JP6820692B2 - Cooker - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cooker, and more particularly to a cooker capable of reheating cooked ingredients.

A rice cooker that can be reheated so that warm rice like freshly cooked rice can be eaten has been proposed to solve the problem that the temperature of the cooked rice is lower than that of freshly cooked rice and the taste is lower (for example). , Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-308722

Unlike rice cookers, cookers used to cook various menus have uniform reheating conditions due to differences in the types of ingredients, the amount of water (boiled juice) in the pot, the size of the ingredients, etc. It is difficult to determine the above, and excess or deficiency is likely to occur in reheating.
For example, even if the broth is warmed to an appropriate temperature, the ingredients are not warmed to the center, and when eaten, it may feel "cold" or "slimy". On the contrary, excessive heating may cause the vegetables in the ingredients to boil or lose their color, the meat, fish, etc. may become hard, the meat may become dry (dehydrated), or the bottom of the pot may be scorched. ..

Furthermore, there is also the problem that the temperature at the time of eating becomes unoptimal due to the temperature change between the time when the pot is transferred to the tableware and the time when it is carried to the mouth.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and it is possible to heat the broth and the ingredients to appropriate temperatures while suppressing deterioration of the taste and scorching of the ingredients due to reheating of the cooking device. The purpose is to provide a cooking cooker.

The cooking utensil according to one aspect of the present invention is
A pot-shaped container that can store ingredients and
A heating means for heating the pot-shaped container and
To perform the reheating of the food, and control means for controlling the energization of the heating means,
It has a food material information input means for inputting information about the food material.
The control means
When the reheating is performed, the energization of the heating means is controlled so that the temperature of the pot-shaped container becomes the first temperature, and when the temperature of the pot-shaped container reaches the first temperature, after that. , Control the energization of the heating means so that the temperature of the pot-shaped container is kept within the temperature range from the second temperature to the third temperature.
It said second temperature and said third temperature is rather low than the first temperature,
The control means determines the time from the start of the reheating to the end of the reheating based on the information input by the food material information input means.
The information about the foodstuff is characterized by including information about the amount of broth .
The cooking utensil according to another aspect of the present invention
A pot-shaped container that can store ingredients and
A heating means for heating the pot-shaped container and
In order to reheat the foodstuff, a control means for controlling the energization of the heating means and
It has a food material information input means for inputting information about the food material.
The control means
When the reheating is performed, the energization of the heating means is controlled so that the temperature of the pot-shaped container becomes the first temperature, and when the temperature of the pot-shaped container reaches the first temperature, after that. , Control the energization of the heating means so that the temperature of the pot-shaped container is kept within the temperature range from the second temperature to the third temperature.
The second temperature and the third temperature are lower than the first temperature,
The control means determines the time from the start of the reheating to the end of the reheating based on the information input by the food material information input means.
The information about the ingredients includes information about the size of the ingredients.
It is characterized by that.

According to the present invention, regardless of the amount of the broth, the size of the ingredients, etc., reheating can be performed so that both the broth and the ingredients have an appropriate temperature in a short time.

It is sectional drawing which shows typically an example of the structure of the cooking apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view schematically showing a state in which the vent valve of the cooking cooker of FIG. 1 is open. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the state which the vent valve of the cooking apparatus of FIG. 1 is closed. It is the schematic which shows a part of the key and the display part provided in the operation display part of FIG. It is a functional block diagram which shows a part of the operation input and display functions by the operation display part of FIG. 1 together with the control means. It is a flowchart which shows the operation of the control means and the time measuring means at the time of reheating in the cooking apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the operation of the control means and the time measuring means from the setting of the reheating reservation to the start of reheating in the cooking apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is the schematic which shows a part of the key and the display part provided in the example of the operation display part used in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a function block diagram which shows a part of the operation input and display functions by an example of the operation display part used in Embodiment 2 together with the control means. It is the schematic which shows a part of the key and the display part provided in another example of the operation display part used in Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a functional block diagram which shows a part of the operation input and display functions by another example of the operation display part used in Embodiment 2 together with the control means. (A) and (b) are graphs showing an example of a change in the electric power supplied to the heating coil and a change in the temperature of the pot-shaped container and the food material at the time of reheating by the cooking cooker. (A) and (b) are graphs showing other examples of changes in the electric power supplied to the heating coil and changes in the temperature of the pot-shaped container and the food material during reheating by the cooking cooker. It is a flowchart which shows the operation of the control means at the time of setting of reheating in the cooking apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the cooking cooker according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. Further, in the following drawings including FIG. 1, the relationship between the sizes of the constituent members may differ from the actual one. Further, in the following description, terms indicating directions (for example, "top", "bottom", "right", "left", "front", "rear", etc.) are appropriately used for ease of understanding. This is for illustration purposes only and these terms are not intended to limit the invention.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of the configuration of the cooking cooker 100 according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the cooking cooker 100 will be described with reference to FIG.
The cooking device 100 cooks the food material 200 by heating the pot-shaped container 101 containing the food material 200 with the heating coil 103 as a heating means. Ingredient 200 includes ingredients 201 and broth 202.

