JP7548726B2 - Cooking equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cooking device that cooks food using hot air, such as a steam convection oven, and in particular to a cooking device with a function for cleaning the cooking chamber.

The following Patent Document 1 discloses a cooking device that cooks ingredients with hot air. This cooking device is equipped with a cooking chamber that cooks ingredients, a heater that heats the inside of the cooking chamber, a convection fan that circulates air in the cooking chamber, a steam generator that supplies steam into the cooking chamber, and a control device that controls the operation of the heater, the convection fan, and the steam generator. The control device of this cooking device is equipped with a cooking program for cooking ingredients, and when the cooking program is executed by the control device, the air in the cooking chamber is convected as hot air by the operation of the heater and the convection fan, and steam is supplied to the convecting hot air by the operation of the steam generator, and the ingredients stored in the cooking chamber are cooked by the hot air containing steam.

When food is cooked in the cooking chamber, the oil contained in the food is dispersed inside the cooking chamber along with the convection of hot air, and the oil adheres to the walls of the cooking chamber. This type of cooking device requires that the inside of the cooking chamber be kept clean at all times, and it is hygienic to clean the cooking chamber, for example, every day after use. This cooking device is equipped with a cleaning nozzle that sprays cleaning water onto the ceiling of the cooking chamber, a cleaning water passage that connects the cleaning nozzle to a drain outlet at the bottom of the cooking chamber, a tank that is installed in the cleaning water passage to temporarily store the cleaning water, and a pump that sends the cleaning water in the tank to the cleaning nozzle so that the inside of the cooking chamber can be cleaned automatically.

The control device of this cooking device has a cleaning program, and when the control device executes the cleaning program, cleaning water in the tank is sent to the cleaning nozzle by the operation of the pump, and the sent cleaning water is sprayed from the cleaning nozzle into the cooking chamber, and the sprayed cleaning water is heated to high temperature by the hot air circulating due to the operation of the heater and convection fan, and is splashed into the cooking chamber in this state, and the splashed cleaning water returns to the tank from the drain, and the inside of the cooking chamber is washed with the high temperature cleaning water circulating between the tank and the cooking chamber.

A drain strainer is detachably attached to the drain outlet at the bottom of the cooking chamber, and prevents solids such as ingredients that fall during cooking from flowing into the wash water passage. The drain strainer comprises an annular frame with a diameter larger than the drain outlet, a filter section that is attached inside the annular frame and formed so as to be concave downwards, and a stand section that holds a low cylindrical tablet-shaped solid detergent upright on the upper side of the frame. The stand section is made by bending a metal wire, and comprises a pair of support sections that support both sides in the axial direction of the low cylindrical solid detergent that stands upright in the center of the frame with the upper and lower surfaces on both sides in the axial direction facing horizontally, and the support sections are bent so that they extend horizontally from both radial sides of the frame towards the center while bulging upward in an approximately arc shape at the center.

JP 2019-138618 A

The cooking device of Patent Document 1 has a drain strainer that is detachably attached to the drain outlet, and prevents solid matter such as food from flowing into the wash water passage from the drain outlet. The support parts of the stand part of the drain strainer that support the solid detergent in the stand part of the drain strainer so that it does not fall over extend horizontally from both sides of the frame part in the radial direction toward the center and are bent upward in a roughly arc shape. The support parts of the stand part of the drain strainer are formed in an arc shape inside the frame part and are formed smaller than the diameter of the drain outlet, so that when the drain strainer is turned upside down, the stand part enters the wash water passage from the drain outlet, and the drain strainer can be mistakenly installed upside down. However, when the drain strainer is installed upside down, the drain strainer becomes easily removed and a gap is created between the drain strainer and the drain outlet, which may allow solid matter such as food to flow into the wash water passage from the drain outlet. If solid matter such as food flows into the wash water passage from the drain outlet and clogs it, the wash water passage may not be able to pass wash water due to the solid matter such as food. The purpose of this invention is to prevent the drainage strainer that blocks the drain outlet of the cooking chamber so that water can pass through from being installed upside down in a cooking appliance.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a cooking device with a cleaning function that includes a cooking chamber for cooking food materials, a drain outlet provided in the bottom of the cooking chamber, a cleaning nozzle provided in the ceiling of the cooking chamber for spraying cleaning water, a cleaning water passage connecting the drain outlet and the cleaning nozzle, and a pump interposed in the cleaning water passage for sending cleaning water to the cleaning nozzle, in which the cleaning water is sent to the cleaning nozzle through the cleaning water passage by operating the pump, the sent cleaning water is sprayed into the cooking chamber from the cleaning nozzle, and the sprayed cleaning water is sent back to the cleaning nozzle through the cleaning water passage from the drain outlet, and the cleaning water is cleaned by circulating the cleaning water inside the cooking chamber, and the drain outlet is provided with a cleaning water passage that is connected to the cleaning water passage in a state where solid objects such as food materials are prevented from entering the cleaning water passage. This cooking method provides a removable drain strainer having a filter section made of a mesh material that allows liquids such as purified water to pass through, the drain strainer comprising a frame section having an outer periphery with a diameter larger than the drain outlet, a filter section made of a mesh material inside the frame that allows liquids such as cleaning water to pass through while preventing solid matter such as food from entering the drain outlet, and a handle section provided on the upper side of the frame and serving as a handle for the drain strainer, the filter section made of the mesh material having a protrusion protruding upward at the radial center for the passage of water and air, and a recessed portion recessed downward on the outer edge of the protrusion for preventing the entry of solid matter such as food, and the outer diameter of the handle section that protrudes upward from the frame is larger than the diameter of the drain outlet.

