JP5348639B2 - Rice cooking method and rice cooker program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rice cooking method and a program of a rice cooker, by means of which energy resources utilized for rice cooking is saved and besides, rice that is not inferior is cooked. <P>SOLUTION: The rice cooking method comprises: a water absorbing step (S401) of heating rice to be cooked and making the rice absorb water; a cooking step (S402) for heating the heated rice to be cooked to a boil; a boil confirmation step (S403) of confirming the attainment of a boil state; a temperature-before-boil maintaining step (S404) of lowering temperature and heating the rice to be cooked for which the attainment of the boil state is confirmed, and maintaining it at a temperature lower than the boil state; an additional cooking step (S405) of heating the rice to be cooked maintained at the low temperature to a boil and maintaining it in the boil state; and a steaming step (S406) of the rice to be cooked, that is maintained in the boil state. The water absorbing step and the cooking step are performed in a range from the total of 15 minutes to the total of 20 minutes, the boil confirmation step is performed within 10 seconds next, then the temperature-before-boil maintaining step is performed for 8 minutes, and then, the additional cooking step is performed for 1 minute and 20 seconds. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2013,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a rice cooking method for cooking a cooked rice containing rice and water, and a rice cooker program.

Traditionally, this kind of cooking method has been handed down with the trick of "Do not remove the lid even if you cry at first".
Specifically, “Initial Choro Choro” corresponds to the water absorption process, raising the temperature of the rice to be cooked (for example, rice soaked in water at 20 ° C.) to about 60 ° C., and adding enough water to the rice contained in the pot Absorb. Therefore, the thermal power of the water absorption process is set to low heat.

Next, “medium pappa” corresponds to main cooking, and a technique in which this main cooking is configured by a cooking process, a boiling maintenance process, and a subsequent cooking process is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 1).
Specifically, first, the heating power of the cooking process is set to high heat, the temperature of the cooked rice is raised to 100 ° C., the start of alpha conversion (gelatinization) of rice starch, and the alpha conversion Make progress.

  Then, the boiling maintenance process of the said patent document 1 raises the temperature of a to-be-cooked rice to temperature higher than the boiling point (100 degreeC) in the case of only water which does not contain an impurity, and maintains at the said boiling point after that. This is a step of promoting the alpha conversion of starch. The heating power of the boiling maintenance process is assumed to be a heating power capable of maintaining the boiling state inside the kettle, in other words, a strong thermal power in which steam generated inside the kettle continues to be ejected vigorously toward the outside.

  Next, the additional cooking process is started, and excess water inside the pot is removed. The heating power in the additional cooking process of Patent Document 1 is set so as to increase the heating amount as compared with the boiling maintenance process. That is, it is thought that it is the strong thermal power which can raise the temperature of a to-be-cooked rice to high temperature (for example, 130 degreeC) from the boiling point (100 degreeC) in the case of only water which does not contain an impurity.

  Furthermore, “Don't take the lid even if the baby crys” corresponds to a steaming process. In this steaming process, the fire is extinguished and the temperature of the cooked rice is lowered to below 100 ° C. As a result, the starch is made alpha to the core of the rice. Then, when it transfers to a heat retention process, the kettle | hook and a lid | cover are heated suitably and the water vapor | steam adhering to the inside of a kettle | hook or a lid | cover is removed.

Japanese Patent No. 4611415

However, the conventional technology has a problem that it is difficult to save energy resources.
Specifically, the thermal power of the above-described boiling maintenance process is a strong thermal power in which steam generated inside the kettle continues to be ejected vigorously toward the outside, as is apparent from the name “boiling maintenance”.

That is, in view of the point that water (pure water not containing impurities) does not exceed the boiling point (100 ° C.), for example, the water inside the kettle contains impurities eluted from rice and so the temperature inside the kettle is Even if it is possible to exceed 100 ° C., a continuous strong heating power as if the temperature in the kettle is continuously raised to 100 ° C. or higher is unnecessary.
There is also a concern that maintaining the boiling state inside the kettle for a long period of time will cause the rice to deteriorate.

