JP2018143389A - Cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cooker capable of reducing a cooking time without overshooting the temperature in a pot-like container.SOLUTION: A cooker includes a body, a pot-like container stored in the body, a lid body for covering the pot-like container, a heating part for heating the pot-like container, a pressure reducing device for reducing the pressure inside the pot-like container, and a control part for controlling the heating part and the pressure reducing device. The control part executes a temperature maintaining process for reducing the pressure inside the pot-like container by the pressure reducing device, heating the pot-like container by the heating part, and maintaining the inside of the pot-like container at a maintenance temperature of 40°C or more and less than 100°C. The temperature maintaining process includes a plurality of processes with different levels of heating power of the heating part, or a plurality of modes with different levels of heating power of the heating part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a cooking device that heats and cooks an object to be cooked (foodstuff).

  Some cooking devices are provided with a preheating step of 50 to 60 ° C. before the boiling step (for example, Patent Document 1). By a preheating process, the reaction of the enzyme contained in the to-be-cooked object is accelerated | stimulated, a nutrient component can be increased, and deliciousness can be improved.

JP 2009-5939 A (see paragraphs 0015 to 0019)

  However, in the conventional heating cooker, the temperature sensor provided at the bottom of the pan-like container is used to heat the pot-like container while suppressing the thermal power so as not to reach the enzyme deactivation temperature. It took a long time to reach In addition, when heating is performed with a high heating power in order to reach the target temperature in a short time, the temperature in the pan-like container may overshoot the target temperature and inactivate a part of the enzyme.

  In addition, heat is transmitted to the object to be cooked (foodstuff) through natural convection in the pot-shaped container, but there are cases where the method of transferring heat differs depending on the type or size of the object to be cooked.

  This invention is made | formed in order to solve said subject, and it aims at providing the heating cooker which can shorten cooking time, without making the temperature in a pan-shaped container overshoot. .

  The cooking device according to the present invention includes a main body, a pan-like container housed in the main body, a lid that covers the pan-like container, a heating unit that heats the pan-like container, and a reduced pressure that depressurizes the inside of the pan-like container. An apparatus, and a control unit that controls the heating unit and the decompression device. A control part decompresses the inside of a pot-shaped container with a decompression device, heats the pot-shaped container with a heating part, and maintains the temperature maintenance process of maintaining the inside of a pot-shaped container at 40 ° C or more and less than 100 ° C. Run. The temperature maintaining step has a plurality of steps with different heating power of the heating unit or a plurality of modes with different heating power of the heating unit.

  According to the present invention, since the inside of the pot-shaped container is heated while reducing the pressure, the pot-shaped container can be heated with high heating power while suppressing the overshoot of the temperature in the pot-shaped container. Therefore, the time required for the cooking process can be shortened. In addition, since the temperature maintaining step has a plurality of steps or a plurality of modes having different heating powers, heating according to the type or size of the object to be cooked is possible, and a stable taste improving effect can be obtained.

It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the heating cooker of Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a control system of the heating cooker according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 4 is a timing chart showing changes in temperature (A), pressure (B), and thermal power (C) in the cooking process of Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a timing chart which shows the change of the temperature (A) in a cooking process of a comparative example, a pressure (B), and a thermal power (C), respectively. It is a timing chart which shows each change of temperature (A), pressure (B), and thermal power (C) in the cooking process of Embodiment 2. It is a timing chart which shows each change of temperature (A), pressure (B), and thermal power (C) in the cooking process of Embodiment 3. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining each mode of a low temperature maintenance process of a third embodiment.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
<Configuration of cooking device>
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a heating cooker 100 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The cooking device 100 includes a bottomed cylindrical main body 1, a container cover 2 disposed inside the main body 1, a pot-shaped container 5 housed inside the container cover 2, and an opening of the pot-shaped container 5. An inner lid 7 that covers the inner cover 7, an outer lid 9 that covers the inner lid 7 from above, and a heating coil 3 disposed in the container cover 2 are provided. The outer lid 9 is attached to the main body 1 so as to be openable and closable by a hinge portion (not shown).

  The main body 1 is a bottomed cylindrical case having a bottom portion 1a and a cylindrical peripheral wall portion 1b provided around the bottom portion 1a and having an opening on the upper side. The container cover 2 includes a bottom portion 2a and a cylindrical peripheral wall portion 2b provided around the bottom portion 2a, and has an opening on the upper side. The upper edge of the peripheral wall portion 2 b of the container cover 2 is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the opening of the main body 1. In the center of the bottom 2a of the container cover 2, a hole 2c for inserting the pan bottom temperature sensor 4 is formed.

  A pot-like container 5 is detachably mounted inside the container cover 2. The pot-shaped container 5 is a container having a bottom 51 and a cylindrical peripheral wall 52 provided around the bottom 51 and having an opening on the upper side, and is to be cooked (food, seasoning liquid, water, etc.) ). The pan-like container 5 is made of a magnetic metal that generates heat by induction heating. A flange portion 53 is formed at the upper end of the peripheral wall portion 52 so as to surround the opening.

