JP2018201817A - Heating cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

To rapidly cool a cooked object.SOLUTION: A heating cooker includes: a cooker body 1; a bottomed cylindrical inner pot 2 stored in the cooker body; a lid body 3 opening/closing an upper opening of the inner pot 2; heating means 7 provided in the cooker body 1 and heating the inner pot 2; decompression means 4 for decompressing the inner pot 2 inside closed by the lid body 3; and control means 5 for executing a heating step of heating a content in the inner pot 2 inside via the inner pot 2 by the heating means 7, and a cooling step of putting the inner port 2 inside into a decompressed state by the decompression means 4 followed by cooling the content by evaporation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a heating cooker.

  Conventionally, the rice cooker provided with the pressure reduction means is well-known as a heating cooker (refer patent document 1). In this rice cooker, during the cooking standby time or during the heat retention, the decompression means is driven to decompress the inside of the pan, thereby preventing the growth of miscellaneous bacteria and the spoilage of the cooked rice so as to obtain good-tasting rice.

  However, in the conventional cooking device, when the temperature of the cooked rice is high after cooking, the pressure in the pan is not reduced, and the temperature of the rice is lowered and the temperature is stabilized. The purpose is only to suppress the propagation of germs. That is, there is no mention of rapid cooling of rice in a state where the temperature after cooking is high.

JP 2007-209481 A

  This invention makes it a subject to provide the heating cooker which can rapidly cool the content which is a cooking item.

As a means for solving the above problems, the present invention provides:
The cooker body,
An inner pan that is bottomed and accommodated in the cooker body,
A lid for opening and closing the upper opening of the inner pot;
A heating means provided in the cooker body for heating the inner pot;
Pressure reducing means for reducing the pressure in the inner pot closed by the lid;
Control means for performing a heating process for heating the contents in the inner pot through the inner pot by the heating means, and a cooling process for evaporating and cooling the contents in the reduced pressure state in the inner pot by the decompression means. When,
A heating cooker is provided.

  With this configuration, the temperature of the contents can be rapidly lowered by evaporative cooling in the cooling step. That is, since the boiling point is lowered by reducing the pressure in the inner pot, steam can be actively generated from the contents up to the lowered boiling point. That is, the contents can be rapidly cooled by generating steam from the contents and taking the heat of vaporization.

The contents include rice and water,
The heating step includes a preheating step, a temperature raising step, a boiling maintenance step, a cooking step, a steaming step, and a heat retention step,
It is preferable to perform a cooling process after completion | finish of the said cooking process.

  With this configuration, when the temperature of the content after the cooking process is high, the temperature of the content can be immediately reduced by evaporative cooling.

The heating step includes a cooking step of cooking the contents, and a heat retention step executed after the cooking step is finished,
The cooling step may be performed during the heat retention step.

  It is preferable to heat the lid or the inner pot in the cooling step.

  With this configuration, it is possible to prevent vapor generated by evaporative cooling from condensing in the lid or pan.

Comprising operating means for selecting a cooking method of the contents;
It is preferable that the control means changes the execution content of the cooling step according to the cooking method selected by the operation means.

  With this configuration, the contents can be rapidly cooled appropriately according to the difference in the cooking method.

  According to the present invention, since the contents are vaporized and cooled after the heating step is completed, the temperature of the contents can be rapidly lowered.

It is the schematic of the rice cooker which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the rice cooking control with the rice cooker of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the preheating process of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the temperature rising process of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the boiling maintenance process of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the cooking process of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the steaming process of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the heat retention process of FIG. It is a graph which shows the change of the detected temperature in the rice cooker of FIG. 1, a detected pressure, and an electricity supply rate.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the following description is only illustrations essentially and does not intend restrict | limiting this invention, its application thing, or its use. Further, the drawings are schematic, and the ratio of each dimension is different from the actual one.

(Constitution)
FIG. 1 shows a rice cooker that is an example of a heating cooker according to the present embodiment. This rice cooker includes a rice cooker body 1, which is an example of a cooker body, an inner pot 2, a lid 3, a decompression device 4 which is an example of decompression means, and a control device 5 which is an example of control means, Is provided.

