JPH0327549Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a rice cooker that is particularly suitable for making so-called seasoned rice.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems] When making so-called takikomi rice (rice cooked with soy sauce, salt, and other seasonings) or various ingredients using a rice cooker, conventionally, rice was cooked in the pot of the rice cooker. In addition to storing rice that has been polished in water and the required amount of water, seasonings such as soy sauce and salt (and toppings if necessary) are also placed in the pot before the rice cooking operation starts. ing. However, seasonings such as soy sauce tend to sink to the bottom of the pot and do not spread throughout the pot even during the rice cooking process, resulting in the seasonings not permeating evenly throughout the cooked rice. In addition to this problem, there was also the problem that at the beginning of rice cooking, the temperature rise inside the pot was hindered by the seasonings at the bottom of the pot, which delayed the progress of the rice cooking process. In addition, as a result of the seasonings tending to sink to the bottom of the pot, there was a problem that the seasonings tended to burn when the inside of the pot became dry and the bottom of the pot became hot just before the rice was finished cooking. The best way to solve these problems is to start cooking rice and water in advance, then add seasonings just before the rice is finished cooking. Not only is it extremely troublesome to have to keep an eye on the food, but the condition of not opening the lid during cooking, which is one of the commonly known conditions for cooking delicious rice, is no longer met and the food becomes delicious. There is a risk that you will not be able to get food.

[Purpose of the invention] This invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to
The seasonings can be evenly permeated throughout the cooked rice, and there is no risk of problems such as burning of the seasonings or delays in the cooking operation, and such effects can be achieved extremely easily. To provide a rice cooker which can produce various kinds of rice and has a number of effects such as always being able to cook rice deliciously.

[Summary of the invention] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a liquid storage container having a liquid outlet on the bottom surface of the lid for closing the upper opening of the pot, and at this time, the liquid storage container has a liquid outlet. provided corresponding to the lowest position of the liquid storage container when the lid is closed,
Further, a thermally responsive member is provided so as to close the liquid outlet at all times, and is displaced to open the liquid outlet when the temperature inside the pot exceeds a predetermined value. With this, the seasoning stored in the liquid storage container in advance is automatically put into the pot just before the rice is cooked.

[Embodiment of the invention] An embodiment of the invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In Fig. 1, the position is a pot housed in the rice cooker main body 2, the lid 3 is pivotally mounted on the rice cooker main body 2 so as to be rotatable about a shaft (not shown), and this is a handle 4.
The pot 1 is made up of an outer lid 4 having a diameter of 1.5 mm and an inner lid 5 for closing the upper opening of the pot 1.

