, the method comprising the steps of sensing a specific property of an organic liquid substance released from food during a cooking process.
5. A cooking appliance for performing a method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by at least one sensor (9) for detecting a cooking parameter from at least one organic liquid substance released by food (6) during a cooking process in the cooking chamber (2) of a cooking appliance (1).
6. A cooking appliance according to claim 5, characterized in that the sensor (9) is disposed in a bypass to the cooking chamber (2) and/or an outlet (8) from the cooking chamber (2).
7. A cooking appliance according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the sensor (9) is a temperature sensor, a pH sensor, a sensor for the electrical conductivity, an optical sensor, a smell sensor and/or an enzyme sensor.
8. A cooking appliance according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized by an open and/or closed loop control system operatively connected to the sensor (9).
9. A cooking appliance according to Claim 8, characterized in that a

cooking process and/or a cleaning process is adapted to open and/or closed loop control via the open and/or closed loop control system.
10. A cooking appliance substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawing.

Any novel feature or combination of features disclosed herein.