JP2012241985A - Steam superheating device and rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem in a conventional steam generating device, wherein a special space for installation is necessary as the device often has the block shape of aluminum foundry from a viewpoint of formability, and a temperature of a casting heater must be ≤400°C, so that a temperature of superheated steam injected from a steam inlet becomes lower than 200°C, which cause difficulty in installation, and insufficient heating cooking due to low temperature of the superheated steam.SOLUTION: As the steam generating device has a simple constitution obtained by spirally winding a spiral spring in the central axis direction on a heating means to configure a heat exchange means, and forming a steam flow channel between the heat exchange means and a housing, increase in size in the radial direction can be significantly suppressed. Accordingly, the shape formed by combining a part bent in the central axis direction and a straight part, can be applied, and the steam generating device can be freely disposed while avoiding components disposed in advance in an appliance.

Description

  The present invention relates to a steam superheater that generates superheated steam, and a rice cooker using the steam superheater.

  Conventionally, in a rice cooker for home use, in order to cook rice more deliciously, it is important to sufficiently gelatinize the starch of rice. In particular, starch is gelatinized by heating rice at a high temperature during additional cooking, and the sweetness and aroma of rice are increased. Then, in addition to the heating by a pan heating means, there exists a rice cooker which heats cooked rice and water by injecting hot steam into the pan from above the pan (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-144308). However, in order to improve the deliciousness of rice by introducing superheated steam at a higher temperature, the rice cooker has limited performance as a steam heating device.

  Furthermore, there exists a heating cooker currently disclosed by patent document 2 as a cooker which generates the superheated steam of high temperature.

  In the heating cooker, a steam generator is attached to the outer wall of a heating chamber for storing the food. The steam generator has a housing made of a metal die cast such as aluminum, a cavity is formed in the housing, and heaters are cast on upper and lower wall surfaces. Furthermore, a large number of fins are formed on the inner wall of the housing.

  A water supply port is formed on one side surface of the housing, the water supply port is connected to a water supply tank, and water is supplied into the housing through the water supply port. A steam inlet for introducing steam into the heating chamber is provided at the top of the housing. When water is supplied into the steam generator from the water supply port, water is stored at the bottom of the housing, and steam is generated by driving the heater. The generated steam rises in the housing and is heated to a high temperature in contact with the wall surface and fins of the high-temperature housing. As described above, the superheated steam is generated, and the superheated steam is input into the heating chamber through the steam input port. Then, the cooked food is cooked by the superheated steam supplied into the heating chamber.

JP 2003-144308 A JP 2006-349313 A

  However, in the conventional steam generator, aluminum or aluminum alloy having high castability and high thermal conductivity is used for casting the heater, and the housing is often installed in a block shape from the viewpoint of formability. For this purpose, it was necessary to provide a dedicated space. Moreover, since the melting point of the housing is low and softens at about 400 ° C., the temperature of the heater embedded in the housing needs to be 400 ° C. or less, and the temperature of the superheated steam introduced from the steam inlet is 200 ° C. Below. Therefore, there existed a subject that there was difficulty in installation property, the temperature of superheated steam was low, and sufficient heat cooking could not be performed.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention relates to a steam superheater that can supply higher-temperature superheated steam even in a compact device where the installation location of the steam heater is restricted, and a rice cooker that can perform good rice cooking using the steam superheater The purpose is to provide.

  Therefore, even in a rice cooker that is a compact cooking device, high temperature superheated steam can be spread over the entire rice in the pan, and a rice cooker that can cook delicious rice that has been gelatinized by sufficient heat is provided. can do.

  In order to solve the conventional problems, a rice cooker of the present invention includes an intake port, an exhaust port, a heating unit, a heat exchange unit, and a steam flow path, and the heating unit and the heat exchange unit. And a housing for storing the steam flow path, wherein the heat exchanging means is provided with a spiral spring wound in a spiral shape in the central axis direction on a substantially cylindrical heating means, and the casing has a substantially cylindrical shape. The shape is a combination of a portion bent in the central axis direction and a straight portion, and is combined by sandwiching the heating means, the heat exchange means, and the steam channel from above and below with the central axis as a target. It is configured to form a cylindrical shape, and the steam at around 100 ° C. sucked from the intake port becomes high-temperature superheated steam by the heat exchange means while passing through the steam flow path, and is exhausted from the exhaust port. It is set as the steam superheater made to do.

