JP4894456B2 - rice cooker - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a rice cooker that can be cooked by a user.

  In recent years, due to the diversification of consumer preferences, there are various demands for the deliciousness of cooking, and rice cookers that can cook the physical properties such as the hardness (elasticity) and stickiness of cooking to the taste of the user There is. In a rice cooker, usually, a water immersion process (pre-cooking process), a cooking process, and a steaming process are sequentially performed, and the water immersion process is characterized to cope with such recent trends. For example, a rice cooker is known in which the temperature of the water immersion process can be set in order to cook the sweetness of the user's preference (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In addition, since the production of reducing sugar is increased and the surface does not collapse, and cooked rice is cooked, the water immersion process can be controlled in two stages of 40 ° C to 60 ° C and 61 ° C to 70 ° C. The rice cooker which did it is also known (for example, refer patent document 2).
Japanese Patent No. 3538971 JP 2001-46224 A

  However, all of the conventional configurations perform only temperature control during the flooding process, and this cannot sufficiently meet the more sophisticated consumer preference.

  This invention solves the said conventional subject, and it aims at providing the rice cooker which can adjust the sweetness, umami | taste, hardness (elasticity), stickiness, etc. of the cooked rice and can realize fine cooking. It is what.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, the rice cooker of the present invention has a low-temperature water immersion process and a subsequent high-temperature water immersion process in the water immersion process of the rice cooking process, and into the hot water pot generated by the hot water generating means. The timing of the supply is at least during the steaming process, and the rice cooking setting means includes a plurality of rice cookings in which the temperature and time of the low temperature water immersion process and the high temperature water immersion process in the water immersion process, and the amount and temperature of hot water supplied into the pan are preset. One course is arbitrarily selected from the courses.

  As a result, the rice cooking setting means can arbitrarily select one course from a plurality of rice cooking courses that have been adjusted for sweetness, umami, hardness (elasticity), stickiness, etc. of the cooked rice to realize fine cooking And can fully meet consumer preferences.

  The rice cooker of the present invention can realize fine cooking such as sweetness, umami, hardness (elasticity), and stickiness of cooked rice, and sufficiently meets consumer preference.

  1st invention is the temperature by the pan which accommodates a cooking thing, the cover which covers the opening part of a pan, the pan heating means which heats a pan, the pan temperature measurement means which measures the temperature of a pan, and the pan temperature measurement means Control means for controlling the amount of heating given to the pot heating means based on the above, the control means for sequentially executing the rice cooking process of the water immersion process, the cooking process, the steaming process, the hot water generating means for generating hot water to be supplied into the pot, and the rice cooking A rice cooking setting means for selecting a course, the water immersion process of the rice cooking process has a low temperature water immersion process and a subsequent high temperature water immersion process, and the supply timing of the hot water generated by the hot water generation means is at least At the time of the steaming process, the rice cooking setting means takes one course from a plurality of rice cooking courses in which the temperature and time of the low temperature water immersion process and the high temperature water immersion process in the water immersion process and the amount and temperature of hot water supplied into the pan are preset. I will choose any In which was the rice cooker on. As a result, the rice cooking setting means can arbitrarily select one course from multiple rice cooking courses that have been adjusted for sweetness, umami, hardness (elasticity), stickiness, etc. It fully responds to consumer preferences.

  In the second invention, in particular, in the first invention, the hot water supplied into the pan is steam, so that the rice is not whitened due to condensation in the pan, and the starch is decomposed and gelatinized. be able to.

  In a third aspect of the invention, in particular, in the second aspect of the invention, hot water is superheated steam having a temperature of 100 ° C. or higher and 150 ° C. or lower. As a result, starch decomposition and gelatinization can be further promoted, and the variety of tastes can be expanded without drying or burning the rice.

  In the fourth aspect of the invention, in particular, in the first or second aspect of the invention, the hot water is supplied into the pan even during the submersion step, thereby heating the inside of the pan more efficiently and more uniformly. Therefore, the temperature control of the low temperature water immersion process and the high temperature water immersion process can be performed more accurately.