The cooker main body 105 has a main body case 105a, a coil base 107 is fixed to the main body case 105a, and a heating coil 103 is attached to the lower surface side of the coil base 107.

A pot-shaped container 101 is detachably mounted on the upper side of the coil base 107.
A hole 107a is provided in the center of the bottom of the coil base 107, and a pan temperature sensor 108 is inserted into the hole 107a.
The pot-shaped container 101 has a bottomed cylindrical shape and is made of a material containing a magnetic metal that generates heat by induction heating.
A flange portion 101a is formed on the outer periphery of the upper end portion of the pot-shaped container 101. Further, a pair of resin handles 101b are provided on the side wall of the pot-shaped container 101.

The heating coil 103 is induced to heat the pot-shaped container 101 by controlling the energization by the control means 110.
As the heating means, an electric heater such as a sheathed heater may be provided instead of the heating coil 103. In that case, the pot-shaped container 101 does not have to be made of a material containing a magnetic metal.

The pot temperature sensor 108 is composed of, for example, a thermistor, and detects the temperature of the pot-shaped container 101. The pot temperature sensor 108 detects, for example, the temperature at the bottom of the pot-shaped container 101. The pot temperature sensor 108 is urged upward by an elastic means such as a spring, and is in contact with the bottom surface of the pot-shaped container 101 housed in the coil base 107. Information about the temperature of the pot-shaped container 101 detected by the pot temperature sensor 108 is transmitted to the control means 110.
The pot temperature sensor 108 is not limited to the thermistor, and may be a contact temperature sensor other than the thermistor. Instead of the contact temperature sensor, for example, the temperature of the pot-shaped container 101 such as an infrared sensor is detected in a non-contact manner. A non-contact temperature sensor may be used.

The time measuring means 111 measures the time in response to an instruction from the control means 110. For example, the control means 110 may specify the time, and the time measuring means 111 may determine whether or not the designated time has elapsed.
In that case, the time measuring means 111 may determine whether or not the specified time has elapsed by counting the clock pulses generated inside the time measuring means 111, and determines the current time. The difference between the current time at the time when the indicated information is received from the outside and the time measurement instruction is received from the control means 110 and the current time at each subsequent time point is defined as the elapsed time, and the elapsed time is equal to the specified time. It may be used to determine whether or not it has become.
The control means 110 may specify the time, and the time measuring means 111 may determine whether or not the designated time has come. The time measuring means 111 used in that case receives information indicating the current time from the outside, and determines whether or not the current time at each time point becomes the same as the time specified by the control means 110. You may.

The control means 110 drives and controls each part of the cooker for cooking.
The control means 110 controls energization of the heating coil 103 in response to an operation instruction input by the operation display unit 116 provided on the cooker main body 105 while referring to the temperature detected by the pan temperature sensor 108.

The control of energization of the heating coil 103 is performed by the control means 110 controlling the drive circuit 113. The drive circuit 113 has an inverter, receives electric power from the AC power supply 114, and controls on / off control of energization of high-frequency current to the heating coil 103 and electric power control. The power is controlled by, for example, controlling the duty ratio in PWM (pulse width modulation). Alternatively, as the heating coil 103, one composed of a plurality of coil portions may be used, and power may be controlled by energizing only a selected coil portion among the plurality of coil portions.

The control means 110 can be configured by a processing circuit. The processing circuit may be dedicated hardware or a processor that executes a program stored in memory.

The notification means 117 is composed of, for example, a voice output means or an electronic sound output means. As the notification means 117, one having an indicator lamp (not shown) provided in the operation display unit 116 may be used instead of or in addition to the above-mentioned voice output means or electronic sound output means.
The control means 110, the time measuring means 111, the drive circuit 113, and the notification means 117 are shown as functional blocks outside the cooker main body 105 in FIG. 1, but are actually inside the cooker main body 105 or It is arranged on the outer surface.

The operation display unit 116 is provided on the front surface of the cooker main body 105. The operation display unit 116 has both a function as an operation unit for receiving an operation input from the user and a function as a display unit for displaying information on the operation input and the operating state of the cooking cooker 100.
The operation display unit 116 will be described in detail later.

The lid 121 is made of a metal such as stainless steel. A lid packing 122, which is a sealing material for ensuring airtightness with the upper end portion of the pot-shaped container 101 and the flange portion 101a, is attached to the peripheral edge portion of the lid body 121.
The lid 121 is formed with a vent 121a, and is provided with a vent valve 123 for opening and closing the vent 121a.
Further, a lid knob 121b is provided at the center of the upper surface of the lid 121.

The vent valve 123 is made of, for example, an elastic rubber-like packing, and the pressure inside the pot-shaped container 101 rises due to the water vapor derived from the foodstuff and the expanded air generated by heating the pot-shaped container 101, and the pressure increases. The packing is elastically deformed, the disc-shaped valve body 123b of the vent valve 123 is pushed up, and the vent 121a is opened, that is, the inside and outside of the pot-shaped container 101 are in communication with each other (FIG. 2). And air is expelled to the outside through the vent 121a as indicated by the line 125 with an arrow.