Now, 6 is a liquid storage container formed into a flat rectangular shape, for example, from heat-resistant plastic, and this will be described above with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 as well. That is, this liquid storage container 6 is formed in a transparent or translucent shape so that the amount of contents stored therein can be seen through, and has concave portions 7, 7 in a constricted shape on both sides thereof, and a groove corresponding to the concave portion. The thin-walled portion has pothole-shaped engaging holes 8, 8. Attachment pins 9, 9 having large diameter heads are protruded from the lower surface of the inner lid 5, and the liquid storage container 6 is arranged so that the engagement hole 8 is engaged with the attachment pins 9. Therefore, it is removably attached to the center of the lower surface of the inner lid 5. Further, a mouth body 10 having a threaded portion 10a on the outer periphery is protruded from one side of the liquid storage container 6, and this mouth body 10 has a threaded portion 10a.
It is designed to be sealed by a cap 11 screwed onto the cap 0a. Furthermore, in the case of the liquid storage container 6, a portion of the partition wall constituting the container that corresponds to the lower surface when the lid 3 is closed is formed in a shape that gradually slopes toward the center thereof. The lowest position portion is configured to correspond to the center of the pot 1, and a liquid outlet 12 is formed in the lowest position portion. Reference numeral 13 indicates a ring-shaped rubber bushing fitted to the peripheral edge of the liquid outlet 12, and reference numeral 14 indicates a valve body as a thermally responsive member made of, for example, shape memory alloy or shape memory polymer. As shown in FIG. 3, it is supported in a cantilevered manner by the liquid storage container 6, and constantly contacts the rubber bushing 13 to close the liquid outlet 12, and also to control its own temperature (and thus the temperature of the upper part of the pot 1). When the temperature exceeds a predetermined value M near the boiling point (specifically, about 95°C to 100°C), the liquid is warped and deformed to open the liquid outlet 12 as shown in FIG. ing. In addition, the liquid storage container 6
As shown in FIG. 2, there is provided a scale portion 15 for displaying the amount of seasoning 16 stored therein.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be explained. Now, when making cooked rice, first, rice and the required amount of water (and ingredients if necessary) are placed in pot 1. At the same time, a required amount of seasoning 16 such as soy sauce is stored in the liquid storage container 12 through the opening 10, and the opening 10 is sealed with the cap 11, and the liquid storage container 6 is inserted into the engagement hole 8. After attaching to the lower surface of the inner lid 5 via the attachment pins 9, the lid 3 is closed. At this time, the valve body 14 is at a steady temperature and the liquid outlet 12 is opened as shown in FIG.
is closed, and the seasoning 16 inside will not leak out. After this, a rice cooking operation start switch (not shown) is operated to start the rice cooking operation, and when the rice cooking operation is about to end,
The steam and bubbles generated within the pot 1 act on the valve body 14 so that the temperature of the valve body 14 reaches a predetermined temperature M. Then, the valve body 14 is warped and deformed as shown in FIG. 4, and the liquid outlet 12 is opened, and accordingly, the seasoning 16 inside the pot 1
It is now inserted into the center of the interior. For this reason,
The seasoning 16 gradually spreads downward from the top of the rice that is about to be cooked in the pot 1, and then spreads over the entire rice in the pot 1. After this, when the inside of the pot 1 exhibits a dry-up condition, a temperature switch device (not shown) is activated to terminate the rice cooking operation.

According to the present embodiment described above, the following effects can be achieved. That is, when making cooked rice, seasonings 16 such as soy sauce are automatically added from the liquid storage container 6 located above the pot 1 just before the end of the rice cooking operation.
Therefore, the seasoning 16 can be spread widely in the pot 1, and the seasoning 16 can be evenly permeated throughout the rice in the pot 1, and the seasoning can be spread throughout the pot 1 as in the conventional case. Since it does not settle at the bottom of the container, it is possible to prevent it from burning. Of course, at the beginning of rice cooking, the temperature rise in the pot 1 is not hindered by seasonings as in the conventional case, and the rice cooking operation can proceed smoothly.
Moreover, since the seasoning 16 is automatically added at the required time, there is no need to judge when to add the seasoning as in the past, making it possible to prepare seasoned rice extremely easily. Conditions for cooking rice deliciously without having to open lid 3.
The condition of not opening the door) can be secured at any time. Further, since the liquid storage container 6 is configured to be detachable, cleaning and other operations thereof can be performed extremely easily.

In the above embodiment, the valve body 14, which is a heat-responsive member, is configured to warp and deform at the temperature detected by itself. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A thermally responsive member may be provided to open the liquid outlet 12 in response to the detected temperature reaching a predetermined value.

[Effects of the invention] As is clear from the above explanation, according to the present invention, when making seasoned rice, it is possible to penetrate the seasonings evenly into the cooked rice, and the seasonings can be absorbed evenly into the cooked rice. There are no problems such as burnt rice or delayed rice cooking, and such effects can be obtained extremely easily, and there are many practical benefits such as making it possible to always cook rice deliciously. It is effective.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional front view of the upper part of the rice cooker, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the main part, and Figs. 3 and 4 are different states of the same main part. FIG. In the figure, 1 is a pot, 2 is a rice cooker body, 3 is a lid, 4 is an outer lid, 5 is an inner lid, 6 is a liquid storage container, 8 is a hooking hole, 9 is a mounting pin, 10 is a spout, 11 is a Cap, 12 is liquid outlet, 13 is rubber button, 1
4 is a valve body (thermally responsive member), and 16 is a seasoning.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A liquid storage container provided on the lower surface of the lid for closing the upper opening of the pot, and a liquid outlet formed at the lowest position of the partition wall constituting the liquid storage container when the lid is closed. and a heat-responsive member that is provided to close the liquid outlet at all times and is displaced to open the liquid outlet when the temperature inside the pot reaches a predetermined value or higher. A rice cooker characterized by: