Cooking assembly and electric rice cooker thereof

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of cooking assemblies and electric rice cookers thereof. Among them, the cooking assembly includes inner pot, inner pot is equipped with steamer, steamer can slide along inner wall of inner pot;Inner pot is formed with water storage cavity, and the steamer is formed with cooking cavity, and the cooking cavity is connected to the through hole of water storage cavity, so that the water storage cavity and the cooking cavity form a closed piston cavity;Inner pot is heated, and the piston cavity expands, so that the steamer rises along the inner pot, and the rice and water are separated. Among them, the electric rice cooker includes the cooking assembly described above. The cooking assembly and the electric rice cooker thereof disclosed by the application lift the steamer by the pressure generated during cooking, realize the separation of rice and water, so that other power sources are not needed to drain water or lift the steamer, and the structure is simple, and the operation is more stable.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of cooking, and particularly relates to a steaming and boiling assembly and an electric rice cooker. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the pursuit of higher and higher quality of life, the existing traditional electric rice cooker is difficult to meet the needs. Commonly used rice cooking is to put rice and water into the electric rice cooker together to cook, and the traditional rice cooking has a poor user experience, mainly including the following problems: 1) the ratio of rice and water has certain requirements, and the user operation is difficult to accurately put the ratio of rice and water, and the softness of rice is difficult to guarantee; 2) the rice contains sugar, and is not suitable for diabetics. Therefore, the existing electric rice cooker begins to try to cook drained rice to control the softness and sugar content of rice.

[0003] The drained rice can also be called rice cooked in a rice steamer, which is a common cooking method in Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan, Guizhou, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Guangxi and other regions. First, the rice is boiled with water to half-cooked, then the rice is lifted and drained, and placed in a bamboo or wooden cylinder, and then steamed in a pot. The characteristic is that the rice is dry and full, and has the fragrance of bamboo and wood, and can also produce nutritious and sweet rice soup.

[0004] If the diabetics and people with high blood sugar, the total calories required per day are strictly limited, and the amount of rice per meal cannot exceed a certain amount, and porridge cannot be drunk, because the porridge will increase blood sugar. However, the drained rice is drained of rice soup, and the starch content is correspondingly reduced, which is beneficial to the body of diabetics and people with high blood sugar.

[0005] A typical electric rice cooker generally consists of a shell, an inner container, a heating device, a temperature control and timing device. The inner container containing food and water is placed on the heating plate, and the bottom is attached to the temperature-limited central soft magnet of the heating plate. Press the switch, the permanent magnet below the soft magnet rises to contact the soft magnet; at this time, the pot has not been heated, the soft magnet is below the Curie temperature, and has good ferromagnetism, which can be magnetized by the permanent magnet and held at a high point. The soft magnet at the high point drives the internal lever to act, connecting the upper and lower contacts on the circuit, and the heating element as the heating device is powered to heat, and the food in the pot is heated to a high temperature. When the temperature of the inner container bottom reaches 103±2℃ (which is the Curie temperature of the soft magnet), the soft magnet immediately senses and loses magnetism, and falls from the high point position under the joint action of gravity and internal spring, and thus drives the lever mechanism to make the upper and lower contacts of the circuit separate, and the circuit is disconnected, and the heating element no longer generates heat, achieving the purpose of temperature limiting. But at this time, the heating plate is still in a high heat state, and its heat capacity is large, which can continue to heat the food in the pot for a period of time until the food is fully cooked.

[0006] The electric rice cooker capable of making drained rice is provided with a drainage hole on the inner container of the traditional evaporation cooker, and after the first stage of cooking is completed, the rice soup in the inner container is drained through the drainage hole, and the drained rice soup is heated for the second stage of cooking, thereby achieving the function of making drained rice.