When heating is stopped while the pot-shaped container 101 contains high-temperature ingredients, the water vapor in the pot-shaped container 101 condenses, the air contracts, the pressure drops, and the force to push up the valve body 123b of the ventilation valve 123 disappears. As a result, the valve body 123b is lowered by the restoring force of the packing, and the vent 121a is closed, that is, the inside and the outside of the pot-shaped container 101 are blocked (FIG. 3).
When the temperature inside the pot-shaped container 101 further decreases and the pressure inside the pot-shaped container 101 becomes lower than the atmospheric pressure (decompressed state), the adhesion between the valve body 123b of the vent valve 123 and the vent 121a increases. The airtightness inside the pot-shaped container 101 is also improved.

The specific configuration of the means for communicating / shutting off the inside and the outside of the pot-shaped container 101 described here is an example. For example, an electromagnetic valve is used to turn on / off the energization by the control means 110. Then, the valve may be opened and closed. In short, it suffices as long as it can communicate / shut off the inside and the outside of the pot-shaped container 101, and the specific configuration is not limited.

FIG. 4 shows a part of the keys and the display unit provided on the operation display unit 116. In FIG. 4, it is shown that one key is provided for each operation, each option, and the like, but a plurality of operations, options, and the like may be assigned to one key. Further, the key may be displayed on the display screen of the display unit. In that case, only the keys that can be operated at each stage of the operation may be displayed.
FIG. 5 shows a part of the operation input and display functions by the operation display unit 116 together with the control means 110.

The operation contents that can be input using the operation display unit 116 include cooking start instruction, cooking cancellation instruction, cooking reservation setting, heating time specification, heating power (electric power) strength specification, and foodstuffs. You can specify the type, specify the cooking method, select the automatic cooking menu, and instruct reheating. Reheating (heating in the reheating mode) is a process for warming cooked ingredients to an appropriate temperature.
The heating time means the time from the start of heating to the end of reheating. The heating time in the reheating mode is also called the reheating time.

For example, if you want to reheat immediately, operate the "reheat" key 302 to select the reheating mode, operate the time setting unit 303 to set the heating time, and press the "start" key 304. Manipulate. The operation input using the operation display unit 116 is transmitted to the control means 110, and the control means 110 starts reheating in response to this.

If you want to specify a time and make a reheating reservation to end reheating at that time, operate the "reheat" key 302 to select the reheating mode and operate the time setting unit 303. The heating time is set, the "reservation" key 305 is operated, the time setting unit 306 is used to set the time when the reheating ends, and the "start" key 304 is operated. As a result, the reheating reservation is confirmed and the standby state is entered. This standby state continues until reheating is started.

The time setting unit 303 includes, for example, a time setting key group 303a and a time display unit 303b, and constitutes the time setting means 401 shown in FIG.
The time setting unit 306 includes, for example, a time setting key group 306a and a time display unit 306b, and constitutes the time setting means 402 shown in FIG.
The "reheat" key 302 and the time setting unit 303 constitute the reheat setting means 403 shown in FIG. The reheating setting means 403 is used to set reheating (heating in the reheating mode).
The "reheating" key 302, the time setting unit 303, the "reservation" key 305, and the time setting unit 306 constitute the reheating reservation setting means 404 shown in FIG. The reheating reservation setting means 404 is used to set a reheating reservation.

Specific examples of the types of ingredients include "meat", "fish", and "vegetables", and a key group (ingredient type information input key group) 307 for selecting these is provided.
The key group 307 constitutes the material type information input means 405a shown in FIG. The ingredient type information input means 405a forms a part of the food material information input means 405. The foodstuff information input means 405 is used for inputting information about the foodstuff.

Specific examples of the automatic cooking menu include "curry", "stew", and "simmered pork", and a key group 308 for selecting these is provided.
Specific examples of the cooking method include "simmering", "steaming", and "baking", and a key group 309 for selecting these is provided.

Items displayed by the operation display unit 116 include the state of the cooking cooker 100, the contents of the set cooking menu, the scheduled time of the end of cooking or the end of reheating, the heating time, the current time, and the like.
The state of the cooking cooker 100 includes "heating", "waiting for reservation", "end of reheating" and the like.

Of these, the heating time is displayed, for example, by the time display unit 303b of the time setting unit 303.
The display of the scheduled reheating end time is performed, for example, by the time display unit 306b of the time setting unit 306.
Other items may be displayed on a commonly used display unit (shared display unit) 311 or may be displayed on separate display units (not shown).

The time display unit 303b, the time display unit 306b, and the shared display unit 311 constitute the display means 411 shown in FIG.
Each of the display units 303b, 306b and 311 may be provided with, for example, a dot matrix type display panel, or may be a segment type display unit. Furthermore, each part of the display units 303b, 306b and 311 may be composed of a combination of an indicator lamp and characters, symbols, figures and the like printed on the surface of the operation display unit 116.
The specific configuration of the operation display unit 116 described above is an example, and does not limit the present invention.