  The heating coil (heating unit) 3 is an induction heating coil disposed so as to face the bottom 2 a of the container cover 2. Here, the heating coil 3 is configured by a single annular coil extending spirally with respect to the center of the bottom 2 a of the container cover 2. However, the heating coil 3 may be composed of a plurality of coils, or may be provided on the peripheral wall portion 2 b of the container cover 2.

  The heating coil 3 is supplied with a high-frequency current through a power supply unit 33 and an inverter unit 32 (FIG. 2) under the control of a control unit 31 (FIG. 2) described later, and generates a high-frequency magnetic field. Due to the high-frequency magnetic field generated by the heating coil 3, an eddy current is generated in the pot-shaped container 5 made of a magnetic material, and Joule heat is generated by the eddy current and the resistance of the pot-shaped container 5.

  A pot bottom temperature sensor 4 as a first temperature sensor is disposed in the hole 2c of the bottom 2a of the container cover 2. The pan bottom temperature sensor 4 is composed of, for example, a thermistor and detects the temperature of the pan-like container 5. The pot bottom temperature sensor 4 is urged upward by an elastic member 4 a such as a spring and is in contact with the lower surface of the bottom 51 of the pot-shaped container 5. The pan bottom temperature sensor 4 outputs the detected temperature information to the control unit 31.

  In addition, the pan bottom temperature sensor 4 is not limited to a thermistor. The pan bottom temperature sensor 4 is a contact type temperature sensor that detects the temperature by contacting the pan-shaped container 5 and a non-contact type temperature sensor (for example, an infrared sensor) that detects the temperature without contacting the pot-shaped container 5. There may be.

  An inner lid 7 (lid) is provided so as to cover the opening of the pan-like container 5. The inner lid 7 is detachably attached to the lower side of the outer lid 9 (that is, the pan-like container 5 side). On the outer peripheral edge of the inner lid 7, a lid packing 8, which is a sealing material that seals between the pot-shaped container 5, is attached. A hole 7 a is formed in the inner lid 7, and a lid temperature sensor 21 attached to the outer lid 9 is inserted into the hole 7 a. The inner lid 7 is also formed with a steam port 16 through which steam generated in the pan-like container 5 enters and exits. The steam port 16 is provided with a steam discharge valve 17.

  A vent hole 10 is provided so as to penetrate the inner lid 7. The vent 10 is connected to an outer lid vent 15 formed on the outer periphery of the outer lid 9. A solenoid valve 11 is connected to the vent hole 10, and the solenoid valve 11 opens and closes the vent hole 10. A packing 12 is provided between the electromagnetic valve 11 and the vent 10 to seal the gap between them.

  A decompression pump (decompression device) 13 is disposed in the air path 14 between the electromagnetic valve 11 and the outer lid vent 15. The air path 14 has a first path 14 a located on the electromagnetic valve 11 side of the decompression pump 13 and a second path 14 b located on the outer lid vent 15 side of the decompression pump 13. The decompression pump 13 sucks air from the first path 14a and exhausts it from the outer lid vent 15 to the outside via the second path 14b. As will be described later, the decompression pump 13 decompresses the inside of the pan-like container 5 in the cooking process.

  Here, the outer lid vent 15 is formed in the outer lid 9. However, the exhaust lid 15 is not limited to the outer lid 9, and an exhaust vent may be provided in the main body 1 (bottom portion 1 a or peripheral wall portion 1 b) or the hinge portion. Good. By disposing the outer lid vent 15 so as to face sideways or downward, it is possible to suppress the intrusion of moisture or foreign matter into the vacuum pump 13 and reduce the failure risk.

  A lid temperature sensor 21 as a second temperature sensor for detecting the temperature in the pan-like container 5 is attached to the lower surface of the outer lid 9. The lid temperature sensor 21 is composed of, for example, a thermistor. On the lower surface of the outer lid 9, a lid heater 22 and a lid heater heat transfer section 23 are disposed. The lid heater heat transfer section 23 is made of a material having good thermal conductivity such as aluminum and is provided in contact with the upper surface of the inner lid 7. The lid heater 22 is used as an auxiliary heating source, and heats the inner lid 7 via the lid heater heat transfer section 23.

  A removable cartridge 18 is attached to the outer lid 9. The steam port 16 of the inner lid 7 communicates with the cartridge 18. The cartridge 18 has a steam discharge port 19 for discharging the steam flowing in from the steam port 16 to the outside. The steam generated in the pan-like container 5 passes through the steam port 16 and enters the cartridge 18, flows through the cartridge 18, and flows out from the steam discharge port 19.

<Control system of cooking device>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the cooking device 100. The heating cooker 100 includes a control unit 31, an inverter unit 32, an operation display unit 24, and a timer 25.