[0007] However, due to the need to set up a solenoid valve on the drainage hole and control the solenoid valve with electrical elements, the mechanical structure and circuit structure of the rice steamer are complicated, and the expensive electric rice cooker capable of making drained rice is difficult to promote. At the same time, due to the complication of the mechanical structure and the circuit structure, the electric rice cooker capable of making drained rice is more prone to failure. For example, the solenoid valve in a high temperature and high humidity environment will have a great impact on its service life. SUMMARY

[0008] The present application provides a steaming and cooking assembly and an electric rice cooker thereof to solve the technical problems of complex structure and difficulty in implementation of the steaming and cooking structure of drained rice mentioned in the background art.

[0009] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the specific technical solutions of the steaming and cooking assembly and the electric rice cooker thereof of the present application are as follows:

[0010] A steaming and cooking assembly comprises an inner pot, a steamer is sleeved in the inner pot, and the steamer can slide along the inner wall of the inner pot; the inner pot forms a water storage cavity, the steamer forms a steaming and cooking cavity, the steaming and cooking cavity is provided with a through hole connected to the water storage cavity, and the water storage cavity and the steaming and cooking cavity form a closed piston cavity; the inner pot is heated, the piston cavity expands, the steamer rises along the inner pot, and the rice and water are separated.

[0011] Further, a cover plate is arranged on the steaming and cooking cavity to seal the steaming and cooking cavity.

[0012] Further, a sealing element is arranged between the inner wall of the inner pot and the outer wall of the steamer to seal the circumferential gap between the inner pot and the steamer.

[0013] Further, the sealing element is a sealing ring, and a sealing groove is formed on the outer wall of the steamer for sleeving the sealing ring.

[0014] Further, a resilient element is clamped between the steamer and the inner pot to balance the force acting on the steamer, so that the steamer rises at the end of cooking.

[0015] Further, the resilient element is a compression spring, and the pressure in the pot overcomes the elastic force and the weight of the steamer and the food material, so that the steamer rises.

[0016] Further, a telescopic locking block is arranged on the inner pot, and the steamer is provided with a socket for inserting the locking block to fix the raised steamer.

[0017] Further, an outer pot is sleeved on the inner pot, the outer pot is provided with a mounting hole for mounting the locking block, one end of the locking block located in the outer pot is provided with a protruding block, and a resilient element is clamped between the protruding block and the inner wall of the outer pot to drive the locking block to be inserted into the socket.

[0018] Further, the through hole is arranged on the bottom surface of the steamer.

[0019] Further, the steamer bottom is provided with a detachable partition plate, and the through hole is arranged on the partition plate.

[0020] Further, the inner pot bottom is formed with a forming column, the forming column can be inserted into the rice through the through hole, and the forming column is separated from the steamer after the steamer is lifted, so that the rice in the steamer is formed with a vent hole.

[0021] Further, the cover plate is provided with an exhaust pipe, and the exhaust pipe is provided with a steam valve, so that the exhaust pipe is opened after the steamer is lifted, and steam is discharged to steam the rice.

[0022] Further, the exhaust pipe side wall is provided with an inner air outlet; the steam valve comprises an outer pipe sleeved outside the exhaust pipe, the outer pipe is fixedly arranged relative to the outer pot, and the outer pipe side is provided with an outer air outlet; the steamer is lifted, the exhaust pipe moves along the outer pipe, the inner air outlet is aligned with the outer air outlet, and the steam is discharged

[0023] Further, the outer air outlet lower side is provided with a gas blocking part, and the gas blocking part is sealingly connected with the exhaust pipe, so as to close the inner air outlet before the steamer is lifted.

[0024] An electric rice cooker comprising the above-mentioned steaming and cooking assembly.

[0025] The steaming and cooking assembly and the electric rice cooker have the following advantages:

[0026] 1. The steamer is lifted by the pressure generated during cooking, so that the rice and water are separated, and other power sources are not needed to drain water or lift the steamer, the structure is simple, and the operation is more stable;

[0027] 2. The elastic member is used to adjust the pressure required to lift the steamer, the pressure is proportional to the heating time under the same heating power, so that the required pressure is controlled, the cooking time is controlled, and the softness and hardness of the rice are controlled;

[0028] 3. The locking block is used to lock the lifted steamer, so that the steamer cannot be lifted up and down due to unstable pressure, and the steamer cannot be stably in the rice steaming stage;