When the user inputs an operation using the operation display unit 116, a signal indicating the input operation content is transmitted to the control means 110, and the control means 110 performs control according to the operation content.
The control means 110 controls the drive circuit 113 so that the heating coil 103 is energized according to, for example, the heating program corresponding to the input automatic cooking menu or the setting of reheating.

At the start of reheating, the control means 110 notifies the time measuring means 111 of the heating time and instructs the time measuring to start.
The time measuring means 111 starts the time measuring according to the instruction, and when the notified heating time elapses, the time measuring means 111 notifies the control means 110 of that. The control means 110 ends the reheating in response to this notification.

When the control means 110 accepts the reservation for reheating, the control means 110 calculates the time (standby time) until the start of reheating by the reservation, notifies the time measuring means 111 of the waiting time, and instructs the time measuring means 111 to start the time measurement. ..
The time measuring means 111 starts the time measuring according to the instruction, and when the notified waiting time elapses, the time measuring means 111 notifies the control means 110 of that. The control means 110 starts reheating in response to this notification.
At the start of this reheating, the control means 110 causes the time measuring means 111 to measure the heating time in the same manner as described above.

Next, the procedure of the operation of the control means 110 when reheating is performed by the cooking cooker 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the user attaches the pot-shaped container 101 containing the foodstuff 200 to be reheated to the coil stand 107 in the cooker main body 105, and closes the lid 121. Then, the "reheat" key 302 of the operation display unit 116 is operated, the heating time is set using the time setting unit 303, and the "start" key 304 is operated. The foodstuff 200 to be reheated includes ingredients 201 such as vegetables and meat and broth 202. It is assumed that the heating time is set to, for example, 30 minutes.

In response to this operation, the control means 110 starts the process in the reheating mode shown in FIG.
The control means 110 notifies the time measuring means 111 of the set heating time and instructs the time measuring means to start the time measurement. According to this, the time measuring means 111 starts measuring the time (step S1).

The control means 110 also instructs the drive circuit 113 to drive the heating coil 103 with the first power value P1 (step S2). In response to this, the drive circuit 113 drives the heating coil 103 so that the electric power supplied to the heating coil 103 becomes the first electric power value P1.

The pot-shaped container 101 is heated by energizing the heating coil 103 by the drive circuit 113.
As a result of heating, the temperature θa of the pot-shaped container 101 gradually rises. The first electric power value P1 is about 60 to 100% of the rated input of the cooking cooker, and the temperature θa of the pot-shaped container 101 is quickly raised by a relatively high input.

When the pot temperature sensor 108 detects that the temperature θa of the pot-shaped container 101 has reached the first temperature, for example, 100 ° C. (YES in step S3), the control means 110 controls the drive circuit 113. , The energization of the heating coil 103 is cut off (step S4).

If heating is continued at a temperature higher than 100 ° C., the evaporation of water in the food is promoted and causes charring, and the water evaporated from the vent 121a is discharged to the outside of the pot-shaped container 101, and the evaporated water vapor. At the same time, the smell of food spreads and the comfort of the kitchen decreases. Therefore, it is desirable that the temperature θa of the pot-shaped container 101 at the time of reheating is 100 ° C. or lower (the boiling point of water at atmospheric pressure or lower).

As described above, the control means 110 controls the energization of the heating coil 103 so that the temperature θa of the pot-shaped container 101 becomes the first temperature (100 ° C.), and the temperature θa of the pot-shaped container 101 becomes the first. After reaching the temperature of 1, as described below, control of energization of the heating coil 103 so as to keep the temperature θa of the pot-shaped container 101 within the temperature range from the second temperature to the third temperature. I do. Both the second temperature and the third temperature are lower than the first temperature. For example, the second temperature is 80 ° C and the third temperature is 85 ° C.

When the energization of the heating coil 103 is cut off by step S4 as described above, the temperature θa of the pot-shaped container 101 gradually decreases.
When the pot temperature sensor 108 detects that the temperature θa of the pot-shaped container 101 is less than the second temperature of 80 ° C. (YES in step S5), the control means 110 controls the drive circuit 113. , The energization of the heating coil 103 is restarted (step S6).

When the energization of the heating coil 103 is resumed, the temperature θa of the pot-shaped container 101 gradually rises.
When the pot temperature sensor 108 detects that the temperature θa of the pot-shaped container 101 is higher than the third temperature of 85 ° C. (YES in step S7), the control means 110 controls the drive circuit 113. Then, the energization of the heating coil 103 is cut off (step S8).
Hereinafter, in the same manner as described above, the temperature θa of the pot-shaped container 101 is maintained in the range of 80 to 85 ° C. by turning on / off the energization of the heating coil 103.

In the control for maintaining the temperature θa of the pot-shaped container 101 in the range of 80 to 85 ° C., the electric power supplied to the heating coil 103 is set to the second electric power value P2 which is smaller than the first electric power value P1. As a result, the effect of suppressing the scorching of the foodstuff in the pot-shaped container 101 can be enhanced.

