JP2004024267A - Method for cooking food by steam and microwave - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for cooking food, keeping good quality and quickly cooking or thawing various foods. <P>SOLUTION: The method for cooking a food 23 with microwave and steam comprises putting the food 23 in a heating room 11 and controlling a steam generator 13 and the microwave. As the steam amount, microwave output and heating time with steam and microwave in the heating room are adjustable to cook in the most suitable conditions according to each food, so the various foods are thawed and cooked well. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

(4) The present invention relates to a food heating and cooking method for heating and cooking various foods while quickly maintaining good quality.

As a conventional heating method of this type, a heating cooker as shown in FIG. 8 has been known. Hereinafter, the configuration will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, in the conventional heating cooker, a magnetron 2 that generates a microwave is provided in a heating chamber 1 and the heating chamber 1 is irradiated with a radio wave. A steam generation chamber 3 is provided on a side surface of the heating chamber 1. A sheath heater 4 is provided in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the steam generation chamber 3 to heat water in the steam generation chamber 3. Water is supplied from the water tank 5 to the steam generating chamber 3. The steam generated in the steam generation chamber 3 by the heating of the sheath heater 4 is guided into the heating chamber 1. The food 6 in the heating chamber 1 is microwave-heated by radio waves from the magnetron 2 and cooked by steam from the steam generation chamber 3 (for example, see Patent Document 1).

The sheathed heater 4 needs electric power of about 1000 W to generate sufficient steam. When using a 100 V power supply for home use, only the steam heating is used alone, or the steam heating and the output are suppressed at a low level. It was a general cooking method to select either a combined heating method using microwaves or a heating method using only microwave heating.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the amount of generated steam with the elapse of the heating time of the conventional cooking device. FIG. 9 shows a state in which energization of the sheathed heater is started at the same time as the start of heating, the steam generator is operated, and the operation is stopped when 10 minutes have elapsed. The water in the steam generation chamber is heated by a sheath heater, and is heated to a high temperature to generate steam. Generally, a rise time of about 2 to 4 minutes is required. When the steam generator is stopped, the steam generation continues due to the heat capacity of the hot water in the steam generation chamber or the sheath heater, and the steam generator is stopped after the steam continues to flow for about 2 minutes.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 55-39488

However, according to such a conventional heating cooker, the heat of the sheathed heater is transmitted to the steam generation chamber, and the heat is indirectly conducted, such as heating the water in the steam generation chamber. For this reason, the heating efficiency is poor, and the power of the sheath heater becomes large when trying to generate a sufficient amount of steam.When using it in a place with a limited power supply capacity, only microwave heating or only steam heating In the case of using a single heating method or a combination of microwave heating and steam heating, it was only possible to use a heating method in an inadequate state in which each power was reduced.

Because the sheathed heater and the steam generating chamber have a large heat capacity, the temperature does not rise immediately even when power is supplied to the sheathed heater to start heating, and it takes a while to start up. For this reason, it is necessary to take a preheating time before starting cooking or to lengthen the cooking time accordingly. In addition, even if the power of the sheath heater is turned off in order to end the cooking, steam is generated for a while due to the heat capacity of the sheath heater.

The present invention is intended to solve such a conventional problem. By efficiently generating steam in a heating chamber, it is possible to more effectively use a combination of microwave heating and steam heating, and to use microwave or steam. The object of the present invention is to efficiently cook food by performing the above control more efficiently.

In addition, by controlling the microwave heating and steam heating optimally for the characteristics of frozen foods and various foods, it is intended to realize cooking that is close to ideal.

In order to solve the conventional problem, the food heating and cooking method using steam and microwaves according to the present invention includes microwave generating means for irradiating microwaves into a heating chamber, and steam generating means for supplying steam into the heating chamber. A control unit for controlling the microwave generating means and the steam generating means, wherein the control unit controls the optimal microwave and steam in accordance with the state of the food or the difference in the food, while the food temperature is a minus temperature. During the period, the microwave is heated only by microwaves that easily penetrate into the food, and the operation of the steam generator starts when the food is thawed and the freezing has melted and the food temperature has turned to approximately plus. Then, heating and cooking are performed using microwaves and steam.

As a result, a steam generator that efficiently generates steam with low power is realized, and even with limited power, by using microwave heating and steam heating in combination, the heating time is short and the efficiency is high. By preventing the evaporation, the food can be prevented from drying due to the heating, and it is possible to realize the moist and good-quality cooked food. In addition, it is possible to improve the controllability of generating and stopping steam, and it is possible to cook various foods by controlling the microwave and steam according to the condition of each food or the difference of foods. The effect of heating and cooking in a good condition is realized.

