JP2004198007A - Cooking device - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a heating cooker which is capable of high-quality thawing with a simple configuration, and furthermore, achieves downsizing of the apparatus and simplified control.
A heating cooker includes a food storage (1) for storing foods, a circulation fan (4) and a heater (5) provided in a circulation duct (20). In the upper and lower portions of the circulation duct 20, an air inlet 22 and an outlet 23 for the air in the refrigerator are opened. An outside air supply path 21 is connected to an upper part of the circulation duct 20. The steam supply port 7 is provided in the circulation duct 20. At the time of thawing cooking, the outside air is blown into the storage from the outside air supply path 21, and the steam generated by the steam generation heater 6 is supplied from the steam supply port 7 into the circulation duct 20. The supplied steam is mixed with the outside air blown from the outside air supply path 21 and is supplied to the storage as low-temperature steam. The object to be heated 2 is thawed efficiently by the condensation heat transfer of the steam.
[Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a heating cooker for thawing and cooking food in a refrigerator using superheated steam.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, frozen foods can be thawed by, for example, leaving them at room temperature or blowing air to use the sensible heat of air, or thawing them in still water or running water to defrost them. A system utilizing dielectric heating of a microwave oven is used. In addition, there is a method of thawing using superheated steam.
[0003]
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a conventional heating cooker using such superheated steam. In FIG. 1, a cooking device includes a food storage 1 for storing food and a circulation fan 4, a heater 5 for heating the storage, and a steam generating heater provided in a circulation duct 20 arranged on the side of the food storage. 6 and a temperature detecting means (not shown) for detecting the temperature in the food storage 1.
[0004]
On the other hand, a water supply tank 8 is provided above the circulation duct 20, and the water in the water supply tank 8 is sent out by a water supply pump 10 through a lower filter 9, passes through a flowing water path 11, and is provided in the circulation duct 20. It is supplied to the steam generation heater 6. The supplied water is heated by the steam generation heater 6, becomes steam, and is ejected from the steam supply port 7. Here, an ion-exchange resin may be sealed inside the water supply tank 8, so that sticking of the scale when steam is generated can be suppressed.
[0005]
As shown in FIG. 1, a heated object 2 which is food stored in a food storage 1 is placed on a net-shaped or dish-shaped food shelf 3 installed at the bottom of the storage. The steam spouted from the steam supply port 7 is further heated by the heater 5 and becomes superheated steam of 100 ° C. or more. The superheated steam is sent from the outlet 23 above the circulation duct 20 to the food storage 1 by the circulation fan 4, thereby heating the object 2 on the food shelf 3.
[0006]
At this time, the air in the food storage 1 that was present at the beginning is discharged from the exhaust port 12 on the upper side of the opposite side along with excess superheated steam. In addition, 14 provided at the lower part on the opposite side of the food storage 1 is a drain port for discharging water collected in the food storage 1, and 22 at the lower part of the circulation duct 20 is used to supply air in the food storage 1 to the circulation duct 20. It is a suction port that sucks in. The arrows in the figure indicate the flow of air and the like. This is the same in the following description.
[0007]
In addition, as a commercial thawing apparatus, a thawing apparatus using low-temperature superheated steam is disclosed (for example, see Non-Patent Document 1). In this method, superheated steam whose humidity is controlled so that it does not condense at the same time as being mixed is blown into low-temperature air cooled using a cooler by an automatic control valve to generate low-temperature air with a relative humidity of 100%. To thaw the material to be thawed.
[0008]
[Non-patent document 1]
"Thawing" April 2001, Vol. 76, No. 882
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, among the conventional thawing methods described above, the air thawing method requires a considerable time for thawing. Further, in the water thawing method, a high water temperature cannot be used, so that water impregnation and a change in color and deterioration of food are likely to occur. Moreover, in the method using dielectric heating, uneven thawing occurs due to the difference in electromagnetic wave absorption between water and ice.
[0010]
On the other hand, in the method of thawing using superheated steam, when an object to be thawed is present in a high humidity atmosphere, the water vapor in the atmosphere is condensed on the surface of the object to be thawed, and its volume becomes about 200,000. Then, the high-humidity air is sent one after another, whereby condensation occurs one after another, and at this time, latent heat of about 2500 kJ / kg is given to the food. In addition, since this action is actively performed at a low temperature, uniform thawing is possible.
[0011]
However, the conventional heating cooker using superheated steam has a means for controlling the temperature of superheated steam and the amount of water supply. An atmosphere is generated, and a low-temperature and high-humidity atmosphere cannot be generated. In addition, it takes a considerable time to generate a low-temperature, high-humidity atmosphere by heating at less than 100 ° C.
[0012]
In addition, in a thawing apparatus using low-temperature superheated steam, a cooler and a humidity controller are required, so that an increase in the size of the apparatus and complicated control are inevitable. The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a heating cooker that enables high-quality thawing with a simple configuration, and that further reduces the size of the apparatus and simplifies control.
[0013]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, superheated steam is mixed with the outside air from the outside air supply path and condensed before reaching the food, and when reaching the food, a low-temperature atmosphere having a relative humidity of about 100% is set. Configuration. In addition, since the steam generating means supplies the steam to the upstream portion of the circulation duct, most of the dew due to the supplied steam is generated in the circulation duct, and the dew on the inner wall of the food storage can be prevented.
[0014]
Further, the steam generating means supplies steam to the upstream part of the circulation duct, and the outside air supply path supplies outside air to the upstream part of the circulation duct, so that the supplied steam and outside air are mainly used for thawing. Low-temperature superheated steam can be generated homogeneously and efficiently, and the temperature of the low-temperature superheated steam can be freely adjusted by adjusting the supply amount of outside air.
[0015]
In addition, the steam generation means supplies steam upstream of the heater of the circulation duct, and the outside air supply path supplies outside air upstream of the heater of the circulation duct. Can be generated efficiently and efficiently.
[0016]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the heating cooker according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, a cooking device according to the present embodiment is provided in a food storage 1 for storing food and a circulation duct 20 arranged on a side surface of the food storage 1 to circulate air in the storage, for example, an axial circulation type. It is mainly provided with a fan 4 and a heater 5 for heating the air in the refrigerator. The upper and lower parts of the circulation duct 20 are provided with a suction port 22 and a discharge port 23 for the air in the refrigerator. Here, the article to be heated 2, which is food stored in the food storage 1, is placed on a net-shaped or dish-shaped food shelf 3 installed in the lower part of the storage.
[0017]
An outside air supply path 21 is connected to an upper portion of the circulation duct 20, and a cooling fan 16 for sucking outside air and an on-off valve 17 are installed inside the outside air supply path 21. The steam supply port 7 is provided in the air circulation path in the refrigerator in the circulation duct 20. On the other hand, a water supply tank 8 is provided diagonally above the circulation duct 20, and water in the water supply tank 8 is supplied to the steam generation heater 6 through a lower flowing water path 11. The supplied water is heated by the steam generation heater 6, becomes steam, and is ejected from the steam supply port 7.
[0018]
During the heating and cooking, the on-off valve 17 in the outside air supply path 21 is closed, and the saturated steam or the superheated steam generated by the steam generation heater 6 is supplied into the circulation duct 20 from the steam supply port 7. The supplied steam is heated by the heater 5 in the circulation duct 20, and is supplied as high-temperature superheated steam into the storage. Specifically, the superheated steam is sent into the food storage 1 from the outlet 23 at the lower part of the circulation duct 20 by the circulation fan 4, thereby heating the heated object 2 on the food shelf 3. At this time, the food 2 to be heated is efficiently cooked by convective heat transfer in a high-temperature atmosphere, condensation heat transfer of superheated steam, and radiation heat transfer.
[0019]
Here, the steam supply port 7 may be provided directly in the food storage 1, but since the food storage 1 is at a low temperature immediately after the start of heating, water vapor condenses on the inner wall surface of the food storage 1, so that the heating efficiency is reduced. . Therefore, in the present embodiment, the steam supply port 7 is disposed upstream of the heater 5 with respect to the airflow generated by the circulation fan 4 in the circulation duct 20. Thereby, steam heating immediately after the start of heating is performed efficiently.
[0020]
Next, at the time of thawing cooking, the open / close valve 17 in the outside air supply path 21 is opened, the outside air is blown into the storage by the cooling fan 16, and the saturated steam or the superheated steam generated by the steam generation heater 6 is discharged. Is supplied from the steam supply port 7 into the circulation duct 20. The supplied steam is mixed with the outside air blown from the outside air supply path 21, becomes low-temperature saturated steam or superheated steam, and is supplied into the storage in the same manner as described above. The object to be heated 2, which is a food, is efficiently heated mainly by the condensation heat transfer of steam, and is thawed and cooked.
[0021]
Here, the outside air supply path 21 and the steam supply port 7 may be provided directly in the food storage 1, but in this case, since the mixing of the outside air and the steam is performed in the food storage 1, the inner wall of the food storage 1 and Water vapor condenses on the food surface and causes excessive condensation. At this time, if a glass door is provided on the front surface of the food storage 1, the visibility inside the storage deteriorates due to condensation on the glass door.
[0022]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the outside air supply path 21 and the steam supply port 7 are provided near the suction port 22 through which the circulating air from the food storage 1 flows to the circulation duct 20. As a result, the water vapor condenses and condenses in the circulation duct 20, and low-temperature water vapor having a relative humidity of about 100% is sent to the food storage 1. Therefore, dew condensation in the food storage 1 is suppressed. The condensed water flows to the lower part of the circulation duct 20, and the bottom surface of the circulation duct 20 is inclined toward the food storage 1, and is drained from the outlet 23 into the food storage 1 along this inclination. You.
[0023]
In addition, since the outside air temperature varies depending on the installation location, time, and season of the cooker, a temperature detecting means (not shown) is installed in the food storage 1 or an exhaust pipe 12a to be described later, and a detection signal of the temperature detecting means is provided. Based on this, the number of rotations of the cooling fan 16 or the amount of supplied steam is controlled so that the steam has an appropriate temperature. Further, the cooling fan 16 is not provided, the discharge port 21a of the outside air supply path 21 is provided near the suction portion of the circulation fan 4, and the open / close valve 17 is opened. May be used in combination.
[0024]
Further, in both the heating cooking and the thawing cooking, when steam is supplied into the storage, the excess air and the excess steam are provided at the discharge path 24 provided at the bottom or lower side of the food storage 1, and at the lower part. After passing through the drainage container 19, the air is exhausted from the exhaust port 12 through the exhaust pipe 12 a provided on the side opposite to the circulation duct 20. Here, a pressure valve or the like that opens at a certain pressure or higher in the exhaust pipe 12a may be provided to maintain the internal pressure.
[0025]
In addition, the bottom of the food storage 1 is provided with a slope such that the discharge path 24 is located at the bottom, and water vapor condensed during cooking and water coming out of the food follow the inclination of the bottom of the food storage 1. The water flows through the discharge path 24 and is stored in the drainage container 19. The stored drainage can be drained from the drainage port 18 in a timely manner. Further, by making the drainage container 19 detachable, the drainage container 19 can be periodically removed and cleaned, thereby improving sanitation.
[0026]
Further, an on-off valve 15 is arranged in the discharge path 24. Here, the on-off valve 15 is kept closed for the entire time during cooking or for a predetermined time, during which time the supply of new steam is stopped, and the steam present in the refrigerator is circulated. As a result, a small amount of water is supplied for generating steam. After the cooking is completed, the on-off valve 15 is opened and the water is drained into the drainage container 19. Also, depending on the cooking item, for example, when cooking requiring a high humidity atmosphere, the on-off valve 15 is closed during cooking, and when cooking is good in a low-humidity atmosphere, the on-off valve 15 is opened during cooking, and so on. The opening / closing valve 15 may be configured to be opened and closed as needed.
[0027]
Here, the opening / closing valve 15 may be provided in the exhaust pipe 12a. In this case, if the wastewater generated during the previous cooking is stored in the drainage container 19, the drainage container in the drainage container during the current heating cooking is removed. It is not sanitary because old wastewater evaporates and fills the food storage 1. For this reason, it is desirable that the on-off valve 15 be arranged before (upstream) the drainage container 19. As described above, the humidity in the food storage 1 may be adjusted by opening and closing the on-off valve 15. However, as another configuration, a pump (variable water supply amount) between the water supply tank 8 and the steam generation heater 6 may be used. (Illustration), and the humidity in the food storage 1 may be adjusted by the amount of water supplied by the pump.
[0028]
By the way, regarding the food heating means, when the dielectric heating is used, the inside of the food can be heated in a short time, but when the dielectric heating and the heater are combined, when the amount of steam is large, the amount of condensation on the food surface in the early stage of heating increases. Microwaves concentrate on the condensed water. At this time, in the case of a food having a large thickness, the internal heating is insufficient. Therefore, when the thickness of the food is large, it is necessary to suppress the amount of steam. Therefore, the amount of steam is preferably changed according to the thickness of the food.
[0029]
Drawing 2 is a longitudinal section showing the schematic structure of the cooking device concerning a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a main part of an inner side surface of the cooking device of FIG. In the present embodiment, the shapes of the circulation fan 4 and the heater 5 are mainly changed as compared with the first embodiment. That is, the circulating fan 4 is of a centrifugal type in contrast to the axial flow type described above, and has a configuration in which a heater 5 is provided on the outer peripheral portion thereof.
[0030]
In each of the drawings, a circulation fan 4 and a heater 5 are installed in a circulation duct 20 on the side of the food storage 1, and suck air such as air in the food storage 1 from a suction port 22 provided in a central portion of the side of the food storage 1. Then, air is exhausted from a plurality of outlets 23 provided around the side surface of the food storage 1 (here, four corners). At this time, the air or the like sucked from the suction port 22 is heated by the heater 5 installed on the outer peripheral portion of the circulation fan 4.
[0031]
Here, the steam supply port 7 and the outside air supply path 21 may project into either the food storage 1 or the circulation duct 20. Other structures and operations in both heating cooking and thawing cooking are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment. However, the discharge path 24 is illustrated as a configuration provided on the bottom surface of the food storage 1 in the first embodiment, but is illustrated as a configuration provided on the lower side of the food storage 1 in the present embodiment. I have.
[0032]
The steam generating means in the claims corresponds to the steam generating heater in the embodiment.
[0033]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a heating cooker that can achieve high-quality thawing with a simple configuration, and that can reduce the size of the apparatus and simplify control.
[0034]
Specifically, superheated steam is mixed with the outside air from the outside air supply path, condensed before reaching the food, and when reaching the food, a low-temperature atmosphere having a relative humidity of about 100% is adopted. In addition, since the steam generating means supplies the steam to the upstream portion of the circulation duct, most of the dew due to the supplied steam is generated in the circulation duct, and the dew on the inner wall of the food storage can be prevented.
[0035]
Further, the steam generating means supplies steam to the upstream part of the circulation duct, and the outside air supply path supplies outside air to the upstream part of the circulation duct, so that the supplied steam and outside air are mainly used for thawing. Low-temperature superheated steam can be generated homogeneously and efficiently, and the temperature of the low-temperature superheated steam can be freely adjusted by adjusting the supply amount of outside air.
[0036]
In addition, the steam generation means supplies steam upstream of the heater of the circulation duct, and the outside air supply path supplies outside air upstream of the heater of the circulation duct. Can be generated efficiently and efficiently.
[0037]
Further, by providing the outlet in the circulation duct, the condensed water condensed and condensed in the circulation duct is drained from the outlet without being stored in the circulation duct. Further, in the discharge path provided in the food storage, the internal pressure or humidity can be adjusted by opening and closing the on-off valve, and the drainage container can be cleaned and sanitary by making the drainage container detachable.
[0038]
Further, by disposing the steam supply port near the suction portion of the circulation fan, the steam generated by the steam generation means is first sucked by the circulation fan. Thereby, aggregation and condensation of steam in the food storage can be suppressed.
[0039]
In addition, by controlling the rotation speed of the cooling fan or the amount of steam supplied so as to obtain an appropriate temperature based on the detection signal, a proper atmosphere condition is formed by a temperature detecting means in the food chamber capable of detecting a temperature in the food storage. it can.
[0040]
Further, by combining a heater and dielectric heating as heating means, the heating time of a thick object to be heated can be reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a configuration of a heating cooker according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a configuration of a heating cooker according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a view showing a main part of an inner side surface of the cooking device of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the configuration of a conventional cooking device using superheated steam.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Food storage 2 Heated object 3 Food rack 4 Circulation fan 5 Heater 6 Steam generation heater 7 Steam supply port 8 Water supply tank 9 Filter 10 Water supply pump 11 Flowing water path 12 Exhaust port 12a Exhaust pipe 14 Drain port 15 Open / close valve 16 Cooling fan 17 On-off valve 18 Drain port 19 Drain container 20 Circulation duct 21 External air supply path 22 Suction port 23 Blow-off port 24 Drain path

Claims (7)

A food storage that stores food, a circulation fan that circulates air in the food storage, and a heating cooker that includes a steam generation unit that supplies steam to the circulating air,
In the heating cooker having a circulation duct incorporating the circulation fan, mixing the steam supplied from the steam generating means by sucking air in the food storage, and providing a circulation duct to be sent into the food storage,
The cooking device wherein the steam generating means supplies steam to an upstream portion of the circulation duct. A food storage for storing food, a circulation fan for circulating air in the food storage, steam generating means for supplying steam to the circulating air, an outside air supply path for supplying outside air to the food storage, A heating cooker having a discharge path for discharging air inside the refrigerator to the outside,
In the heating cooker having a circulation duct incorporating the circulation fan, mixing the steam supplied from the steam generating means by sucking air in the food storage, and providing a circulation duct to be sent into the food storage,
The heating cooker, wherein the steam generating means supplies steam to an upstream portion of the circulation duct, and the outside air supply path supplies outside air to an upstream portion of the circulation duct. A food storage for storing food, a heater for heating the food storage, a circulation fan for circulating the air heated by the heater into the food storage, and a steam generating means for supplying steam to the circulating air; An outside air supply path for supplying outside air to the food storage, and a heating cooker having a discharge path for discharging air in the food storage outside the storage,
A heating cooker including the circulation fan and the heater, which is provided with a circulation duct that sucks air in the food storage, mixes the steam supplied from the steam generation means, and sends the mixed air into the food storage.
The heating cooker, wherein the steam generating means supplies steam to an upstream portion of the circulation duct from the heater, and the outside air supply path supplies outside air to an upstream portion of the circulation duct from the heater. A discharge path communicating with the food storage to the circulation duct to discharge air or water in the circulation duct into the food storage, and discharging the air or water in the food storage to the food storage; The cooking device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: an openable / closable valve, a detachable drainage container, and an exhaust pipe provided in the discharge path. The heating according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a steam supply port for supplying steam generated by the steam generating means into the food storage is provided near a suction part of the circulation fan. Cooking device. It has an internal temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature in the food storage, and controls the external air supply amount or the steam supply amount so as to maintain the internal temperature detected by the internal temperature detection means at an appropriate temperature. The cooking device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein The heating cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the heating means for the food is a single heater or a combination of a heater and dielectric heating.

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