  According to this configuration, even when it is desired to generate high-temperature superheated steam in a compact cooking appliance such as a rice cooker, the steam superheater can be freely installed in a small empty space inside the appliance.

  That is, a simple structure in which a spiral spring is wound around the heating means spirally in the central axis direction to form a heat exchange means, and a steam flow path is provided between the casing and the size increase in the radial direction can be kept extremely small. It is done. Therefore, it is possible to form a shape that combines a portion bent in the central axis direction and a straight portion, and it is possible to freely arrange the steam generator so as to avoid the parts arranged in advance in the equipment. Become.

  Moreover, the superheated steam at the required temperature can be easily obtained by the heat exchange means having a sufficient surface area.

  Therefore, even in a rice cooker that is a compact cooking device, high temperature superheated steam can be spread over the entire rice in the pan, and a rice cooker that can cook delicious rice that has been gelatinized by sufficient heat is provided. can do.

  The steam superheater of the present invention includes a steam superheater that can supply higher-temperature superheated steam, and a rice cooker that can perform good rice cooking using the steam superheater even in a compact device where the installation location is limited. Can be provided.

Sectional drawing of the steam superheater in Embodiment 1 of this invention Cross-sectional view of the steam superheating device of the first embodiment and a diagram showing the flow of steam Assembly schematic diagram of steam superheater 1 Sectional drawing of the steam superheater in Embodiment 1 of this invention The figure which showed the cover part of the rice cooker in Embodiment 2. The figure which showed the flow of the sectional view and steam of the rice cooker of Embodiment 2.

A first invention includes an intake port, an exhaust port, a heating unit, a heat exchange unit, and a steam channel, and a housing that houses the heating unit, the heat exchange unit, and the steam channel. The heat exchanging means includes a substantially cylindrical heating means and a spiral spring wound spirally in the central axis direction, and the casing is substantially cylindrical and bent in the central axis direction and a straight portion And is configured to form a substantially cylindrical shape by combining the heating means, the heat exchanging means, and the steam flow channel from above and below with the center axis as a target, The steam at about 100 ° C. sucked from the intake port becomes high-temperature superheated steam by the heat exchange means while passing through the steam flow path, and is configured to be exhausted from the exhaust port. , Smells of compact cooking equipment such as rice cookers Even when it is desired to generate high-temperature superheated vapor to freely be installed steam superheater in less free space internal equipment.

  That is, a simple structure in which a spiral spring is wound around the heating means spirally in the central axis direction to form a heat exchange means, and a steam flow path is provided between the casing and the size increase in the radial direction can be kept extremely small. It is done. Therefore, it is possible to form a shape combining a portion bent in the central axis direction and a straight portion, and it is possible to freely arrange the components so as to avoid the components arranged in advance in the apparatus.

  Moreover, the superheated steam at the required temperature can be easily obtained by the heat exchange means having a sufficient surface area.

  Therefore, even in a rice cooker that is a compact cooking device, high temperature superheated steam can be spread over the entire rice in the pan, and a rice cooker that can cook delicious rice that has been gelatinized by sufficient heat is provided. can do.

  According to a second aspect of the invention, in particular, after the helical spring is attached to the heating means in the first aspect of the invention, it is formed into a shape combining a bent portion and a straight portion, and the casing is combined with a bent portion and a straight portion. A steam superheater that is shaped into a vertical shape with the central axis as a target, and that forms a substantially cylindrical shape with the heating means and the spiral spring sandwiched from above and below with the central axis as a target. Thus, even when it is desired to efficiently generate high-temperature superheated steam, the steam superheater can be freely installed in a small empty space inside the device.