  Detected temperature information from the pan bottom temperature sensor 4 and the lid temperature sensor 21 and user operation information from the operation display unit 24 are input to the control unit 31. Based on these input information, the control part 31 performs a heating cooking process according to a program, controls the inverter part 32, and performs control which flows a high frequency current from the power supply part 33 to the heating coil 3. FIG.

  The control unit 31 may be configured by hardware such as a circuit device, or may be configured by an arithmetic device such as a microcontroller or CPU (Central Processing Unit) and software executed thereon. Good.

  The control unit 31 supplies a high frequency current from the inverter unit 32 to the heating coil 3 to generate a high frequency magnetic field. The high frequency magnetic field excites the heating coil facing surface of the pot-shaped container 5 magnetically coupled to the heating coil 3, and an eddy current is induced at the bottom 51 of the pot-shaped container 5. Joule heat is generated by the eddy current and the resistance of the pot-shaped container 5, and the bottom 51 of the pot-shaped container 5 generates heat.

  The operation display unit 24 includes an operation unit (operation key or the like) that receives an operation input by a user (operator), and a display unit that displays information related to the operation input and information indicating the state of the cooking device 100. Items that can be set using the operation display unit 24 include, for example, start and cancellation of cooking, reservation, and cooking menu. Items displayed by the operation display unit 24 include, for example, the state of the heating cooker 100 during cooking or waiting for reservation, the content of the set cooking menu, the scheduled end time of the cooking process, the current time, etc. There is.

  In addition, although the operation display part 24 is arrange | positioned here at the surrounding wall part 1b of the main body 1 (FIG. 1), you may arrange | position in the outer cover 9, for example. Further, the operation display unit 24 may be displayed and operated on a display screen of a mobile terminal such as a smartphone.

<Cooking process>
Next, the heating cooking process by the heating cooker 100 of this Embodiment 1 is demonstrated. FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C are timing charts showing changes in temperature, pressure, and thermal power in the cooking process. As shown to FIG. 3 (A), a heat cooking process has a temperature rising process, a low temperature maintenance process (temperature maintenance process), and a cooking process.

  First, the user puts materials (cooked items) such as meat, fish, vegetables, seasonings, and water into the pot-shaped container 5 taken out from the main body 1. Thereafter, the handle 6 of the pan-like container 5 is gripped and attached to the inside of the container cover 2 of the main body 1, and the outer lid 9 is closed. Thereby, the lid packing 8 of the inner lid 7 is brought into pressure contact with the flange portion 53 of the pan-like container 5, and the inside of the pan-like container 5 is sealed.

  The user selects the cooking menu on the operation display unit 24 and turns on a switch (start button) provided on the operation display unit 24. Thereby, the heating cooker 100 starts a heating cooking process. Under the control of the control unit 31, a high-frequency current is supplied from the power supply unit 33 to the heating coil 3 through the inverter unit 32, and a high-frequency magnetic field is generated. The high frequency magnetic field excites the heating coil facing surface of the pot-shaped container 5 magnetically coupled to the heating coil 3, and an eddy current is induced at the bottom 51 of the pot-shaped container 5. Joule heat is generated by the eddy current and the resistance of the pot-like container 5, and the bottom 51 of the pot-like container 5 generates heat to be heated.

  The electromagnetic valve 11 is in a closed state at the start of cooking, and the vent 10 and the decompression pump 13 are not in communication. The controller 31 opens the electromagnetic valve 11 after the start of the cooking process. Next, the control unit 31 drives the decompression pump 13 to discharge the air in the pan-like container 5 from the outer lid vent 15 to the outside through the air path 14.

  Next, the control part 31 controls the inverter part 32, starts the heating by the heating coil 3, heats the pan-shaped container 5, and raises the temperature of a to-be-cooked item. As shown in FIG. 3C, the control unit 31 heats the heating coil 3 with thermal power (input power) V1. This thermal power V1 corresponds to, for example, an input power of 1.2 kW.

  The decompression pump 13 reduces the pressure in the pan-like container 5 from the normal pressure (atmospheric pressure) Pn to the pressure P1 that becomes the vapor pressure at a preset temperature T1 (maintenance temperature), and reduces the pressure P1. Maintain (FIG. 3B). Thus, by setting the heating power V1 in the temperature raising process high and raising the temperature in the pan-like container 5 in a short time, the temperature T1 can be reached in a short time, and the time required for the cooking process is reduced. It can be shortened.

  In general, when the temperature is raised in a short time with a high heating power, the temperature in the pot-like container 5 may overshoot the target temperature, but the boiling point is lowered due to the reduced pressure in the pot-like container 5, so the target The temperature is not higher than the temperature (temperature T <b> 1), and the boiling state is maintained in the pan-like container 5.