As described above, according to the first to fifth aspects of the present invention, power consumption required for steam generation can be reduced, so that even when microwave heating and steam heating are used in combination, Of the limited total input power, the power for microwave heating can be increased, and a cooking method with a high heating speed can be realized.

In addition, when performing thawing cooking of frozen food, heating is performed only by microwaves at the beginning of heating cooking, and the operation of the steam generator is started when the thawing of the food progresses and the freezing melts and the food temperature turns to approximately plus. Start and cook with microwaves and steam. According to this cooking method, the evaporation of moisture from food tends to occur after the temperature of the food reaches a positive temperature, but the evaporation of moisture from the food is prevented by the steam wrapping around the food by the steam in the heating chamber. Since the heating cooking can be advanced while preventing the drying, it is possible to realize a good heating cooking which is moist and has a good finished state. Since the steam generator is operated for the required time, no extra power is required, and energy is saved in this aspect as well.

The invention according to claim 1 includes a heating chamber for storing food, microwave generating means for irradiating the heating chamber with microwaves, and steam generating means for supplying steam to the heating chamber, wherein the microwave generation is performed. Means and a control unit for controlling the steam generating means, wherein the control unit controls the optimal microwave and steam according to the state of the food or the difference in the food, while the microwave is kept at a food temperature between the minus temperature and the microwave. Heats the food using only the microwaves that easily penetrate into the food, and when the thawing of the food progresses and the freezing melts and the food temperature turns to approximately plus, the operation of the steam generator starts, and the microwave and steam By performing heating cooking, the evaporation of water from food becomes more likely to occur after the food temperature reaches a positive temperature, but the steam in the heating chamber wraps around the food. Ri, to prevent evaporation of moisture from the food, proceed cooked while preventing drying.

The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that a heating chamber for storing food, microwave generating means for irradiating the heating chamber with microwaves, and steam generating means for supplying steam to the heating chamber are provided, Means and a control unit for controlling the steam generating means, wherein the control unit controls the optimal microwave and steam according to the condition of the food or the difference in the food, and while the food temperature is a minus temperature, high output. The microwave is heated with the output of the low-power steam generator, the food is thawed, the freezing is thawed, and the temperature of the food is turned positive. Is increased to a medium output, and from the time the food temperature rises to about the medium temperature, the microwave output is reduced to a low output, and the output of the steam generator is increased to a high output for cooking. By changing the output of the microwave and the output of the steam generator in accordance with the progress of the heating in this way, when the food is frozen, the microwave easily penetrates deeply into the ice to quickly thaw. . Next, the temperature can be gradually increased while preventing the temperature of the food from becoming uneven due to the microwaves and steam of the medium output.

The invention according to claim 3 is provided with a heating chamber for storing food, microwave generating means for irradiating the heating chamber with microwaves, and steam generating means for supplying steam to the heating chamber, A control unit for controlling the means and the steam generating means, said control unit changing the output of the microwave and the output of the steam generator in accordance with the progress of the heating, and in the final stage where the heating proceeds and the temperature of the food increases considerably. In addition, by performing heating cooking slowly with a low-power microwave, heating is advanced while utilizing heat transfer occurring inside the food, that is, carryover heating. The higher the temperature of the food, the more easily the moisture of the food evaporates.However, since the inside of the refrigerator is filled with a large amount of steam, evaporation can be sufficiently prevented and the food is heated by the heat of the steam. In this case, the heat is prevented from dissipating, and the food is heated so as to wrap the whole food, so that the whole food can be cooked uniformly, prevented from drying, and in a moist and good finished state.

The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the microwave generation unit includes a heating chamber for storing food, a microwave generation unit for irradiating the heating chamber with microwaves, and a steam generation unit for supplying steam to the heating chamber. Means and a control unit for controlling the steam generation means, wherein the control unit changes the output of the microwave and the output of the steam generator according to the progress of the heating, and at the end of the heating, stops the operation of the steam generator. By stopping the operation early by the amount of time when the steam in the room is reduced, then stopping the operation of the microwave and ending the heating cooking, the steam in the heating room is reduced at the end of the heating, and the food is reduced. It is easy to handle without touching hot steam when taking it out.