As described above, although the above-described conventional technology complies with the old legend about the heating and cooling, no special consideration is given to saving energy resources such as oil and natural gas used for cooking rice.
Then, the objective of this invention is providing the program of the rice cooking method and rice cooker which eliminate the said subject and cooks inferior rice, saving the energy resource utilized for rice cooking.

  1st invention for achieving the said objective is a rice cooking method which cooks the to-be-cooked rice containing rice and water, Comprising: The water-absorbing process which heat-heats to-be-cooked rice and absorbs water to rice, and temperature rising The cooking process of heating and heating the heated cooked rice until it boils, the boiling confirmation process of confirming the arrival of the boiling state, and the cooked rice that has confirmed the arrival of the boiling state is cooled down and lower than the boiling state The process of maintaining the temperature before boiling maintained at the temperature, heating the cooked rice maintained at a low temperature until boiling, and the additional cooking process maintained in this boiling state, and the cooked rice maintained in the boiling state The steaming process.

And after performing a water absorption process and a cooking process in the range from a total of 15 minutes to a total of 20 minutes, and then performing a boiling confirmation process within 10 seconds, a maintenance process of the pre-boiling temperature is performed for 8 minutes, and then The additional cooking process is performed for 1 minute and 20 seconds.
The present invention focuses on positively omitting energy resources spent for boiling maintenance.

According to the energy-saving cooking of the present invention, the cooked rice containing rice and water is cooked through the water absorption process, the cooking process, the boiling confirmation process, the boiling temperature maintaining process, the additional cooking process, and the steaming process in order. The
More specifically, the cooked rice is heated from the water absorption process to the follow-up cooking process. First, in the water absorption process, heating of the cooked rice is started. Next, in the cooking step, the cooked rice that has already started to be heated is boiled and heated until boiling.

The water absorption process and the cooking process are performed in a range of 15 minutes to 20 minutes in total, so that quick and sufficient water absorption to the rice can be achieved, and the start / progress of alpha conversion of starch can be achieved.
Then, if the arrival of the boiling state of the to-be-cooked rice is confirmed in a short time in the boiling confirmation process, the process proceeds to a process for maintaining the temperature before boiling.

In the step of maintaining the temperature before boiling, the cooked rice that has reached the boiling state is heated down. Specifically, the cooked rice is maintained for 8 minutes at a temperature lower than this boiling state. As a result, energy saving will be achieved while promoting the alpha conversion of starch.
And in a follow-up cooking process, it heats up again until the to-be-cooked rice maintained at the temperature before boiling boils. Specifically, this cooked rice is heated in a short time of 1 minute and 20 seconds, can maintain a boiling state, and further increases the starch alpha.

After that, the process goes to the steaming process, where the starch is made alpha until it reaches the core of the rice.
Thus, according to the energy-saving cooking of this invention, boiling maintenance is sufficient for 1 minute and 20 seconds. In other words, the total time from the boiling confirmation process to the additional cooking process is 9 minutes and 30 seconds even if 10 seconds of the boiling confirmation process and 8 minutes of the temperature maintenance process before boiling are added.

Therefore, compared to the past, while conserving energy resources such as oil and natural gas used for cooking rice, it is also possible to make starch starch alpha, and rice that can be eaten safely without concern that it may be altered. It becomes possible to cook.
And even if it spends a total of 20 minutes at the maximum in a water absorption process and a cooking process, since it can transfer to a steaming process in a total of 29 minutes and 30 seconds, the effort of rice cooking work can also be saved.

  Next, 2nd invention is the program of the rice cooker which cooks the to-be-cooked rice containing rice and water, Comprising: The program is equipped with the computer of the rice cooker, heat-up the to-be-cooked rice, and rice The water absorption process for absorbing water and the cooking process for heating and heating the heated cooked rice to the boil in a range from 15 minutes to 20 minutes in total, and reaching the boiling state The procedure for performing the boiling confirmation process to be confirmed within 10 seconds, and the process for maintaining the temperature before boiling for heating the cooked rice that has been confirmed to have reached the boiling state at a temperature lower than the boiling state, for 8 minutes The procedure to be performed, the temperature of the cooked rice maintained at a low temperature to be heated to boiling, and the follow-up cooking process to be maintained in this boiling state are performed for 1 minute and 20 seconds, and the cooked rice maintained in the boiling state Procedure for performing the steaming process Characterized in that for the execution.

