JP2017221619A - Vegetable steaming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steaming device suitable for steaming vegetables using superheated steam.SOLUTION: A steaming device 1 includes: a conveyor 30 for continuously conveying a material to be steamed, such as vegetable and noodle dough; a treatment chamber 10 having a steam chamber 11 for steaming the conveyed material, and a steam supply chamber 20 positioned below a conveyance surface of the conveyor 30; and two pairs of piping units 40 for supplying 100°-140°superheated steam to the steam supply chamber 20. The steam supply chamber 20 is provided with two or more small chambers 21 which are successively arranged in the conveyance direction (longitudinal direction) of the conveyor 30 and are filled with superheated steam. Each of the piping units 40 has two vertical pipes 42 arranged through a partition wall 23 between the small chambers 21, and one lateral pipe 41 arranged orthogonally to the vertical pipes 42, and supplies superheated steam to the plurality of successively aligned small chambers 21 as a single unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a vegetable cooking apparatus.

  Superheated steam is steam obtained by heating saturated steam evaporated at 100 ° C. to a temperature exceeding 100 ° C. at a constant pressure. Superheated steam has a high sensible heat and has the advantage that food can be cooked in a short time. For example, Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2 describe cooking methods that take advantage of this advantage. The method described in Patent Document 1 is a method in which food is heated to 100 ° C. to 350 ° C. with superheated steam in a cooking container. Moreover, the method described in patent document 2 is a method of throwing vegetables, such as a potato, in the heating chamber supplied with 100 degreeC-500 degreeC superheated steam.

  On the other hand, continuous devices that process food using superheated steam are disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 3 and Patent Document 4. The apparatus described in Patent Document 3 includes a processing chamber that is partitioned into two zones and a conveyor that conveys food in the processing chamber. In this apparatus, superheated steam at 100 to 120 ° C. is supplied to one zone, and superheated steam at 170 to 200 ° C., which is higher than that, is supplied to the other zone. Pretreatment such as thawing is performed in a zone where low-temperature superheated steam is supplied, and grilled cooking is performed on the thawed food in a zone where high-temperature superheated steam is supplied. The apparatus described in Patent Document 4 is an apparatus for producing a drying tool such as vegetables. The apparatus has steam pipes arranged above and below the conveyor. Superheated steam at 110 ° C. to 400 ° C. is jetted from the steam pipe toward the drying tool. Thereby, the fragrance with a roast feeling and a burnt eye are provided to the drying tool material obtained by drying beforehand.

  Furthermore, Patent Document 5 describes a continuous rice cooker using superheated steam. The rice cooker includes a processing chamber to which superheated steam is supplied and a conveyor for conveying rice in the processing chamber. In this apparatus, 140-150 degreeC superheated steam and 60-90 degreeC warm water are supplied in a process chamber, and rice cooking is performed continuously.

JP-A-6-90677 JP 2002-247972 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-83547 JP 2000-228970 A JP 2001-169915 A

  However, the methods described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are so-called batch methods, and are inefficient in processing a large amount of food. In addition, as described in Patent Document 2, a batch process requires a steaming process when using a relatively low-temperature superheated steam of about 130 ° C., and a steaming process requires 300 ° C. or more when the steaming process is not performed. It cannot cook to the extent that it cannot be peeled unless it is steam.

  Moreover, superheated steam has a property that the drying ability becomes stronger as its temperature increases. For this reason, as described in Patent Document 2, if high-temperature superheated steam such as 320 ° C. is used, the surface is burnt, or if dried vegetables are used as described in Patent Document 4, Even a superheated steam at a relatively low temperature of 160 to 170 ° C. may cause a roasted feeling or a partly burnt. On the other hand, the device described in Patent Document 5 is a rice rice cooking device, and in the case of rice cooking, it is necessary to cause the rice to absorb water. Therefore, vegetables cannot be cooked well with this apparatus.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a steaming apparatus capable of continuous processing suitable for steaming vegetables using superheated steam. is there.

