JP4987570B2 - Cooker - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a cooking device having a cooking function by steam.

  In recent years, in addition to cooking based on heating means such as an electric heater or magnetron, it is possible to cook with steam, and by combining these heating means, the repertoire of the cooking menu can be expanded, or cooking with good finish of food is possible A heating cooker is provided. In the steam cooking, a fan device that stirs the steam supplied into the cabinet is provided, and means for suppressing temperature unevenness in the cabinet is employed. This is because in order to obtain a good finished state of food in steam cooking, there is no uneven temperature distribution due to steam heating, and it is necessary to set and maintain the internal temperature at an appropriate cooking temperature ( For example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  However, for example, Patent Document 2 described above describes that the higher the rotational speed of the fan device, the lower the atmosphere temperature in the refrigerator, and it can be controlled to a desired temperature optimum for cooking at 100 ° C. or lower ( For example, see paragraphs [0051]-[0052] and FIG.

  However, the air for stirring by the fan device, of course, hits the food more strongly as the rotation speed is faster. As a result, the food may be dehydrated and dried. It tends to become more prominent.

  For example, when the internal temperature that is the cooking temperature is set higher than 100 ° C. like overheated steam, it is possible to introduce a sufficient amount of steam to reach the saturated water vapor amount in the internal combustion chamber. The evaporation of moisture is suppressed. This is because the inside of the cabinet is sufficiently wet, and the evaporation pressure from the food that is usually lower than the temperature in the atmosphere of the atmosphere is lower than the surrounding pressure, so that the evaporation of moisture from the food is suppressed. . This is due to the fact that the higher the temperature, the higher the evaporation pressure of water. Therefore, even in the prior art, in the state where the atmosphere in the cabinet has reached the saturated water vapor amount at that temperature (in a state where the humidity is 100%), there is little concern that the food will dry, and there has been no particular problem.

  However, in the cooking mode in which the internal temperature is set to a low temperature lower than the boiling point (100 degrees C / 1 atm) by steam heating, a case where the food is dried is recognized, and the cooked food is finished. I have found that it has an impact.

  This is because there is a cooking mode in which the amount of saturated water vapor in the refrigerator does not reach 100% humidity when cooking by steam heating is performed at a cooking temperature having a relatively low set temperature. For example, a steam cooking where the cooking temperature is set to about 40 to 50 ° C., such as a fermentation cooking mode of about 35 ° C., 40 ° C. and 50 ° C. When done, it has been found that vitamin C increases during cooking by promoting the biochemical reaction of vitamin C formation in vegetables. In such a cooking mode, in the former fermentation cooking mode, there is a concern that when the food material is dried, a biological reaction such as yeast is inhibited and fermentation does not proceed well. In the cooking mode for producing the latter vitamin C, the biochemical reaction of the vegetable is promoted and utilized. However, when this is dried, the vegetable itself will crack and die. The desired finished state of the cooked food cannot be obtained.

  The reason why the saturated water vapor amount that causes such a dry state does not reach the humidity of 100% is considered to be based on the following reason. In other words, the steam supplied into the chamber generally boiles and evaporates water at 100 ° C. or higher, and the steam is quickly introduced into the chamber. For this reason, the steam temperature at the time of being introduced into the warehouse is approximately 100 ° C. above or near the boiling point, and humidity is imparted by the introduction of the steam into the warehouse, and at the same time the interior temperature also rises.

Under such circumstances, when the cooking mode in which the set value of the cooking temperature in the cabinet is relatively low is executed, the cooking chamber is set to the set temperature by the heating action of the steam before introducing sufficient steam into the cooking cabinet. It rises easily to the above. For this reason, when the set temperature is reached, the introduction of steam is naturally stopped for temperature adjustment. In this way, the cooking temperature in the cabinet is controlled based on the supply and stop of steam, and when the cooking temperature is a low setting value, the supply of steam is insufficient and the atmosphere in the cabinet is less than the saturated water vapor amount (humidity 100). % Or less). In addition, in an environment where the room temperature is high, the difference from the set temperature for cooking is small, and the set temperature is reached with the introduction of a small amount of steam. A humid atmosphere cannot be obtained, and the food that has received air for stirring is in an environment that is easy to dry.
JP 2006-300486 A JP 2005-30831 A