  According to 2nd invention, in addition to the effect | action of 1st invention mentioned above, when developing and designing a pot, a rice cooker main body, and a cover body, for example in the rice cooker which performs the said program further, No material or structure with high heat resistance is required. This is because a large firepower does not have to act for a long time. As a result, the rice cooker contributes to reduction in price and size and weight.

  According to the present invention, when boiling is confirmed, a pre-boiling temperature maintaining process is provided for only 8 minutes, followed by a re-cooking process for only 1 minute and 20 seconds, so that energy saving is achieved while promoting alpha conversion of starch. It is possible to provide a rice cooking method and a rice cooker program that can achieve the conversion.

It is the whole rice cooker with which the rice cooking method and program of a present Example are applied. It is sectional drawing of the rice cooker of FIG. It is a control block diagram of the rice cooker of FIG. It is an operation | movement flowchart by the rice cooking program stored in the memory | storage part of FIG. It is a timing chart by the rice cooking program stored in the memory | storage part of FIG. It is an experimental result of the rice cooker of FIG.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an electric rice cooker 1 to which the rice cooking method and program of this embodiment are applied. The electric rice cooker 1 includes a rice cooker body 2 that houses a metal pot 60 and a lid 40 that covers the rice cooker body 2 and the pot 60 from above. Cooked rice and cooked food, including food.

  FIG. 1 shows a state in which the lid body 40 is opened from the diagonally upper right side with respect to the rice cooker body 2, and for this reason, in addition to the back side of the lid body 40, a circular shape with a predetermined coating on the pot 60. A part of the bottom and a part of the cylindrical side with a scale are visible. Moreover, about the rice cooker main body 2, the front surface, right side surface, etc. which face a user are visible, and the power plug 12 connected to the outlet of a commercial power source is drawn on the right side of this right side surface.

On the other hand, FIG. 2 shows a state in which the lid 40 is closed with respect to the rice cooker body 2, and is a cross-sectional view seen from the right side of the rice cooker body 2 described in FIG.
The structure of the electric rice cooker 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. First, the rice cooker body 2 is composed of an outer case 4 and an inner case 16 as shown in FIG. 2.

The outer case 4 of the present embodiment includes a resin housing 6 whose appearance is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a resin shoulder portion 8 disposed at the upper end of the housing 6.
The housing 6 includes an operation panel 10. The operation panel 10 is installed on the front surface of the rice cooker main body 2 described in FIG. 1 and includes a display screen and various key switches used for user operations.

  In FIG. 1, a plurality of key switches are arranged around the display screen. These key switches include, for example, “menu” for selecting the hardness of the rice, the type of rice, etc., “cooking” for selecting the start of cooking, and heat insulation. There is "Heat" to select start, "Hour and minute" to set the clock and reservation time. Each content selected and set by the user with the key switch is displayed on the display screen.

The power plug 12 is drawn out from the back surface of the rice cooker body 2, that is, the surface opposite to the front surface of the rice cooker body 2 having the operation panel 10 (FIG. 2).
The front surface and the back surface of the rice cooker body 2 are connected to the right side surface of the rice cooker body 2 described in FIG. 1 and the left side surface on the opposite side, and the handle 14 has both ends connected to the rice cooker body 2. Are rotatably supported on the right side surface and the left side surface.

The inner case 16 is formed to be recessed downward on the inner side of the shoulder portion 8, and has a metal bottom surface 18 and side surface 20 on which the hook 60 can be installed (FIG. 2).
The bottom surface 18 is formed in a circular shape outside the circular bottom surface of the pot 60 (the lower side in FIG. 2), and has a rice cooking heater 22. The rice cooking heater 22 is formed in a hollow disk shape, and comes into contact with the circular bottom surface of the pot 60 from below as seen in FIG.