  The vegetable steaming apparatus according to the present invention includes a transport device for continuously transporting vegetables and a processing chamber for steaming vegetables, and the processing chamber is a steam supply disposed below the transport surface of the transport device. A steam chamber provided above the steam supply chamber, and one or more piping units for supplying superheated steam to the steam supply chamber, more preferably over 100 ° C. and 140 ° C. or less, preferably 130 ° C. or less. A superheated steam supply device for supplying the superheated steam to the piping unit.

  According to the steaming apparatus according to the present invention, the vegetables are continuously cooked in a preferable cooking state without drying or burning.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a steaming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view in which a part of the cooking apparatus is broken. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view in which a part of a steaming apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention is broken. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a cooking apparatus according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

  The steaming apparatus according to the present invention includes a transport device that continuously transports vegetables and a processing chamber that steams the vegetables. The processing chamber includes a steam supply chamber disposed below the transport surface of the transport device, a steam chamber provided above the steam supply chamber, and one or more piping units that supply superheated steam to the steam supply chamber Have The conveyor is preferably a belt conveyor having an endless belt and a pair of rollers for driving the endless belt. The endless belt is made of a material having heat resistance and corrosion resistance and has a large number of holes. For example, an endless belt made of a stainless steel wire mesh. The transport surface of the transport device, that is, the forward path on which the steaming object is placed, is disposed in the longitudinal direction of the steam supply chamber (hereinafter, in this specification, the transport direction of the transport device is referred to as “longitudinal direction”, The direction perpendicular to it is called the “short direction”). The steam supply chamber is preferably arranged between the forward path of the endless belt and the return path of the endless belt. Of course, the steam supply chamber may be arranged below the return path of the endless belt. However, in this configuration, the steam supply amount is increased or the superheated steam supplied so that the temperature at the time of contact with the vegetables does not decrease. The temperature is set higher.

  The steam supply chamber has two or more small chambers arranged continuously in the longitudinal direction. Each chamber is a space with only the upper surface open. The size of the steam supply chamber and the number of small chambers can be appropriately set by those skilled in the art. The size of the small chamber (steam supply chamber) in the short direction is preferably substantially the same as or slightly smaller than the width of the transfer surface of the transfer device. It can also be larger than the width of the transport surface. In this case, since the amount of steam escaping from the side of the transport surface increases, a cover for preventing the steam from escaping from the side of the transport surface is preferably provided. It is desirable that the steam supply chamber consists only of small chambers to which superheated steam is supplied, but the small chambers that are not supplied with superheated steam for adjusting the temperature and timing when contacting the vegetables with superheated steam are the ends of the steam supply chamber May be provided.

  Superheated steam is supplied from one or more piping units to the steam supply chamber. A piping unit has one or more vertical pipes which penetrate the partition between small rooms and are arranged in the longitudinal direction of a steam supply room. Moreover, although a piping unit may be comprised only with a vertical pipe, Preferably it has one or more horizontal pipes connected with a vertical pipe and arrange | positioned in the transversal direction of a steam supply chamber. The piping unit supplies superheated steam with a plurality of adjacent small chambers as one unit. The horizontal pipe intersects the vertical pipe at a right angle and is connected to the vertical pipe or is connected to the vertical pipe so as to form a T-shape. Moreover, it connects so that a ring may be comprised with a horizontal pipe and a vertical pipe. In the present specification, the term “connection” means that the superheated steam can be supplied from the piping unit to the small chamber, and when all of the connecting portions of the horizontal pipe and the vertical pipe are penetrated, In the case of forming a ring, it is used to include the case where a part of the connection portion is closed. Each of the vertical pipe and / or the horizontal pipe is provided with a plurality of jet nozzles. In the case where a horizontal pipe is provided in all the small chambers, a jet outlet may be provided only in the horizontal pipe. The jet outlet is provided so that superheated steam blows out toward the side or side and / or downward of the piping unit, and the superheated steam blown from the jet outlet is filled in the small chamber.