  According to a fifth aspect of the invention, in particular, in the fourth aspect of the invention, the hot water supplied into the pan at the time of the water immersion step is heated to 40 ° C. or higher and less than 70 ° C. Management can be performed.

  In the sixth invention, in particular, in any one of the first to fifth inventions, the low temperature water immersion process in the water immersion process is 40 ° C. or more and less than 60 ° C., and the temperature of the high temperature water immersion process is 60 ° C. or more and less than 70 ° C. Thus, it is possible to absorb water without hindering water absorption and with little elution from the surface portion of rice, and at the same time, an enzyme that works most effectively at low temperature acts to promote hydrolysis. After that, a high temperature water immersion process is performed near the gelatinization temperature zone, and water is absorbed in advance in the low temperature water immersion process, so the water absorption is completed before a large amount of elution due to gelatinization occurs, and the enzyme that works most effectively at high temperature is also Since hydrolysis can be performed in a short time, it is possible to efficiently adjust the amount of sugar produced.

  In the seventh invention, in particular, in any one of the first to sixth inventions, the low-temperature water immersion process and the high-temperature water immersion process in the water immersion process are both within 10 minutes to 60 minutes. Thus, the sweetness and umami of cooked rice can be adjusted more efficiently.

  Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 shows a rice cooker according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  As shown in the figure, the rice cooker in the present embodiment accommodates a cooked product (rice or water) and is equipped with a pot 1 in the main body 3, and the pot 1 is heated to cook the cooked product. A pot heating means 2 comprising a heating coil, a lid 4 covering the opening of the pot 1, a pot temperature measuring means 13 comprising a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the pot 1, and the temperature of the pot 1 by the pot temperature measuring means 13 The control means 12 which controls the amount of heating given to the pot heating means 2 based on the above, and sequentially executes the rice cooking process of the soaking process, the cooking process, and the steaming process, and the hot water generating means for generating hot water to be supplied into the pot 1 7 and rice cooking setting means 14 for selecting a rice cooking course.

  And the water immersion process of a rice cooking process has a low temperature water immersion process and a subsequent high temperature water immersion process, and the supply timing to the hot water pot 1 produced | generated by the hot water production | generation means 7 is made at least at the time of a steaming process, and rice cooking setting is carried out. The means 14 arbitrarily selects one course from a plurality of rice cooking courses in which the temperature and time of the low temperature water immersion process and the high temperature water immersion process in the water immersion process, and the amount and temperature of hot water supplied into the pan 1 are preset. I made it.

  Moreover, the temperature of the low temperature water immersion process in the water immersion process is 40 ° C. or more and less than 60 ° C., the temperature of the high temperature water immersion process is 60 ° C. or more and less than 70 ° C., and the time of each water immersion process is set to 10 minutes or more and 60 minutes or less. It is.

  In the rice cooker, the water absorption rate to the rice increases as the temperature during the water immersion process increases. However, since gelatinization starts at 60 ° C or higher, if the water immersion in this temperature zone becomes too long, the structure of the surface of the rice will soften due to the gelatinization reaction, and the components in the rice will be easily eluted, This is because the surface of the cooked rice tends to collapse or become hard because the portion is gelatinized, which prevents water absorption. In the water immersion process, the enzyme contained in the rice acts on starch to produce various sugars by hydrolysis, and the generated sugars are the basis of the final cooked rice. In addition, each enzyme has a temperature zone that most frequently acts on starch and produces a large amount of sugar, and works best at a low temperature of 40 ° C. or more and less than 60 ° C., or a high temperature of 60 ° C. or more and less than 70 ° C. Because there is something that works best.

  Therefore, in the water immersion process, first, the low temperature water immersion process is performed in a temperature range where the gelatinization reaction does not occur. In this step, water absorption is not hindered, and water can be absorbed with little elution from the surface portion of the rice. At the same time, an enzyme that works most effectively at low temperatures acts and promotes hydrolysis. After that, a high temperature water immersion process is performed near the gelatinization temperature zone, and water is absorbed in advance in the low temperature water immersion process, so the water absorption is completed before a large amount of elution due to gelatinization occurs, and the enzyme that works most effectively at high temperature is also Since hydrolysis can be performed in a short time, it is possible to efficiently adjust the amount of sugar produced.