  That is, by winding a helical spring around most of the heating means, the heat exchange area can be increased, and the steam heating efficiency can be improved. Furthermore, after the helical spring is attached to the heating means, the shape is formed into a combination of a bent portion and a straight portion, so that the moldability can be improved. Further, since the size increase in the radial direction is extremely small and the degree of freedom of shape forming in the central axis direction is high, it can be installed freely according to the empty space inside the device.

  In the third aspect of the invention, in particular, when the helical spring in the first aspect of the invention is a steam superheater disposed in the linear portion of the casing, even when it is desired to generate high temperature superheated steam in a more compact cooking appliance, Since the steam superheater can be formed into a complicated shape, it can be easily arranged inside the apparatus.

  That is, when the bending radius of the bent part of the heating means is very small, there is a possibility of blocking the steam flow path, and the spiral spring is provided only in the straight part without providing the spiral spring in the bent part. Thus, high-temperature superheated steam can be obtained without impairing the installation property in a narrow space. In addition, since the bending radius of the bent part is very small, the fall of the heat exchange area by not providing the spiral spring can be suppressed to the minimum.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, in particular, the steam superheater in which the thin metal plate is wound around the outer periphery of the spiral spring according to the first to third aspects of the invention, the superheated steam between the pitches of the spiral spring 5 due to the effect as the packing of the thin metal plate. As a result, the heating efficiency of the steam can be prevented, and the superheated steam is not in direct contact with the case, so that the high-temperature oxidation deterioration of the casing can be prevented.

  The fifth invention particularly generates the steam superheater in the first to fourth inventions, the rice cooker body, the pan, the pan heating means for heating the pan, the lid covering the opening of the pan, and the steam. A rice cooker that is heated by superheated steam from the top surface of the pan, and even in a rice cooker that is a compact cooking device, high-temperature superheated steam can be distributed throughout the rice in the pan. It is possible to provide a rice cooker that can cook delicious rice whose gelatinization is accelerated by a sufficient amount of heat.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a steam superheater according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the steam superheater according to the first embodiment and the flow of steam.

  The steam superheater 1 includes an intake port 2, an exhaust port 3, a heater 4 as a heating unit, a heat exchange unit 6 including a spiral spring 5 spirally wound in the central axis direction of the heater 4, and a steam channel 7. It comprises a metal thin plate 8, a heater 4, heat exchange means 6, a steam flow path 7, and a housing 9 that houses the metal thin plate 8. The intake port 2 and the exhaust port 3 are attached to the housing 9 without leaking steam. The thin metal plate 8 is provided in the gap between the spiral spring 5 and the housing 9. The steam flow path 7 is formed by the heater 4, the spiral spring 5, and the metal thin plate 8.

  As the heater 4, the spiral spring 5, the metal thin plate 8, and the housing 9, SUS316L having excellent heat resistance, corrosion resistance, and pitting corrosion resistance was used.

  A simple method for assembling the steam superheater 1 is shown in FIG. First, the spiral spring 5 is wound around the heater 4 and processed into an arbitrary shape in which a bent portion and a straight portion are combined according to the installation space in the device. The thin metal plate 8 is wound around the outside of the spiral spring before and after the heater 4 and the spiral spring 5 are processed into an arbitrary shape as necessary. Since the housing 9 is composed of two upper and lower parts with the central axis as a target, it is molded separately. That is, by cutting out the plate material in accordance with the shapes of the heater 4 and the spiral spring 5 and then press-molding, two parts, upper and lower, are obtained with respect to the central axis.

  Then, the heater 4, the heat exchange means 6, the steam flow path 7, and the metal thin plate 8 are combined from above and below with the central axis as an object, and the joint is welded so as to prevent steam leakage.

  By forming the air inlet 2 and the air outlet 3 at the same time during press molding, it is not necessary to provide them in separate steps, and the cost of the steam superheater can be suppressed.

  A case temperature detecting means 10 for detecting the surface temperature is attached to the surface of the case 9 and is insulated by a heat insulating material 11 made of ceramic fiber so as to cover the case 9. The intake port 2 is disposed on the side close to the portion where steam is generated.

  The operation of the steam superheater according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention configured as described above will be described.