A temperature sensor 24 is installed in the hollow portion of the rice cooking heater 22. The temperature sensor 24 comes into contact with the circular bottom surface of the hook 60 from below as viewed in FIG. 2 and can measure the temperature inside the hook 60.
On the other hand, the side surface 20 is formed in a cylindrical shape outside the cylindrical side surface of the hook 60 (the right side and the left side in FIG. 2), and contacts the cylindrical side surface of the hook 60 from the right side and the left side as viewed in the cross-sectional view of FIG. A cylindrical heat retaining heater 26 is provided.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the rice cooker body 2 of the present embodiment is configured such that the outer case 4 and the inner case 16 are integrally solid. It may be configured in a hollow shape having a cavity.
On the other hand, the lid body 40 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the resin outer cover 42 exposed to the outside or the back side of the lid body 40 described in FIG. 1, that is, when the lid body 40 is closed. And an inner cover 44 facing the shoulder portion 8.

  A metal heat radiating plate 46 is provided at the center position of the inner cover 44. As shown in FIG. 1, the heat radiating plate 46 is formed in a hollow disk shape, and a packing is attached to the outer peripheral edge thereof. The packing contacts the upper end of the hook 60 when the lid 40 is closed. Thereby, the lid body 40 in the closed posture can press the hook 60 downward.

Further, as viewed from the upper end of the hook 60, a hollow disc-shaped heat retaining heater 50 is installed on the back side of the heat radiating plate 46 (FIG. 2).
Further, a steam hole 52 is formed through the outer cover 42 and the inner cover 44 in the central portion of the lid 40. The steam hole 52 is connected to the hollow portion of the heat radiating plate 46 and the heat retaining heater 50, and is configured to allow communication between the outside of the lid 40 in a closed posture and the inside of the hook 60. An opening / closing valve 54 capable of opening and closing the steam hole 52 is installed at an appropriate position of the steam hole 52.

Returning to FIG. 1 again, the lid 40 of this embodiment can open and close the rice cooker body 2 via a hinge 56, and this hinge 56 is provided on the back side of the rice cooker body 2 described in FIG. Yes.
On the other hand, the lid 40 in the closed posture is maintained by the lock mechanism 58. The lock mechanism 58 is provided on the front side of the rice cooker body 2 described in FIG.

When the rice cooker body 2 is closed with the lid 40 and the handle 14 is raised from the back side of the rice cooker body 2 described in FIG. 1 toward the upper side of the lid body 40, the user grasps the handle 14. The electric rice cooker 1 can be lifted and moved to another location.
In addition, the cover body 40 of the present embodiment is also configured so that the outer cover 42 and the inner cover 44 are integrally solid (FIG. 2), but a cavity is formed between the outer cover 42 and the inner cover 44. You may be comprised with the hollow shape which it had.

Here, the above-described rice-cooking heater 22, the heat-retaining heater 26, the temperature sensor 24, and the heat-retaining heater 50, the on-off valve 54, etc., installed in the lid 40 are controlled. It is electrically connected to a substrate (computer) 30.
The control board 30 of this embodiment is embedded between the outer case 4 and the inner case 16 in the vicinity of the operation panel 10.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the control board 30 includes a heating control unit 32, a storage unit 34, and a timer 36 that measures heating time and heat retention time. It has ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., and stores various setting data and programs associated with rice cooking.

  And the program of the memory | storage part 34 is read suitably based on the operation content of the operation panel 10 by a user, and the heating control part 32 is the heater 22 for rice cooking from the detection result of the temperature sensor 24, and the measurement result of the timer 36. The on / off operation of the heat retaining heater 26, the heat retaining heater 50, the on-off valve 54, and the like is executed in accordance with the program.

More specifically, FIG. 4 shows an operation flowchart by the heating control unit 32. Hereinafter, the effect | action which concerns on this invention of the electric rice cooker 1 comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated.
With the depression of the “rice cooking” key switch, in step S401 of FIG. 4, the heating control unit 32 sets the heating power of the rice cooking heater 22 to low heat (water absorption process), and outputs the drive signal to the rice cooking heater 22. .