  As described above, in cooking by steam, when the cooking temperature is a low set value, the introduction of steam into the cabinet is insufficient, and the atmosphere in the cabinet is in a state where the amount of saturated water vapor is less than or equal to the humidity (100% or less humidity). . When the fan device is rotated in a steady state when the steam amount is not sufficient, the drying action of the food exposed to the wind is strongly affected, and the steam cooking in the desired finished state cannot be performed. Had.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention can maintain a sufficient moisturizing effect by suppressing the drying action of foods even when the cooking temperature is a low set value, and thus heat cooking that can be expected to produce a good steam cooking. The purpose is to provide a vessel.

In order to achieve the above object, a heating cooker according to the present invention includes a cooking chamber for cooking food, an in-chamber heating means for heating the inside of the cooking chamber, a fan device for stirring air in the cooking chamber, A steam supply device for supplying steam into the cooking chamber; a temperature sensor for detecting temperature in the cooking chamber; and a control unit for controlling cooking of food,
The control unit has a steam heating control means capable of performing steam cooking by driving the fan device and controlling the temperature in the chamber while supplying steam into the chamber by the steam supply device,
The steam heating control means controls the internal temperature to a predetermined temperature lower than the boiling point of water.
As compared with the case where the internal heating means is turned off and the internal heating means is turned on to control the temperature above the boiling point, the fan rotational speed of the fan device is reduced and the steam supply temperature is reduced. cooker, characterized in that the (first aspect of the present invention).

According to the above means, when cooking the low temperature below the boiling point as a predetermined value, the drying action of the food can be reduced by rotating the fan device at a low speed, and the low temperature steam is turned off in the internal heating means. By introducing it into the state of the chamber, it is possible to secure a large amount of steam until the temperature reaches the specified temperature by slowing the temperature rise in the chamber, so that steam cooking with a moisturizing effect and good finish can be performed A cooking device can be provided.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
First, the schematic configuration of the heating cooker will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a front view showing the configuration of the main part of the heating cooker. Specifically, the outer frame forming the outer shell, the front door FIG. 2 is a front view of a state in which a well-known exterior member such as an operation unit 15 (only FIG. 2 is shown) for setting a cooking menu or the like is removed, and mainly shows a rectangular container-like cooking chamber 1 with the front surface opened. Yes.

  Thus, the cooking chamber 1 is equipped with heating means for cooking the stored food (not shown) directly or in close proximity. Among them, a hot air heater 2 formed in a square frame shape (or a circular frame shape) made of a sheathed heater is provided on the back side of the rear wall 1a of the cooking chamber 1 as an internal heating means by an electric heater. A circulation fan device 3 in which a fan 3a is arranged is provided in the frame-like inner region of the hot air heater 2, and normally the hot air heater 2 is also energized and heated when the fan device 3 is driven. A large number of through holes 4 are formed in the rear wall 1a at positions facing the hot air heater 2 which is also the central portion of the fan 3a and its peripheral portion, and is configured as a so-called fan casing. .

  Therefore, when the circulation fan device 3 is driven and the fan 3a is rotated, the air in the cooking chamber 1 is sucked from the central portion, and the so-called circulating air blown out from the peripheral through-hole 4 into the chamber again. Done. In this case, in the normal case where the hot air heater 2 is energized, the circulating air is heated every time it contacts the heater 2 and is blown into the chamber as hot air, which is repeated along with the rise in the chamber temperature. Heat cooking is performed by blowing hot air on food, so-called oven cooking with hot air can be performed. In this case, it goes without saying that if the hot air heater 2 is turned off and is in the OFF state, only the circulation of the air in the warehouse is performed.

  On the other hand, a steam supply device 5 as a steam heating means is provided on the left side of the cooking chamber 1 in the figure. The steam supply device 5 includes an evaporation unit 6 and a water supply unit 7. The evaporation unit 6 includes two (first and second) heaters 6a and 6b made of rod-shaped sheathed heaters, and the heaters 6a and 6b. And a hollow evaporation vessel 6c made of cast aluminum and having a plurality of steam ejection ports 6d communicating with the evaporation vessel 6c and projecting inward from the left side wall 1b of the cooking cabinet 1 It is said. In addition, although not shown, a steam thermistor 6d (only shown in FIG. 2) for detecting and controlling the temperature in the evaporation container 6c is provided.