  The heater 4 preheats the steam flow path 7 to a predetermined temperature based on the value obtained from the casing temperature detection means 10. In the first embodiment, the heater 4 generates heat at a temperature of about 500 ° C. in order to generate high-temperature superheated steam. As a result, when the steam introduced from the intake port 2 passes through the steam flow path 7, the temperature is increased by exchanging heat with the heat exchanging means 6, and the temperature of the steam exhausted from the exhaust port 3 is 100 ° C. or more. To rise. Since the housing | casing 9 is covered with the heat insulating material 11, it can suppress heat radiation and can improve the superheat efficiency of a vapor | steam.

  That is, the steam introduced from the intake port 2 passes through the steam flow path 7 as indicated by the arrow, and the circulating steam exchanges heat by radiant heat and forced convection heat transfer of the heater 4, the spiral spring 5 and the metal thin plate 8. Further, a heat exchange protrusion or the like may be provided on the surface of the spiral spring 5 or the metal thin plate 8. Thereby, heat exchange efficiency can be improved.

  As described above, the spiral spring 5 is spirally wound around the heater 4 in the central axis direction to form the heat exchanging means 6 and the steam flow path 7 is provided between the metal thin plate 8 and the radial direction. The increase in size is extremely small. Therefore, it is possible to form a shape combining a portion bent in the central axis direction and a straight portion, and it is possible to freely arrange the components so as to avoid the components arranged in advance in the apparatus.

  Moreover, the superheated steam at the required temperature can be easily obtained by the heat exchange means 6 having a sufficient surface area.

  In addition, when the steam introduced from the intake port 2 is heated while passing through the steam flow path 7, the volume expands. The cross-sectional area of the steam flow path 7 is the same or becomes narrower as it approaches the exhaust port 3, so that the pressure of the heating steam becomes higher than the atmospheric pressure and the flow rate of the superheated steam increases as it approaches the exhaust port 3. Become.

  When the flow rate of the superheated steam increases as it approaches the exhaust port 3, the radiant heat and forced convection heat transfer of the heater 4, the spiral spring 5 and the metal thin plate 8 are increased, and the heat exchange efficiency is increased to efficiently generate the superheated steam. be able to.

  Therefore, by generating the superheated steam at the optimum temperature and increasing the pressure and flow rate, the superheated steam is spread over the entire cooked food, the heating amount is improved, and cooking can be performed more deliciously.

  In addition, after the helical spring 5 is attached to the heater 4, the casing 9 is formed into a shape combining a bent portion and a straight portion, and the housing 9 is formed in a vertical shape with respect to a central axis combining the bent portion and the straight portion. Even when it is desired to efficiently generate high-temperature superheated steam by forming each and forming a substantially cylindrical shape by sandwiching the heater 4 and the spiral spring 5 from above and below with the central axis as a target, The steam superheater 1 can be freely installed in a small empty space.

  That is, by winding a spiral spring around most of the heater 4, the heat exchange area can be increased and the heating efficiency of the steam can be improved. Further, since the spiral spring 5 is attached to the heater 4 and then formed into a shape combining a bent portion and a straight portion, the heater 4 can be freely installed in accordance with an empty space inside the device.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the steam spring 5 is a steam superheater disposed in a straight portion of the housing 9, so that steam superheat is generated even when it is desired to generate high-temperature superheated steam in a more compact cooking appliance. Since the apparatus 1 can be formed into a complicated shape, it can be easily arranged inside the apparatus.

  That is, when the bending radius of the bent portion of the heater 4 is very small, the steam flow path 7 may be blocked, and the spiral spring 5 is not provided in the bent portion, but only in the straight portion. By providing, high-temperature superheated steam can be obtained without impairing the installation property in a narrow space. In addition, since the bending radius of the bent part is very small, the fall of the heat exchange area by not providing the spiral spring 5 is suppressed to the minimum.