The invention described in claim 5 relates to claim 1 in particular, wherein the control unit controls the microwave output to decrease and the output of the steam generation unit to increase with the elapse of the heating time, so that the efficiency can be reduced even with a small amount of power. By realizing a steam generator that generates steam well, by using microwave heating and steam heating even with limited electric power, heating time is short and efficient, and by preventing evaporation of food moisture, It is possible to prevent the food from drying due to the heating, and to realize moist cooking with a good finish. In addition, it is possible to improve the controllability of generating and stopping steam, and it is possible to cook various foods by controlling the microwave and steam according to the condition of each food or the difference of foods. It can be cooked in a good condition.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Example 1)
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a cooking device according to the food heating method of the present invention. The heating chamber 11 is provided with a magnetron 12 as a microwave generating means, and the heating chamber 11 is irradiated with microwaves. A steam generation chamber 13 made of a non-magnetic material is provided on a side surface of the heating chamber 11. One end of the steam generation chamber 13 is connected to the heating chamber 11 by an outflow pipe 14, and the other end is connected to a water tank 16 by an inflow pipe 15. A heat generating metal body 17 made of a magnetic metal is accommodated inside the steam generation chamber 13. The heat-generating metal body 17 may be any material as long as it generates heat by a magnetic field, and the shape is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, a foamed or fibrous metal body is used in order to increase a contact area with water. . If the material forming the steam generating chamber 13 is not made of a non-magnetic material but is made of a magnetic material, it is not necessary to provide the heat-generating metal body 17.

(4) An exciting coil 18 is wound around the outer periphery of the steam generating chamber 13, and the exciting coil 18 is connected to an inverter power supply 19 for supplying an alternating current. An alternating magnetic field is generated in the exciting coil 18 by the current from the inverter power supply 19. An eddy current is generated in the heat-generating metal body 17 by the alternating magnetic field, and the heat-generating metal body 17 generates heat due to the eddy current. The water in the steam generating chamber 13 is heated by the heat of the heat generating metal body 17 to generate steam, and the steam enters the heating chamber 11 through the outflow pipe 14. A high-voltage power supply 21 supplies high-voltage power to the magnetron 12. The on / off operation of the inverter power supply 19 and the high voltage power supply 21 or the power control of each power supply is performed by the control unit 20. A saucer 22 having an opening through which steam passes is provided in the heating chamber 11, and a food 23 is placed on the upper surface.

(4) The exciting coil 18 does not generate heat itself, and the eddy current causes the heat-generating metal body 17 to directly generate heat. This heat is directly transmitted to water, and steam is efficiently generated.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the amount of steam in the heating chamber of the cooking device according to the heating method of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows the change in the amount of steam in the heating chamber with the elapse of the heating time. The operation of the steam generator as the steam generating means was started with the start of the heating, and the operation of the steam generator was stopped with the end of the heating. The state is shown. In the experiment, when the output of the inverter power supply 19 was set to 400 W to heat the heat-generating metal body 17, generation of steam started when the rise time was about 10 seconds, and generation of steam stopped approximately several seconds after the end of heating. Thus, with the operation of the steam generator, the operation of generating and stopping the steam was able to follow the operation in a much earlier time than before. Also, the input power required for steam generation was very small. This is because the alternating magnetic field of the exciting coil 18 by the electric power from the inverter power supply 19 instantaneously heats the heat-generating metal body 17, heats the water in the steam generation chamber 13 and efficiently generates steam. This is remarkable when the heat generating metal body 17 is a foamed metal having a large contact area with water or a fibrous metal. In addition, the presence of the heat-generating metal body 17 in the volume of the steam generating chamber 13 reduces the proportion of the volume occupied by water, so that only a small volume of water needs to be heated. Is connected to what can happen.

The steam generation time is preferably as short as possible, but is practically less than 1 minute, preferably around 10 seconds.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the food temperature and the amount of steam during cooking in the heating chamber of the heating cooker according to the heating method of the present invention. In FIG. 3, the micro starts the operation of the generating means and the operation of the steam generating means simultaneously with the start of the heating. In addition, when the heating is completed, the two processes are simultaneously performed. Because the steam generator rises quickly, even if the microwave operation is started and the steam generator is started at the same time, only a few seconds at the time of startup are microwave heating alone, and most of the cooking time Is cooked by both microwaves and steam, and the heating is performed while suppressing the evaporation of water in the food, so that good cooking can be realized with a moist and good finished state.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the food temperature and the amount of steam during cooking in a state where the frozen food is being cooked in the heating cooker according to the heating method of the present invention. In FIG. 4, while the food is frozen, that is, while the food temperature is a minus temperature, the microwave is easily transmitted into the food, so that heating is performed only by the microwave. The operation of the steam generator is started from the time when the thawing of the food proceeds and the freezing is melted and the food temperature turns to approximately plus, and heating and cooking is performed using microwaves and steam. Evaporation of water from foods tends to occur after the food temperature reaches a positive temperature, but the steam in the heating chamber wraps the surroundings of the food, preventing evaporation of water from the food and preventing drying. Since the heating cooking can be advanced, it is possible to realize good heating cooking which is also moist and has a good finished state. Since the steam generator is operated only for the required time, no extra power is required and energy is saved.