  On the other hand, the water supply unit 7 is provided with a water storage tank 7a, a water supply pump 7b, a pipe 7c, etc., of which the water storage tank 7a is located on the outer bottom of the cooking cabinet 1 and is detachable from the front outside. Makes it easy to carry out water supply work. Thus, when the water supply pump 7b is driven, the steam supply device 5 is configured such that the water sent from the water storage tank 7a is heated and vaporized in the evaporation container 6c and can be supplied into the warehouse from the outlet 6d. Composed.

Normally, this kind of cooking device is provided with a magnetron as a heating means using high frequency (not shown) outside the chamber as a heating device other than the above, and is stored from the center of the bottom wall 1c of the cooking chamber 1 through the waveguide, for example. In addition, a sheet heater for grilling is provided on the ceiling wall 1d side (both not shown).
As shown in the drawing, a placing table 8 for placing food is placed in the cooking cabinet 1 so as to partition the upper and lower sides, and each step portion 9 is formed so as to protrude in a symmetrical position between the left and right side walls 1b and 1e. Is detachably supported.

  In addition, ventilation means are provided in the cooking chamber 1. That is, an intake port 10 made up of a large number of small holes is formed near the front of the left side wall 1b, while a large number of small holes are positioned in the corner of the upper portion of the rear wall 1a substantially opposite to the intake port 10. An exhaust port 11 is formed. Each of these suction and exhaust ports 10 and 11 has the other end communicating with the outside and, for example, an intake fan device 12 (shown only in FIG. 2) for actively taking outside air is provided on the intake port 10 side. Thus, an intake means is formed together with the intake port 10, and the fan device 12 is driven so that the ventilation function can be effectively performed. Furthermore, an in-house thermistor 13 that functions as an in-compartment temperature sensor is disposed in the upper front part of the right side wall 1e, so that the cooking temperature as the in-compartment temperature can be detected.

  Next, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic electrical configuration of a main part of the heating cooker, and particularly shows an electrical configuration related to cooking by steam. Therefore, other heating means such as a magnetron and a grill heater are omitted. Therefore, the control unit 14 for controlling the cooking device in general has a steam heating control means 14a for controlling the steam cooking. The control unit 14 includes a memory that mainly stores a control program and the like, mainly a microcomputer, and generally controls the cooking temperature and the like according to a cooking menu set based on a selective operation input from the operation unit 15. By controlling, high-frequency heating by the magnetron, heater heating, and various heating cooking by steam heating, which will be described later, can be executed.

Therefore, in the control unit 14 having the steam heating control means 14a, the internal thermistor 13 as an internal temperature sensor for detecting various input signals by the key operation of the operation unit 15 and the temperature in the cooking chamber 1 is provided. The temperature detection signal etc. from is input.
On the other hand, the first and second heaters 6a and 6b constituting the evaporation unit 6 and the water supply pump 7b constituting the water supply unit 7 are connected to the output port side. Further, a circulation fan device 3 and a hot air heater 2 that form circulation air and hot air, and an intake fan device 12 that constitutes an intake / exhaust means are connected to each other by a control unit 14 via a drive circuit or the like (not shown). Be controlled.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the basic control contents by the steam heating control means 14a, and FIG. 4 shows a graph based on experimental data. To do.

Next, the operation of the cooking device configured as described above will be described.
In the cooking device shown in the present embodiment, the control unit 14 performs high-frequency cooking using a magnetron (not shown) or a ceiling wall 1d (not shown) based on a setting operation such as a cooking menu of the operation unit 15 as a generally known usage method. Heat cooking using radiant heat by the grill heater, and hot air oven cooking by the hot air heater 2 that generates circulating hot air and the circulating fan device 3 can be selectively executed. On the basis of the detection of the internal temperature of the internal thermistor 13, cooking is performed at a pre-programmed desired temperature.

  However, in the steam heating means, which is another heating means of the present embodiment, "chicken teriyaki", "hamburger", "chawanmushi" and "rice" are used alone or in combination with other heating means. In addition to cooking such as “warming and meat buns”, in particular, the “cooking that can increase vitamin C such as vegetables can be expected” menu in which the inside temperature is set to a low temperature (a temperature range of about 40 to 50 ° C. is suitable) However, it is possible to cook with steam suitable for the following).