  The rice cooker body 1 includes an accommodation recess 6 that can accommodate the inner pot 2 downward from the upper surface thereof. An induction heating coil 7 for induction heating the inner pot 2 is accommodated on the lower side of the bottom surface of the accommodation recess 6. A first heater 8 and a temperature detection sensor 9 located below the first heater 8 are provided on the side surface of the housing recess 6. The first heater 8 heats the body portion of the inner pot 2. The temperature detection sensor 9 contacts the lower side surface of the inner pot 2 and detects the temperature of the inner pot 2. On the back side upper surface (upper right side in the figure) of the rice cooker body 1, the lid 3 is supported so as to be rotatable about a support shaft (not shown). In the vicinity of the support shaft, a relief recess 10 in which a water storage tank 23 described later is located is formed. The escape recess 10 is provided with a cooling part 11 such as a Peltier element. The water storage tank 23 is cooled by the cooling unit 11, and the steam flowing into the water storage tank 23 can be condensed. The protrusion 12 protrudes from four places on the bottom surface of the rice cooker body 1 and is placed on a placement surface such as a table. Each protrusion 12 is provided with a weight detection sensor 13 (the weight detection sensor 13 may be provided only at one protrusion 12).

  The inner pot 2 is formed by forming a clad material made of aluminum having a high thermal conductivity and stainless steel capable of induction heating into a bottomed cylindrical shape.

  The lid 3 is formed with a circular groove 14 on the lower surface, so that a central portion is a circular convex portion 15. The convex portion 15 is provided with a second heater 16 arranged in an annular shape. An inner lid 17 is detachably attached to the convex portion 15 of the lid 3 using an annular groove 14. The inner lid 17 closes the upper opening of the inner pot 2 when the lid 3 is closed with respect to the rice cooker body 1. Thereby, the internal space 18 sealed with the inner pot 2 and the inner lid 17 is formed. A first flow path 19 that communicates with the central portion of the upper surface of the lid 3 is formed at the central portion of the lower surface of the inner lid 17. A pressure regulating valve 20 that can be controlled to be opened and closed is provided in the middle of the first flow path 19. The pressure regulating valve 20 is opened when the internal space 18 reaches a predetermined pressure or higher, and discharges the internal steam to the outside through the first flow path 19. A pressure detection sensor 21 is provided on the lid 3. The pressure detection sensor 21 is provided at the end of a guide channel 22 that extends from the inner lid 17 to the inside of the lid body 3. The pressure detection sensor 21 detects the pressure in the internal space 18, and the detection signal is input to the control device 5. A water storage tank 23 is provided on the lower surface of the lid 3 on the rear side (right side in the drawing) of the inner lid 17. The bottom surface of the inner lid 17 communicates with the water storage tank 23 in the lid body 3 through a second flow path 25. An on-off valve 24 is provided in the middle of the second flow path 25. The second flow path 25 extends to the bottom surface side of the water storage tank 23. The on-off valve 24 allows the air in the internal space 18 to flow toward the water storage tank 23, but prevents reverse flow.

  The decompression device 4 is built in the rear side of the lid 3. Here, a pump is used as the decompression device 4. The decompression device 4 is provided in the middle of the third flow path 26 that communicates from the water storage tank 23 to the rear upper surface of the lid 3. The third flow path 26 communicates with the upper side in the water storage tank 23.

  The control device 5 receives a detection signal from the temperature detection sensor 9 or the like, and controls driving of the decompression device 4, energization to the induction heating coil 7, the first heater 8, the second heater 16, and the like.

(Operation)
Next, the rice cooking control of the rice cooker which consists of the said structure is demonstrated. Basically, as shown in FIG. 2, the rice cooking control is performed by a preheating process (step S1), a temperature raising process (step S2), a boiling maintaining process (step S3), a cooking process (step S4), and a steaming process (step). This is performed by S5) and the heat retaining step (step S6). Hereinafter, it will be described in detail with reference to the graph shown in FIG. In FIG. 9, the alternate long and short dash line indicates the change in the detected temperature, the dotted line indicates the change in the detected pressure, and the bar graph indicates the energized state.

