KR20030027332A - Method for unfreezing frozen food using refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: Provided is a method for thawing frozen foods effectively in a kimchi refrigerator by repeating heating and cooling processes. Therefore the frozen foods are capable of being thawed at low temperature with maintaining their freshness. CONSTITUTION: The method for thawing frozen foods effectively in a kimchi refrigerator comprises the steps of: selecting a thawing method of and a kind of the food stored in a reservoir of a kimchi refrigerator; repeatedly heating and cooling the food according to the selected thawing method and kind; measuring the temperature inside the reservoir while thawing the food and comparing it with a standard temperature after completion of thawing; and maintaining the temperature inside the reservoir to a predetermined temperature according to whether thawing is completed or not.

Description

Method of thawing frozen food using Kimchi refrigerator {METHOD FOR UNFREEZING FROZEN FOOD USING REFRIGERATOR}

The present invention relates to a kimchi refrigerator, and more particularly, to a structure for thawing frozen food in the kimchi refrigerator and a thawing method using the same.

Kimchi has generally been stored in refrigerators, but this has actually caused many problems. That is, in the general refrigerator, the internal temperature is severely changed by frequent opening and closing of the refrigerator door, and the time for exposure to the outside air becomes long. These conditions are inadequate for the storage of fermented kimchi, which shortens the shelf life of kimchi and makes it difficult to maintain proper maturation. Kimchi refrigerator has been developed to solve these problems, the structure thereof will be described with reference to Figure 1 as follows.

The kimchi refrigerator includes a body 10 having an internal storage chamber 13 of a predetermined size, a cover 20 positioned on the upper body, and a temperature control device 30 positioned inside the body 10.

First, the body 10 includes an outer case 11 that forms the overall appearance of the kimchi refrigerator as a whole and an inner case 12 that is formed spaced apart from the outer case 11 at a predetermined interval. Here, the inner case 12 forms a kimchi storage chamber 13 in the body 10, and the kimchi storage container 18 is accommodated in the kimchi storage chamber 13. In addition, an inner partition 14 is installed below the body 10, and the partition 14 forms an internal device chamber 15 having a predetermined size to accommodate the temperature control device 30 and the like. The space between the outer / inner cases 11 and 12 and the inner partition 24 is filled with a heat insulating material 16 to maintain a constant temperature in the kimchi storage chamber 13.

The cover 20 includes an outer case 21 forming an inner space of a predetermined size and a heat insulating material 22 filled in the inner space. The cover 20 is rotatably coupled to the body 20 by a hinge structure to open and close the internal storage chamber 13.

The temperature control device 30 adjusts the temperature inside the kimchi storage room 13 in order to maintain the taste and freshness of kimchi constantly. To this end, the temperature control device 30 is largely composed of a cooling device section and a heating device section, most of which are located in the device chamber 15 as shown.

First, the cooling unit keeps the temperature of the storage chamber 13 constant, and is operated by a direct heat exchange method for heat exchange without a separate blower. More specifically, the cooling device unit blows air to the compressor 31 for compressing the refrigerant in the device chamber 15 and supplying the refrigerant to the condenser 32, the condenser 32 for condensing the refrigerant, and the condenser 31. It includes a blower fan 33, the evaporator 34 for expanding and evaporating the high temperature and high pressure refrigerant supplied from the condenser is located adjacent to the kimchi storage chamber (13). Here, the evaporator 34 is formed as a refrigerant pipe that is actually wound around the storage compartment 13, and performs heat exchange directly with the kimchi storage compartment 13 through the inner case 12 as mentioned above. do.

The heating device raises the temperature of the storage chamber 13 so that the kimchi can be properly aged, and consists of a heating wire 35 wound around the storage chamber 13 as shown.

In addition, the temperature control device 30 further includes a temperature sensor 36 installed in the inner case 12 in addition to the cooling and heating device. The temperature sensor 36 measures the temperature in the storage chamber 13, where a predetermined control device (not shown) operates the cooling device or heating device appropriately according to the set conditions.