Moreover, by setting it as the steam superheater 1 which wound the metal thin plate 8 around the outer periphery of the spiral spring 5,
The effect of the thin metal plate 8 as a packing can prevent the shortcut of superheated steam between the pitches of the spiral springs 5 and increase the heating efficiency of the steam, and the superheated steam is not in direct contact with the housing 9. 9 can prevent high-temperature oxidation deterioration.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 5 illustrates the lid of the rice cooker according to the second embodiment of the present invention from above. FIG. 6 shows a sectional view of the rice cooker of Embodiment 2 and the flow of steam. The steam superheater according to the second embodiment is equivalent to the steam superheater 1 shown in the first embodiment and uses common symbols.

  The rice cooker of Embodiment 2 is a rice cooker that cooks rice at atmospheric pressure. In FIG. 6, 21 shows the main body of a rice cooker and is equipped with a detachable pot 22. A lid 23 covering the upper surface of the main body 21 is installed so as to be openable and closable.

  The main body 21 includes a pot heating means 24 (which is an induction heating coil) for induction heating the pot 22, a pot temperature detection means 25 for detecting the temperature of the pot 22, a steam generation means 26 for generating steam, and a control means 27.

  The lid 23 includes a lid cover 28, a steam path 29 for supplying steam generated by the steam generation means 26 to the inside of the pan 22, a heating plate 30, a heating plate heating means 31, a heating plate temperature detection means 32, and a steam cylinder 33. And a steam superheating means 34.

  The heating plate 30 is detachably attached to a lid cover 28 that constitutes the lower surface of the lid 23. In a state where the lid 23 is closed, the gap between the pan 22 and the heating plate 30 is sealed with a loop packing 35 (first packing) attached to the heating plate 30. The heating plate heating means 31 is an induction heating coil that is attached to the lid cover 28 and induction-heats the heating plate 30. The heating plate temperature detection means 32 detects the temperature of the heating plate 30. The steam cylinder 33 discharges unnecessary steam in the pot 22.

  The steam generating means 26 has a water tank 36 and a water tank heating means 37. The water tank heating means 37 is an induction heating coil for induction heating the water tank 36. A water tank temperature detecting means 38 for detecting the temperature of the water tank 36 is pressed against the outside of the water tank 36.

  In a state where the lid 23 is closed, a steam path 29 for supplying the generated steam to the pan 22 is located above the water tank 36. A gap between the steam path 29 and the water tank 36 is sealed with a loop packing 39 (second packing) attached to the steam path 29. A steam superheater 1 is provided inside the lid 23 in the middle of the steam path 29. The steam superheater 1 is internally combined with a bent portion and a straight portion so as to avoid internal parts of the lid 23 while considering safety.

  In a state where the lid is closed, the water tank 36 and the pan 22 communicate with each other only through the steam path 29. The steam generated in the water tank 36 is introduced into the pot 22 through the steam path 29, and excess steam is discharged to the outside through the steam cylinder 33. A heating means (for example, an induction heating coil) for heating the steam path 29 may be further provided.

The control means 27 has a microcomputer mounted on a circuit board (not shown). The control means 27 (microcomputer) is operated by software through an operation command input by a user via an operation panel (not shown), pan temperature detection means 25, water tank temperature detection means 38, heating plate temperature detection means 32, and casing. Based on the signal input from the temperature detection means 10, the heating control of the pan 22, the heating plate 30, the water tank 36, and the steam channel 7 is performed by a rice cooking program stored in advance in the microcomputer. The control means 27 controls the heating amount of the pot heating means 24, the water tank heating means 37, the heating plate heating means 31, and the heater 4 by the energization rate and / or energization amount of each heating means.

  The operation in the rice cooking process of the rice cooker according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention configured as described above will be described by focusing on the operation of the steam generating means 26 and the steam superheater 1.

  A user puts rice to be cooked and water corresponding to the amount of the rice into the pot 22, and the interior of the main body 21 is provided. Further, a predetermined amount of water is put into the water tank 36 and is internally provided in the main body 21. When the user operates a rice cooking start switch (not shown), the rice cooking process is performed.