When the time measuring means 111 detects that the designated heating time (30 minutes) has elapsed (YES in step S9), the time measuring means 111 notifies the control means 110 of that fact. In response to this notification, the control means 110 causes the notification means 117 to notify the end of reheating (step S10), and ends the reheating.
The notification by the notification means 117 is performed by, for example, the output of voice or electronic sound. At the same time, an indicator lamp (not shown) provided on the operation display unit 116 may indicate that the reheating has been completed.

When the treatment in the reheating mode is completed, the mode shifts to the heat retention mode. In the heat retention mode, the control means 110 controls so that the temperature θa in the pot-shaped container 101 is maintained at 70 to 80 ° C. This control can also be performed by turning on / off the energization of the heating coil 103.

As described above, in the present embodiment, in the first part of the reheating period, the temperature is once raised to a temperature (100 ° C.) higher than the temperature at the end of the reheating (80 to 85 ° C.). The time it takes for the material to reach the optimum temperature is shortened. The optimum temperature referred to here is a temperature (60 to 80 ° C.) desirable as the temperature at the end of reheating.
The time to complete reheating depends on the time it takes for the ingredients to reach the optimum temperature. If the time until the end of reheating (the time required for the treatment in the reheating mode) is short, the waiting time of the user is shortened, which has the effect of improving usability.

In step S2 described above, the temperature difference between the broth and the ingredients is generated by setting the electric power for heating to the relatively high first electric power value P1 and raising the temperature of the pot-shaped container 101 quickly.
When the pot-shaped container 101 is heated with a small electric power so as to slow down the temperature rise, the temperature difference between the broth and the ingredients becomes small, but as described above, the temperatures of the broth and the ingredients at the end of reheating do not have to be the same. .. Rather, if the temperature difference between the broth and the ingredients is small, the ingredients tend to rise to 80 ° C or higher when trying to heat the broth to 80 ° C or higher, and as a result, the ingredients remain at an excessively high temperature for a long time. As a result, the taste of the ingredients deteriorates. Specifically, when the ingredients are vegetables, excessive softening or simmering may occur, or the vivid color of the vegetables may be lost and faded.
When the ingredients are meat or fish, heat denatures the protein, causing hardening, dehydration, and the like. In order to suppress the deterioration of the taste of these ingredients, it is desirable to raise the temperature of the pot-shaped container 101 quickly and to shorten the time required for overall reheating.
As described above, by temporarily raising the temperature to a higher temperature than at the end of the reheating in the first part of the reheating period, there is also an effect of suppressing the deterioration of the taste due to the reheating.

Further, after the pot-shaped container 101 reaches 100 ° C. in step S3, the temperature of the pot-shaped container 101 is not maintained in the vicinity of 100 ° C., but is kept in the lower range of 80 to 85 ° C. The broth is also kept at 80 to 85 ° C, and the ingredients are kept at an appropriate temperature of 60 to 80 ° C while preventing the burning of the bottom of the pot, the leakage of odor to the outside of the pot-shaped container 101, and the deterioration of the taste of the ingredients as described above. That is, the temperature of the central portion can be 60 ° C. or higher even for a large-sized ingredient.

In addition, some of the foodstuffs to be heated in the pot-shaped container 101 have a high viscosity of the broth. For example, in the case of potage soup, the object to be heated is composed only of viscous broth. The higher the viscosity, the less convection occurs. Therefore, although the temperature of the pot-shaped container 101 rises rapidly due to the energization of the heating coil 103, the temperature distribution in the pot-shaped container 101 is large, and the broth in the pot-shaped container 101 The part located at the top is hard to warm up. However, by lengthening the time kept in the range of 80 to 85 ° C., the broth can be heated evenly, and the entire broth can be heated to 80 to 85 ° C. without excess or deficiency.

In this way, by shortening the time from the start of reheating until the temperature of the pot-shaped container 101 reaches the first temperature, the broth can be warmed in a short time, while the ingredients are not overheated. Therefore, it is effective to make the first power value P1 relatively large. On the other hand, in order to warm the whole broth to the same temperature regardless of the type of broth, the time from when the temperature of the pot-shaped container 101 reaches the first temperature to the end of reheating is relatively long. It is desirable to make it longer.

As described above, it is assumed that the first temperature is 100 ° C., the second temperature is 80 ° C., and the third temperature is 85 ° C., but slightly different temperatures may be used. For example, as the first temperature, a temperature in the range of 98 ° C to 100 ° C can be used. As the second temperature, a temperature in the range of 78 ° C. to 82 ° C. can be used. As the third temperature, a temperature in the range of 83 ° C. to 87 ° C. can be used.

The case where the user operates the "reheat" key 302, sets the heating time with the time setting unit 303, and operates the "start" key 304 immediately executes reheating, but reheating has been described above. May be done by appointment.
One of the situations in which a reheat reservation is used is to reheat the side dishes left over from dinner at the timing of breakfast.

As a specific example, a case where the side dish of the leftover food is reserved for reheating at 22:00 pm so that the reheating is completed at 7:00 pm the next morning will be described with reference to FIG. 7.