With this configuration, the kimchi refrigerator can ferment and mature kimchi in the storage container 13a in the storage chamber 13 in a fast time by using a heating device. By keeping it at an appropriate level, it is possible to preserve kimchi for a long time.

On the other hand, in recent years, as the needs of users vary, complex and additional functions besides basic functions are required for general refrigerating / freezing devices such as the kimchi refrigerator. In particular, the function of thawing frozen foods to be cookable may be a representative example of such additional functions.

In the conventional thawing method, when the frozen food is thawed at room temperature naturally, it takes a long time of thawing time and brings about the deterioration of the food by the juicy leakage and microbial contamination. In addition, when using a heating device such as a microwave oven, a problem arises that the frozen food is cooked or thawed due to partial and direct heating.

Accordingly, in view of such a problem, a refrigerator having an additional thawing function has been developed and commercialized. However, since a heating device and a thawing space are additionally required for the thawing function, the production cost is increased, and the efficiency of refrigeration / freezing, which is a unique function of the refrigerator, is reduced due to the addition of the thawing function.

On the other hand, as described above, the kimchi refrigerator has a large internal storage chamber 13 which is sufficient to thaw, and in particular, has a heating device such as a heating wire 35 as well as a cooling device for refrigeration and freezing.

That is, the kimchi refrigerator has a basic structure suitable for performing the thawing function, and thus, may have an optimized thawing function by slight modification and development of an appropriate thawing method using the same.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a thawing structure and a thawing method using the kimchi refrigerator capable of thawing frozen food effectively.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a typical kimchi refrigerator.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the thawing structure of the kimchi refrigerator for the thawing method according to the present invention.

Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating a frozen food thawing method according to the present invention using the structure of FIG.

Description of the main parts of the drawing

10: main body 11: outer case

12: inner case 13: storage compartment

14: internal partition 15: device room

16: insulation material 18: storage container

20: cover 30: temperature control device

31 compressor 32 condenser

34: evaporator 40: air circulation

41: air flow path 42: blowing fan

50: pedestal 51: through hole

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises the steps of selecting the type of food contained in the storage room and the thawing method in the kimchi refrigerator; Thawing the stored food by indirectly heating or cooling alternately according to the selected food type and thawing method; Determining whether the storage chamber temperature measured during the thawing step reaches a predetermined thawing completion reference temperature: and storing the food by maintaining the inside of the storage chamber below a predetermined temperature according to whether the food has been thawed. It provides a frozen food thawing method using a kimchi refrigerator made.

In the frozen food thawing method according to the present invention, the food type of the selection step is any one of meat, fish, and other foods, and the thawing method is any one of strong thawing, medium thawing, and weak thawing.

The defrosting step includes heating the inside of the storage compartment by using a heating wire installed around the storage compartment and circulating air in the storage compartment by using a blower fan and an air flow path, each of which is performed in a predetermined cycle.

On the other hand, the thawing completion reference temperature in the determination step preferably has a range of 1 ~ 2 ℃, and the storage temperature of the thawed food in the storage step is preferably about 1 ℃.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention in which the above objects can be specifically realized are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In describing the present embodiment, the same name and the same reference numerals are used for the same configuration and additional description thereof will be omitted below.

2 is a cross-sectional view showing a kimchi refrigerator for the kimchi ripening method according to the present invention, a brief description of the kimchi refrigerator with reference to this.

As shown, the kimchi refrigerator has a body 10 having an internal storage chamber 13 of a predetermined size, a cover 20 installed on the body 10, and a temperature of a storage compartment installed inside the body 20. It comprises a temperature control device 30 to maintain a constant. Here, the kimchi refrigerator further comprises a thawing structure for thawing the frozen food (F) located in the internal storage chamber (13).