  The number of chambers in which one piping unit supplies superheated steam is preferably 3-7. When this number becomes large, it becomes difficult to adjust the cooking temperature. The size of each chamber is appropriately set. 1 piping unit has 1 vertical tube and 1 horizontal tube, 1 horizontal tube and 2 or more vertical tubes, 2 or more horizontal tubes and 1 or 2 or more vertical tubes There is. One horizontal tube is preferably provided for one small chamber, and two or more horizontal tubes or vertical tubes may be provided for one small chamber. The number of piping units is also appropriately set according to the required amount of superheated steam such as the size of the steam supply chamber, and the number can be one or two or more. Superheated steam is preferably supplied to the horizontal tube. The steaming device has a steam control unit that controls the amount and temperature of superheated steam supplied from the piping unit, and the steam control unit adjusts the supply amount and temperature of superheated steam supplied from each piping unit. When a plurality of piping units are provided, each steam control unit can independently adjust the supply amount and temperature of superheated steam, or can be adjusted in conjunction with each other.

  The processing chamber has a steam chamber for cooking vegetables above the steam supply chamber. The steam chamber is integrated with the steam supply chamber to form a processing chamber. The steam chamber may be provided with a watering device such as a shower nozzle for supplying water or hot water. Watering device is a device to prevent excessive drying of vegetables

  Vegetables are placed on an endless belt, which is a transfer device, outside the processing chamber, and carried into the steam chamber. The superheated steam supplied from the superheated steam generator is blown to the side or the lower side of the horizontal tube or the vertical tube to fill the small chamber. Superheated steam flows upward from each chamber and comes into contact with vegetables on the mounting surface. Superheated steam Steamed vegetables with superheated steam are carried out of the processing chamber by the transport device.

  From the superheated steam generator, superheated steam that exceeds 100 ° C. and is 140 ° C. or less, preferably 130 ° C. or less is supplied to the steam supply chamber. In the present invention, the superheated steam means steam obtained by heating 100 ° C. saturated steam to a temperature higher than 100 ° C. under a constant pressure. In the present invention, it is desired that the temperature when contacting the vegetables is 140 ° C. or lower, preferably 130 ° or lower. If the temperature exceeds 140 ° C., the vegetables are likely to be dried, or the surface is likely to be scorched due to excessive drying. Moreover, it is necessary to make it contact with the superheated steam with which the small chamber of the steam supply chamber was filled rather than spraying superheated steam toward vegetables. When sprayed toward vegetables, the vegetables are locally heated and cannot be cooked uniformly. For this reason, the jet nozzle provided in the piping unit is provided from the side surface to the lower surface of the vertical pipe. In many cases, there is no need for watering, but watering is performed as necessary.

  The time of contact with the superheated steam can be adjusted by the temperature of the superheated steam, the kind of vegetables, the cut thickness, etc., but is generally about 1 to 30 minutes. The contact time can be adjusted by the length of the conveyance path and the conveyance speed.

  The vegetables that can be cooked in the present invention are sufficient if they are edible by cooking. Vegetables are root vegetables such as radishes, carrots and burdock, stem vegetables such as onions and asparagus, leaf vegetables such as cabbage and Chinese cabbage, spinach, flower vegetables such as cauliflower and broccoli, beans such as soybeans and green beans, It can also be mushrooms such as shiitake mushrooms and shimeji mushrooms. If the vegetables are raw vegetables, there are no particular restrictions. Also, vegetables that have already been steamed or otherwise cooked can be used. There is no special need for pre-wetting with water or seasoning during steaming, but it is consumed as it is after it has been cooked, so it removes dirt and dust attached to it before cooking. It is desirable to keep it off, and it is desirable to peel it off if necessary or cut it into an appropriate size. Moreover, you may spray the seasoning liquid seasoned with water or hot water instead of water or hot water at the time of watering.

  In the steaming apparatus of the present invention, a plurality of chambers to which superheated steam is supplied are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the processing chamber, and the superheated steam filling the chamber comes into contact with the vegetables. Steamed vegetables can be satisfactorily steamed without being dried or burnt.