In this case, the user attaches the pot-shaped container 101 containing the side dish (generally speaking, the foodstuff) to the coil base 107 in the cooker main body 105, closes the lid 121, and closes the operation display unit 116. Operate and enter the reservation conditions. The operation in this case includes the operation of the "reservation" key 305, the time setting unit 303, and the time setting unit 306. As the reservation conditions, for example, "heating time 30 minutes" and "reheating reservation 9 hours later" are set. The above "9 hours" is the time from the current time (time at the time of making the reservation setting) of 22:00 to 7:00 of the next morning, which is the scheduled end time of reheating.

The user then operates the "start" key 304 to confirm the reheating reservation and request the reception of the reheating reservation. Upon receiving the request for acceptance of the reheating reservation, the control means 110 starts the operation shown in FIG. 7.

First, the control means 110 subtracts 30 minutes, which is the heating time, from the above 9 hours (the time from the time when the reservation is set to the scheduled time for the end of reheating), and the time at the time when the reservation is set. Calculate the time (standby time) from to the time when reheating should be started. In this example, the calculation result is "8 hours 30 minutes" (step S11).
Next, the control means 110 notifies the time measuring means 111 of the calculated waiting time and instructs the time measuring means to start the time measurement (step S12).

The time measuring means 111 starts time measuring in response to an instruction from the control means 110.
Then, when the notified waiting time has elapsed (YES in step S13), the control means 110 is notified of this.
In response to this notification, the control means 110 starts reheating (step S14). Subsequent processing is the same as described with reference to FIG.

By making it possible to reserve reheating as described above, the user does not have to wait for the time when the reheating should be started, and the convenience is improved.

The reservation time setting is not limited to "how many hours later the reheating ends", but "how many hours later the reheating starts" and "what time (time) the reheating ends". , "At what time (time) reheating starts" may be used.

Reheating should be started with the vent valve 123 closed. If the foodstuff in the pot-shaped container 101 is in a high temperature state at the time of reservation setting, the pressure in the pot-shaped container 101 is reduced while waiting for the reservation. By reheating the inside of the pot-shaped container 101 while the pressure is reduced, the water content of the ingredients in the pot-shaped container 101 boils faster than usual, and the convection in the pot-shaped container 101 is promoted, causing temperature unevenness of the broth. It can be suppressed.

A vacuum pump may be provided to forcibly reduce the pressure inside the pot-shaped container 101. If a vacuum pump is not provided, the air pressure inside the pot-shaped container 101 at the start of reheating varies depending on the temperature of food in the pot-shaped container 101 when the reheating reservation is set, but a vacuum pump should be provided. Can always be depressurized. Further, by driving the vacuum pump at the start of reheating to reduce the pressure inside the pot-shaped container 101, it is possible to more reliably suppress the occurrence of temperature unevenness in the broth.

Further, as described above, the solenoid valve may be used as the ventilation valve 123 and may be opened and closed under the control of the control means 110, and the ventilation valve 123 may be controlled to be opened between the start of reheating and the end of reheating. By opening the vent valve 123 and suddenly returning the pressure from the reduced pressure state to the normal pressure, a large convection can be caused by the pressure change, and the effect of suppressing the occurrence of temperature unevenness of the broth in the pot-shaped container 101 can be enhanced. ..

Embodiment 2.
The cooking utensil according to the second embodiment of the present invention is the same as that described with respect to the first embodiment as a whole. However, it differs in the following points.
In the first embodiment, the heating time is set by using the time setting unit 303 of the operation display unit 116. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, as the operation display unit 116, for example, the one shown in FIG. 8 or the one shown in FIG. 10 is used to input information about the foodstuff, and the control means 110 is input. Based on the information, the control means 110 determines the heating time.

The operation display unit 116 shown in FIG. 8 includes a key group (boiled juice amount information input key group) 321 for inputting information indicating the amount of broth as an example of information on the foodstuff, and the key group 321 is used to display the broth. It is possible to enter whether the amount is "high", "low", or "medium".
The key group 321 constitutes the broth amount information input means 405b shown in FIG. The broth amount information input means 405b forms a part of the food material information input means 405 described above.
The control means 110 determines the heating time based on the information regarding the broth amount input by the broth amount information input means 405b.

The operation display unit 116 shown in FIG. 10 includes a key group (size information input key group) 322 for inputting information indicating the size of the ingredient as another example of information on the foodstuff, and the key group 322 provides the key group 322. It is possible to enter whether the size of the ingredients is "bite size", "half potato" or "whole potato".
The key group 322 constitutes the size information input means 405c shown in FIG. The size information input means 405c forms a part of the food material information input means 405 described above.
The control means 110 determines the heating time based on the information regarding the amount of broth input by the size information input means 405c.

Hereinafter, the significance of determining the heating time based on the information on the foodstuff will be described as described above.

First, the difference in temperature history due to the difference in the food to be heated will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 (a) and 12 (b) and FIGS. 13 (a) and 13 (b).
Here, the heating of the pot-shaped container 101 is controlled in the same manner as shown in FIG. 6, and the power supply (power on / off and power value) to the heating coil 103 in that case is shown in FIG. 12 (b). And it is assumed that it is as shown in FIG. 13 (b).

FIG. 12 (a) is a temperature history when reheating a pot-au-feu having a large amount of broth with respect to the ingredients. On the other hand, FIG. 13A is a temperature history in the case of reheating a material having a small amount of broth with respect to the ingredients, such as boiled rice. In FIGS. 12 (a) and 13 (a), the curve θa indicates the temperature of the pot-shaped container, the curve θb indicates the temperature of the broth, the curve θc indicates the temperature of the small-sized ingredients, and the curve θd indicates the temperature of the small ingredients. Indicates the temperature of large-sized ingredients.
In either case, the temperature of the food in the pot-shaped container 101 and the pot-shaped container 101 at the start of reheating is assumed to be 20 ° C. (room temperature).

As shown in FIGS. 12 (a) and 13 (a), even if the amount of ingredients contained in the pot-shaped container 101 is the same, the pot-shaped container 101 depends on the difference in the amount of broth (the proportion of the broth). , Boiled soup, and ingredients have different temperature histories.

The following can be seen from FIGS. 12 (a) and 13 (a).
First, the temperature θa of the pot-shaped container 101 reaches 100 ° C. in a shorter time when the amount of broth is small, and the temperature θb of the broth maintains a value close to the temperature θa of the pot-shaped container 101.
Further, in both cases of FIGS. 12 (a) and 13 (a), the temperature θc of the small-sized ingredient rises later than the rise of the temperature θb of the broth, and the temperature θa of the pot-shaped container 101 Is maintained at 80 to 85 ° C. and becomes about the same as the temperature θb of the broth.
The temperature θd of the large-sized ingredient rises further later than the temperature θc of the small-sized ingredient, and becomes the temperature θb of the broth while the temperature θa of the pot-shaped container 101 is maintained at 80 to 85 ° C. Although it gradually approaches, the temperature does not become the same as the temperature θb of the broth even 30 minutes after the start of reheating.

The time Ta from when the temperature θa of the pot-shaped container 101 reaches 80 ° C. to when the temperature θc of the small-sized ingredient reaches 60 ° C. is about 6 minutes regardless of whether the amount of broth is large or small.

The time Tb from when the temperature θa of the pot-shaped container 101 reaches 80 ° C. until the temperature θd of the large-sized ingredient reaches 60 ° C. is about 25 minutes when the amount of broth is small, whereas it is about 25 minutes. If there are many, it takes about 17 minutes.
Furthermore, comparing the time Tc from the start of reheating until the temperature θd of the large ingredient reaches 60 ° C., it takes about 27 minutes when the amount of broth is small, while it is about 21 minutes when the amount of broth is large. Is.
It is considered that the reason why the time Tc is shorter when the amount of broth is large is that more heat is stored in the broth while the pot-shaped container 101 is heated to 100 ° C., which contributes to the subsequent heating of the ingredients. Be done.

From the above, when the pot-shaped container 101 is heated until its temperature reaches 100 ° C. and then maintained in a lower temperature range (80 to 85 ° C.), the heating time is changed according to the amount of broth. It can be seen that it is desirable to shorten the heating time as the amount of broth increases.

Therefore, in the configuration example of the cooking device using the operation display unit 116 shown in FIG. 8, the operation display unit 116 is made to input information on the amount of broth, and the control means 110 sets the heating time based on the input information. I will decide. In determining the heating time based on the information regarding the amount of the broth, the control means 110 takes into consideration the above-mentioned relationship between the amount of the broth and the method of raising the temperature of the ingredients. For example, the larger the amount of broth, the shorter the heating time.

Further, the following can be seen from FIGS. 12 (a) and 13 (a).
That is, the time for the central portion to reach 60 ° C. or higher varies greatly depending on the size of the ingredients, and as shown in FIGS. 12 (a) and 13 (a), a small ingredient (for example, bite-sized) is a large ingredient (for example, bite-sized). , The time required to reach the optimum temperature of 60 ° C is shorter than that of radish sliced into 4 cm thick slices or potato sliced in half).

Specifically, in the case of a bite-sized large-sized ingredient, the temperature of the pot-shaped container 101 reaches 80 ° C., and about 6 minutes later, the temperature of the central portion becomes 60 ° C. or higher regardless of the amount of broth. Therefore, the reheating may be terminated at that point.
Further, when reheating a larger size ingredient such as whole potato, the temperature of the central portion does not reach 60 ° C. or higher even after 30 minutes have passed from the start of reheating. Therefore, a longer heating time may be set.

In consideration of the above, in the configuration example of the cooking cooker using the operation display unit 116 shown in FIG. 10, the operation display unit 116 causes the operation display unit 116 to input information regarding the size of the ingredients, and the control means 110 inputs the input information. The heating time is determined based on. In determining the heating time based on the information regarding the size of the ingredients, the control means 110 takes into consideration the above-mentioned relationship between the size of the ingredients and the way the temperature of the ingredients rises. For example, the smaller the size of the ingredients, the shorter the heating time. Further, the heating time may be shortened as the proportion of the small-sized ingredients increases.