In addition, since the power consumption required for steam generation can be reduced, even when microwave heating and steam heating are used in combination, the power for microwave heating can be reduced within the limited total input power. And a cooking method with a high heating speed can be realized.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of another embodiment showing the relationship between the food temperature and the amount of steam during cooking in the heating chamber of the heating cooker according to the heating method of the present invention. In FIG. 5, the start of the operation of the microwave generation unit and the start of the operation of the steam generation unit are performed simultaneously with the start of the heating. Then, at the end of the heating, the operation of the steam generator is stopped earlier by the time when the steam in the heating chamber decreases. Thereafter, the operation of the microwave is stopped, and the heating and cooking are completed. As a result, the steam in the heating chamber is reduced at the end of heating, and a cooking method that is easy to handle without contacting high-temperature steam when taking out food can be realized.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the temperature of food and the amount of steam during cooking in another embodiment in which the frozen food is heated and cooked in the heating cooker according to the heating method of the present invention. In FIG. 6, while the food is frozen, that is, while the food temperature is a minus temperature, heating is performed with the high-power microwave and the output of the low-power steam generator. Next, when the thawing of the food proceeds and the freezing is melted and the temperature of the food turns substantially positive, the microwave output is reduced to the medium output, and the output of the steam generator is increased to the medium output. Then, when the temperature of the food rises to about the middle temperature, the output of the microwave is reduced to a low output, and the output of the steam generator is increased to a high output. By changing the output of the microwave and the output of the steam generator in accordance with the progress of the heating in this way, when the food is frozen, the microwave easily penetrates deeply into the ice to quickly thaw. . Next, the temperature is gradually increased while preventing the temperature of the food from becoming uneven due to the microwaves and the steam of the medium output. At this time, the output steam is effective in keeping the temperature of the food uniform and preventing evaporation of the water content of the food. In the final stage in which the temperature of the food rises considerably as the heating progresses, the temperature unevenness is more likely to occur. Therefore, the heating is advanced by utilizing the heat transfer occurring inside the food, that is, the carry-over heating, more slowly by the low-power microwave. The higher the temperature of the food, the more easily the moisture of the food evaporates.However, since the inside of the refrigerator is filled with a large amount of steam, evaporation can be sufficiently prevented and the food is heated by the heat of the steam. In this case, the heat is prevented from dissipating, and the food is heated so as to wrap the whole food, so that the whole food can be cooked uniformly, prevented from drying, and in a moist and good finished state.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of another cooking device according to the food heating method of the present invention. The heating chamber 31 is provided with a magnetron 32 as a microwave generating means, and the heating chamber 31 is irradiated with microwaves. A steam generation chamber 33 made of a non-magnetic material is provided on a side surface of the heating chamber 31. The lower end of the steam generation chamber 33 is connected to the heating chamber 31 by an outflow pipe 34, and the upper end is connected to a water tank 36 by an inflow pipe 35. A faucet 37 for adjusting the flow rate of water is provided between the inflow pipe 35 and the water tank 36. A heat generating metal body 38 made of a magnetic metal is housed inside the steam generating chamber 33. The heating metal body 38 uses a metal body formed in a foamed or fibrous shape in order to increase a contact area with water. An exciting coil 39 is wound around the outer periphery of the steam generating chamber 33, and the exciting coil 39 is connected to an inverter power supply 41 that supplies an alternating current. An alternating magnetic field is generated in the exciting coil 39 by the current from the inverter power supply 41. An eddy current is generated in the heat generating metal body 38 by the alternating magnetic field, and the heat generating metal body 38 generates heat by the eddy current. Water from a water tank 36 is injected from an inflow pipe 35 from above the heating metal body 38. At this time, the flow rate of water is controlled by the function of the faucet 37, and only the amount of water necessary for evaporation of water is dropped. The water dropped into the steam generating chamber 33 is heated by the heat of the heat-generating metal body 17 to generate steam, and the steam enters the heating chamber 31 through the outflow pipe 34. A fan 40 blows the steam generated in the steam generation chamber 33 so as to be introduced into the heating chamber 31. 43 is a high voltage power supply for supplying high voltage power to the magnetron 32. The on / off operation of the inverter power supply 41 and the high voltage power supply 43 or the power control of each power supply is performed by the control unit 42. In the heating chamber 31, a saucer 44 having an opening through which steam passes is provided, and a food 45 is placed on the upper surface. The exciting coil 39 itself does not generate heat, and the eddy current causes the heat-generating metal body 38 to directly generate heat, so that this heat is directly transmitted to water, and steam is efficiently generated.