  Next, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a cooking apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view in which a part of the cooking apparatus 1 is broken. The steaming device 1 is a device that continuously steams vegetables. The steaming device 1 includes a processing chamber 10 in which vegetables are steamed, a conveyor 30 for transporting vegetables, a superheated steam generator (not shown), and an illustration. A steam control unit is provided.

  The processing chamber 10 has a steam supply chamber 20 disposed below the forward path surface (surface on which vegetables are placed) of the conveyor 30, a steam chamber 11 disposed above the steam supply chamber 20, and steam supply. Two piping units 40 for supplying superheated steam to the chamber 20 are provided. The steam supply chamber 20 shown in the figure has six small chambers 21 to which superheated steam is continuously arranged in the longitudinal direction, and two small chambers 22 to which superheated steam is not supplied at both ends of the steam supply chamber 20. A small chamber 22 to which superheated steam is not supplied and a small chamber 21 to which superheated steam is supplied are separated by a partition wall 25. The steam supply chamber 20 is positioned so as to sandwich the forward path surface of the conveyor 30 with the steam chamber 11, and the lower surface of the steam chamber 11 and the upper surface of the steam supply chamber 20 are approximately the same size. That is, the conveying surface of the conveyor 30 divides the cooking chamber formed integrally from the steam chamber 11 and the steam supply chamber 20 into two vertically.

  Openings for carrying in or out vegetables are provided at both ends of the steam chamber 11, respectively, which serve as a vegetable entrance 13 and an exit 14. A steam blocking curtain (not shown) is provided at the carry-in port 13 and the carry-out port 14 as necessary. The curtain is made of a flexible and heat-resistant material and does not prevent the vegetables from entering and exiting. The processing chamber 10 has an exhaust port 12 in the upper part of the steam chamber 11. Further, the steam chamber 11 is provided with a plurality of shower nozzles 15 for watering above the conveying surface of the conveyor 30.

  Each of the two piping units 40 is disposed in one small chamber 21 in a short direction, and is disposed so as to intersect the horizontal tube 41 at a substantially right angle. The two vertical tubes 42 are provided. A pipe (not shown) from the superheated steam generator is connected to the horizontal pipe 41. The two vertical pipes 42 extend from the small chamber 21 in which the horizontal pipe 41 is disposed through the partition wall 23 separating the small chamber 21 to the two small chambers 21 on both sides thereof, and each piping unit 40 has a steam supply chamber. The superheated steam is supplied to the three small chambers 21 arranged continuously in the longitudinal direction. That is, the three small chambers 21 constitute one steam supply unit (unit), and in this apparatus, two steam supply units are configured. The steam control unit adjusts the amount and temperature of steam supplied independently in two steam supply units.

  The conveyor 30 includes a pair of rollers 31 disposed outside the processing chamber 10 and an endless belt 32 driven by the pair of rollers 31. The forward path of the endless belt 32 is used as a conveyance surface. The endless belt 32 is made of a stainless steel wire mesh. Both ends of the conveyor 30 are located outside the processing chamber 10, and the vegetables placed on the endless belt 32 are transported into the processing chamber 10 from the carry-in port 13 and are transported in the processing chamber 10 in the direction of the arrow. Steamed vegetables are transported out of the processing chamber 10 from the carry-out port 14. The return path of the endless belt 32 is located below the steam supply chamber 20, and the portion of the conveyor 30 that has come out of the processing chamber 10 is covered with a cover 33.

  The superheated steam supplied from the superheated steam generator is directed laterally and downward of the small chamber 21 from the outlets (not shown) of the horizontal tube 41 and the vertical tube 42 so that the entire small chamber 21 is filled with the superheated steam. It is supplied into the small chamber 21. The superheated steam supplied to each chamber 21 and filling each chamber 21 flows upward from the chamber 21 toward the steam chamber 11. The vegetables conveyed by the conveyor 30 are boiled with superheated steam in the steam chamber 11 and then carried out of the processing chamber 10.