The body 10, the cover 20, the temperature control device 30 and the like of the kimchi refrigerator configuration of the present invention is the same as the conventional kimchi refrigerator described above, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted, and the thawing structure will be described in detail. Is as follows.

The thawing structure includes an air circulation device 40 installed in the body 10 or the cover 20 and a pedestal 50 installed in the storage chamber 13. Substantially, the thawing structure 40 includes a heating wire 35 that performs a heating function, but belongs to the basic configuration of the kimchi refrigerator, so only the air circulation device 40 and the pedestal 50, which are additional structures, are described below. .

First, as shown, the air circulation device 40 has an air passage 41 having a predetermined length and a blowing fan 42 installed on the air passage 41. Here, the air passage 41 communicates with the storage chamber 13 through the air inlets 41a and the outlets 41b respectively formed in the air passages 41. Accordingly, the blowing fan 42 may suck and discharge air in the storage compartment 13 through the air flow passage 41, and the air flow generated at this time passes around the frozen food F. The food F is indirectly cooled.

On the other hand, the deodorizing structure 40 is shown as being installed in the cover 20 in Figure 2, as described above can also be installed in the body 10, the function is also the same.

In addition, the pedestal 50 stably supports and accommodates the frozen food F during the thawing process. In addition, moisture generated during thawing through the through holes 51 formed in the pedestal 50 is discharged to the bottom of the storage chamber 13, and the through holes 51 flow by the air circulation device 40. Allow air to be in uniform contact with the frozen food (F).

Such a thawing structure enables the frozen food in the storage compartment 13 to be heated and cooled, and the frozen food thawing method of the present invention using the above structure can be described as follows with reference to FIG. 3.

As shown, first frozen food (F) is put in the storage compartment 13 is located on the pedestal 50, and then the type and thawing method of the food thawed in the kimchi refrigerator is selected (S10). This selection process is actually performed by selecting the corresponding menu from a control panel (not shown) mounted outside the kimchi refrigerator. For example, the food type may be classified into meat, fish, and other foods, and the thawing method may be classified into, for example, strong thawing, medium thawing, and mild thawing. These food types and thawing methods determine the actual progress of the thawing process and the time required for thawing.

After the selection process (S10) is completed, the frozen food (F) is thawed using the thawing structure in the kimchi refrigerator (S20). In the thawing process (S20), the frozen food (F) is thawed by being alternately heated or cooled indirectly. That is, during the thawing process (S20), the inside of the storage chamber 13 of the kimchi refrigerator is heated (S21), or the air in the storage chamber 13 is circulated (S22).

More specifically, in the heating process (S21), the air temperature of the storage chamber 13 is increased by using the heating wire 35 installed around the storage chamber 13, and thus the frozen temperature due to the elevated ambient temperature The effect is that the food F is substantially indirectly heated. In addition, in the circulation process (S22), the air inside the storage compartment (13) by the fan 42 and the air flow path 41 flows toward the frozen food (F), whereby the food (F) is indirect To cool. The temperature distribution inside the storage chamber 13 is uniformed by the air flow in the circulation process S22.

These heating and circulation (cooling) process (S21, 22) is repeatedly performed to cross each other at a predetermined period, respectively, such heating and cooling process execution time, cycle and number of times of repetition is the kind of food in the selection step (S10) and Follow the thawing method.

After the thawing process S20 is performed for a predetermined time or longer, it is determined whether the temperature of the storage chamber 13 reaches a predetermined thawing completion reference temperature (S30).

In the determination step (S30), first the internal temperature of the storage chamber 13 is measured using a temperature sensor 35 installed adjacent to the storage chamber 13. Here, since the thawing process S30 is performed by indirect cooling / heating while maintaining a constant storage temperature, the temperature of the frozen food F is substantially the same as the temperature of the storage 13.