  Therefore, the steam heating control means 14a shown in the present embodiment is, for example, a case where the internal temperature (equivalent to cooking temperature) is a predetermined temperature that is equal to or higher than the boiling point of water (100 ° C.), according to the selected and set cooking menu, Similarly, an example is shown in which the operation content divided into two when the temperature is lower than the boiling point can be controlled (see FIG. 3). By the way, the above steam cooking menus such as `` Chicken Teriyaki '' and `` Hamburger '' correspond to the high temperature steam cooking mode where the inside temperature is higher than the boiling point, such as `` chawanmushi '', `` boiled rice or meat bun '' The “cooking that can increase vitamin C such as vegetables” (hereinafter referred to as “vitamin C increased cooking”) menu and the like corresponds to a low-temperature steam cooking mode in which the internal temperature is less than 100 ° C.

  Thus, prior to the start of cooking, the mounting table 8 is stored in the cooking chamber 1, and a desired food is placed and stored therein, and the operation unit 15 selects and sets the conditions for cooking by heating with steam. The control unit 14 inputs the operation signal and controls and executes heating cooking based on a program set in advance via the steam heating control means 14a. In the following, referring to the flowchart of FIG. 3, when cooking is started, in step S 1, as shown in the drawing, the internal temperature as the cooking temperature is the boiling point with respect to the setting input of the cooking menu, weight and other conditions selected and set. It is determined whether the temperature is a predetermined temperature lower than 100 ° C. or a predetermined temperature higher than 100 ° C.

  For example, when the cooking menu of “Chicken Teriyaki” is set, this corresponds to the steam cooking mode in which the cooking temperature is high, and therefore in step S1, it corresponds to a predetermined temperature of 100 ° C. or higher. , “NO” determination is made. Based on this “NO” determination, the process proceeds to step S2 where the circulating fan device 3 is driven to rotate in a steady manner and the fan 3a is rotated at high speed. Therefore, the air in the cabinet is sucked from the central portion of the through hole 4 drilled in the rear wall 1a to the fan 3a side on the back side, and is discharged into the cabinet from the through hole 4 on the outer peripheral side of the fan 3a. As a result, a strong circulating airflow is generated in the cabinet. Moreover, as shown in the next step S3, the hot air heater 2 disposed around the fan 3a is heated and heated by energizing heat, and hot air is circulated in the cabinet.

  In this case, as shown in step S4, the amount of intake air taken into the cabinet is small. That is, the intake fan device 12 constituting the intake means is driven and controlled at a lower speed than the steady rotation, and a small amount of outside air is taken into the chamber from the intake port 10 of the cooking chamber 1, and a small amount of exhaust air corresponding to this is discharged into the exhaust port. Ventilation in the warehouse by the outside air that has been discharged to the outside through 11 and thus cooled is performed at a low level, and the outflow of warm air is suppressed to suppress a drop in the inside temperature. In step S5, the steam generation temperature is 100 ° C. or higher, which is effective for maintaining a high temperature state in which the internal temperature is 100 ° C. or higher. In this example, since the “chicken teriyaki” menu is set, steam cooking by so-called superheated steam at a temperature equal to or higher than the saturation temperature is executed.

  Specifically, the first and second heaters 6a and 6b of the evaporation unit 6 generate energized heat to heat the evaporation container 6c and raise the temperature to 120 ° C. When it is detected by the steam thermistor 6d that the temperature reaches 120 ° C., the water supply pump 7b of the water supply unit 7 is driven, and a small amount of water from the water storage tank 7a intermittently enters the evaporation vessel 6c via the pipe 7c. Supplied. The water supplied into the evaporating vessel 6c heated to this high temperature instantly evaporates and evaporates, and steam of 100 ° C. or higher is discharged from the steam outlet 6d into the chamber in the horizontal direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. Is done. Note that the amount of water sent by the water supply pump 7b is automatically controlled according to the cooking menu, condition setting, and the like.

