JPH04336012A - Rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a rice cooker by which nice boiled rice without being too soft can be cooked even in the case of new rice, and by which the hardness of the boiled rice can be regulated to suit one's taste. CONSTITUTION:A rice cooker is constituted in such a way that a new-rice mode selecting means for selecting new rice is provided to a rice-boiling mode selecting means 11, and the heating rate of a heating means 3 is increased for boiling rice by a heating rate control means 9 when the new-rice mode selecting means is selected, and further that the heating rate of the heating means 3 by means of the heating rate control means 9 is increased when the new-rice mode selecting means in the rice-boiling mode selecting means 11 is selected for automatically controlling the hardness of rice to the hardness stored in a storing means. Thus, without especially controlling the quantity of water even in the case of new rice, in the same way as the ordinary polished rice, rice can be automatically boiled to a hardness suitable for the taste of a family, so that the cooker can be very conveniently used.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rice cooker, and more particularly to a rice cooking mode selection means for selecting a rice cooking mode.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of an operating section of a conventional rice cooker. In the figure, 8 is an operating section provided on the main body of the rice cooker. The operation unit 8 includes a liquid crystal display 10, a mode key 11 for selecting a rice cooking mode for white rice, brown rice, and porridge, a time set key 12 for setting a reserved cooking time, a rice cooking key 13 for starting rice cooking, a cancel key 14, etc. has been done. Although not shown, a pot with a scaled water level is housed in the main body of the rice cooker and is covered with a lid.

[0003] In a conventional rice cooker having such a configuration, the rice cooker is filled with polished rice and water up to the water level line in the pot, and the rice cooking mode etc. is set using the mode key 11 while looking at the display on the liquid crystal display 10.
Press the rice cooking key 13. When the rice cooking key 13 is pressed, a rice cooking heater (not shown) is energized to heat the pot, and the rice is cooked.

0004

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Generally, among the accessories of this type of rice cooker, a measuring cup for measuring the amount of rice before washing is provided. Furthermore, like the conventional rice cooker described above, the inner pot is provided with a scale that indicates a water level line corresponding to the amount of measured rice in the cup. The water level line indicating the amount of water displayed on the inner pot has a standard amount of water selected based on experimental data and the like. Then, if you fill the inner pot with water to the water level corresponding to the cup amount of polished rice, the rice will be cooked to a normal consistency.

On the other hand, from around the middle of summer every year, new domestically produced rice of the current year begins to appear on the market. New rice that has just been harvested has a fresher taste than old rice from the previous year or the year before, and has a higher moisture content. For this reason, if you cook new rice and old rice with the amount of water that matches the water level in the inner pot, you will get soft rice like ``porridge'' on one hand, and strong rice similar to ``sekihan'' on the other. . Also,
If you cook rice with the specified amount of water, even if you prefer ``harder'' or ``softer rice,'' your preferences will not be met.

[0006] On the other hand, when cooking fresh rice using the conventional rice cooker as described above, the amount of water must be adjusted to a small amount. Also, when you want to cook rice that is hard to your liking, you add less water than the standard water level, and when you want it to be softer, you add more water. Ta. However, if you decide the amount of water by hand or by eye, the amount of water will be inaccurate and the rice will not necessarily be cooked to your liking. In addition, the amount of water must be adjusted each time a meal is prepared, making handling operations extremely cumbersome. In particular, there was a problem that if the new rice was cooked with an inaccurate amount of water, the new rice would be spoiled.

[0007] This invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to cook delicious rice that is not too soft even when using new rice with a high moisture content, and also allows you to adjust the hardness of the cooked rice to your preference. The purpose is to provide a rice cooker that can be combined with other rice cookers.