Therefore, after the measurement process, the measured storage room temperature is compared with a predetermined thaw completion reference temperature in place of the frozen food temperature. That is, the control device of the kimchi refrigerator compares the value measured by the temperature sensor 36 with a preset thaw completion reference temperature stored in itself. In general, the temperature at the time of refrigeration is set to be 2 ~ 4 ℃, the temperature of 1 ℃ is most appropriate to maintain the taste and freshness of the actual food. This temperature is referred to as 'child temperature', and thus, the thawing completion reference temperature is preferably set to be a range larger than the chill temperature, that is, 1 to 2 ° C.

If the measured storage temperature reaches a set reference temperature, the kimchi is determined to be sufficiently thawed above a set condition, and thus a series of storage processes are started (S40). In the storage process (S40), the thawed frozen food (F) can be kept fresh for a predetermined period of time by keeping the inside of the storage chamber 13 at a predetermined temperature. In other words, the thawed food (F) is automatically kept fresh even if left untreated after thawing.

In the storage process (S40), the temperature in the storage chamber 13 is preferably maintained at about 1 ℃ the chilled temperature described above to maintain the freshness of the thawed frozen food (F).

On the other hand, if the measured storage room temperature value does not reach the set thaw completion reference temperature, it is determined that the frozen food (F) has not yet been sufficiently thawed, so that the thawing process for a predetermined time is performed again (S20). . As mentioned above, in this aging process S24, the heating and circulation processes S21 and S22 using the heating wire 35 and the air circulation device 40 are repeatedly performed alternately with each other.

Thereafter, in addition to the thawing process (S20), the thawing determination step (S22) is also repeatedly performed, which continues until the measured storage temperature reaches a preset thawing reference temperature.

Although only a few embodiments have been described herein above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Therefore, the above-described embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and thus, the invention is not limited to the above detailed description, but may vary within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Referring to the effect of the frozen food thawing method according to the present invention described above are as follows.

In the present invention, in order to defrost frozen food, an existing heating device, that is, an air circulation device including a hot wire and a blowing fan, is applied to the kimchi refrigerator, and the heating process and the cooling process using them are appropriately repeated crossover. That is, the present invention provides an optimized thawing method that mainly uses the existing configuration of the kimchi refrigerator, thereby making it possible to use the kimchi refrigerator for thawing frozen foods without greatly changing the structure.

In addition, the thawing method of the present invention thaws the frozen food uniformly at a relatively low temperature unlike the conventional thawing method by repeatedly heating and cooling. Therefore, the freshness deterioration of the frozen food which may occur during the thawing process can be effectively prevented.

In addition, by linking the storage process automatically after completion of the thawing process, the thawing method of the present invention stably maintains the freshness of the thawed food even when left unattended, and by maintaining the storage room temperature at the so-called chilled temperature during the storage process. Make foods fresher

Claims (5)

Selecting a type of food contained in the storage compartment and a thawing method thereof in the kimchi refrigerator; Thawing the stored food by indirectly heating or cooling alternately according to the selected food type and thawing method; Determining whether the storage chamber temperature measured during the thawing step reaches a predetermined thawing completion reference temperature: and The method of thawing frozen foods using a kimchi refrigerator comprising the step of storing the food by maintaining the inside of the storage room at a predetermined temperature or less according to whether the thawing of the food. The method of claim 1, The food type of the selection step is any one of meat, fish, other foods, and the thawing method is a frozen food thawing method using a kimchi refrigerator, characterized in that any one of strong thawing, medium thawing, mild thawing. The method of claim 1, The defrosting step consists of heating the inside of the storage compartment using a heating wire installed around the storage compartment and circulating air in the storage compartment using a blower fan and an air flow path, each of which is performed in a predetermined cycle. Frozen food thawing method using a kimchi refrigerator. The method of claim 1, The thawing completion reference temperature is a frozen food thawing method using a kimchi refrigerator, characterized in that it has a range of 1 ~ 2 ℃. The method of claim 1, Storage temperature of the thawed food is a frozen food thawing method using a kimchi refrigerator, characterized in that about 1 ℃.