That is, as shown in the timing chart of FIG. 5, the temperature of the cooked rice (for example, rice soaked in water at 20 ° C.) rises to about 60 ° C., and the rice in the pot 60 sufficiently absorbs water.
Next, the process proceeds to step S <b> 402 in FIG. 4, and the heating control unit 32 sets the heating power of the rice cooking heater 22 to high heat (cooking process), and outputs the drive signal to the rice cooking heater 22.

For this reason, as shown in the timing chart of FIG. 5, the temperature of the cooked rice is 100 ° C. (boiling point of water containing no impurities) at 1 atmosphere under a time shorter than the heating time spent in the water absorption process. Strictly speaking, the temperature rises to 99.974 ° C.).
Here, it is said that alpha starching (gelatinization) of rice starch starts at about 65 ° C. (under 1 atm) and is completely alphatized at about 90 ° C. to about 95 ° C. (under 1 atm).

  That is, this cooking process corresponds to these temperatures, and the start of alpha conversion of starch and the progress of the alpha conversion are achieved. More specifically, the water in the pot 60 and the heat from the rice cooking heater 22 begin to form a gap between β-type starch (raw starch) molecules. It is destroyed and the starch molecules become free and become α-type starch.

The temperature of the pot 60 is measured by the temperature sensor 24, and the heating time spent in the water absorption process and the cooking process is measured by the timer 36. The heating control unit 32 of the present embodiment performs the cooking process from the start of the water absorption process. Is completed for a total of 20 minutes, and the process proceeds to step S403 in FIG.
The reason for deriving the 20 minutes is that if the time exceeds 20 minutes, it is not possible to significantly shorten the time until the steaming process described later is started.

  Subsequently, in step S403 in FIG. 4, the heating control unit 32 spends 10 seconds at the first 100 ° C. (under 1 atm) in the cooking process from the detection result of the temperature sensor 24 and the measurement result of the timer 36. Confirm (boiling confirmation process). And the heating control part 32 will progress to step S404 immediately, if the arrival of this boiling state is confirmed.

Specifically, when the first boiling state is observed with the hook 60, if the on-off valve 54 opens the steam hole 52, the steam generated inside the pot 60 fluffs to the outside. It can also be seen from the appearance.
The reason for deriving the 10 seconds is that 10 seconds is sufficient for the confirmation of the boiling state, and if it is longer than 10 seconds, a large amount of energy resources are required for strong fire.

In step S404 in FIG. 4, the heating control unit 32 sets the heating power of the rice cooking heater 22 to low heat (step of maintaining the temperature before boiling), and outputs the drive signal to the rice cooking heater 22.
That is, as shown in the timing chart of FIG. 5, the cooked rice that has been confirmed to reach 100 ° C. (under 1 atm) in the first boiling confirmation step is lower than the boiling point while being heated by low heat. The temperature is lowered to the temperature before boiling, specifically 90 to 95 ° C. (under 1 atm).

Here, the process of maintaining the temperature before boiling in the present embodiment corresponds to a low heat or a very low heat due to a bonfire (red charcoal fire) in the rice cooking method using firewood.
More specifically, the pre-boiling temperature is a temperature at which boiling does not occur, but is a temperature at which starch can be completely alphalated. Observing the temperature before boiling in the kettle 60, if the on-off valve 54 opens the steam hole 52, the steam generated inside the kettle 60 appears outside, but the conventional boiling maintenance is performed. It can also be seen from the fact that it is not ejected vigorously like the process.

The heating control unit 32 executes this pre-boiling temperature maintenance process for 8 minutes based on the detection result of the temperature of the pot 60 by the temperature sensor 24 and the measurement result of the heating time spent in the pre-boiling temperature maintenance process by the timer 36. Then, the process proceeds to step S405 in FIG.
The reason for deriving the 8 minutes is that if it is less than 8 minutes, it will not be possible to promote the alpha conversion of starch, and it will be difficult to cook rice with less energy resources.