  However, although the steam temperature introduced into the chamber tends to be slightly lowered, as described above, the hot air is circulated in the chamber, and the steam is also circulated with the hot air and repeatedly heated by the hot air heater 2. . For this reason, the steam in the chamber is generated as superheated steam heated to the saturation temperature or higher, and can be set to a high temperature of 300 ° C., for example, and this is used as the cooking temperature by the thermistor 13 for the chamber. Control is performed based on the detection, and heating cooking by superheated steam is executed.

  On the other hand, if the cooking temperature is set to a predetermined temperature of less than 100 ° C. in step S1, for example, if the “vitamin C increased cooking” menu is set, this is a low temperature. It corresponds to the steam cooking mode and is determined as “YES”. And in operation | movement after step S6 based on this "YES" determination, it controls to the cooking mode which contrasts with step S2 after the above-mentioned high temperature steam cooking. Hereinafter, the case of cooking spinach (40 g) as a vegetable will be described.

  First, in step S6, the circulation fan device 3 is driven to rotate at a low speed. That is, it is rotationally driven at a lower speed than the steady rotation when the cooking temperature is 100 ° C. or higher, and the air in the refrigerator is gently circulated and stirred by the low speed rotation of the fan 3a. In this case, the hot air heater 2 disposed around the fan 3a is not energized, and no hot air is generated in a so-called OFF state. Then, the process proceeds to step S7, where the intake fan device 12 serving as the intake means is driven by steady rotation. For this reason, fresh air, which is also fresh cold air, is actively taken into the chamber from the inlet 10 of the cooking chamber 1, and the air inside the chamber is exhausted from the outlet 11, so that the ventilation action inside the chamber is actively performed. The interior is cooled by introducing outside air.

  Thus, the process reaches step S8, where low temperature steam is generated and supplied into the cabinet. However, it has been found that spinach used for “cooking with increased vitamin C”, which is a cooking menu, has a preferred cooking chamber temperature (cooking temperature) of 40 to 45 ° C., and the evaporation vessel 6c is connected via a thermistor 6d for steam. Then, it is vaporized by controlling the heating to a low temperature, for example, 100 ° C. or lower (for example, 80 ° C.). By introducing the steam generated due to the low temperature into the chamber, the temperature in the chamber is raised relatively slowly. Based on the temperature detection of the thermistor 13 in the chamber, the control unit 14 steams via the steam heating control means 14a. The inside temperature is controlled to be raised to a predetermined temperature (for example, 40 ° C.) while intermittently controlling the introduction of the inside, and the temperature is maintained.

  As described above, since the circulation fan device 3 is rotated at a low speed with respect to the low-temperature steam having a low temperature of less than 100 ° C. as a predetermined temperature (step S6), the inside of the refrigerator is agitated with weak circulation air. Therefore, the drying action with respect to the spinach as a food material is suppressed under a uniform steam atmosphere, and a sufficient moisture retention state is maintained. In addition, the hot air heater 2 as the internal heating means is always in the OFF state, and the internal temperature is heated only by the introduced steam. Therefore, the inside of the refrigerator is maintained at a low temperature tendency without rapidly increasing the temperature, and more steam can be introduced before reaching the predetermined temperature. In particular, since spinach is suitable for cooking at a low temperature of 40 ° C. (˜45 ° C.), the temperature difference from room temperature tends to be small, so the internal temperature is kept as low as possible, and By weakening the circulation wind, it is more advantageous to secure a sufficient amount of steam and to obtain (maintain) a moisturizing effect.

  Furthermore, since a large amount of intake air is taken in and the ventilation action in the storage is promoted (step S7), the spinach is kept at a low temperature of 40 ° C, and the temperature rise in the storage is suppressed. Steam can be introduced into the warehouse. In this embodiment, since the temperature of the steam supplied to the interior is set to a low temperature of less than 100 ° C. (step S8), the interior temperature immediately reaches the predetermined temperature of 40 ° C. and is saturated by the supplied steam. This is effective in avoiding the amount of water vapor or less.

  Thus, it is possible to ensure a state of saturated water vapor or at least a state where a steam amount sufficient for cooking is introduced in the chamber. Thus, spinach, which can be expected to increase vitamin C, is cooked by the effect of condensation heat in a saturated steam atmosphere at an internal temperature of 40 ° C., and can greatly increase the content of vitamin C and is dried. Spinach with good finish can be obtained by avoiding the action.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 3, although described over time, the control operations after step S6, which is useful for suppressing the drying action particularly in the low-temperature cooking mode, are executed simultaneously. May be executed out of order.