In the cooking device constructed as described above, a drainage strainer having a filter section made of a mesh material that allows liquids such as cleaning water to pass through while preventing solids such as food from entering the cleaning water passage is detachably provided at the drain outlet, the drainage strainer includes a frame section having an outer periphery with a diameter larger than the drain outlet, a filter section made of a mesh material inside the frame section that allows liquids such as cleaning water to pass through while preventing solids such as food from entering the drain outlet, and a handle section provided on the upper side of the frame section to serve as a handle for the drainage strainer, the filter section made of the mesh material has a protrusion protruding upward at the radial center for water and air passage, and a recessed portion recessed downward at the outer edge of the protrusion for preventing the intrusion of solids such as food, and the outer diameter of the handle section protruding upward from the frame section is larger than the diameter of the drain outlet. When the drainage strainer is turned upside down, the handle section does not enter the drain outlet, so the frame section is separated above the drain outlet by the height of the handle section, making it easier to notice that the drainage strainer is upside down. This prevents the drain strainer from being installed upside down in the drain.

The cooking device configured as described above may be provided with a plurality of standing portions that stand at positions spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the frame, and a connecting portion that connects the upper ends of the plurality of standing portions. In this case, the handle may be provided with a pair of standing portions at positions that face each other in the radial direction of the frame, and the connecting portion may connect the upper ends of the pair of standing portions.

1 is a front view of an embodiment of a cooking device of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of FIG. 1 with the door open. 2A is a bottom view of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a bottom view of the housing with a cover and a filter removed from an opening in the bottom wall of the housing. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken at the center in the front-rear direction. 2A is a perspective cross-sectional view taken along the line AA, and FIG. 2B is a perspective cross-sectional view showing a state in which a cover and a filter have been removed from an opening in a bottom wall of the housing. B-B cross-sectional view. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the right support frame. BB cross-sectional view when the partition plate and the support frame are removed. FIG. FIG. 13 is a left side view showing the machine compartment with the left panel of the housing removed. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a cooking device. FIG. 2A is an oblique view of the drainage tray, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control device. 10 is a flowchart showing control of a first cleaning program.

An embodiment of the cooking device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. The cooking device of the present invention is called a steam convection oven, and cooks ingredients by convection of hot air containing steam. This cooking device also has a cooking chamber cleaning function for cleaning the inside of the cooking chamber. As shown in FIG. 1, the cooking device 10 has a machine chamber 12 on the left side of the housing 11, and a cooking chamber 20 for cooking ingredients in the part of the housing 11 excluding the machine chamber 12. As shown in FIG. 2, an opening 20a is provided on the front of the cooking chamber 20 for putting ingredients in and taking them out, and a door 13 is provided to open and close the opening 20a.

As shown in FIG. 3, an opening 11a is formed in the bottom wall of the housing 11, and the opening 11a is a vertically long rectangular opening extending from the front end to the rear of the bottom wall of the housing 11 to the left of the center in the left-right direction of the bottom wall. This opening 11a functions as an intake port for drawing in outside air to cool the inside of the machine room 12, and also as an opening for accessing the inside of the machine room 12 when performing maintenance on the machine parts in the machine room 12 (particularly parts such as the piping for cleaning water, which will be described later). As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, a pair of rails 11b are provided on both sides of the opening 11a in the left-right direction on the underside of the bottom wall of the housing 11, and a cover 11c that freely opens and closes the rear part of the opening 11a and an air filter 11d that closes the part of the opening 11a except for the rear part are attached to the rails 11b so that they can slide back and forth.