[0008]

[Means for Solving the Problems] A rice cooker according to the present invention includes a heating means for heating a pot removably housed inside a main body, a heating amount control means for controlling a heating amount of the heating means, and a heating amount control means for controlling a heating amount of the heating means. In the rice cooker, the rice cooking mode selection means is provided with a rice cooking mode selection means for selecting new rice. Further, when the new rice mode selection means is selected, the heating amount control means increases the heating amount of the heating means to cook rice. Furthermore, a heating means for heating a pot removably housed inside the main body, a heating amount control means for controlling the heating amount of the heating means, and a rice cooking mode selection means for selecting a rice cooking mode of the rice in the pot; A rice cooker comprising a hardness setting means for setting and displaying the hardness of cooked rice selected by a rice cooking mode selection means, and a storage means for storing the hardness set by the hardness setting means, When the new rice mode selection means of the rice cooking mode selection means is selected, the heating amount of the heating means is increased by the heating amount control means, and the hardness is automatically controlled to the hardness stored in the storage means.

[0009]

[Operation] Fill the pot with rice that has been measured and polished with a measuring cup and water up to the water level line, close the lid, turn on the power, and then operate the operation keys provided on the control section to set the rice cooking mode, etc. When setting, if you want to cook rice that is hard or soft, press the hardness setting key and select and set the cooked rice to be "hard" or "soft." Also, when cooking new rice that is starting to become available, select "new rice mode" using the rice cooking mode selection key and input by touch. When the rice cooking key is pressed, the rice cooking heater is automatically energized and generates heat, heating the pot and starting rice cooking. At this time, the rice is cooked while the heating amount of the rice cooking heater is automatically controlled by the heating amount control section based on the setting operation of the hardness setting key and the rice cooking mode selection key set in advance. When the rice cooking end temperature is reached, the electricity to the rice cooking heater is stopped and the rice is cooked through a steaming process. In addition, even if you cook new rice and old rice with the same amount of water without changing the hardness setting, the rice will still be the same hardness and delicious.

0010

[Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a configuration explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the operating section. Note that the same or corresponding parts as those of the conventional example explained in FIG.

In the figure, 1 is the main body of the rice cooker, and 2 is an inner pot accommodated within the main body 1. The inner surface of the inner pot 2 is provided with a water level line 2a indicating a standard amount of water corresponding to the amount of rice, a number 2b indicating the number of cups, and the like. 3 is a rice cooking heater that heats the inner pot 2, 4 is a temperature sensor, 5 is water in the inner pot 2, 6
is rice. 7 is a lid that covers the main body 1; 8 is an operating section disposed on the lid 7; and 9 is a heating amount control section that controls the heating amount of the rice cooking heater 3. The operation unit 8 is composed of a liquid crystal display 10 and a plurality of function keys such as a mode key 11. The heating amount control section 9 controls the heating amount based on the settings of the operating section 8 . Although not shown, a cord reel type power cord is stored in the main body 1, and power is supplied to the main body 1 by the power cord pulled out.

Next, the operation of the present invention will be explained. First, measure rice 6 using the included measuring cup and put it into a bowl to grind the rice. After transferring the polished rice 6 into the inner pot 2,
Add water 5 up to the water level line 2a corresponding to the measured amount of rice. The inner pot 2 is housed in the main body 1, the lid 7 is closed, and the power cord is pulled out and connected to an outlet. Next, after setting the mode key 11 for selecting the rice cooking mode on the operation unit 8, the rice cooking key 13 is pressed.

When the rice cooking key 13 is pressed, rice cooking is started by a control section (not shown), and the rice cooking heater 3 is energized. When the rice cooking heater 3 is energized, it generates heat and radiant heat is transferred to the inner pot 2.
The temperature of the water 5 and rice 6 inside rises and steam is generated. As the rice cooks and the water boils, the temperature rises.
The temperature sensor 4 operates to automatically stop the power supply to the rice cooking heater 3, and the rice 6 is cooked.