  In addition, the timing of supplying hot water into the pan 1 is at least during the steaming process, so that the rice is further decomposed with water and heat to promote gelatinization and sugar generation, and the hardness (elasticity) and stickiness Sweetness and umami can be adjusted, and the cooked state can be adjusted more finely. Here, the hot water is superheated steam of 100 ° C. or higher and 150 ° C. or lower. By adding superheated steam to the rice, further decomposition and gelatinization of starch is promoted, and the rice is dried or burnt. There is a wide variety of flavors.

  Next, a heat sink 5 made of a metal material and a heating plate 6 facing the inside of the pan 1 are accommodated in the lid 4, and the space between the heat sink 5 and the heating plate 6 is heated with hot water. It is part 9. The heat radiating plate 5 is provided with a heating coil 5 a, and the heating plate 6 is provided with hot water charging means 11 including a hole for supplying hot water heated by the hot water heating unit 9 into the pan 1. The lid 4 and the heat sinks 5 and 6 are equipped with steam discharge means 15 during rice cooking.

  Moreover, the hot water production | generation means 7 is arrange | positioned separately from the pan 1, and is a metal tank apparatus with which the water was stored and mounted | worn detachably. This hot water generation means 7 is induction-heated by a heating coil which is the hot water heating means 8 and heats the water stored therein. The hot water generated by the hot water generating means 7 is guided to the hot water heating unit 9 by the hot water guiding means 10 having a tubular passage, and hot water is supplied into the pot 1 from the hot water charging means 11. It is what is done.

  The rice cooking setting means 14 is provided in a part of the main body 3 outline of the rice cooker, and by operating the rice cooking button or the like of the rice cooking setting means 14, one course is implemented from a plurality of preset rice cooking courses, Sweetness, umami, hardness (elasticity), and stickiness can be freely and arbitrarily selected.

  Here, the rice cooking process of the rice cooker in this Embodiment is demonstrated taking the case where the polished rice 3 go (450g) is accommodated in the pan 1 as an example.

  (Table 1) shows an example of the water immersion process condition and the steaming process condition of each rice cooking course.

  The rice cooking courses A to C of the first embodiment in Table 1 can be freely selected by the user using the rice cooking setting means 14.

  The temperature and time of the low temperature water immersion process, the temperature and time of the high temperature water immersion process, and the steaming process condition are shown as the water immersion process conditions.

  In the conventional example 1, each condition of the rice cooker course in which the water immersion process is controlled in two stages is shown. In the conventional example 2, each of the rice cooker course in the rice cooker in which the water immersion process is controlled in one stage. The conditions are shown.

  (Table 2) shows the sweetness, umami, hardness (elasticity), and stickiness of the cooked rice when cooked in each rice cooking course shown in (Table 1). Sweetness indicates the amount of glucose, umami indicates the total amount of oligosaccharides, and hardness and stickiness indicate the results of sensory evaluation.

  First, the milled rice and the specified amount of water are stored in the pan 1, the rice cooking course C of (Table 1) is selected by the rice cooking setting means 14, and the rice temperature measurement means 13 is operated by operating the rice cooking button and the like. Based on the temperature of the pan 1, the water immersion process is started.

  First, the low temperature water immersion process is maintained at 40 ° C. for 20 minutes, and then the high temperature water immersion process is maintained at 60 ° C. for 20 minutes, followed by cooking and steaming. In the steaming process, the steam amount “ “Medium” and steam temperature “Medium” are executed, and rice cooking ends.

  According to (Table 2), in the rice cooking course C, the amount of glucose was 74 mg, and the total amount of oligosaccharides was 24 mg, which was larger than those of Conventional Example 1 and Conventional Example 2.

  (Table 3) shows the action of each enzyme and the temperature zone where it works most effectively as data on the enzyme.

  According to (Table 3), at 40 ° C., enzyme a and enzyme b act most effectively, and oligosaccharides and glucose are produced. Oricosaccharide is a general term for sugars in which 2 to 10 monosaccharide glucoses are bonded, and maltose is a typical example of rice. As a characteristic of taste, sweetness is less than glucose, but umami and rich taste are felt. Further, at 60 ° C., the enzyme c works most effectively, and glucose is generated from the oligosaccharide.

  In the water immersion process of the cooked rice C course in (Table 1), a low temperature water immersion process controlled at 40 ° C. is first performed for 20 minutes, and 40 ° C. is a temperature zone in which gelatinization does not occur. No. 2 and the conventional example 2 in which the water immersion process is controlled at a constant 60 ° C. because the enzymes a and b that work best at low temperatures are actively acting while being absorbed with little elution from the surface part of the rice. In comparison, it is considered that a lot of glucose and oligosaccharides were produced. In particular, oligosaccharides are the basis of the umami of cooked rice.

  Thereafter, the subsequent high-temperature water immersion process is performed for 20 minutes, and water is absorbed in advance in the low-temperature water immersion process, so that the water absorption is completed before a large amount of elution due to gelatinization occurs, and the water is sufficiently absorbed. Was able to increase glucose further in a short time.

  In addition, since hot water is added in the steaming step, the decomposition of starch with heat and water is promoted, and in the case of the rice cooking C course, this hot water is further heated by the hot water heating means 8. It is considered that the decomposition of starch was promoted, and the amount of glucose and the total amount of oligosaccharides were increased as compared with Conventional Example 1 in which only the two-stage water immersion process at 40 ° C. and 65 ° C. was performed.

  The amount of sugar is considered to change depending on the temperature and time of the low-temperature water immersion process, the high-temperature water immersion process, and the amount and temperature of steam input in the steaming process. The variation of.

  For example, if you choose rice cooking course A, compared to rice cooking course C, the amount of glucose is halved and the amount of oligosaccharides is greatly reduced by about 30%. The amount of glucose and oligosaccharide are slightly less.

  In this way, the amount of glucose and the total amount of oligosaccharides can be adjusted by controlling the temperature and time in the water immersion process and the steam volume and steam temperature in the steaming process. The selection of became possible.

  In addition, the effect of hot water in the steaming process also leads to the gelatinization of starch, and in each rice cooking course of Embodiment 1, hot water is introduced in the steaming process, so that it is harder than the conventional examples 1 and 2. The elasticity (elasticity) and stickiness increased.

  In other words, by controlling the amount of hot water and the temperature of hot water, in addition to sweetness and umami, hardness (elasticity) and stickiness can be freely selected, and a finer taste can be selected.

  For example, if you choose the rice cooking course A, the hardness (elasticity) and stickiness are slightly smaller than the rice cooking course C, and if you choose the rice cooking course B, the hardness and stickiness are stronger than the rice cooking course C. . In the rice cooking course B, compared with the conventional examples 1 and 2, sweetness, umami, hardness (elasticity), and stickiness are all considerably large, and rice with characteristics can be cooked.

  In addition, although it is preferable that it is steam as hot water supplied in the pan 1 at a steaming process, it is not limited to this, Mist etc. may be sufficient.

  As is clear from the above, the rice cooker of the present embodiment has one course from a plurality of rice cooking courses in which the sweetness, umami, hardness (elasticity), stickiness, etc. of the cooked rice are adjusted by the rice cooking setting means. It can be selected arbitrarily to achieve fine cooking and fully meet consumer preferences.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, the rice cooker in Embodiment 2 of this invention is demonstrated. Since the basic structure of the rice cooker is the same as that of Embodiment 1, the description thereof will be omitted, and only the differences will be described.