As shown in FIG. 5, the cover 11c has a notch 11c1 at the rear end, which can be engaged with the pin 11a1 (shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4) provided immediately behind the opening 11a of the housing 11. The notch 11c1 engages with the pin 11a1 provided immediately behind the opening 11a, preventing the cover 11c from rattling between the rails 11b. As shown in FIG. 5(b), the front end of the cover 11c has a bent portion 11c2 bent downward, which abuts against the rear end of the air filter 11d, thereby positioning the rear end of the air filter 11d. That is, the air filter 11d is inserted along the rail 11b until it abuts against the bent portion 11c2 of the cover 11c, and the air filter 11d is positioned to block the opening 11a in a ventilated manner.

As shown in FIG. 4, the cooking chamber 20 is for storing ingredients and cooking them. The cooking chamber 20 except for the left side is a food storage chamber 21 for storing ingredients, and the left side is a hot air generation chamber 22 for generating hot air to be sent to the food storage chamber 21. A partition plate 23 is provided on the left side of the center of the cooking chamber 20 in the left-right direction to separate the food storage chamber 21 and the hot air generation chamber 22, and the partition plate 23 separates the food storage chamber 21 and the hot air generation chamber 22 so that ventilation can be performed between them. The partition plate 23 functions as a fan cover that covers the intake side of the convection fan 26 arranged in the hot air generation chamber 22. As shown in FIG. 6, the partition plate 23 is formed with a number of intake ports 23a, and the air in the food storage chamber 21 is sent to the hot air generation chamber 22 through the intake port 23a. In addition, the partition plate 23 is attached so that a space through which air can pass is formed between the ceiling wall, bottom wall, front wall, and rear wall of the cooking chamber 20, and a ventilation passage 23b through which air can pass is formed between the partition plate 23 and the ceiling wall, bottom wall, front wall, and rear wall of the cooking chamber 20, and the air in the hot air generating chamber 22 is sent to the food storage chamber 21 through the ventilation passage 23b.

As shown in Figures 2, 4 and 6, the food storage chamber 21 of the kitchen 20 is provided with a pair of left and right support frames 24 that support trays called hotel pans in multiple levels. As shown in Figure 7, the support frame 24 supports 10 levels of trays vertically and is made by bending metal wire material. The support frame 24 is equipped with a pair of front and rear support columns 24a and rails 24b that are fixed to the front and rear support columns 24a and support the left and right edges of the trays. As shown in Figure 7, the front support column 24a is made of three metal wire materials arranged in parallel, so it has a structure that is strong against lateral loads. In addition, six partition columns 24c are provided between the front and rear support columns 24a, and by arranging more of the six partition columns 24c on the front side, the support frame 24 can be reinforced without excessively increasing the number of partition columns 24c.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 8, the hot air generating chamber 22 of the cooking chamber 20 is provided with a heater 25 and a convection fan 26. The heater 25 heats the inside of the cooking chamber 20 and is wound in an approximately annular shape on the left side wall of the cooking chamber 20. The convection fan 26 circulates the air inside the cooking chamber 20 and is attached inside the heater 25 wound in an approximately annular shape on the left side wall of the cooking chamber 20. The convection fan 26 in this embodiment is a centrifugal fan consisting of a sirocco fan. When the convection fan 26 is operated, the air in the food storage chamber 21 is sucked into the hot air generating chamber 22 through the suction port 23a of the partition plate 23, and the sucked air is blown outward in the centrifugal direction in the hot air generating chamber 22, and the blown air is returned to the food storage chamber 21 through the upper, lower, front and rear ventilation paths 23b. In addition, when the convection fan 26 is operated together with the heater 25, the air sucked from the food storage chamber 21 into the hot air generation chamber 22 is blown onto the heater 25 arranged outside the convection fan 26, becoming high-temperature hot air, which is returned to the food storage chamber 21 through the upper and lower and front and rear ventilation passages 23b.

As shown in FIG. 8, a temperature sensor 27 is provided in the hot air generating chamber 22 of the cooking chamber 20. The temperature sensor 27 detects the temperature inside the cooking chamber 20 and is disposed outside the heater 25 on the left side wall of the cooking chamber 20.

As shown in FIG. 9, the machine room 12 of the housing 11 is provided with a steam generator 30 that supplies steam to the cooking chamber 20. The steam generator 30 generates steam by heating water through induction heating, and is installed above the tank 14 provided in the machine room 12. The tank 14 is used not only to drain wastewater from the steam generator 30, but also to drain wastewater from the cooking chamber 20, to measure the amount of steam in the cooking chamber 20 by detecting the temperature of the air discharged from the cooking chamber 20, and to store cleaning water when executing a cleaning program described later. The steam generator 30 includes a cylindrical steam generating vessel 31 that stores water at a predetermined water level, a heating element (not shown) that heats the water in the steam generating vessel 31, an induction heating coil 32 that is wound around the outer periphery of the steam generating vessel 31 to heat the heating element, and a steam delivery tube 33 that delivers the steam generated in the steam generating vessel 31 to the cooking chamber 20. The steam delivery tube 33 is connected to the steam inlet 20b formed on the left wall of the cooking chamber 20 shown in FIG. 8, and the steam generated in the steam generating container 31 is sent through the steam delivery tube 33 and from the steam inlet 20b into the cooking chamber 20.

As shown in Figures 4 and 9, the machine room 12 of the housing 11 is provided with an outside air introduction pipe 34 that introduces outside air into the cooking chamber 20. The outside air introduction pipe 34 mainly adjusts the temperature and humidity inside the cooking chamber 20 by introducing outside air into the cooking chamber 20 when cooking in the cooking chamber 20. As shown in Figures 4 and 8, an outside air introduction port 20c is formed on the left side wall of the cooking chamber 20 on the back side (left side) of the convection fan 26, and the outside air introduction pipe 34 is connected to this outside air introduction port 20c. When the convection fan 26 is operated, a negative pressure is created between the left side wall of the cooking chamber 20 and the convection fan 26, and outside air can be introduced into the cooking chamber 20 through the outside air introduction pipe 34. In addition, an outside air introduction valve 35 is interposed in the outside air introduction pipe 34, and outside air is introduced into the cooking chamber 20 through the outside air introduction pipe 34 in an amount according to the opening degree of the outside air introduction valve 35.

As shown in FIG. 10, a circular drain outlet 20d is formed in the bottom wall (bottom) of the cooking chamber 20, a cleaning nozzle 40 is provided in the ceiling of the cooking chamber 20, and the drain outlet 20d and the cleaning nozzle 40 are connected by a cleaning water passage (first drain pipe 16, tank 14, and cleaning water delivery pipe 41). A drain strainer 15 that allows liquids such as cleaning water to pass through while preventing solid objects such as food from entering the drain outlet 20d is detachably provided, and the drain strainer 15 allows liquids such as cleaning water in the cooking chamber 20 to pass through the cleaning water passage.

As shown in FIG. 11, the drainage strainer 15 includes a frame 15a having an outer periphery with a diameter larger than the drainage outlet 20d, a filter section 15b that allows liquids such as cleaning water to pass through while preventing solid objects such as food from entering the drainage outlet 20d inside the frame 15a, legs 15c provided on the lower side of the frame 15a, and a handle section 15f provided on the upper side of the frame 15a. The frame 15a has an annular shape with inner and outer diameters larger than the diameter of the drainage outlet 20d. A filter section 15b made of a mesh material is provided inside the frame 15a, and the filter section 15b prevents solid objects such as food that have fallen during cooking from entering the cleaning water passage from the drainage outlet 20d and allows liquids such as cleaning water to pass through. The filter section 15b includes a protruding section 15b1 whose radial center protrudes upward, and a recessed section 15b2 that is annular in plan view and recessed downward at the outer edge of the protruding section 15b1. When small food residues accumulate in the recess 15b2 of the filter part 15b, the filter part 15b becomes difficult to pass water and air through the recess 15b2, but because food residues are difficult to accumulate in the protruding part 15b1, the filter part 15b maintains a state in which water and air can pass through the protruding part 15b1.

The legs 15c provided on the underside of the frame 15a are for preventing the drainage strainer 15 from shifting horizontally from the drain outlet 20d. The legs 15c are formed by bending two metal wires, and include a first leg 15d and a second leg 15e. The first leg 15d includes an approximately U-shaped locking portion 15d1 with a width slightly smaller than the diameter of the drain outlet 20d, and a fixing portion 15d2 that extends outward from the upper end of the locking portion 15d1 and is fixed to the underside of the frame 15a. The second leg 15e, like the first leg 15d, also includes an approximately U-shaped locking portion 15e1 with a width slightly smaller than the diameter of the drain outlet 20d, and a fixing portion 15e2 that extends outward from the upper end of the locking portion 15e1 and is fixed to the underside of the frame 15a. The fixed portion 15e2 of the second leg 15e is fixed to the underside of the frame portion 15a at a position that is 90° different from the fixed portion 15d2 of the first leg 15d.

The handle 15f provided on the upper side of the frame 15a is used as a handle for attaching and detaching the drainage strainer 15 from the drain outlet 20d. In this embodiment, the handle 15f is made by bending a single metal wire, and has a pair of standing parts 15f1 extending vertically from the upper surface of the frame 15a at positions facing each other in the radial direction as positions spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the frame 15a, and a connecting part 15f2 connecting the upper ends of the pair of standing parts 15f1. Since the frame 15a is arranged outside the drain outlet 20d, both longitudinal ends of the pair of standing parts 15f1 and the connecting part 15f2 of the handle 15f are also arranged outside the drain outlet 20d, and when the drainage strainer 15 is turned upside down, both ends of the pair of standing parts 15f1 and the connecting part 15f2 of the handle 15f engage with the peripheral part of the drain outlet 20d. In this way, even if you try to attach the drainage strainer 15 upside down to the drain outlet 20d, the frame portion 15a is separated from the drain outlet 20d by the height of the upright portion 15f1, making it easy to see that the drainage strainer 15 is attached to the drain outlet 20d upside down.

As shown in FIG. 10, the drain port 20d is connected to the tank 14 by the first drain pipe 16, and the washing water in the cooking chamber 20 is sent from the drain port 20d through the first drain pipe 16 to the tank 14. The tank 14 and the washing nozzle 40 are connected by a washing water delivery pipe 41, and the washing water in the tank 14 is sent to the washing nozzle 40 through the washing water delivery pipe 41. A pump 42 is interposed in the washing water delivery pipe 41, and the washing water sent from the cooking chamber 20 to the tank 14 is sent to the washing nozzle 40 through the washing water delivery pipe 41 by the pump 42. The washing water passage in this embodiment is composed of the first drain pipe 16, the tank 14, and the washing water delivery pipe 41, but is not limited to this and may be any passage that connects the drain port 20d of the cooking chamber 20 to the washing nozzle 40.

As shown in FIG. 10, a water supply pipe 43 is connected to the tank 14, which supplies water for cleaning (cleaning water) from a water supply source such as a waterworks, and a water supply valve 44 and a flow meter 45 are interposed in the water supply pipe 43. Water from the water supply source is supplied into the tank 14 through the water supply pipe 43 by opening the water supply valve 44. The flow rate of water passing through the water supply pipe 43 when the water supply valve 44 is opened is measured by the flow meter 45.

The second drain pipe 17 is connected to the washing water delivery pipe 41 on the upstream side of the direction in which the washing water flows from the pump 42, and a drain valve 18 is interposed in the second drain pipe 17. Water including the washing water in the tank 14 is discharged by opening the drain valve 18. When the washing water is circulated between the tank 14 and the cooking chamber 20, a predetermined amount of washing water is stored in the tank 14 by opening the water supply valve 44 for an opening time according to the flow rate detected by the flow meter 45 with the drain valve 18 closed. The washing water stored in the tank 14 is sent to the washing nozzle 40 through the washing water delivery pipe 41 by the operation of the pump 42, and the sent washing water is sprayed from the washing nozzle 40 into the cooking chamber 20. The washing water sprayed into the cooking chamber 20 is returned to the tank 14 through the first drain pipe 16 from the drain port 20d in the bottom wall of the cooking chamber 20. In this way, the washing water circulates between the tank 14 and the cooking chamber 20 by the operation of the pump 42.

As shown in FIG. 12, the cooking device 10 is equipped with a control device 50, which is connected to the drain valve 18, heater 25, convection fan 26, temperature sensor 27, steam generator 30, outside air introduction valve 35, pump 42, water supply valve 44, and flow meter 45. The control device 50 has a microcomputer (not shown), which has a CPU, RAM, ROM, and timer (all not shown) connected via a bus. The control device 50 also has an inverter circuit for supplying a drive current to the motor of the convection fan 26, and can change the rotation direction of the convection fan 26 between forward and reverse by controlling the drive of the inverter circuit.

The control device 50 has cooking programs stored in the ROM for heating and cooking ingredients in the cooking chamber 20. The cooking programs include three types of cooking programs: a hot air mode cooking program that operates the heater 25 and the convection fan 26 to heat and cook ingredients with convecting hot air containing steam, a steam mode cooking program that operates the convection fan 26 and the steam generator 30 to heat and cook ingredients with convecting hot air containing steam, and a combination mode cooking program that operates the heater 25, the convection fan 26 and the steam generator 30 to heat and cook ingredients with convecting high-temperature hot air containing steam. The ROM stores cooking programs in which the set temperature, amount of steam and cooking time in the cooking chamber 20 are preset, and the set temperature, amount of steam and cooking time of the cooking chamber 20 for the cooking program can be set by the user.

When the hot air mode cooking program of the cooking program is executed, the heater 25 and the convection fan 26 operate to cause the air in the cooking chamber 20 to circulate as hot air, and the food stored in the cooking chamber 20 is cooked by the convection of the hot air. When the combination mode cooking program of the cooking program is executed, the heater 25 and the convection fan 26 operate to cause the air in the cooking chamber 20 to circulate as hot air, and steam is supplied from the steam generator 30 to the cooking chamber 20, so that the hot air circulating in the cooking chamber 20 contains steam, and the food stored in the cooking chamber 20 is cooked by the convection of the hot air containing steam.

The control device 50 has a cleaning program in its ROM that automatically cleans the inside of the cooking chamber 20 with cleaning water. The cleaning program includes a first cleaning program that has a steam pre-cleaning operation that pre-cleans the inside of the cooking chamber 20 with steam and four (one or more) cleaning operations that clean the inside of the cooking chamber 20 with high-temperature cleaning water, and a second cleaning program that has four (one or more) cleaning operations that clean the inside of the cooking chamber 20 with high-temperature cleaning water without a steam pre-cleaning operation, and the first and second cleaning programs can be selected.

Next, the control of the first cleaning program will be described with reference to FIG. 13. When cleaning the inside of the cooking chamber 20, the cleaning program is executed with a tablet-shaped (low cylindrical) detergent placed on the top of the drainage strainer 15 installed in the drain outlet 20d of the cooking chamber 20. The cleaning program may be executed after cooking ingredients. If cleaning water is splashed into the cooking chamber 20 after cooking the ingredients, the peripheral walls of the cooking chamber 20 may be rapidly cooled by the cleaning water, which may cause deformation of the peripheral walls of the cooking chamber 20. For this reason, in step 101, the control device 50 determines whether the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 27 that detects the temperature inside the cooking chamber 20 is higher than 50°C, which is the suitable cleaning temperature.

If the temperature inside the cooking chamber 20 is below 50°C, which is the suitable cleaning temperature, the control device 50 judges NO in step 101 and proceeds to step 103, which will be described later. On the other hand, if the temperature inside the cooking chamber 20 is higher than 50°C, which is the suitable cleaning temperature, the control device 50 judges YES in step 101 and performs a cooling operation in step 102 until the temperature becomes below 50°C, which is the suitable cleaning temperature. In this cooling operation, the control device 50 operates the convection fan 26 and opens the outside air introduction valve 35 to introduce outside air into the cooking chamber 20 to cool it, and lowers the inside of the cooking chamber 20 to below 50°C, which is the suitable cleaning temperature for cleaning.

After it is determined in step 101 that the temperature inside the cooking chamber 20 is 50°C or less, or after the temperature inside the cooking chamber 20 is lowered to 50°C or less, which is the suitable temperature for cleaning, by the cooling operation in step 102, the control device 50 executes the steam pre-cleaning operation in step 103. The steam pre-cleaning operation is intended to mainly float oily dirt by supplying steam into the cooking chamber 20 before executing a cleaning operation containing detergent in the cooking chamber 20. The control device 50 controls the operation of the steam generating device 30 based on the detected temperature of the temperature sensor 27 so that the temperature inside the cooking chamber 20 becomes 100°C, which is an example of a steam cleaning temperature that can float oily dirt. Oily dirt adhering to the inside of the cooking chamber 20 is floated by the steam supplied from the steam generating device 30, and the oily dirt is easily washed away by the cleaning water when a cleaning operation is executed after the steam pre-cleaning operation. In this embodiment, the steam pre-cleaning operation in step 103 is controlled to be executed for 30 minutes. The execution time of the steam pre-cleaning operation can be set, for example, between 14 and 40 minutes.

After executing the steam pre-cleaning operation in step 103, the control device executes the cleaning operation in step 104. In this embodiment, the control device 50 controls the cleaning operation to be executed four times. The first cleaning operation is intended to clean the inside of the cooking chamber 20 with cleaning water containing detergent, since the detergent placed in the cooking chamber 20 dissolves in the cleaning water, and the second and subsequent cleaning operations are intended to perform a rinse wash to wash away the cleaning water containing detergent remaining in the cooking chamber 20 after the first cleaning operation.

When the cleaning operation is performed, the control device 50 opens the water supply valve 44 for an opening time according to the flow rate measured by the flow meter 45, and stores the amount of cleaning water required for the cleaning operation in the tank 14. After the cleaning water is stored in the tank 14, the control device 50 operates the pump 42 and the convection fan 26. The cleaning water in the tank 14 is sent to the cleaning nozzle 40 through the cleaning water delivery pipe 41 by the operation of the pump 42, and the cleaning water sent to the cleaning nozzle 40 is sprayed into the cooking chamber 20, and the cleaning water sprayed into the cooking chamber 20 is splashed inside the cooking chamber 20 by the operation of the convection fan 26, and the inside of the cooking chamber 20 is washed by the splashed cleaning water. The cleaning water returns to the tank 14 through the first drain pipe 16 from the drain outlet 20d, and the inside of the cooking chamber 20 is washed by the cleaning water circulating between the tank 14 and the cooking chamber 20.

When the pump 42 and the convection fan 26 are operated to splash the washing water circulating between the tank 14 into the cooking chamber 20 for washing, the control device 50 controls the operation of the heater 25 based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 27 so that the temperature inside the cooking chamber 20 becomes 90°C, which is an example of a temperature suitable for washing. In this way, the washing water circulating between the tank 14 is heated in the process of splashing into the cooking chamber 20 and becomes high-temperature washing water, and the inside of the cooking chamber 20 is washed by splashing the high-temperature washing water. In this embodiment, the washing operation is controlled to be performed for 30 minutes, and when 45 minutes (45 minutes is an example and can be set between 45 minutes and 100 minutes, for example) have passed since the start of the washing operation, the control device 50 stops the operation of the heater 25, the convection fan 26, and the pump 42, opens the drain valve 18 for a predetermined time of 2.5 minutes, and drains the washing water in the tank 14 from the second drain pipe 17 to end the washing operation.

After performing the cleaning operation in step 104, the control device 50 determines in step 105 whether the cleaning operation has been performed four times. If the cleaning operation has not been performed four times, the control device 50 determines NO in step 105 and returns to step 104. The second and subsequent cleaning operations are rinsing operations to wash away the cleaning water containing detergent remaining in the cooking chamber 20 due to the first cleaning operation, and the cleaning operation in step 104 described above is performed again. Note that since the cleaning operation from the second time onwards is intended for rinsing, the cleaning time is set to 8 minutes as an example. If the rinsing cleaning operation is performed three times after the cleaning operation using cleaning water containing detergent, and the cleaning operation using cleaning water containing detergent and the rinsing cleaning operation are performed a total of four times, the control device 50 determines YES in step 105 and proceeds to the drying operation in step 106.

The drying operation is intended to evaporate the washing water remaining in the cooking chamber 20 and dry the inside of the cooking chamber 20. The control device 50 operates the convection fan 26 and controls the operation of the heater 25 based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 27 so that the inside of the cooking chamber 20 can be dried at 140°C, which is an example of a drying temperature at which the inside of the cooking chamber 20 can be dried. The inside of the cooking chamber 20 is dried by hot air convection by the convection fan 26 while being heated by the heater 25. In this embodiment, the drying operation of step 106 is controlled to be performed for 40 minutes, and the first washing program is terminated after this drying operation is performed for 40 minutes. Note that the second washing program is a washing program that does not perform the steam pre-washing operation of the first washing program, and is the same washing program as the first washing program except that the steam pre-washing operation is not performed, so a detailed description of the second washing program will be omitted. In addition, it is possible to have only one of the first washing program and the second washing program. Furthermore, the temperatures and times of the steam pre-cleaning operation, cleaning operation, and drying operation are not limited to those described above, and may be set arbitrarily depending on the size of the cooking chamber 20, the degree of dirt, etc.

The cooking device 10 configured as described above is a cooking device with a cleaning function that operates the pump 42 to send cleaning water through the cleaning water passage to the cleaning nozzle 40, sprays the sent cleaning water from the cleaning nozzle 40 into the cooking chamber 20, and sends the sprayed cleaning water back to the cleaning nozzle 40 from the drain outlet 20d through the cleaning water passage, cleaning the inside of the cooking chamber 20 with the circulating cleaning water. In this cooking device 10, the drain outlet 20d is removably provided with a drainage strainer 15 having a filter portion 15b that allows liquids such as cleaning water to pass through while preventing solid objects such as food from entering the cleaning water passage.

The drain strainer 15 is provided with a frame 15a having an outer diameter larger than the drain outlet 20d, a filter section 15b inside the frame 15a that allows liquids such as cleaning water to pass through while preventing solids such as food from entering the drain outlet 20d, legs 15c below the frame 15a that have an outer diameter that can be inserted into the drain outlet 20d and restrict the drain strainer 15 from moving horizontally from the drain outlet 20d, and a handle section 15f provided above the frame 15a to serve as a handle for the drain strainer 15. The outer diameter of the part of the handle section 15f of the drain strainer 15 that protrudes above the frame 15a is larger than the diameter of the drain outlet 20d. Specifically, the drain outlet 20d has a pair (multiple) of standing parts 15f1 that stand at positions facing each other in the radial direction of the frame part 15a, at positions spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the frame part 15a, and a connecting part 15f2 that connects the upper ends of the pair of standing parts 15f1.

When the drainage strainer 15 is turned upside down, the two standing portions 15f1 rising from the frame portion 15a and the connecting portion 15f2 connecting the two standing portions 15f1 engage with the peripheral portion of the drain outlet 20d, and the frame portion 15a is spaced apart above the drain outlet 20d at the height of the standing portions 15f1, making it easier to notice that the drainage strainer 15 is upside down. This makes it difficult to install the drainage strainer 15 upside down.

In this embodiment of the drainage strainer 15, the handle portion 15f has a pair of standing portions 15f1 at positions facing each other in the radial direction of the frame portion 15a, but is not limited to this, and the handle portion 15f may have two or more standing portions 15f1 standing at positions spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the frame portion 15a, and a connecting portion 15f2 connecting the upper ends of the two or more standing portions 15f1. In this case, when there are three or more standing portions 15f1, the upper ends of adjacent standing portions 15f1 may be connected by the connecting portion 15f2, or the upper ends of three or more standing portions 15f1 may be connected by the connecting portion 15f2 extending radially from the center of the radial direction of the frame portion 15a. Furthermore, when four or more even number of standing portions 15f1 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, the upper ends of the standing portions 15f1 facing each other may be connected by the connecting portion 15f2. Additionally, although the upright portion 15f1 of the handle portion 15f stands vertically, this is not limited thereto, and the upright portion 15f1 may be inclined radially outward.

10... cooking device, 15... drainage screen, 15a... frame, 15b... filter, 15f... handle, 15f1... standing part, 15f2... connecting part, 20... cooking chamber, 20d... drain, 40... cleaning nozzle, 42... pump, 14, 16, 41... cleaning water passage.

Claims (3)

A kitchen for heating and cooking ingredients;
A drain outlet provided at the bottom of the cooking chamber;
A cleaning nozzle provided on the ceiling of the cooking chamber for spraying cleaning water;
a cleaning water passage connecting the drain outlet and the cleaning nozzle;
a pump disposed in the cleaning water passage for delivering cleaning water to the cleaning nozzle,
A cooking device with a cleaning function, which operates the pump to send cleaning water through the cleaning water passage to the cleaning nozzle, spray the sent cleaning water from the cleaning nozzle into the cooking chamber, and send the sprayed cleaning water from the drain outlet through the cleaning water passage back to the cleaning nozzle, thereby cleaning the inside of the cooking chamber with the circulating cleaning water,
A drainage strainer having a filter portion using a mesh material that allows liquid such as cleaning water to pass while preventing solid objects such as food from entering the cleaning water passage is detachably provided at the drain outlet,
The drainage strainer includes a frame having an outer periphery with a diameter larger than that of the drain outlet, a filter section using the mesh material inside the frame that allows liquids such as cleaning water to pass through while preventing solid objects such as food from entering the drain outlet, and a handle section that is provided on the upper side of the frame and serves as a handle for the drainage strainer.
The filter section using the mesh material is provided with a protruding portion for passing water and air, the central portion of which protrudes upward in the radial direction, and a recessed portion on the outer edge of the protruding portion, which is recessed downward to prevent the intrusion of solid objects such as food ingredients,
A cooking device according to claim 1, wherein the outer diameter of the portion of the handle that protrudes upward from the frame is larger than the diameter of the drain outlet. The cooking device according to claim 1,
A cooking device characterized in that the handle portion has a plurality of standing portions that stand up at positions spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the frame portion, and a connecting portion that connects the upper ends of the plurality of standing portions. The cooking device according to claim 2,
A cooking device characterized in that the handle portion has a pair of upright portions at radially opposing positions of the frame portion, and the connecting portion connects the upper ends of the pair of upright portions.

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