(Preheating process)
Rice and water as contents are stored in the inner pot 2 and stored in the receiving recess 6 of the rice cooker body 1, the lid 3 is closed, and the upper opening of the inner pot 2 is closed by the inner lid 17. As shown in FIG. 3, if the rice cooking switch which is not illustrated is operated (ON) in this state (step S1-1), a preheating process will be started. In the preheating step, the induction heating coil 7 is energized by duty control (step S1-2), and heating of the inner pot 2 is started. Here, the energization rate is set to a first set rate (for example, 30 to 70%) so that the temperature of the inner pot 2 is maintained at a predetermined temperature (for example, 60 ° C.) slightly higher than the outside air temperature. The pressure in the internal space 18 at this time is the same as the atmospheric pressure (about 100 kPa). And if the elapsed time t1 from operation of the rice cooking switch exceeds 1st setting time T1 (step S1-3), it will transfer to a temperature rising process.

(Temperature raising process)
In the temperature raising step, as shown in FIG. 4, the energization rate to the induction heating coil 7, the first heater 8 and the second heater 16 is set to 100% (step S2-1), and the supplied power is set to the maximum value (here Then, the temperature of the inner pot 2 is increased as 1200 W). Thereby, the temperature a of the contents rises rapidly. During this time, the pressure in the internal space 18 is maintained at atmospheric pressure. And if it is detected based on the detection signal from the temperature detection sensor 9 that the temperature a of the contents has reached the boiling point (100 ° C.) (step S2-2), the process proceeds to the boiling maintenance step.

(Boiling maintenance process)
In the boiling maintenance step, as shown in FIG. 5, the duty ratio is used to change the energization rate to the induction heating coil 7, the first heater 8 and the second heater 16 to the second set rate (for example, 30 to 80%). (Step S3-1), the contents are maintained in a boiling state as the first set power (1000 W) obtained by slightly reducing the power supplied to the induction heating coil 7 and the like from the maximum value. At this time, a first pressure adjustment process for controlling the opening and closing of the pressure adjustment valve 20 is performed so that the pressure in the internal space 18 is maintained at the first set pressure (115 kPa in this case) (step S3-2). Subsequently, if the elapsed time t2 from the start of the boiling maintenance process has passed the second set time T2 (step S3-3), the pressure in the internal space 18 becomes the second set pressure (here 150 kPa). The pressure control valve 20 is controlled to be opened and closed, and a second pressure adjustment process is performed in which the supplied power is the second set power (500 W) (step S3-4). Furthermore, if the elapsed time t3 from the start of the boiling maintenance process passes the third set time T3 (step S3-5), the process proceeds to the cooking process.

(Cooking process)
In the cooking process, as shown in FIG. 6, the power supplied to the induction heating coil 7, the first heater 8, and the second heater 16 is increased to the third set power (750 W) (step S4-1). Then, after the elapsed time t4 from the start of the cooking process has passed the fourth set time T4 (step S4-2), the energization rate is again increased to the third set rate (for example, 30 to 60%) ( Step S4-3), cooked rice. That is, excess water in the internal space 18 is removed. Then, if the temperature a of the contents reaches the cooking temperature A (for example, 110 ° C.) based on the detection signal from the temperature detection sensor 9 (step S4-4), the process proceeds to the steaming process.

(Steaming process)
In the steaming process, as shown in FIG. 7, the energization to the induction heating coil 7, the first heater 8 and the second heater 16 is stopped by duty control (step S5-1), and the cooked cooked rice is steamed. . At this time, the pressure in the internal space 18 gradually decreases to atmospheric pressure as the temperature decreases. If the elapsed time t5 from the start of the steaming process, that is, the energization stop of the induction heating coil 7, the first heater 8 and the second heater 16 has passed the fifth set time T5 (step S5-2), the heat retaining process. Migrate to

(Heat retention process)
In the heat retention process, as shown in FIG. 8, the decompression device 4 is driven (step S6-1), and the internal space 18 is decompressed (cooling process). In the decompression by the decompression device 4, drive control is performed so that the pressure detected by the pressure detection sensor 21, that is, the pressure in the internal space 18 falls within the third set pressure range (20 to 50 kPa). The pressure in the internal space 18 may be adjusted to the third set pressure range by adjusting the driving speed. Thereby, the saturation temperature of the internal space 18 is lowered, and steam is generated from the contents. The heat of vaporization is deprived from the contents, and the contents are rapidly cooled toward the saturation temperature. By setting the internal space 18 to be the third set pressure range, the saturation temperature becomes an appropriate temperature range (55 to 80 ° C.). When the temperature is lower than 55 ° C., miscellaneous bacteria propagate in the cooked rice, and by setting it to 55 ° C. or higher, the breeding can be prevented. Moreover, since a Maillard reaction generate | occur | produces in cooked rice by exceeding 80 degreeC, the generation | occurrence | production can be suppressed by setting it as 80 degrees C or less. A more preferable appropriate temperature range is 60 to 80 ° C, and the optimum temperature is 73 ° C.

