JPH109575A - Vapor heater and food heating method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To heat food and the like in a short time. SOLUTION: The vapor heater 1 comprises a needle-like vapor injection nozzle 4 to be pierced into food 2 to be heated such as a steamed bun with meat in it. The food 2 is pierced into the nozzle 4, placed on a bottom plate 9, and a cover 8 is closed. Water droplets 15 dripped on an evaporation tray 13 is immediately evaporated in a high temperature vapor chamber 12, and injected from a vapor injection port 4b of the nozzle 4 connected to an opening a of an upper part into the food 2. Since the food 2 is vapor-heated from the interior of the food 2, the food 2 can be heated in an extremely short time. Since it can be heated in the short time, deterioration of its taste can be prevented. This can also be applied to things except the food.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a steam heating apparatus for heating an object to be heated such as food with high-temperature steam, and a food heating method for heating food with high-temperature steam.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in the case where meat buns, bean buns, shumai, etc., which have been cooked for a while, are heated with high-temperature steam and heated, it is common to steam in high-temperature steam. In other words, the water filled in the bottom of the container is heated and boiled off like a siro, and the food to be heated on top of the soup is placed on top of it. Alternatively, high-temperature steam separately generated by a boiler or the like is placed inside the container. And steaming the food to be heated placed in the container. That is, a method of heating the food to be heated with high-temperature steam from the outside.

[0003]

In the above-mentioned conventional steam heating device, since the food to be heated is heated with high-temperature steam from the outside, there is a problem that it takes a long time to heat the food.
For example, in a convenience store or the like, it is not appropriate to heat each time a customer purchases it because it takes a long time. Since heating takes a long time, in a convenience store, etc., it is usually kept in a case filled with high-temperature steam. However, in this method, the food continues to be steam-heated for a long time. There is a problem of doing it.

[0004] In addition to heating foods, for example, towels and the like are usually heated from the outside by high-temperature steam as well, but there is a problem that heating takes a long time.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional disadvantages, and has as its object to provide a steam heating apparatus capable of heating an object to be heated such as food in an extremely short time. It is an object of the present invention to provide a food heating method capable of steam-heating food in a short time.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a case with a lid for accommodating an object to be heated, and a needle-shaped steam injection nozzle inserted into the object to be heated accommodated in the case. And high-temperature steam supply means for supplying high-temperature steam to the steam injection nozzle.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a steam heating apparatus 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Steam heating device 1 of this embodiment
Is used to warm the food 2 to be heated such as meat buns and bean buns with high-temperature steam, and includes a case 3 with a lid for accommodating the food 2 to be heated, and the heated food 2 contained in the case 3. It has a needle-shaped steam injection nozzle 4 inserted into the food 2 and high-temperature steam supply means 5 for supplying high-temperature steam to the steam injection nozzle 4.

The case 3 comprises a disc-shaped bottom plate 8 and a hemispherical lid 9 placed on the bottom plate 8, and has an opening 8a at the center of the bottom plate 8, and the periphery of the opening 8a. Is a pedestal 8b. The case 3 of the embodiment has a structure in which the so-called case body portion is merely a disk shape and a chamber space is formed by the lid 9, but the upper opening of the box-shaped case body having a depth is formed in a flat plate shape. It may be a box shape that covers the lid.

The needle-shaped steam injection nozzle 4 is inserted vertically into the opening 8a of the bottom plate 8 and is provided vertically. The steam injection nozzle 4 is formed in an elongated cylindrical shape having an acute angle with a tip 4a closed, and a plurality of steam injection ports 4b provided on the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion. The four steam injection ports 4b are provided at upper and lower two locations, respectively, and each of the upper and lower sides is oriented in four directions, and the angles of the upper and lower ones are shifted from each other. In addition, the fact that the steam injection nozzle has a needle shape means that the shape of the steam injection nozzle can pierce the object to be heated, and is not limited to the shape of the embodiment.

The high-temperature steam supply means 5 includes a high-temperature steam chamber 12 having a conical ceiling surface 11, an evaporating dish 13 provided at the bottom of the high-temperature steam chamber 12, and an electric heater embedded in the evaporating dish 13. It comprises a heater 14 and a water drop supply device 16 for dropping water drops on the evaporating dish 13. The high-temperature steam chamber 12 includes a bottomed cylindrical steam chamber 17 having an evaporating dish 13 at the bottom and an upper steam chamber 18 having the conical ceiling surface 11 and a support base 19 having legs 19a. It is formed integrally with a bolt 20 with the upper ring portion 19b interposed. 21 is a packing. The pedestal 8b of the bottom plate 8 of the case 3 is simply placed on the top of the conical steam chamber upper portion 18.

The water supply device 16 is provided with a water supply pipe 2 having a tip inserted through a hole 18a formed in the upper portion 18 of the steam chamber.
3, a check valve 24 provided in the water supply pipe 23, a metering pump device 25 provided upstream thereof, and a water tank 28. The metering pump device 25 has a configuration in which a piston 27 is slidably fitted in a cylinder 26 having an opening 26a communicating with a water tank 28, and the piston 27 is reciprocated by a drive mechanism (not shown).

The above-described steam heating apparatus 1 is suitable for use in, for example, warming a temporarily cooked food 2 such as a meat bun. The electric heater 14 is energized each time to turn on the evaporating dish 1.
3 may be heated, but when it is used in a convenience store or the like, it is preferable to always turn it on after preventing overheating and keep the evaporating dish 13 in a heated state. To heat the object to be heated, the lid 9 is removed, and the food 2 to be heated is placed on the bottom plate 8 so that the needle-shaped steam injection nozzle 4 pierces, and the lid 9 is covered. Next, when a heating start button (not shown) is pressed, a driving mechanism (not shown) is operated, and the piston 27 of the metering pump device 25 reciprocates at regular intervals, and the opening and closing of the check valve 24 is controlled at each reciprocation. Then, water droplets drop from the water supply pipe 23 onto the evaporating dish 13. Since the evaporating dish 13 has already been heated, it evaporates instantaneously, and the high-temperature steam rises as shown by the arrow, and the conical ceiling surface 11 at the top of the high-temperature steam chamber 12.
Thus, the steam is injected into the heated food 2 from the steam injection port 4 b of the steam injection nozzle 4.

As described above, the high-temperature steam is directly supplied to the inside of the food 2 to be heated, so that the heated food 2 is heated with steam. Therefore, the object 2 is heated in a very short time. Further, since the high-temperature steam penetrates into the heated food 2, the steam spreads sufficiently into the heated food 2 as compared with the conventional method in which the steam is simply filled to the outside. The effect of retaining an appropriate amount of moisture can also be obtained.

The high-temperature steam supplied into the food 2 to be heated penetrates the food 2 to be heated and exits from the outer surface, but is closed by the lid 9 so that the space inside the lid 9 is reduced. As a result, the food 2 to be heated is heated from inside and outside by the high-temperature steam, and in this regard, quick and sufficient heating is performed.

When the steam heating apparatus 1 is used in a convenience store or the like, it can be heated immediately upon request of a customer, so that it is not necessary to keep it in stock in high-temperature steam and keep warming it. It is possible to prevent the taste of the heated food 2 from decreasing.

Further, by adding a flavor or the like to the water in the water tank 28, it is possible to add a flavor to the food.
When flavors are added at the stage of food production, the flavor is almost completely lost at the time of eating. However, if flavor is added just before eating, not only the flavor does not disappear, but also the quality of the flavor. Can be prevented from decreasing. It is also possible to add a seasoning additive to water, but in this case, the taste does not decrease. In addition, minerals and the like can be added.

The illustrated steam injection nozzle 4 has an opening 8 in the bottom plate 8.
a, but may be directly attached to the opening of the upper part 18 of the steam chamber, and the opening 8 a of the bottom plate 8 may simply be inserted with the steam injection nozzle 4. In this case, after the heating of one food to be heated 2 is completed, the pedestal 8b is raised so that the steam injection nozzle 4
It is possible to wipe off the food to be heated that has adhered to the outer periphery of the device.

Although the above embodiment has been described as a device for heating one food 2 to be heated, a high-temperature steam chamber 1 like a steam heating device 1 'shown in FIG.
A plurality of steam injection nozzles 4 facing 2 ′ may be provided to simultaneously heat a plurality of foods 2 to be heated. 3 'indicates a lid.

Although the steam injection nozzle is fixedly provided in the embodiment, the steam injection nozzle may be connected to a hose, and the hose may be connected to the high-temperature steam chamber. In this case, the steam injection nozzle is manually pierced into the food to be heated, but high temperature steam can be injected from any location by piercing the food to be heated. .
If the food to be heated is large, it is possible to pierce a plurality of steam injection nozzles and heat the food from a plurality of locations.

The structure of the steam injection nozzle is not limited to that of the embodiment. For example, it may be configured to have a steam injection port at the tip. Further, the steam injection nozzle is not limited to the configuration in which the steam injection nozzle is provided vertically in the upper part of the high-temperature steam chamber, and the steam injection nozzle may be provided in a lateral direction on the side surface of the high-temperature steam chamber. In this case, the steam injection nozzle is inserted into the food to be heated by pushing from the side.

The means for heating the evaporating dish 13 is not limited to the electric heater, but may be any means such as gas heating. Needless to say, the shape of the high-temperature steam chamber 12 is not necessarily limited to the embodiment. As means for generating high-temperature steam, as in the embodiment, water droplets
The configuration in which the liquid is dropped and evaporated instantaneously is excellent in that the evaporation occurs instantaneously, but is not necessarily limited to this. For example, a method in which water in a container is simply boiled to generate high-temperature steam may be used. Further, a high-temperature steam supply means for introducing high-temperature steam from a separately provided steam generation source such as a boiler without having the steam generator itself may be used.