  On the other hand, if this pre-boiling temperature maintaining step is longer than 8 minutes, the temperature of the kettle 60 is greatly reduced from 90 to 95 ° C. (under 1 atm). This is because it gradually becomes ash and takes a long time to bring it into a boiling state in the next additional cooking process, and a large amount of energy resources are required for high heat. Further, if the time exceeds 8 minutes, it is impossible to significantly shorten the time until the steaming process described later is started.

Next, in step S405 of FIG. 4, the heating control unit 32 sets the heating power of the rice cooking heater 22 to high fire (follow-up cooking process), and outputs the drive signal to the rice cooking heater 22.
For this reason, as shown in the timing chart of FIG. 5, the temperature of the cooked rice quickly rises from the temperature before boiling to the second 100 ° C. (1 atm), and the excess moisture in the pot 60 is removed. .

The heating control unit 32 executes this additional cooking process for 1 minute and 20 seconds based on the detection result of the temperature of the pot 60 by the temperature sensor 24 and the measurement result of the heating time spent in the additional cooking process by the timer 36. As soon as the arrival of the state is confirmed, the process proceeds to step S406.
The reason for deriving the 1 minute 20 seconds is that the boiling state cannot be secured unless the time is less than 1 minute 20 seconds. On the other hand, if the time is longer than 1 minute and 20 seconds, it is impossible to significantly shorten the time until the next steaming step.

Note that if the second boiling state is observed with the pot 60, the steam generated inside the pot 60 will flicker outside as with the first boiling state. I understand.
Thereafter, in step S406 in FIG. 4, the heating control unit 32 sets the heating power of the rice cooking heater 22 to extinguish (steaming process), and outputs the drive signal to the rice cooking heater 22. Starch alpha is completed in this steaming process and goes to the core of the rice.

Then, the heating control unit 32 proceeds to step S407 based on the detection result of the temperature of the pot 60 by the temperature sensor 24 and the measurement result of the time spent in the steaming process by the timer 36, and enters the heat retaining process.
In this heat retaining step, the heating control unit 32 extinguishes the rice cooking heater 22 and outputs a signal for turning on the heat to the heat retaining heaters 26 and 50 to heat the pot 60 and the lid 40.

As a result, the water vapor adhering to the inside of the pot 60, the heat sink 46, etc. is removed, and the phenomenon that the α-type starch changed by rice cooking returns to the β-type starch as the temperature decreases and time passes is prevented. Yes.
In addition, in the present Example, when cooking to-be-cooked rice, the quantity of the water put into the pot 60 is reduced to about 80% of the former.

  Specifically, assuming that the rice and water have been put in the same amount, for example, 180 ml of water in the pot 60 for one rice, the amount of water in this embodiment is set to about 144 ml. This is because in the energy-saving cooking of the present embodiment, the water in the kettle 60 is difficult to evaporate in the process of maintaining the temperature before boiling, and can be softer than the target rice hardness with the conventional amount of water.

  By the way, in the maintenance process of the temperature before boiling of a present Example, the heating power of the rice cooking heater 22 is set to low heat, and the temperature fall from a boiling state is aimed at, heating. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to this example, and the heating control unit 32 may extinguish the rice cooking heater 22 and turn on only the heat retaining heaters 26 and 50. This is because, in this case as well, it is possible to realize a thermal power equivalent to the above-described low heat due to a bonfire.

As mentioned above, according to the energy-saving cooking of a present Example, the to-be-cooked rice containing rice and water is a water absorption process, a cooking process, a boiling confirmation process, the maintenance process of the temperature before boiling, a follow-up cooking process, and a steaming process. The rice is cooked through the heat-retaining process in order.
More specifically, the cooked rice is heated from the water absorption process to the follow-up cooking process. First, in the water absorption process, the cooked rice is heated to 60 ° C. with a low heat of the rice cooking heater 22.

Next, in the cooking step, the cooked rice that has already started to be heated is further heated up until it is boiled by the high heat of the rice cooking heater 22 (first 100 ° C. (1 atm)). .
The water absorption process and the cooking process are performed for a total of 20 minutes, so that quick and sufficient water absorption to the rice can be achieved and the start / progress of alpha conversion of starch can be achieved.