  The heating coil 3 may be heated before the electromagnetic valve 11 is opened. When the heating coil 3 is heated in a state where the electromagnetic valve 11 is closed, the steam generated by heating the cooking object in the pan-like container 5 pushes the steam discharge valve 17 and passes through the cartridge 18. It is discharged from the discharge port 19 to the outside of the heating cooker 100. Moreover, if the pressure in the pan-like container 5 falls, the steam discharge valve 17 will return to an original position with dead weight, and the sealing in the pan-like container 5 will be ensured.

  When the temperature in the pot-like container 5 reaches a preset temperature T1 based on the input from the pot bottom temperature sensor 4, the control unit 31 shifts to a low temperature maintaining step.

  In the low temperature maintaining process (also referred to as the temperature maintaining process), the heating coil 3 is heated with a heating power V2 (first heating power) lower than that in the heating process (FIG. 3C), and the boiling state at the temperature T1 is maintained. (FIG. 3 (A)). This thermal power V2 corresponds to, for example, an input power of 500W. The temperature T1 is set to a temperature zone (40 to 50 ° C. when the food to be cooked is a vegetable) in which the reaction of the enzyme contained in the food to be cooked is accelerated according to the type of the food to be cooked.

  Since the pressure in the pan-like container 5 is reduced, the boiling point decreases. Since the temperature of the cooking object does not exceed the boiling point, if the pressure P1 in the low temperature maintaining step is set to the vapor pressure at the temperature T1 (in other words, if the temperature T1 is set to the boiling point at the pressure P1), Even if the thermal power V1 is increased, the temperature in the pan-like container 5 does not overshoot the temperature T1.

  The temperature T1 and the pressure P1 are preset based on the boiling point of water and the vapor pressure (saturated vapor pressure), and the control unit 31 stores them in a storage unit (memory or the like). In addition, when alcohol (alcohol, mirin, etc.) is contained in the food to be cooked, the boiling point of the liquid (boiled juice) contained in the food to be cooked is lower than the boiling point of water. 2 will be described.

  In the first step C1 of the low temperature maintenance step, strong boiling is maintained with the above-described heating power V2 in order to promote the temperature rise inside the cooking object and make the temperature distribution uniform. By forced convection caused by boiling, heat is effectively transmitted to the inside of the object to be cooked, and the temperature difference between the surface and the inside of the object to be cooked can be reduced.

  The controller 31 starts the timer 25 (FIG. 2) together with the start of the first step C1 (start of heating with the thermal power V2), and when a preset time has elapsed, the control unit 31 proceeds to the second step C2.

  In the second step C2 of the low temperature maintaining step, slight boiling is maintained at a thermal power V3 (second thermal power) lower than the thermal power V2 (FIG. 3C). This thermal power V3 corresponds to an input power of 250 W, for example. If strong boiling is maintained, the deliciousness may be reduced, for example, the food is boiled from the outer layer or the unique fragrance is lost, so the thermal power is reduced to improve the taste.

  Since the boiling state in the pan-like container 5 is maintained, the heating power (V2, V3) can be adjusted while maintaining the temperature T1. Thereby, the reaction of an enzyme can be accelerated | stimulated and a to-be-cooked object can be finished deliciously, and the appearance of a to-be-cooked object can be made beautiful by suppressing boiling.

  Here, although the low temperature maintenance process has two processes C1 and C2 with different thermal powers, it may have three or more processes with different thermal powers.

  After the end of the low temperature maintenance process, the process proceeds to the cooking process depending on the type of food to be cooked. Specifically, with the pressure reducing pump 13 stopped and the solenoid valve 11 closed, heating with a preset heating power (for example, a heating power higher than the heating power V2) is continued, and the temperature inside the pan-like container 5 is increased to a temperature Tb. The temperature is raised to (for example, 100 ° C.) and cooked. As the heating progresses, the moisture of the object to be cooked boils, the inside of the pan-like container 5 is filled with steam, and the pressure in the pan-like container 5 returns to the normal pressure Pn. The steam is discharged from the steam port 16 as described above.

  When the above cooking process is completed, the control unit 31 notifies the user of the completion of the cooking process by display on the operation display unit 24 or by voice. In addition, depending on the kind of to-be-cooked item, a cooking process (temperature Tb) may be unnecessary. In that case, the cooking process is completed by completing the low temperature maintenance process.

<Action>
For example, when the food to be cooked is a chicken fillet with a lot of muscle fibers, the food is cooked by performing a low temperature maintenance process so that the food to be cooked does not exceed 65 ° C. which becomes a hard texture. You can finish things with a juicy and soft texture. When the pressure P1 in the low temperature maintaining step is set to 0.2 atm, the boiling point decreases to 60 ° C., so the maintenance temperature (temperature T1) in the low temperature maintaining step is set to 60 ° C. Thereby, since a to-be-cooked object does not reach | attain 65 degreeC, it can suppress that a to-be-cooked object becomes a hard texture. In addition, an increase in umami can be expected due to the action of the proteolytic enzyme contained in the food to be cooked (including seasonings) having an optimum temperature range of less than 65 ° C. Since the enzyme is deactivated when the temperature rises too much, the effect of the action of the enzyme can be improved by temperature control without overshoot.

