JPH0549262B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention continuously supplies washed rice or water-absorbed rice (hereinafter referred to as washed rice) that has been absorbed after washing, and continuously and automatically cooks the supplied washed rice. The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for doing so.

[Conventional technology]

Various devices have been developed or commercialized as continuous automatic rice cooking devices in which the rice cooking process is continuous and automated, but these devices use rice cooking containers such as pallets. Continuous automatic rice cooking is carried out by putting washed rice together with water for cooking, automatically loading one or more rice cooking containers into the rice cooking heating zone using conveyance equipment, and automatically moving the rice to the steaming zone after cooking for a predetermined time. It is something that is done.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

By the way, in order to cook rice deliciously, it is necessary to adjust the amount of water during the rice cooking process depending on the type of rice, freshness, etc. However, in the conventional continuous automatic rice cooking method described above, rice is cooked in batches using a rice cooking container. Because of this, it was difficult to adjust the amount of water during the rice cooking process. Also, when putting rice cooking water into a rice cooking container, you can adjust the amount of water used for cooking rice, but
It is difficult to adjust the amount of water used for cooking rice into the rice cooking container, and in any case, it is difficult to maintain the quality of the cooked rice, such as taste and softness, at a constant level.

Furthermore, in the rice cooking method using a rice cooking container as described above, since the rice is steamed in the rice cooking container, dew condensation may occur and the rice becomes moist, making it more difficult to maintain a constant quality.

Therefore, the present invention considers that as long as a rice cooking container is used in a continuous automatic rice cooking method, it is difficult to adjust and supply water during the rice cooking process and to prevent steam condensation. The purpose of this project was to develop a continuous automatic rice cooking method for deliciously cooking rice.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the continuous automatic rice cooking method according to the present invention moves the washed rice from the bottom to the top inside the tubular body, which is composed of a washed rice pushing band, a cooling band, a rice cooking band, and a steaming band. In addition to pushing up and continuously supplying rice, in the process of moving the washed rice to the top,
While the rice is heated by a heating source provided in the rice cooking zone, water for cooking rice is replenished above the heating source, and the boiling surplus water flowing down from the rice cooking zone is cooled in the cooling zone.

In the continuous automatic rice cooking method described above, it is desirable that a widening taper is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the tubular body constituting the rice cooking band.

[Effect]

In the continuous automatic rice cooking method according to the present invention, washed rice is continuously supplied by pushing it upward from the lower part of the tubular body which is composed of a washed rice pushing band, a cooling band, a rice cooking band, and a steaming band. During the process of moving the washed rice to the top, it is heated by a heating source installed in the rice cooking band, and water for cooking is replenished above this heating source, so the amount of water for cooking depends on the type of rice, freshness, etc. In addition, the cooling zone allows the water attached to the pipe wall of the cooling zone and the washed rice that is pushed up to mix with each other, allowing the water to flow between the pipe wall or the rice. The heat of the boiling surplus water flowing down from the rice cooking zone can be reduced, so the effect of heat on the washed rice that is pushed up to the cooling zone is suppressed, improving the taste and softness of the cooked rice. is always stable. In addition, since the rice is cooked and steamed while the washed rice moves to the top, the cooked rice is continuously discharged to the top.

The heating source used in the present invention includes heated steam (heated steam supplied into the tubular body or through the wall of the tubular body) through a small hole bored in the wall of the tubular body or a supply pipe inserted from above the tubular body. An electric heater provided on the outer periphery of the tubular body, or a gas heater provided on the outer periphery of the wall of the tubular body, etc. can be preferably used.If necessary, by using these in combination, it is possible to It can also be heated at the same time.

Further, water for cooking rice is supplied through a small hole bored in the wall of the tubular body and/or a supply pipe inserted from above the tubular body, and steam, hot water, or water can be used.

On the other hand, the present inventors conducted the following investigation using a commercially available gas rice cooker in order to completely cook the rice and at the same time, cook the cooked rice until it becomes soft and fluffy without deforming the rice. .

First, we investigated the relationship between the elapsed cooking time and the temperature inside the rice cooking container. The results of this investigation are as shown in Figure 4. The inside of the vessel reached the boiling range about 5 minutes after the gas was ignited, and boiling continued for about 7 minutes. During this boiling period, the rice absorbed water and turned into rice. After about 7 minutes of boiling, the cooking water completely disappeared and the temperature inside the vessel began to rise, so when the temperature rose to about 150°C, the gas was extinguished. The elapsed time so far was about 17 minutes. After gas digestion, the temperature inside the vessel rapidly decreased to 100°C in about 5 minutes, and then gradually decreased, so steaming was carried out for about 10 minutes as the temperature decreased. With this heat pattern, it was possible to cook the rice completely and at the same time, it was able to be cooked smoothly and softly.