Then, if the arrival of the boiling state of the to-be-cooked rice is confirmed in a short time in the boiling confirmation process, the process proceeds to a process for maintaining the temperature before boiling.
In the maintenance process of the temperature before boiling, the cooked rice that has reached the boiling state is brought to 90 to 95 ° C. (under 1 atm) by the low heat of the rice cooking heater 22 (or only the heating heaters 26 and 50 are turned on). The temperature is lowered and heated. Specifically, the cooked rice is maintained for 8 minutes at a temperature lower than this boiling state. As a result, energy saving will be achieved while promoting the alpha conversion of starch.

  In the follow-up cooking step, the cooked rice maintained at the temperature before boiling is heated up again until it is boiled by the high heat of the rice cooking heater 22 (second 100 ° C. (1 atm)). Specifically, the cooked rice is heated and heated in a short time of 1 minute and 20 seconds, can maintain a boiling state, remove excess water from the kettle 60, and further increase starch alpha.

Thereafter, the steaming process is performed by extinguishing the heater 22 for cooking rice, and the starch is made alpha to the core of the rice.
Thus, according to the energy-saving cooking of the present embodiment, the high heat of the rice cooking heater 22 set for maintaining boiling is sufficient in a very short time, and thus energy resources such as oil used for cooking are saved. It becomes possible.

  If this point is explained in full detail, FIG. 6 has shown the experimental result by a total of three electric rice cookers (Comparative Example 1, Comparative Example 2, the electric rice cooker 1 of a present Example), and it has followed from the start of the water absorption process. Completion of the cooking process, that is, the heating time until entering the steaming process, particularly for Comparative Examples 1 and 2, measured from the state of steam spouted to the outside, and further eating the heated food after cooking rice to determine the taste Was also done.

  First, in the electric rice cooker of Comparative Example 1, the heating time from boiling down of the “cooking” key switch to the boiling of steam for the first time is the water absorption process and the cooking process, and then from the first steam ejection If the time until the “heat retention” key switch is turned on (at the same time the “cooking” key switch is turned off) is measured as the boiling maintenance process and the additional cooking process, the water absorption process and the cooking process are about 28 minutes, the boiling maintenance process and the additional cooking process. The cooking process was about 19 minutes, and it took about 47 minutes to enter the steaming process.

Next, in the electric rice cooker of Comparative Example 2, when measured in the same manner as in Comparative Example 1, the water absorption process and the cooking process are about 29 minutes, the boiling maintenance process and the additional cooking process are about 20 minutes, and the steaming process It took about 49 minutes to enter.
As described above, in Comparative Examples 1 and 2, after a long time of water absorption and cooking, a slightly short boiling state was maintained compared to the long time.

On the other hand, in the electric rice cooker 1 of a present Example, after a long time water absorption and cooking, the boiling state for a very short time is maintained compared with the said long time.
Specifically, first, in this example, the water absorption process and the cooking process were about 20 minutes. And the heating power of the strong fire corresponding to said boiling maintenance and follow-up cooking process, that is, the strong fire of the rice cooking heater 22 after the first boiling is about 1 minute and 20 seconds of rice cooking for the second boiling. This is only a strong fire of the heater 22 and is shorter than Comparative Example 1 by about 17 minutes 40 seconds and shorter than Comparative Example 2 by about 18 minutes 40 seconds.

In other words, the time from the boiling confirmation process to the additional cooking process of the present embodiment can be obtained by adding the above-described additional cooking 1 minute and 20 seconds to the boiling confirmation process for 10 seconds and the pre-boiling temperature maintaining process for 8 minutes. It takes 9 minutes and 30 seconds in total.
Therefore, it can be seen that energy resources such as oil used for cooking rice can be saved as compared with the case where the boiling is continued for about 20 minutes as in Comparative Examples 1 and 2 by continuation of high heat.