  In addition, by filling the inside of the pan-like container 5 with steam generated by low-temperature boiling (boiling under reduced pressure), the portion that protrudes from the boiled juice is effectively heated with steam, and the entire cooked product is evenly distributed. Can be heated.

  Moreover, when a to-be-cooked object is vegetables, when it exceeds 50-60 degreeC, since hardening of vegetables will start and texture will fall, the maintenance temperature (temperature T1) in a low-temperature maintenance process is set to 45 degreeC. By this, the enzyme reaction which increases the sweetness of vegetables can be accelerated | stimulated, and deliciousness can be improved. In addition, if the pressure P1 in the low temperature maintaining step is set to 0.1 atm, the boiling point decreases to 45 ° C., so that the temperature of the object to be cooked does not reach the curing start temperature and suppresses the curing of the vegetables. Can do.

  Moreover, when a to-be-cooked object is a foodstuff which does not harden | cure, the maintenance temperature (temperature T1) in a low-temperature maintenance process shall be in the range of 50-70 degreeC which is a temperature range which an enzyme reaction is most accelerated. Thus, it is possible to improve the sweetness and umami and to increase the nutritional components.

  Since vegetables do not soften in the low temperature maintenance process (45 ° C.), the cooking process is performed following the low temperature maintenance process. The temperature Tb in the cooking process is 80 ° C. or higher (eg, 100 ° C.), which is the temperature at which the vegetables are softened.

  Moreover, it is good also considering the maintenance temperature (temperature T1) in a low-temperature maintenance process as 80 degreeC or more and less than 100 degreeC which soften vegetables. Vegetables have different softening speeds depending on the type, and vegetables to be cooked may be mixed with vegetables that become too soft and vegetables that become too hard when cooked at high temperatures. Since vegetables begin to soften mainly at 80 ° C. or higher, by heating at 80 ° C. or higher and lower than 100 ° C., the softening rate becomes slow, and various vegetables can be finished uniformly. In addition, by filling the inside of the pan-like container 5 with steam having a temperature equivalent to the temperature of the broth, the food that has been raised from the broth can be uniformly finished. Thus, the deliciousness of a to-be-cooked object can be improved by making maintenance temperature into 80 degreeC or more and less than 100 degreeC.

  In addition, when a to-be-cooked object is heated at 80 degreeC or more and less than 100 degreeC in a low-temperature maintenance process, you may abbreviate | omit the cooking process (temperature Tb) following a low-temperature maintenance process.

  The maintenance temperature (temperature T1) in the low temperature maintenance step is preferably in the range of 40 to 50 ° C. in which the hardening of vegetables is suppressed and the enzyme reaction is promoted, but in the case of a food that does not harden, the enzyme reaction is most accelerated. The range of 50-70 ° C. is desirable. Further, as described above, the maintenance temperature may be 80 ° C. or higher and lower than 100 ° C. In summary, the maintenance temperature in the low temperature maintenance step may be 40 ° C. or more and less than 100 ° C.

  Moreover, the low temperature maintenance process may have a plurality of modes having different heating powers. For example, in the mode of cooking a food to be cooked that is large in size or difficult to rise in temperature, the heating powers V2 and V3 in the low temperature maintenance process are set high. Thereby, a strong boiling can be produced in a to-be-cooked object and the temperature rise inside a to-be-cooked object can be accelerated | stimulated by forced convection.

  On the other hand, in the mode of cooking the food to be cooked such as fish, the thermal powers V2 and V3 in the low temperature maintaining process are set low. Thereby, the weak boiling (weak convection) of the grade which does not produce the cooking of the to-be-cooked object can be produced. Thus, by having a plurality of modes with different heating powers, it is possible to generate convection suitable for the food to be cooked and to perform heating according to the type, size, etc. of the food to be cooked. Note that the plurality of modes of the low temperature maintenance step will be described again in a third embodiment to be described later.

  By the low temperature maintenance process as described above, the reaction of the enzyme contained in the food to be cooked can be sufficiently promoted, sweetness and umami can be improved, and nutrient components can be increased. Moreover, hardening of a to-be-cooked thing can be suppressed, moderate softness | flexibility can be implement | achieved, and food texture can be improved.

  In FIG. 3C, in the temperature raising step, the low temperature maintaining step (first step C1 and second step C2) and the cooking step, a constant heating power is given through each step, but intermittently. Thermal power may be given, and thermal power may be changed during the process.

  Next, a comparative example for comparison with the first embodiment will be described. 4A, 4B, and 4C are timing charts showing changes in temperature, pressure, and heating power in the heating control process of the comparative example. The heating cooker of the comparative example has the same configuration as that shown in FIG. 1, and the heating control process is different.