Here, the “vitamin C increased cooking” menu that exhibits the steam cooking mode with a low temperature setting of about 40 ° C. described above will be described in detail below.
This “vitamin C increased cooking” menu is in the steam cooking mode in which the internal temperature is controlled to a low temperature by the control unit 14 and the steam heating control means 14a as described above, and increases the vitamin C of the food. It is a menu that made it possible to cook while. As a food for increasing vitamin C, the effectiveness of the low-temperature steam cooking mode and the basis for increasing vitamin C will be described for spinach (40 g), which is the above-mentioned green-yellow vegetable.

  The cooking means for increasing vitamin C is programmed in advance on the basis of data found by experiments in advance, and cooking is executed based on the basic control operations shown in steps S1 and S6 to S8 of FIG. The intention will be described with reference to FIG. 4 based on experimental data.

  This FIG. 4 is a graph based on data obtained by experimenting with 40 g of spinach under various steaming temperatures under saturated water vapor, after the vitamin C content before cooking is set to “1” and reaching each cooking temperature. It is a graph which shows how much vitamin C before cooking increased or decreased by the start of cooking. The vertical axis indicates the increase rate of vitamin C, and the horizontal axis indicates the cooking time. Here, vitamin C is data of reduced vitamin C.

  As is apparent from this experimental data, the graph curves A, B, and C where the cooking temperature, which is also the internal temperature, is 20 ° C. to 35 ° C. do not exceed the vitamin C content “1”. It can be seen that vitamin C tends to decrease over time.

In addition, it can be seen that the vitamin C content is reduced in the graph curves F, G, H, and I when the cooking temperature is 50 ° C. to 100 ° C. as compared to before cooking.
Among them, for example, in the case of a graph curve F at a cooking temperature of 50 ° C., the maximum value is reached when the cooking time has passed about 15 minutes, but it has not yet reached an increase beyond the content of vitamin C before cooking.

  On the other hand, regarding graph curves D and E indicating that the cooking temperature is 40 ° C. and 45 ° C., it can be seen that the content of vitamin C tends to increase immediately after the start of heating. The vitamin C content increases gradually after 10 minutes from the start of cooking, and increases to “1.25” for curve D at a cooking temperature of 40 ° C. and to “1.3” for curve E at 45 ° C. Then, it tends to reach a local maximum and then decrease rapidly. Therefore, this experimental result shows that spinach containing about 1.25 times and 1.3 times the vitamin C content of the spinach before cooking is completed.

  That is, according to the experimental data shown in FIG. 4, in spinach, when cooking is performed with low-temperature steam in a certain temperature atmosphere (preferably 40 ° C. to 45 ° C.), when the cooking temperature reaches a predetermined temperature, vitamins are used. While a phenomenon in which C increases occurs, a phenomenon in which vitamin C rapidly decreases after a predetermined time has elapsed while maintaining the predetermined temperature atmosphere.

Therefore, the “Vitamin C increased cooking” menu program is based on this experimental data, supplying steam, condensing heat transfer at a predetermined ambient temperature, and stopping cooking when vitamin C reaches a maximum (supply of steam By setting to stop), the spinach can be taken out when the vitamin C content reaches the maximum.
Therefore, when the user eats the spinach in this state, the user can eat spinach with increased vitamin C compared to the spinach before cooking, and easily obtain a healthy food for the user. it can.

  In addition, although detailed description is abbreviate | omitted, according to the weight of a spinach, it is necessary to change cooking conditions slightly. For example, when 30g and 40g of spinach were cooked at a cooking temperature of 40 ° C, it was experimentally found that the time required for vitamin C to reach the maximum value tends to take longer than 30g of spinach. ing. Therefore, fine control suitable for practical use can be facilitated by programming the best cooking time zone by further adding data corresponding to the weight to the data of FIG. 4 described above.

  In this way, cooking with low temperature steam in a heating cooker based on experimental data that vitamin C increases by applying stress to a cooked green vegetable such as spinach in a low temperature steam atmosphere at a predetermined temperature. Therefore, the user can easily increase vitamin C before cooking, and the user can easily and easily take vitamin C. In particular, when the food is a greenish yellow vegetable, the vitamin C of the greenish yellow vegetable can be increased by steam heating so that the temperature in the cooking chamber 1 is in the range of 40 ° C to less than 50 ° C.

According to the said Example, there exist the following effects.
In particular, as disclosed in FIG. 3, when the cooking temperature is less than 100 ° C., which is the boiling temperature of water, the fan 3 a by the circulation fan device 3 is rotated at a lower speed than the cooking temperature of 100 ° C. Therefore, the food that is steam-cooked at this low temperature is soft against the circulating air and can reduce the drying action in a tendency to reduce the amount of steam. Is obtained. Specifically, for example, the cooking temperature for increasing vitamin C in green-yellow vegetables becomes a low temperature setting of about 40 to 50 ° C., so the temperature difference from room temperature becomes small, so an early point in time when a small amount of steam is supplied Will reach the predetermined temperature. For this reason, the amount of steam introduced into the chamber is further reduced and the atmosphere becomes easier to dry. However, by reducing the rotation speed of the fan 3a as in this embodiment, the cooking without unevenness due to the stirring of the steam is maintained. However, it is possible to prevent the vegetables from drying and becoming cracked.

  In addition, when the cooking temperature is a high temperature of 100 ° C. (boiling point) or higher, or the hot air heater 2 that is an internal heating means useful for quickly raising the internal temperature, the hot air heater 2 is always used for cooking at a low temperature of less than 100 ° C. The heater was not heated by turning it off. This is because, as described above, when the cooking temperature is low, the steam amount immediately reaching the predetermined cooking temperature and reducing the amount of steam introduced into the chamber is reduced. A larger amount of steam can be ensured, and a better moisturizing effect can be expected together with the low speed rotation of the fan device 3.

  In addition, when the cooking temperature is less than 100 ° C., the amount of outside air intake by the intake fan device 14 (see FIG. 2) is increased as compared to the cooking temperature of 100 ° C. or more. As described above, when the cooking temperature is low as described above, it is difficult to obtain a sufficient amount of steam by quickly reaching the predetermined temperature, but until the predetermined temperature is reached by cooling the inside by taking in a lot of outside air. The amount of steam introduced during this period can be increased.

  Furthermore, the steam generation temperature is lowered as compared to when the cooking temperature is 100 ° C. or higher. Accordingly, since the steam itself supplied to the interior is at a low temperature, it is possible to secure a large amount of steam before reaching a predetermined temperature by slowing the temperature rise in the interior due to the steam heating. As a specific means, in the present embodiment, the steam generation temperature in the evaporation container 6c is lowered, and the steam generated at the low temperature is supplied to the inside of the chamber, which can be easily executed.

  In the present embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 3, when the internal temperature is less than 100 ° C., the hot air heater 2 is turned off under the basic condition of the low-speed rotation control of the fan device 3 in step S6. The description has been made by sequentially adding conditions such as a large amount of intake air in the cabinet and a control for lowering the steam generation temperature in step S8, but these may be adopted as needed and used in combination as necessary. .

(Modification)
FIG. 5 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 showing a modification of the present invention, showing other means for supplying the low-temperature steam to the inside of the cabinet. The description will be omitted, and different parts will be described.

  This is different from the above-described embodiment in that a suppression plate 16 having an L shape, for example, is provided on the front side of the jet outlet 6d. That is, the suppression plate 16 is opposed to the jet outlet 6d, has an L-shape that is open on the upper side and the left and right sides, and is disposed on the left side wall 1b of the cooking cabinet 1.

  Thus, the steam generated in the evaporation container 6c is ejected in the horizontal direction from the ejection port 6d, but is prevented from colliding with the restraining plate 16, and not directly supplied into the chamber as it is. That is, the direction of steam ejection is stopped by the restraining plate 16 but the lower part is in a closed state, so that the steam is supplied into the interior mainly from the upper side indicated by the arrow in the drawing. That is, the steam is guided by the restraining plate 16 so as to be directed in a right angle direction, and the restraining plate 16 functions as a guide member in the steam introduction direction. Accordingly, the steam substantially flows into the cooking chamber along the inner wall surface of the left side wall 1b of the cooking chamber 1, and the heat of the steam is taken away by the left side wall 1b due to the positive contact with the wall surface.