Moreover, in this example, even if the water absorption process and the cooking process were spent for a total of 20 minutes, as shown in FIG. 6, the process can be shifted to the steaming process in a total of 29 minutes and 30 seconds. It can also be seen that it takes about 17 minutes and 30 seconds, which is about 19 minutes and 30 seconds shorter than Comparative Example 2, and saves the labor of cooking rice.
Furthermore, when the food to be heated of this example was eaten, the rice was inferior to Comparative Examples 1 and 2, and could be eaten with peace of mind without concern that it could be altered.

Furthermore, in the electric rice cooker 1 of the present embodiment, since a large heating power does not have to act for a long time, when the pot 60, the rice cooker body 2 and the lid 40 are newly developed and designed, No material or structure with high heat resistance is required. Therefore, the rice cooking method and program of a present Example also contribute to the cheapness of the electric rice cooker 1, size reduction, and weight reduction.
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the claims.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, 20 minutes is set as the optimum heating time for the water absorption process and the cooking process, but according to further experimental results, the water absorption process and the cooking process may be 15 minutes in total.
However, if it is less than 15 minutes, water absorption into the rice becomes insufficient, and a long-time boiling maintenance step or the like is required to solve the problem. Therefore, the 15 minutes also have a critical significance, as are the various times specified for each step as described above.

In addition, when it is desired to suppress the program change for the conventional electric rice cooker to the minimum just after boiling, the water absorption process and the cooking process can be spent about 30 minutes as in Comparative Examples 1 and 2.
In other words, in this case, it is not possible to achieve a significant reduction in the time until the steaming process is started, but the high heat of the rice cooking heater 22 necessary for the second boiling is the same in that it takes about 1 minute and 20 seconds. Yes, you can save energy resources used for cooking rice.

Moreover, although the above-mentioned Example demonstrated by the example embodied in the electric rice cooker 1, this invention is not necessarily limited to this example. That is, the present invention is naturally applicable to, for example, a gas rice cooker that cooks rice using natural gas and a rice cooker that cooks rice using rice cake.
And in any of these cases, as in the case described above, there is an effect of cooking inferior rice while saving energy resources used for cooking rice.

1 Electric Rice Cooker 2 Rice Cooker Body 22 Rice Cooker Heater 24 Temperature Sensor 30 Control Board (Computer)
32 Heating control unit 34 Storage unit 36 Timer 40 Lid 60

Claims (2)

A method of cooking rice to be cooked, including rice and water,
A water absorption step of heating and heating the cooked rice and absorbing water into the rice;
A cooking step of heating and heating the cooked rice that has been heated and heated until boiling.
A boiling confirmation step for confirming the arrival of the boiling state;
Lowering and heating the cooked rice that has been confirmed to reach the boiling state, maintaining the temperature before boiling to maintain the temperature lower than the boiling state,
While heating up the cooked rice maintained at the low temperature until boiling, a follow-up cooking step to maintain in this boiling state,
It consists of a steaming process of the cooked rice maintained in the boiling state,
The water absorption step and the cooking step are performed in a range from a total of 15 minutes to a total of 20 minutes, and then the boiling confirmation step is performed within 10 seconds, and then the pre-boiling temperature maintenance step is performed for 8 minutes, Subsequently, the rice cooking method is characterized in that the additional cooking step is executed for 1 minute and 20 seconds. A rice cooker program for cooking cooked rice containing rice and water,
The program is provided in a computer of the rice cooker,
Heating and heating the cooked rice to absorb water into the rice, and a cooking process of heating and heating the cooked rice to be boiled and heated up to a total of 15 minutes to a total of 20 minutes The steps to perform in the scope,
A procedure for performing the boiling confirmation step of confirming the arrival of the boiling state within 10 seconds;
The step of lowering the temperature of the cooked rice that has been confirmed to have reached the boiling state, and maintaining the pre-boiling temperature maintaining step at a temperature lower than the boiling state for 8 minutes;
A procedure for heating and heating the cooked rice maintained at the low temperature until boiling, and performing a follow-up cooking step for maintaining in the boiling state for 1 minute and 20 seconds,
The rice cooker program characterized by performing the procedure of performing the steaming process of the to-be-cooked rice maintained in the said boiling state.

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