  The rice cooker in the present embodiment is configured so that hot water generated by the hot water generating means 7 can be supplied into the pot 1 by the hot water charging means 11 even during the water immersion process. Here, the hot water supplied into the pot 1 at the time of the water immersion process is set to 40 ° C. or more and less than 70 ° C., and the temperature inside the pot 1 is heated at the temperature at the time of the water immersion process to perform temperature management.

  By storing polished rice and a specified amount of water in the pan 1, selecting one of the rice cooking courses with the rice cooking setting means 14, and operating the rice cooking button, etc., the temperature of the pot 1 measured by the pot temperature measuring means 13 is obtained. Based on this, the water immersion process is started.

  In the case of the present embodiment, for example, when a rice cooking course in which the low temperature water immersion process is set to 40 ° C. is selected, hot water of 40 ° C. is generated by the hot water generating means 7, and the hot pot from the hot water input means 11 Since it can supply in 1, it can adjust to required immersion temperature efficiently. Next, in the high-temperature water immersion process, for example, if a rice cooking course set to 65 ° C. is selected, by similarly generating hot water of 65 ° C. with the hot water generating means 7 and supplying it into the pan 1, It is possible to efficiently adjust to the necessary water immersion temperature, and it is possible to more accurately perform temperature management in the low temperature water immersion process and the high temperature water immersion process. Thereafter, hot water is further supplied during the steaming step, and the sweetness, umami, hardness (elasticity), and stickiness can be finely and accurately adjusted, and it is possible to meet advanced consumer preferences.

  As described in Embodiment 1, the hot water supplied into the pan 1 is preferably steam, but is not limited to this, and may be mist or the like.

  As is apparent from the above, the rice cooker of the present embodiment is more efficient in supplying the hot water into the pan in the water immersion process in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment, so that the temperature during the water immersion process is more efficient. Since the temperature can be controlled more accurately, the temperature can be controlled more accurately, so that finer sweetness and umami can be adjusted.

  As described above, the rice cooker according to the present invention realizes fine cooking such as sweetness, umami, hardness (elasticity), and stickiness of the cooked rice, and sufficiently satisfies consumer tastes. Therefore, it can be applied to a rice cooker for business use as well as a general rice cooker.

Sectional drawing of the rice cooker in Embodiment 1, 2 of this invention

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pan 2 Pan heating means 7 Hot water production | generation means 8 Hot water heating means 9 Hot water heating part 10 Hot water guide means 11 Hot water input means 12 Control means 13 Pot temperature measurement means 14 Rice cooking setting means

Claims (7)

A pot for storing the cooked food, a lid for covering the opening of the pot, a pot heating means for heating the pot, a pot temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature of the pot, and a pot heating means based on the temperature by the pot temperature measuring means Control means to control the amount of heating given to the rice, the water immersion process, the cooking process, the steaming process rice cooking process in sequence, the hot water generation means to generate hot water to be supplied into the pan, and the rice cooking setting to select the rice cooking course The water immersion process of the rice cooking process has a low temperature water immersion process and a subsequent high temperature water immersion process, and the supply timing of the hot water generated by the hot water generation means is at least during the steaming process. The setting means may arbitrarily select one course from a plurality of rice cooking courses in which the temperature and time of the low temperature water immersion process and the high temperature water immersion process in the water immersion process, the amount and temperature of hot water to be supplied into the pan, are set in advance. Cooker The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the hot water supplied into the pan is steam. The rice cooker according to claim 2, wherein the hot water is superheated steam having a temperature of 100 ° C or higher and 150 ° C or lower. The rice cooker according to claim 1 or 2, wherein hot water is supplied into the pot even during the water immersion process. The rice cooker according to claim 4, wherein the hot water supplied into the pot during the water immersion step is 40 ° C or higher and lower than 70 ° C. The rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the low temperature water immersion step in the water immersion step is 40 ° C or higher and lower than 60 ° C, and the temperature of the high temperature water immersion step is 60 ° C or higher and lower than 70 ° C. The rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein both the low temperature water immersion step and the high temperature water immersion step in the water immersion step are 10 minutes or more and 60 minutes or less.