  In the cooling step, the first heater 8 and the second heater 16 are energized (step S6-2) to prevent condensation on the portions exposed to the internal space 18, such as the inner pot 2 and the inner lid 17. The steam generated in the internal space 18 flows into the water storage tank 23 via the second flow path 25. At this time, the cooling unit 11 is driven (step S6-3), and the water storage tank 23 is cooled. Thereby, the flowing-in steam is condensed and stored in the water storage tank 23. In the water storage tank 23, the tip end portion of the second flow path 25 is immersed by the stored condensed water. However, since the pressure in the water storage tank 23 is negative due to the driving of the decompression device 4, Then, air is sucked out from the internal space 18 and discharged to the outside through the third flow path 26.

  Thereafter, if it is determined that the temperature a of the contents has decreased to the desired temperature A (low temperature insulation temperature) based on the detection signal from the temperature detection means (step S6-4), the drive of the decompression device 4 is stopped. (Step S6-5), the pressure regulating valve 20 is opened (Step S6-6). As a result, outside air flows into the internal space 18 via the first flow path 19, the internal space 18 rises to atmospheric pressure, and the contents are kept warm at a low temperature keeping temperature.

  Thus, since the cooling process is performed by evaporative cooling immediately after the start of the heat retaining process, the temperature of the cooked rice can be rapidly reduced. Because of evaporative cooling, the temperature drop of the cooked rice is uniform. Moreover, the temperature to reduce is 80 degrees C or less. For this reason, the Maillard reaction is less likely to occur in cooked rice, and the generation of a warming odor due to yellowing or generation of odorous substances can be prevented. Moreover, even if it reduces, it is 55 degreeC or more. For this reason, it is possible to prevent germs from breeding on the cooked rice. Furthermore, since the rough heat can be quickly taken from the cooked rice, the power consumption can be suppressed even when stored immediately by freezing and refrigeration.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the structure described in the said embodiment, A various change is possible.

  In the embodiment, the cooling process is performed immediately after the start of the heat retaining process. However, during the heat retaining process, the cooling process is performed while the temperature of the contents (rice cooked) is decreasing (during the temperature lowering). Also good.

  In the said embodiment, although the rice cooker was mentioned as an example of the heating cooker which can perform the cooling process which is the characteristics of this invention, other cookers, such as a pressure IH (Induction Heating) pan, can be employ | adopted. When adopting the pressure IH pan, the decompression device 4 may be driven after the cooking of the contents is completed. In addition, since the basic structure of the pressure IH pan is the same as that of the rice cooker, it will be briefly described with reference to FIG.

  In the pressure IH pan, a heating step, a boiling maintaining step, and a heat retaining step, which are cooking steps, are performed. In the temperature raising step, the contents are heated by energizing the induction heating coil 7 at an energization rate of 100%. In the boiling maintaining step, the energization rate to the induction heating coil 7 is controlled by duty control to maintain the boiling state. In the heat insulation process, when the contents are normally kept warm, the energization rate to the induction heating coil 7 is lowered and kept at a predetermined temperature. On the other hand, when the contents are cooled, immediately after the boiling maintaining process is finished, the energization to the induction heating coil 7 is stopped, and the cooling process for driving the decompression device 4 to decompress the internal space 18 is executed. As a result, the boiling point of the contents decreases and the contents boil under reduced pressure. The generation of water vapor removes heat of vaporization from the contents, and the contents are rapidly cooled to the boiling point lowered by the reduced pressure. For example, in the case of cooking such as green vegetables, the cooling process is performed after cooking (boiling maintenance process) for 2 to 5 minutes. The target cooling temperature is preferably about 60 ° C where chlorophyll decomposition is low. In this case, the internal space 18 may be decompressed to 20 kPa.