According to the heating method based on the configuration of such a heating cooker, only the water required for evaporation needs to be heated, so that the amount of water to be heated is extremely small, and steam is generated almost instantaneously with little power. It is possible to start heating and finish heating instantaneously, and it is possible to realize optimal heating control according to the progress of heating and cooking of food, so that optimal heating and cooking is performed according to each food I can do it.

Also, since the amount of water required for steam generation is small, the amount of water supply is small and there is no need to supply water frequently, so it is not bothersome and easy to use.

Sectional view of a heating cooker according to the food heating method of the present invention Diagram showing the amount of steam in the heating chamber by the heating method of the present invention Diagram showing the relationship between the food temperature and the amount of steam during cooking in the heating chamber by the heating method of the present invention Diagram showing the relationship between the food temperature during cooking and the amount of steam during cooking of frozen food by the heating method of the present invention. Diagram of another embodiment showing the relationship between the food temperature during cooking and the amount of steam during cooking by the heating method of the present invention In another embodiment of heating and cooking frozen food by the heating method of the present invention, a diagram showing the relationship between the food temperature during cooking and the amount of steam Sectional view of another heating cooker according to the food heating method of the present invention Sectional view of a heating cooker according to a conventional heating method Diagram showing the amount of steam generated during heating by a conventional heating method

Explanation of reference numerals

11 heating room 12 magnetron (microwave generating means)
13 Steam generation chamber 17 Heating metal body 18 Excitation coil 19 Inverter power supply 20 Control unit

Claims (5)

A heating chamber for storing food, microwave generating means for irradiating the heating chamber with microwaves, and steam generating means for supplying steam into the heating chamber, control for controlling the microwave generating means and the steam generating means The control unit controls the microwave and steam optimally according to the state of the food or the difference in the food, and while the food temperature is a minus temperature, the microwave easily penetrates into the food. A food heating and cooking method in which heating is performed only by waves and the food is thawed and the freezing is thawed and the temperature of the food is turned to a positive value, and then the steam generator starts operating and heating and cooking is performed using microwaves and steam. . A heating chamber for storing food, microwave generating means for irradiating the heating chamber with microwaves, and steam generating means for supplying steam into the heating chamber, control for controlling the microwave generating means and the steam generating means The control unit controls the optimum microwave and steam according to the state of the food or the difference of the food, and generates high-power microwave and low-power steam while the food temperature is minus temperature. Heating is performed at the output of the vessel, the thawing of the food proceeds, the freezing is thawed, and the temperature of the food is turned to a positive value.At the same time, the microwave output is reduced to the medium output, the output of the steam generator is increased to the medium output, and A food heating and cooking method in which microwave power is reduced to a low output and the steam generator output is raised to a high output when the temperature of the food rises to about the middle temperature. A heating chamber for storing food, microwave generating means for irradiating the heating chamber with microwaves, and steam generating means for supplying steam into the heating chamber, control for controlling the microwave generating means and the steam generating means The control unit changes the output of the microwave and the output of the steam generator according to the progress of the heating, and then, at the final stage in which the heating proceeds and the temperature of the food considerably increases, the microwave is further slowly reduced with a lower power. Food heating and cooking method. A heating chamber for storing food, microwave generating means for irradiating the heating chamber with microwaves, and steam generating means for supplying steam into the heating chamber, control for controlling the microwave generating means and the steam generating means The control unit changes the output of the microwave and the output of the steam generator in accordance with the progress of the heating, and at the end of the heating, stops the operation of the steam generator for only the time during which the steam in the heating chamber decreases. A food heating and cooking method in which the operation is stopped early, and then the operation of the microwave is stopped to end the cooking. The food heating and cooking method according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs the heating cooking by controlling the microwave output to decrease and the output of the steam generating unit to increase as the heating time elapses.

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