Next, based on the above heat pattern, changes in the weight and volume of rice during the rice cooking process were investigated using the rice before water absorption as a reference. The results are shown in Figure 5.
It was observed that both the weight and volume of the rice increased relatively significantly between the gas ignition and the start of boiling, the most rapid increase during the subsequent boiling period, and almost no change after the fire was extinguished. It was also observed that the weight of cooked rice was approximately 1.9 times greater and the volume was approximately three times greater than that of washed rice. It was also found that these changes mainly occur during the period from gas ignition to the end of boiling.

Therefore, the length of the rice-cooking band and the steaming band in the present invention is preferably set by taking into account the pushing-up speed so as to obtain the above-mentioned heat pattern, and the length of the rice-cooking band and the steaming band are preferably set in consideration of the pushing speed. By configuring the circumferential surface with an upwardly widening taper, the rice, which expands while being pushed up in the rice-cooking band, can be cooked fluffy and soft without deforming it as much as possible.

In addition, small holes drilled in the walls of the tubular body, supply pipes, and replenishment pipes for supplying heating steam and replenishing water for cooking should be 1 to 2 mm in diameter to prevent washed rice from being pushed through.
The degree of magnitude is preferable.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an overall schematic diagram of a continuous automatic rice cooking device used in the continuous automatic rice cooking method of the present invention.

In the figure, 1 indicates a rice washing and pushing machine, and 2 indicates a rice cooker.

As shown in a schematic cross-sectional view in FIG. 2, the rice washing and pushing up machine 1 includes a pedestal 5 having a fixed plate 4 supported at its four corners by pillars 3, and a rotating motor supported on a base below the pedestal 5. 6, a rotating board 8 supported by the shaft of the rotating motor 6, and push-up pistons 9a and 9b provided at positions symmetrical to the center of rotation on the rotating board 8. Cylinders 10a, 10b and these two cylinders 10
It is composed of a rotating disk 11 fixed on top of a and 10b, and the fixed plate 4 and the rotating disk 11 include:
Through holes 12a, 12b and 1 having the same diameter as the cylinder inner diameter are provided at positions corresponding to the two cylinders 10a and 10b.
3a and 13b are provided, respectively.

On the other hand, the rice cooker 2, as shown in a cross-sectional schematic diagram in FIG.
A tubular body 19 consisting of a rice cooking band part 16, a steaming band part 17, and a rice discharge part 18 stacked in this order,
It is configured to be erected on a mounting base 20 for mounting on the push-up side through-hole 12a of the rice-washing push-up machine 1. A through hole 20a having the same diameter as the through hole 12a is formed in the mounting base 20. Further, a cooling channel 21 is formed in the cooling zone portion 15, and a water supply pipe 22 and a drain pipe 23 are connected thereto. Further, in the rice-cooking band 16, water supply holes 24 for cooking water with a diameter of 1 mm are bored in the inner wall of the tubular body at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and a ring burner 25 is provided on the outer periphery of the tubular body below the water supply holes 24. is provided so as to surround the tubular body. Further, the inner circumferential surface 26 of the tubular body constituting the rice-cooking band 16 is formed with an upwardly widening taper of a size approximately corresponding to the amount of expansion of rice in the process of changing into rice. Also, rice discharge part 1
8 has a slanted upper end so that the rice can be easily taken out or spilled to one side.

Rice cooking by the continuous automatic rice cooking device having the above configuration is performed as follows.

Washed rice that has been washed or water-absorbed using an automatic rice-washing/water-absorbing system (not shown) or the like is filled into the cylinder 10b of the rice-washing rice pusher 1. The rotating motor 6 is driven to rotate the rotating base plate 8 by 180 degrees, and the empty cylinder 10a on the pushing side of the rice-washing pushing machine 1 is
and the cylinder 10b filled with washed rice.
In this exchanged state, the cylinder 10b operates the push-up piston 9b to push up the filled washed rice to the washed rice push-up band 14 of the rice cooker 2 at a predetermined speed, during which time the cylinder 10a is filled with washed rice. Next, in the same manner as above, the rotation motor 6 is driven to rotate the rotation base 8 by 180 degrees, and this time, the empty cylinder 10b on the push-up side of the washed rice pusher 1 is replaced with the cylinder 10a filled with washed rice. In the cylinder 10a, the pushing piston 9a is operated to push up the filled washed rice to the rice pushing band 14 of the rice cooker 2 at a predetermined speed.
0b is filled with washed rice. Thereafter, the above operation is repeated, and the washed rice is pushed up one after another at a predetermined speed to the rice-washing band 14 of the rice cooker 2, and in the process of passing through the rice-cooking band 16, water for cooking is supplied from the water supply hole 24 for cooking water. At the same time, it is heated by the ring burner 25 provided below the water supply hole 24 and cooked by boiling the rice cooking water, and then steamed into the steaming band 17.
By passing through the process for a specified period of time, the rice is finished.