  Thus, by performing a cooling process by cooking the pressure IH pan, it is possible to prevent chlorophyll, which is a pigment contained in vegetables such as green vegetables, from being decomposed and discolored by heat, and to maintain a good-looking state.

  Here, the cooling process is performed immediately after the end of the boiling maintenance process, but may be performed while the temperature of the contents after the end of the boiling maintenance process is decreasing (during the temperature decrease).

  In the above embodiment, the case where normal rice cooking is performed by operating the rice cooking switch as the selection of the cooking method has been described, but the cooking method can be selected with an operation panel (not shown), and the cooling step is performed according to the difference in the cooking method. The control content may be changed.

  In the case of cooking rice, the decompression pressure or decompression time may be changed according to the difference in the selected rice cooking menu or heat insulation menu. For example, a “long warming” mode and a “frozen rice” mode are provided in the rice cooking menu. And when "long time heat retention" mode is selected, a cooling process is performed immediately after completion of rice cooking, ie, immediately after completion of the cooking process. Here, the pressure is reduced by the pressure reducing device 4 so that the internal space 18 falls within the third set pressure range, and the temperature of the cooked rice is lowered to the appropriate temperature range (here, 70 ° C.). In addition, when the “frozen rice” mode is selected, the pressure is reduced by the pressure reducing device 4 so that the pressure becomes lower than the third set pressure range, thereby cooling the contents as much as possible. Thereby, the power consumption at the time of refrigeration and freezing can be suppressed. In the normal heat retention mode (when none of the above modes is selected), the supply power to the heating means such as the induction heating coil may be suppressed and the temperature adjusted at a predetermined temperature after rice cooking is completed.

  Here, the cooling process is performed immediately after the end of the cooking process in which the temperature of the contents becomes the highest, while the temperature of the contents (rice cooked) after the completion of the cooking process is reduced ( It may be executed during the temperature reduction.

  In the case of cooking, it is only necessary to select a high temperature mode in which the temperature of the cooked food is high after cooking is completed or a low temperature mode in which the temperature is lowered. Depending on the food, it may be preferable to eat hot food after cooking, or it may be better to lower it to an appropriate temperature. Therefore, the cooling process may be executed only when the low temperature mode is selected in the selected cooking menu.

  The present invention can be adopted in various cooking devices such as a rice cooker, a pressure IH pan, and the like, in which the internal space 18 is heated and cooked.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Rice cooker main body 2 ... Inner pan 3 ... Cover body 4 ... Pressure-reducing device 5 ... Control apparatus 6 ... Containment recessed part 7 ... Induction heating coil 8 ... 1st heater 9 ... Temperature detection sensor 10 ... Escape recessed part 11 ... Cooling part 12 ... Protrusion 13 ... Weight detection sensor 14 ... Annular groove 15 ... Protrusion 16 ... Second heater 17 ... Inner lid 18 ... Internal space 19 ... First flow path 20 ... Pressure adjustment valve 21 ... Pressure detection sensor 22 ... Guide flow path 23 ... Water storage tank 24 ... Open / close valve 25 ... Second flow path 26 ... Third flow path

Claims (5)

The cooker body,
An inner pan that is bottomed and accommodated in the cooker body,
A lid for opening and closing the upper opening of the inner pot;
A heating means provided in the cooker body for heating the inner pot;
Pressure reducing means for reducing the pressure in the inner pot closed by the lid;
Control means for performing a heating process for heating the contents in the inner pot through the inner pot by the heating means, and a cooling process for evaporating and cooling the contents in the reduced pressure state in the inner pot by the decompression means. When,
A heating cooker comprising: The contents include rice and water,
The heating step includes a preheating step, a temperature raising step, a boiling maintenance step, a cooking step, a steaming step, and a heat retaining step,
The heating cooker according to claim 1, wherein the cooling step is executed after the cooking step is finished. The heating step includes a cooking step of cooking the contents, and a heat retention step executed after the cooking step is finished,
The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein the cooling step is executed during the heat retaining step.   The cooking device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the lid or the inner pot is heated in the cooling step. Comprising operating means for selecting a cooking method of the contents;
The cooking device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control means changes execution contents of the cooling step according to a cooking method selected by the operation means.

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