  The rice cooking process is largely divided into pre-cooking, cooking, boiling maintenance, and steaming in order of time. In the pre-cooking step, the pot heating means 24 is controlled so that the temperature of the pot 22 becomes a temperature suitable for water absorption of rice, and the rice and water in the pot are heated. Next, in the cooking step, the pan 22 is heated with a predetermined amount of heat by the pan heating means 24 until the temperature of the pan 22 reaches a predetermined value (100 ° C.). The amount of cooked rice is determined based on the temperature rise rate at this time. In the boiling maintenance step, the pot heating means 24 and the heating plate heating means 31 are energized to heat the rice and water until the water in the pot 22 runs out and the temperature of the pot 22 reaches a predetermined value exceeding 100 ° C. Finally, in the steaming step, the heating (cooking) by the pan heating means 24 and the heating plate heating means 31 according to the amount of cooked rice and the stop (pause) of heating are repeated a plurality of times during a predetermined time. In the steaming process (at the time of additional cooking and at rest), the steam generated from the steam generating means 26 is superheated by the steam superheating means 34 and superheated steam is supplied into the pan 22.

  In the pre-cooking process, compared with the cooking process and the boiling maintenance process, the energization amount to each heating means is small, and the power consumption of the whole rice cooker is small. The rice cooker of Embodiment 2 energizes the water tank heating means 37 in the pre-cooking process, and preheats the water in the water tank 36.

  The operation | movement in the steaming process of the rice cooker of Embodiment 2 is demonstrated.

  After the boiling maintenance step is finished, heating by the pan heating means 24 and the heating plate heating means 31 is stopped, and the water tank heating means 37 is energized. Since the water in the water tank 36 is preheated, it quickly boils and steam is introduced into the steam path 29.

  The heater 4 is energized just before the end of the boiling maintenance process, and preheats the steam flow path 7 to a predetermined temperature based on the value obtained from the casing temperature detection means 10. As a result, the temperature of the steam introduced from the intake port 2 rises when passing through the steam flow path 7, and the temperature of the steam exhausted from the exhaust port 3 rises to 100 ° C. or more. When the steam introduced from the inlet 2 is heated while passing through the steam flow path 7, the volume expands. Since the cross-sectional area of the steam channel 7 is the same or becomes narrower as the exhaust port 3 is approached, the pressure of the heating steam becomes higher than the atmospheric pressure and the flow rate of the superheated steam increases as the exhaust port 3 is approached. .

  When the flow rate of the superheated steam increases as it approaches the exhaust port 3, the radiant heat and forced convection heat transfer of the heater 4, the spiral spring 5 and the metal thin plate 8 are increased, and the heat exchange efficiency is increased to efficiently generate the superheated steam. be able to.

  As described above, also in the rice cooker which is a compact cooking device, the heat spring 6 is wound around the heater 4 spirally in the central axis direction to form the heat exchange means 6, and the steam flow path 7 between the metal thin plate 8. With the simple configuration of the steam superheater 1 provided with the above, the size increase in the radial direction can be suppressed to an extremely small size. Therefore, it is possible to freely arrange the components so as to avoid the components arranged in advance in the lid 23. The rice cooker of Embodiment 2 shown in FIG. 3 is 10% or more lower than the conventional rice cooker using superheated steam.

  Furthermore, it is possible to provide a rice cooker that can spread high-temperature superheated steam over the entire rice in the pot 22 and cook delicious rice whose gelatinization has been promoted by a sufficient amount of heat.

  The user can operate the operation panel (not shown) of the rice cooker before starting the rice cooking to designate the rice brand to be cooked in the control means 27. The control means 27 has a designated brand of rice that can be cooked softly (Uonuma Koshihikari, Miyagi Sasanishiki, etc.) or standard rice (general Koshihikari, Sasanishiki, summer Uonuma Koshihikari, new rice Kirara 397, etc.) Etc.) or hard-cooking rice (Kirara 397, Koshihikari in summer, Sasanishiki, etc.), and control the temperature and time of high-temperature steam in the steaming process. The charging time of the high temperature steam is controlled by the energization rate and / or the energization amount of the water tank heating means 37. The temperature of the high-temperature steam is controlled by the energization rate and / or energization amount of the heater 4.