  When the steamed spinach was cooked using the steaming device 1 (the length of the steam chamber was about 2 m and the cooking time was 5 minutes), the crisp and dry portion was noticeable at 150 ° C, but at 120 ° C It was moderately steamed. Also, the spinach was green with little fade. Moreover, when the sweet potato sliced to a thickness of about 1 cm was steamed, it was dry at 150 ° C., but it was steamed well at 140 ° C. In either case, water was not sprayed.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view in which a portion of the steaming apparatus 1 according to another embodiment of the present invention is broken. In this apparatus, one vertical pipe 42 out of two vertical pipes 42 connected to a horizontal pipe 41 connected to a pipe (not shown) from the superheated steam generator intersects with it in a cross shape. The remaining one vertical pipe 42 is connected so as to intersect with it in a T-shape. Furthermore, both ends of the two vertical pipes 42 are connected by a horizontal pipe 43 arranged in the short direction of the small chamber 21, and a steam pipe for supplying steam from the piping unit 40 is configured in a loop shape. As a result, the horizontal tube 41 or the horizontal tube 43 is disposed in each of the three chambers constituting the steam supply unit. The connection between the vertical tube 42 and the horizontal tubes 41 and 43 is not closed, and superheated steam flows from the horizontal tube 41 to the vertical tube 42 and from the vertical tube 42 to the horizontal tube 43. In this aspect, since the superheated steam is supplied from the horizontal tube 43 or the horizontal tube 41 in the short direction in all the small chambers 21, variations in temperature between the small chambers 21 are suppressed, and steaming can be performed more uniformly. Therefore, heating with superheated steam at a lower temperature of 130 ° C. or lower, for example, about 110 ° C., is performed well.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a cooking apparatus 1 according to still another embodiment of the present invention. The steaming apparatus 1 is different from the steaming apparatus 1 of the first embodiment in that a steam supply chamber 22 is provided below the return path of the endless belt 32 and the forward path and the return path of the endless belt 32 are disposed in the processing chamber 10. ing. As described above, a configuration in which the superheated steam supplied from the steam supply chamber 20 passes through the forward path and the return path of the endless belt 32 may be employed.

  By using the vegetable cooking apparatus according to the present invention, vegetables can be continuously cooked without being burnt.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Processing chamber 11 Steam chamber 20 Steam supply chamber 21 Small chamber 30 to which superheated steam is supplied Conveyor 32 Endless belt 40 Piping unit 41 Horizontal tube 42 Vertical tube

Claims (6)

A transport device for continuously transporting vegetables;
It has a processing room for steaming vegetables,
The processing chamber includes a steam supply chamber disposed below the transport surface of the transport device, a steam chamber provided above the steam supply chamber, and one or more pipes for supplying superheated steam to the steam supply chamber With units,
The steam supply chamber has two or more small chambers arranged continuously in the transport direction of the transport device,
The said piping unit penetrates the partition between the said small chambers, and is a vegetable cooking apparatus which has one or more vertical pipes arrange | positioned in the conveyance direction of the said conveying apparatus.   The said piping unit is a steaming apparatus of Claim 1 provided with the unit of several small chambers arrange | positioned continuously in the conveyance direction of the said conveying apparatus.   The said piping unit is a steaming apparatus of Claim 1 or 2 which has one or more horizontal pipes connected to the said vertical pipe and arrange | positioned in the direction orthogonal to the said vertical pipe in a small chamber.   The steaming apparatus for vegetables according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein superheated steam is discharged from the piping unit toward the side and / or downward. Furthermore, it is equipped with a superheated steam supply device,
The vegetable steaming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein superheated steam at 100 ° C and 140 ° C or less, preferably 130 ° C or less is supplied from the piping unit to the steam supply chamber. In the cooking apparatus of Claims 3-5 in which the said piping unit was provided with the horizontal pipe,
A steaming device in which superheated steam is supplied to the horizontal pipe of the piping unit.

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