From the viewpoint of shortening the waiting time, it is preferable that the heating time is short, and in any case, if the heating time is 30 minutes, it is generally appropriate for general ingredients and cooking recipes in most cases. Since it becomes the temperature, the heating time may be determined to be 30 minutes or less.
However, in order to make the temperature of the ingredients more appropriate at the end of reheating, it is desirable to determine the heating time based on the size of the ingredients as described above.

The case where information on the amount of broth or information on the size of ingredients is input as information on foodstuffs has been described above, but both of them should be input and the heating time should be determined based on the input information of both. May be.

As described above, the operation of the control means 110 when inputting information about the food material using the operation display unit 116 and determining the heating time based on the input information will be described below with reference to FIG. To do.

When the "reheat" key 302 is operated (YES in step S21), the control means 110 guides the user to input information about the foodstuff (step S22). This guidance may be performed by voice by a voice output means (not shown), or may be performed by display on the operation display unit 116. This guidance may be omitted. In that case, after operating the "reheat" key 302, the user inputs information about the foodstuff without waiting for guidance.

Information about the foodstuff is input by, for example, operating the broth amount information input key group 321 or the size information input key group 322.
When the user inputs information about the foodstuff in response to the guidance (YES in step S23), the control means 110 then determines the heating time based on the input information about the foodstuff (step S24).

Once the heating time has been determined, the subsequent treatment is the same as described with reference to FIG. However, the difference is that in step S1, the heating time determined in step S24 is used instead of the heating time input by the time setting unit 303 as the heating time.

Even when reheating is performed by reservation as described with reference to FIG. 7 with respect to the first embodiment, the heating time may be determined based on the information on the foodstuff. In that case, at the time of reservation, instead of setting the heating time using the time setting unit 303, information on the foodstuff is input using the key groups 321 and 322 constituting the foodstuff information input means 405, and the control means 110 However, the heating time may be determined based on the input information.

As described above, since the control means determines the heating time based on the information on the foodstuff, the user can save the trouble of determining the heating time by himself / herself, and the heating time is shortened and the taste of the ingredients is deteriorated. Prevention can be achieved.

100 cooking cooker, 101 pot-shaped container, 101a flange, 101b handle, 103 heating coil, 105 cooker body, 107 coil stand, 107a hole, 108 pot temperature sensor, 110 control means, 111 hour measuring means, 113 drive Circuit, 114 AC power supply, 116 operation display, 117 notification means, 121 lid, 121a vent, 121b lid knob, 122 lid packing, 123 vent valve, 200 ingredients, 201 ingredients, 202 broth.

Claims (8)

A pot-shaped container that can store ingredients and
A heating means for heating the pot-shaped container and
To perform the reheating of the food, and control means for controlling the energization of the heating means,
It has a food material information input means for inputting information about the food material.
The control means
When the reheating is performed, the energization of the heating means is controlled so that the temperature of the pot-shaped container becomes the first temperature, and when the temperature of the pot-shaped container reaches the first temperature, after that. , Control the energization of the heating means so that the temperature of the pot-shaped container is kept within the temperature range from the second temperature to the third temperature.
It said second temperature and said third temperature is rather low than the first temperature,
The control means determines the time from the start of the reheating to the end of the reheating based on the information input by the food material information input means.
A cooking device in which the information regarding the ingredients includes information regarding the amount of broth . A pot-shaped container that can store ingredients and
A heating means for heating the pot-shaped container and
In order to reheat the foodstuff, a control means for controlling the energization of the heating means and
It has a food material information input means for inputting information about the food material.
The control means
When the reheating is performed, the energization of the heating means is controlled so that the temperature of the pot-shaped container becomes the first temperature, and when the temperature of the pot-shaped container reaches the first temperature, after that. , Control the energization of the heating means so that the temperature of the pot-shaped container is kept within the temperature range from the second temperature to the third temperature.
The second temperature and the third temperature are lower than the first temperature,
The control means determines the time from the start of the reheating to the end of the reheating based on the information input by the food material information input means.
The information about the ingredients includes information about the size of the ingredients.
A cooking device characterized by that. In the control means, the temperature of the pot-shaped container is higher than the first time, which is the time from the start of the reheating to the temperature of the pot-shaped container reaching the first temperature. The heating cooker according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the second time, which is the time from reaching the temperature to the end of the reheating, is made longer. The control means controls so that the heating means is driven by the first electric power value until the temperature of the pot-shaped container reaches the first temperature.
In the control for keeping the temperature of the pot-shaped container within the temperature range, the control means energizes the heating means with a second electric power value smaller than the first electric power value. The cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cooker is controlled so as to be turned off. Any of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the second temperature is a temperature in the range of 78 ° C. to 82 ° C., and the third temperature is a temperature in the range of 83 ° C. to 87 ° C. The heating cooker according to item 1. The cooking cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the first temperature is a temperature in the range of 98 ° C to 100 ° C. Further provided with a reheating reservation setting means for setting the reheating reservation,
The cooking cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the control means controls the start of the reheating according to a reservation set by the reheating reservation setting means. The cooking cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the control means has a time from the start of the reheating to the end of the reheating of 30 minutes or less.

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