  In the steaming process, the control means 27 supplies 180 ° C. high temperature steam to the pan 22 for 1 minute when the rice is softly cooked rice, and 200 ° C. high temperature steam for 2 minutes when the rice has standard properties. In the case of rice that can be cooked hard, high-temperature steam at 220 ° C. is supplied to the pan 22 for 3 minutes. The rice cooker of Embodiment 2 can perform optimal rice cooking according to the property of rice.

  In the steaming step, the superheated steam passes through the gaps in the rice in the pot 22 to the lower part of the pot 22 without agglomerating in the state of water molecules, and transfers heat to each rice grain. Accordingly, the temperature of the rice is maintained at a high temperature and gelatinization proceeds, and the sweetness and aroma of the rice increase. The taste of rice can be improved throughout the pot. While the overheating steam is supplied and the pot heating means 24 and the heating plate heating means 31 are additionally cooked and heated, drying and scorching of the rice can be suppressed.

  After the rice cooking process is completed, the process proceeds to a heat retaining process, and energization of the pot heating means 24 and the heating plate heating means 31 is controlled so that the temperature in the pot approaches 70 ° C. When the user operates a reheating switch (not shown), the control means 27 drives the water tank heating means 37 and the heater 4 to generate superheated steam as in the steaming step. Then, high-temperature steam is supplied into the pot 22. After the rice cooking process, the rice is dried until the reheating switch is operated, but by reheating with superheated steam, the water content of the rice increases to the same level as at the end of the rice cooking process. Furthermore, unpleasant odor generated during the heat retention is reduced by heating with superheated steam.

  As described above, the steam superheater of the present invention is capable of supplying higher-temperature superheated steam even in a compact device where the installation location is restricted, and performing good rice cooking using the steam superheater. A rice cooker that can be used can be provided. Therefore, it is useful as an application to cooking equipment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Steam superheater 2 Intake port 3 Exhaust port 4 Heater 5 Spiral spring 6 Heat exchange means 7 Steam flow path 8 Metal thin plate 9 Case 10 Case temperature detection means 11 Heat insulation material 21 Main body 22 Pot 23 Lid 24 Pot heating means 25 Pot Temperature detection means 26 Steam generation means 27 Control means 28 Lid cover 29 Steam path 30 Heating plate 31 Heating plate heating means 32 Heating plate temperature detection means 33 Steam cylinder 34 Steam overheating means 35 Packing (first packing)
36 Water tank 37 Water tank heating means 38 Water tank temperature detection means 39 Packing (second packing)

Claims (5)

An intake port, an exhaust port, a heating unit, a heat exchange unit, and a steam channel; and a housing that houses the heating unit, the heat exchange unit, and the steam channel, and The means is provided with a spiral spring that is spirally wound in the central axis direction on the heating means having a substantially cylindrical shape, and the casing is substantially cylindrical and has a shape that combines a portion bent in the central axis direction and a linear portion, And it is configured to form a substantially cylindrical shape by combining the heating means, the heat exchange means, and the steam flow channel from above and below with respect to the central axis, and the air is sucked from the intake port. A steam superheater in which steam at around 100 ° C. becomes high-temperature superheated steam by the heat exchange means while passing through the steam flow path and is exhausted from the exhaust port. After the helical spring is attached to the heating means, it is formed into a shape combining a bent portion and a straight portion, and the casing is vertically shaped with a central axis combining the bent portion and the straight portion as targets. The steam superheater according to claim 1, wherein the steam superheater is formed so as to form a substantially cylindrical shape by sandwiching the heating means and the spiral spring from above and below with respect to a central axis. The steam superheater according to claim 1, wherein the spiral spring is disposed in a straight portion of the casing. The steam superheater according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a thin metal plate is provided on an outer periphery of the spiral spring. The steam superheater according to any one of claims 1 to 4, a rice cooker body, a pan, a pan heating means for heating the pan, a lid covering the opening of the pan, and steam generation for generating steam And a rice cooker that performs heating with superheated steam from the upper surface of the pan.

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