  In this comparative example, the maintenance temperature (temperature T1) in the low temperature maintenance process is set to 40 to 50 ° C., and the temperature (temperature Tb) in the cooking process is set to 100 ° C. In the temperature raising step, the heating coil 3 is heated with the heating power V0 in order to raise the temperature in the pan-like container 5 to the temperature T1 in a short time. This thermal power V0 is higher than the thermal power V1 in the temperature raising process of the first embodiment (V0> V1). In addition, since the high thermal power V1 is applied in the temperature raising process, the thermal power V4 in the low temperature maintenance process is lower than the thermal power V2 and V3 in the low temperature maintenance process of the first embodiment.

  In this comparative example, in order to raise the temperature in the pot-like container 5 to the temperature T1 in a short time in the temperature raising step, the temperature in the pot-like container 5 overshoots the temperature T1, and a part of the cooking object is cooked. May inactivate the enzyme. In order to avoid the overshoot of temperature, it is necessary to lengthen the temperature rising time to the temperature T1 and keep the thermal power V0 small. In this case, the time required for the cooking process increases.

  On the other hand, the heating cooker 100 according to the first embodiment uses the decompression pump 13 to reduce the pressure in the pan-like container 5 to the pressure P1 that is the vapor pressure at the maintenance temperature (temperature T1). Even if the coil 3 is heated with high heating power, the temperature in the pan-like container 5 does not overshoot the temperature T1. Therefore, the temperature T1 can be reached in a short time without deactivating the enzyme. Thereby, while shortening the time which a heat cooking process requires, a nutrient component can be increased by acceleration | stimulation of an enzyme reaction, and deliciousness can be improved.

<Effect of Embodiment>
As described above, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the inside of the pan-like container 5 is depressurized by the decompression pump 13, the pan-like container 5 is heated by the heating coil 3, and the inside of the pan-like container 5 is 40 ° C. The low temperature maintenance process (temperature maintenance process) maintained at the temperature below 100 degreeC is performed. Therefore, it can heat with high heating power, suppressing the overshoot of the temperature in the pan-shaped container 5, and the time which a heating cooking process requires can be shortened.

  In particular, by keeping the maintenance temperature (temperature T1) at the low temperature maintenance temperature within the range of 40 to 70 ° C., more desirably within the range of 40 to 50 ° C., while suppressing the curing of the vegetable being cooked, The reaction of the enzyme contained in the cooked food can be promoted and the taste can be improved. Moreover, when a to-be-cooked thing is a foodstuff which does not harden | cure, by making maintenance temperature (temperature T1) in the range of 50-70 degreeC, an enzyme reaction is fully accelerated | stimulated and tasty can be improved. it can.

  Moreover, even if it is a case where a to-be-cooked object contains several types of vegetables from which a softening speed differs by making maintenance temperature (temperature T1) in low temperature maintenance temperature into 80 degreeC or more and less than 100 degreeC, these several vegetables are included. It can be softened uniformly.

  Moreover, in Embodiment 1, the low temperature maintenance process has several processes (1st process C1 and 2nd process C2) from which a thermal power differs. Therefore, in 1st process C1, strong boiling is produced by the heating with high thermal power V2, the transmission of the heat to the inside of a to-be-cooked object is accelerated | stimulated by forced convection, and temperature distribution of to-be-cooked object is made uniform. it can. Moreover, in the 2nd process C2, it can switch to weak boiling by the heating by the low thermal power V3, and can suppress the cooking of the to-be-cooked item.

  In the first embodiment, the temperature T1 in the pan-like container 5 in the low temperature maintaining step is set to a temperature at which the reduced pressure P1 becomes the vapor pressure (that is, the boiling point at the reduced pressure P1). In other words, the inside of the pan-like container 5 is depressurized to the vapor pressure at the temperature T1. This makes it possible to change the heating power as described above while keeping the maintenance temperature (temperature T1) in the low temperature maintenance process constant.

  Moreover, the pressure in the pan-like container 5 is returned to the normal pressure Pn by stopping the pressure reduction by the pressure reducing pump 13 and performing the heating process (cooking process) after the low temperature maintaining process, and the cooking object is further heated. Can do.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C are timing charts showing changes in temperature, pressure, and thermal power in the heating control step of the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the switching between the first step C1 and the second step C2 in the low temperature maintaining step is different from the first embodiment. The configuration of the heating cooker 100 is as described in the first embodiment.

  In the first embodiment described above, switching between the first step C1 (thermal power V2) and the second step C2 (thermal power V3) is performed based on time. On the other hand, in this Embodiment 2, switching with the 1st process C1 and the 2nd process C2 is performed based on the temperature in the pan-shaped container 5. FIG.

  When the inside of the pot-like container 5 is depressurized, the boiling point of the liquid (boiled juice) contained in the food to be cooked decreases, but the boiling point changes depending on the composition of the boiled juice. For example, when alcohol such as sake or mirin is contained in the broth, boiling starts earlier than in the case of water alone, and boiling starts before reaching the boiling point of water. If the boiling becomes too intense, the food to be cooked may be boiled or the steam discharge valve 17 may be clogged due to the food being scattered.