  As a result, the amount of heat and temperature of the steam supplied along the inner wall surface in the warehouse can be reduced, so even if the interior temperature is a low temperature setting value of less than 100 ° C., the rise in the interior temperature. It is possible to increase the amount of steam by moderately reducing the amount of steam, and in combination with the low-speed rotation by the fan device 3, the drying action can be suppressed and an effective moisture retention effect can be expected. Further, this modification and the means disclosed in the above embodiment can be merged. For example, when combined with a control means (step S8) for lowering the steam generation temperature, steam having a lower temperature can be supplied into the cabinet, It is suitable for securing the steam amount or when the internal temperature is set to a lower temperature.

  On the other hand, in the cooking mode with superheated steam having an internal temperature of 100 ° C. or higher, heat escapes similarly through the wall surface. However, the steam temperature normally introduced into the cabinet is 100 ° C. or higher, the overheating action is always performed by turning on the hot air heater 2, and the circulation (stirring) action is caused by the high-speed rotation of the fan device 3. Since the internal temperature rises quickly and has a very large amount of heat, cooking with overheated steam at 100 ° C. or higher can be performed without being affected by the amount of heat reduction.

  However, the suppression plate 16 that functions as a steam guide member is not limited to the above-described configuration, and may have a configuration in which, for example, the lower surface side may be opened, and in some cases, the side may be opened mainly. In short, any guide member capable of directing steam in the direction along the inner wall surface may be used, and it may be configured to be movable according to the cooking mode.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings. For example, the stirring fan device uses a hot air circulation fan device, and a hot air heater is used as a heating means inside the cabinet. It is also possible to use a fan device provided separately from the above, and it is also possible to use another grill heater as the internal heating means. In addition, the intake means for taking in outside air is not limited to a fan device dedicated to intake air, but may be a form using a fan device provided for cooling, for example, a magnetron or a heat-generating electronic component (not shown). Various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

The front view of the cooking chamber which shows roughly the main composition of one example of the present invention Block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the main part Flow chart showing control operation of main part Graph based on experimental data showing the relationship between vitamin C content and various cooking temperatures in food "Spinach" FIG. 1 equivalent view showing a modification of the present invention

Explanation of symbols

  In the drawings, 1 is a cooking chamber, 2 is a hot air heater (inside heating means), 3 is a fan device for circulation (fan device), 3a is a fan, 5 is a steam supply device, 6 is an evaporation unit, 6c is an evaporation container, 7 is a water supply unit, 10 is an intake port (intake means), 12 is an intake fan device (intake means), 13 is an internal thermistor (internal temperature sensor), 14 is a control unit, 14a is a steam heating control means, Reference numerals 16 and 16 denote suppression plates (guide members).

Claims (4)

A cooking chamber for cooking food,
In-chamber heating means for heating the inside of the cooking chamber;
A fan device for stirring the air in the cooking chamber;
A steam supply device for supplying steam into the cooking chamber;
An internal temperature sensor for detecting the temperature in the cooking chamber;
A control unit for controlling cooking of food,
The control unit has a steam heating control means capable of performing steam cooking by driving the fan device and controlling the temperature in the chamber while supplying steam into the chamber by the steam supply device,
The steam heating control means controls the internal temperature to a predetermined temperature lower than the boiling point of water.
As compared with the case where the internal heating means is turned off and the internal heating means is turned on to control the temperature above the boiling point, the fan rotational speed of the fan device is reduced and the steam supply temperature is reduced. A cooking device characterized by that. Having an intake means for taking outside air into the cooking chamber;
When controlling the temperature inside the predetermined temperature below the boiling point, the heating cooker of claim 1, wherein increasing the intake air amount by the intake means relative to the time higher than the boiling point. The steam supply device has an evaporation unit that generates steam by heating water,
The steam generating temperature due to evaporation unit when controlling the inside temperature to a predetermined temperature below the boiling point, the heating cooker of claim 1, wherein the reducing than at least the boiling point. The steam blowing direction into the compartment, the heating cooker according to claim 1, characterized in that a guide member oriented in a direction along the cooking chamber inner wall.

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