Since scale may adhere to the evaporating dish 13 for a long period of time, the water in the water tank 28 is filtered with an ion exchange resin or the like to remove scale-generating substances such as chlorine and calcium. It is good to do so.

The foods that can be heated are not limited to the above-mentioned meat buns and bean buns, but also bread, shoumai, gyoza,
Dango and other various things are possible. It is also possible to warm rice and the like.

In the above description, the case where the cooked food is warmed has been described. However, depending on the food, it can be used as a food heating and cooking apparatus for heating and cooking uncooked food.

In the above embodiment, the case where the cooked food is warmed or the case where the cooked food is cooked from the uncooked material has been described. However, the present invention can be used for heating not only food but also various foods. For example, it can be used for heating a towel covered with a thin plastic film. In this case, a steam injection nozzle is pierced into the film cover, the steam injection nozzle is inserted inside, and high-temperature steam is directly injected into the film cover. Thereby, the towel is heated quickly.
Also, a sufficiently large amount of water can be given to the towel.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the present invention.
The invention of claim 6 relates to a method of heating food in particular with high-temperature steam, in which an upwardly directed hollow portion 2′a for steam is formed at the bottom of the food 2 ′ to be heated. Is supplied with high-temperature steam to heat the food 2 ′ to be heated. In this case, the high-temperature steam supply means may have the same configuration as the configuration in which the steam injection nozzle 4 is removed from the steam heating device 1 shown in FIG. in this case,
In FIG. 1, the high-temperature steam spouting from the opening 8a in which the steam jet nozzle 4 is removed is spouted into the steam introduction hollow portion 2'a of the food 2 'to be heated, and heats the food 2' from the inside. . The shape of the hollow part for introducing steam in the food should be a deep hole so that high-temperature steam can penetrate inside as much as possible.

[0027]

According to the present invention, a needle-shaped steam injection nozzle is pierced into an object to be heated such as food, and high-temperature steam is injected directly into the object to be heated to perform steam heating. The heated object can be heated in a very short time. Therefore, when used for warming food in convenience stores, etc., the food can be heated on the spot according to the customer's request, eliminating the need to constantly stock the food in high-temperature steam and impairing the taste of the food. Can be prevented.

Further, since the high-temperature steam spreads inside the food, it is possible to provide a food having good moisture.
In this respect, the taste can be improved. In addition, when additives such as flavors and seasonings are added to the water used, they will be added to the food just before eating, so the flavor and flavor will not disappear or deteriorate, and the flavor and flavor will be good. Excellent food can be provided.

Further, other than foods, the present invention can be applied to the heating of towels and the like, and can be similarly heated in a short time.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, by providing a hollow portion for introducing steam into the food itself, the food can be heated in a short period of time by heating from the inside of the food with high-temperature steam.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing one embodiment of a steam heating device (claims 1 to 5) of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a view for explaining an embodiment of the food heating method (claim 6) of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Steam heating device 2 Food to be heated (object to be heated) 3 Case 4 Steam injection nozzle 4a Tip 4b Steam injection port 5 High temperature steam supply means 8 Bottom plate 8a Opening 8b Base 9 Cover 11 Ceiling surface 12 High temperature steam chamber 13 Evaporating dish 14 Electric heater 15 Water drop 16 Water drop supply device 17 Lower steam chamber 18 Upper steam chamber 19 Support base 23 Supply pipe 24 Check valve 25 Metering pump device 28 Water tank

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A case with a lid for accommodating an object to be heated,
A steam heating device comprising: a needle-shaped steam injection nozzle inserted into the object to be heated accommodated in the case; and high-temperature steam supply means for supplying high-temperature steam to the steam injection nozzle. 2. The steam injection nozzle according to claim 1, wherein said steam injection nozzle has an elongated cylindrical shape having a closed acute-angled end portion, and has a plurality of steam injection ports on an outer periphery of the cylindrical portion. Heating equipment. 3. The high-temperature steam supply means includes: a high-temperature steam chamber communicating with the steam injection nozzle; an evaporating dish provided at the bottom of the high-temperature steam chamber; a heater for heating the evaporating dish; 2. The steam heating device according to claim 1, further comprising a water droplet supply device for dropping water. 4. The steam according to claim 3, wherein the steam injection nozzle is vertically connected to an opening provided at the bottom of the case, and the high-temperature steam chamber is provided below the opening. Heating equipment. 5. The steam heating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the high-temperature steam chamber has a ceiling surface which conical or pyramid-shaped toward the opening. 6. A food heating method comprising: forming an upwardly directed hollow for introducing steam at the bottom of a food to be heated; and supplying high-temperature steam to the hollow for introducing steam to heat the food to be heated. .