  Therefore, in the second embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5C, when boiling of the broth starts before reaching the boiling point of water (here, temperature T1), the heating coil 3 is reduced from V1 to V2, and the process proceeds from the first step C1 to the second step C2.

  That is, the control unit 31 (FIG. 2) of the heating cooker 100 calculates the boiling start temperature in the pan-shaped container 5 based on the temperature detected by the pan bottom temperature sensor 4 and the temperature detected by the lid temperature sensor 21. When the calculated boiling start temperature is lower than the expected boiling point of water at the pressure P1 and continues for a preset time t, the control unit 31 changes the heating power of the heating coil 3 from V1. The voltage is lowered to V2, and the process proceeds from the first process C1 to the second process C2. Thereby, the boiling of the to-be-cooked object by boiling becomes intense can be suppressed.

  In FIG. 5 (A), the temperature in the pan-like container 5 has leveled off at a temperature lower than the temperature T1 (boiling point of water) in the low temperature maintaining step, and then rises to the temperature T1. This is because alcohol or the like contained in the object to be cooked has evaporated.

  As described above, in the second embodiment of the present invention, switching from the first step C1 to the second step C2 in the low temperature maintenance step (temperature maintenance step) is based on the temperature in the pan-like container 5. Therefore, when the liquid contained in the object to be cooked starts boiling at a temperature lower than the boiling point of water, the process can proceed to the second step C2 having a low heating power before the boiling becomes intense. . For this reason, it is possible to effectively suppress the cooking of the food to be cooked or the clogging of the steam discharge valve 17.

  In addition, although the control part 31 calculates the boiling start temperature in the pan-shaped container 5 here, it is judged whether the boiling start temperature continues over time t, but is contained in to-be-cooked material. Other methods may be used as long as it can be determined that the liquid has started boiling at a temperature lower than the boiling point of water.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. 6A, 6B, and 6C are timing charts showing changes in temperature, pressure, and thermal power in the heating control step of the third embodiment. In Embodiment 3, the low temperature maintenance process has a plurality of modes with different thermal powers. The configuration of the heating cooker 100 is as described in the first embodiment.

  In Embodiment 1 described above, the maintenance temperature in the low temperature maintenance step is set to the boiling point of water at the reduced pressure P1. On the other hand, in the third embodiment, the maintenance temperature T2 in the low temperature maintenance step is set lower than the boiling point of water at the pressure P1 (temperature T1).

  For example, when the menu for cooking vegetables is selected on the operation display unit 24, the maintenance temperature (temperature T2) in the low temperature maintenance process is set to 45 ° C, but the pressure P1 in the pan-like container 5 is 45 ° C. The pressure is higher than 0.1 atm. In other words, the maintenance temperature T2 (45 ° C.) in the low temperature maintenance step is lower than the boiling point (for example, 75 ° C.) when the pressure P1 is 0.4 atm.

  Since the maintenance temperature T2 is lower than the boiling point (temperature T1) at the pressure P1, the controller 31 determines that the temperature in the pan-like container 5 is the temperature T2 (45 ° C.) based on the outputs of the pan bottom temperature sensor 4 and the lid temperature sensor 21. ) Is heated while intermittently adjusting the thermal power so as not to overshoot.

  However, since the inside of the pan-like container 5 is depressurized, the temperature rise becomes moderate as the temperature in the pan-like container 5 approaches the boiling point. Therefore, even if the heating coil 3 is heated with high heating power, the temperature in the pan-like container 5 is difficult to overshoot T2. Therefore, for example, the heating coil 3 can be heated with a higher heating power than in the comparative example (FIG. 4), and the temperature raising step can be shortened without causing a temperature overshoot.

  In the low temperature maintenance process after the temperature in the pot-shaped container 5 reaches the temperature T2, the control unit 31 sets the temperature in the pot-shaped container 5 to the temperature T2 (45 ° C.) based on the outputs of the pot bottom temperature sensor 4 and the lid temperature sensor 21. ) To control the heating power of the heating coil 3. The low temperature maintenance process of the third embodiment is a single process (indicated by symbol C).

  In this Embodiment 3, a low temperature maintenance process has several modes according to the kind (meat, fish, vegetables, etc.) of to-be-cooked items. In each mode, the reduced pressure (P1) is constant, and the heating power differs according to the set temperature. In each mode, the temperature is set to a temperature lower than the boiling point at the pressure P1 and to promote the transfer of heat to the inside of the cooking object.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining each mode of the low temperature maintenance process. In FIG. 7, the first mode, the second mode, the third mode, and the like are set according to the type of cooking object such as meat, fish, and vegetables.