During rice cooking, the heating amount control section 9 controls the heating amount of the rice cooking heater 3 according to the setting of the mode key 11 for selecting the rice cooking mode. When the new rice mode is set using mode key 11, since new rice contains more moisture than white rice (old rice), the heating amount is increased to make the rice a little harder than when cooking white rice. Amount control section 9
controlled by

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of its operating section. In the figure, 15 is a hardness key that sets the hardness of rice after cooking;
6 is a hardness indicator that corresponds to the hardness key 15 and lights up with an LED. The hardness key 15 and the hardness indicator 16 are located on the operation section 8.
For example, when the hardness key 15 is pressed once, a "harder" indicator lights up. Also, when you press it a second time, the "Hard" indicator disappears and the "Standard" indicator lights up, and when you press it a third time, it moves to the next one and the "Soft" indicator lights up. In this way, while pressing the hardness key 15, "Hard", "Standard" and "Soft" are lit one after another.
By looking at the display, you can select and set the desired hardness from among three levels of hardness. In addition, the rice hardness set using the hardness key 15 is stored in a control unit (not shown), and unless the hardness key 15 is operated the next time rice is cooked, rice will be cooked using the memorized rice hardness. be exposed.

When rice cooking is started in the embodiment shown in FIG.
The heating amount of the rice cooking heater 3 is controlled based on the setting selected in step 5. Then, set the new rice mode using the mode key 11, and if the hardness of the rice is stored as "hard", the amount of heating is increased compared to when simply cooking white rice to make it harder, so that it is suitable for new rice. It is automatically controlled to make the rice even harder.

[0017] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the case of an electric rice cooker that heats the rice cooker using radiant heat and cooks rice was explained as an example. The present invention can also be applied to an electromagnetic induction rice cooker for cooking rice. Moreover, although the case where the hardness setting key has three levels is illustrated, the number of levels is not necessarily limited to the embodiment and may be increased or decreased as appropriate.

[0018]

As described above, in this invention, the rice cooking mode selection means of the operation section is provided with a new rice mode selection means for selecting new rice, and when the new rice mode selection means is selected, the heating amount control means Since the rice is cooked by increasing the amount of heating, even when using new rice, there is no need to adjust the amount of water, and delicious, fresh new rice can be cooked without failure and without much effort.

Further, when the new rice mode selection means of the rice cooking mode selection means is selected, the heating amount of the heating means is increased by the heating amount control means, and the hardness is automatically controlled according to the hardness stored in the storage means. This makes it extremely convenient, as even new rice can be automatically cooked to a consistency that suits the household's preference, just like white rice.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration explanatory diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of an operating section.

FIG. 3 is a configuration explanatory diagram of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the operating section in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of an operating section of a conventional rice cooker.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Main body 2 Inner pot 3. Rice cooking heater 7 Lid 8 Operation section 9 Heating amount control section 10 Liquid crystal display 11 Mode key 13　Rice cooking key 15 Hardness key 16 Hardness display section

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A rice cooker comprising: heating means for heating a pot removably housed inside a main body; heating amount control means for controlling the heating amount of the heating means; and a rice cooking method for selecting a rice cooking mode of the rice in the pot. What is claimed is: 1. A rice cooker comprising a mode selection means, characterized in that said rice cooking mode selection means is provided with a new rice mode selection means for selecting new rice. 2. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein when the new rice mode selection means is selected, the heating amount control means increases the heating amount of the heating means to cook the rice. 3. A rice cooker comprising: heating means for heating a pot removably housed inside a main body; heating amount control means for controlling the heating amount of the heating means; and a rice cooking method for selecting a rice cooking mode of the rice in the pot. A mode selection means, a hardness setting means for displaying and setting the hardness of the cooked rice selected by the rice cooking mode selection means, and a storage means for storing the hardness set by the hardness setting means. In the rice cooker, when the new rice mode selection means of the rice cooking mode selection means is selected, the heating amount of the heating means by the heating amount control means is increased to maintain the hardness stored in the storage means. A rice cooker characterized by automatic control.