The rice cooked in this way is transferred to the rice cooking belt section 16.
In the process of being pushed up and turning into rice, the water supply hole 24 provided above the ring burner 25 supplies enough water to turn into rice, while the cooling zone 15 The water attached to the pipe wall of the portion 15 and the washed rice that is pushed up together moves between the pipe wall or the rice into the rice cooking belt portion 1.
In addition to softening the boiling surplus heat flowing down from the tubular body 19 and suppressing the influence of heat on the washed rice that is pushed up to the cooling zone, excess water is removed by steam from the upper end of the tubular body 19 and hot water from the lower end. Because it is discharged, it is possible to cook rice with good quality in terms of taste and softness. In addition, since the inner circumferential surface 26 of the rice cooking band section 16 up to the steaming band section 17 is formed with a widening taper, the expansion when the rice changes into rice is accommodated, and the rice is made with less deformation. It can be cooked.

In fact, in the continuous automatic rice cooking device having the above configuration, the inner diameter of the push-up band part 14 is formed to 125 mm, and a rice cooking band part 16 with a length of 170 mm and a rice cooking band part 150
A steaming band 17 with a length of mm is provided, and a water supply hole 24 for cooking water is provided 120 mm above the heating position,
In addition, the taper ratio of the inner circumferential surface of the rice cooking band portion 16 is approximately
0.3, the washed rice was pushed up at a speed of 10 mm/min, and rice was cooked by increasing the amount of water for cooking in the range of 10 to 20% of the amount of water required for the rice cooking process. As with the rice cooked in a gas pot, the cooked rice was not crushed, and the taste and softness remained unchanged, and the quality was stable. still,
In this implementation, when heat-resistant glass was used instead of metal for the steaming band 17 and the rice discharge section 18, the process of cooking the rice could be observed.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the continuous automatic rice cooking method according to the present invention, washed rice can be continuously cooked into rice without using a rice cooking container. Moreover, since a tubular body is used, the moisture content can be easily adjusted, and the cooling zone softens the heat of the boiling surplus water flowing down from the rice cooking zone, and the washed rice that is pushed up into the cooling zone is heated. In order to suppress the effects of heat, washed rice can be cooked into rice of stable quality with the same taste and softness.
Furthermore, by forming a taper on the inner circumferential surface of the rice-cooking band, the rice can be cooked with extremely little deformation.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is an overall schematic diagram of a continuous automatic rice cooking device according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the rice cooker, Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a washed rice push-up feeder, and Fig.
The figure shows the relationship between the elapsed cooking time using a commercially available gas rice cooker and the temperature inside the rice cooking container. Figure 5 is a diagram showing the elapsed cooking time using a commercially available gas rice cooker and changes in the weight and volume of rice. be. 1...Rice washing rice pusher, 2...Rice cooker, 3...
Pillar, 4... Fixed plate, 5... Frame, 6... Rotating motor, 7... Fixed base, 8... Rotating base, 9a,
9b...Piston for pushing up, 10a, 10b...
... Cylinder, 11 ... Rotating disk, 12a, 12
b, 13a, 13b, 20a...through hole, 14...
... Washing rice pushing up band, 15... Cooling band, 16...
...Rice cooking band part, 17...Steaming band part, 18...Rice discharge part, 19...Tubular body, 20...Mounting stand, 2
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Cooling channel, 22...Water supply pipe, 23...Drain pipe, 24...Water supply hole for rice cooking water, 25...Ring burner, 26...Inner peripheral surface of the rice cooking belt.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Continuously supplies washed rice by pushing it up from the bottom to the top inside a tubular body consisting of a washed rice pushing band, a cooling band, a rice cooking band, and a steaming band. In the process of moving to the upper part, the heating source installed in the rice cooking zone heats the rice, and in addition to replenishing the water for cooking above this heating source, the cooling zone cools the boiling surplus water that flows down from the rice cooking zone. A continuous automatic rice cooking method characterized by cooling. 2. The continuous automatic rice cooking method according to claim 1, wherein an upwardly widening taper is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the tubular body constituting the rice cooking band.