  In each mode, the reduced pressure in the low temperature maintaining step is P1 (common). On the other hand, in each mode, temperatures T2a, T2b, T2c (FIG. 6A) are set as the maintenance temperatures. The temperatures T2a, T2b, and T2c are set to temperatures at which heat can be transmitted to the inside of each cooking object to promote the enzyme reaction, and hardening or boiling can be suppressed. The thermal power in each mode is set to the thermal power V2a, V2b, V2c,... (FIG. 6C) required to raise the temperature to temperatures T2a, T2b, T2c,.

  For example, when the cooking menu is selected on the operation display unit 24, the control unit 31 selects a mode corresponding to the food to be cooked in the cooking menu, and selects the temperature T2 (T2a, T2b, T2c...) And the thermal power. V2 (V2a, V2b, V2c...) Is determined. Note that the schematic diagram illustrated in FIG. 7 is merely an example, and it is only necessary to provide a plurality of modes having different heating powers according to the type of the cooking object.

  In addition, the thermal power V does not need to be constant over the process C, and may be adjusted intermittently. The input power per unit time (average input power) may be different for each mode.

  As described above, in the third embodiment of the present invention, the low temperature maintaining step has a plurality of modes, so that the maintenance temperature (temperature T2) and thermal power suitable for the cooking object are set according to the type of cooking object. It can be selected, and the taste and texture can be improved.

  Here, the low temperature maintaining step is a single step (step C shown in FIG. 6C), but as described in the first embodiment, a plurality of steps (the first step C1 and the second step) are performed. C2) may be provided, and the heating power of each process may be different for each mode.

  In Embodiments 1 to 3 described above, the temperature in the pan-like container 5 is controlled by the heating power of the heating coil 3, but a lid heater 22 that is an auxiliary heat source may be used as necessary.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been specifically described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various improvements or modifications are made without departing from the scope of the present invention. be able to.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body, 2 Container cover, 3 Heating coil (heating part), 4 Pan bottom temperature sensor (1st temperature sensor), 5 Pan-shaped container, 6 Handle part, 7 Inner lid, 8 Lid packing, 9 Outer lid, 10 Ventilation 11 Solenoid valve, 12 Packing, 13 Pressure reducing pump (pressure reducing device), 14 Air path, 15 Outer cover vent, 16 Steam port, 17 Steam exhaust valve, 18 Cartridge, 19 Steam exhaust port, 21 Cover temperature sensor (No. 2 temperature sensor), 22 lid heater, 23 lid heater heat transfer section, 24 operation display section, 25 timer, 31 control section, 32 inverter section, 33 power supply section, 100 heating cooker, C process, C1 first process , C2 second step.

Claims (14)

The body,
A pot-shaped container stored in the main body;
A lid covering the pan-like container;
A heating unit for heating the pan-like container;
A decompression device for decompressing the inside of the pan-like container;
A control unit for controlling the heating unit and the decompression device,
The controller depressurizes the inside of the pan-like container with the decompression device, heats the pan-like container with the heating unit, and maintains the inside of the pan-like container at a maintenance temperature of 40 ° C. or higher and lower than 100 ° C. Perform the temperature maintenance process to maintain,
The temperature maintaining step includes a plurality of steps with different heating power of the heating unit or a plurality of modes with different heating power of the heating unit.   The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance temperature in the temperature maintenance step is in a range of 40 to 70 ° C.   The cooking device according to claim 2, wherein the maintenance temperature in the temperature maintenance step is in a range of 40 to 50 ° C.   The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance temperature in the temperature maintenance step is 80 ° C or higher and lower than 100 ° C.   The said control part further performs the temperature rising process which heats up the inside of the said pan-like container to the said maintenance temperature before the said temperature maintenance process, The any one of Claim 1 to 4 characterized by the above-mentioned. The heating cooker described in 1.   The heating cooker according to claim 5, wherein the heating power in the temperature raising step is higher than the heating power in the temperature maintaining step.   The cooking device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the maintenance temperature in the temperature maintenance step is a temperature at which a pressure reduced by the decompression device becomes a vapor pressure.   The cooking device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the maintenance temperature in the temperature maintenance step is lower than a temperature at which a pressure reduced by the decompression device becomes a vapor pressure. . The plurality of steps of the temperature maintaining step are:
A first step in which the heating power of the heating unit is set to a first heating power;
The heating process according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising: a second step in which a heating power of the heating unit is set to a second heating power smaller than the first heating power. vessel.   The cooking device according to claim 9, wherein the transition from the first step to the second step is performed based on a time from the start of the first step.   The cooking device according to claim 9, wherein the transition from the first step to the second step is performed by detecting that the inside of the pan-like container is in a boiling state.   The plurality of modes of the temperature maintaining step are characterized in that the internal pressure of the pan-shaped container is constant, and the internal temperature of the pan-shaped container and the heating power of the heating unit are different from each other. The cooking device according to any one of 11 to 11.   The heating cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the plurality of modes of the temperature maintaining step can be selected according to a type of an object to be cooked. The heating according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the controller performs a cooking process in which the heating power of the heating unit is higher than the temperature maintaining process after the temperature maintaining process. Cooking device.

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