[0029] 4. When the steamer is lifted, the rice in the steamer has been preliminarily shaped, so that the forming column leaves a honeycomb-shaped vent hole on the rice when the forming column exits the through hole, the vent hole provides a steam passage for the generated steam, thereby increasing the contact area between the steam and the rice, making the rice heating more uniform, and making the rice dry and full, and the taste is better;

[0030] 5. By opening and closing the exhaust pipe, the heating of this application is divided into two stages: pressure cooking and normal pressure steaming. The pressure cooking stage not only speeds up the cooking efficiency, but also generates pressure to drive the steam to rise and switch stages; while normal pressure steaming ensures the taste of the rice. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 It is a schematic cross-sectional view of the electric rice cooker of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A magnified view of part A;

[0033] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A magnified view of part B;

[0034] Figure 4 It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the electric rice cooker in the rice steaming state of the present invention.

[0035] Description of the marks in the figure:

[0036] 1. Outer pot; 11. Heater; 12. Outer cover; 2. Inner pot; 21. Water storage chamber; 22. Raised edge; 23. Forming column; 3. Steamer; 31. Cooking chamber; 32. Partition; 321. Through hole; 33. Mounting plate; 4. Cover; 41. Pot mouth lock; 5. Sealing member; 6. Elastic member; 7. Locking block; 71. Protrusion; 72. Elastic member; 73. Handle; 8. Exhaust pipe; 81. Inner air outlet; 9. Steam valve; 91. Outer air outlet; 92. Air baffle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The technical solution of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments of the present invention without making any creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0038] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are intended solely to facilitate and simplify the description of the present invention. They are not intended to indicate or imply that the devices or components referred to must have, be constructed, or operate in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limitations on the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0039] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be internal communication between two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances. In addition, the technical features involved in the different embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0040] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that although some embodiments herein include certain features included in other embodiments but not other features, the combination of features from different embodiments is intended to be within the scope of the present invention and to form different embodiments. For example, in the claims, any one of the claimed embodiments may be used in any combination.

[0041] like Figure 1 and Figure 4 As shown, the steaming assembly of the present invention includes an outer pot 1. A heater 11 is located at the bottom of the outer pot 1 to heat the rice water. Heater 11 is typically a heating plate or electromagnetic coil that heats the rice water. An inner pot 2 is located within the outer pot 1, positioned above heater 11 to receive heat from it.

[0042] Steamer 3 is nestled within inner pot 2, sliding along the inner wall of inner pot 2. Inner pot 2 is formed with a water storage chamber 21 and a water outlet chamber 21 for storing water. Steamer 3 defines a cooking chamber 31 for storing rice and other foods. Cooking chamber 31 has a through-hole 321 connected to water storage chamber 21, forming a sealed piston chamber with the water storage chamber 21. When inner pot 2 is heated, the piston chamber expands, causing steamer 3 to rise along inner pot 2, separating the rice from the water.

[0043] Specifically, as the water vapor in inner pot 2 gradually expands due to heat, the pressure inside the pot needs to be released. Because the piston cavity is sealed, the pressure cannot be released to the outside. Instead, pressure is applied between inner pot 2 and steamer basket 3 through through-hole 321. Since steamer basket 3 and inner pot 2 can slide relative to each other, the steamer basket 3 rises, expanding the combined volume of water storage chamber 21 and cooking chamber 31. This increased volume reduces the pressure inside the pot.

[0044] When the pressure in the pot is relatively low, the through hole 321 allows the water in the water storage chamber 21 to cover the rice in the cooking chamber 31, and the rice is cooked; as the pressure in the pot increases, the steamer 3 rises, and the rice soup in the steamer 3 flows back into the inner pot 2 through the through hole 321, separating the rice and the water; the heater 11 continues to heat the rice soup in the inner pot 2 to steam the rice, and the rice is drained.

[0045] In order to seal the piston cavity, two parts of the seal are mainly needed. One, the cover plate 4 is arranged on the cooking cavity 31 to seal the cooking cavity 31; two, the gap between the inner pot 2 and the steamer 3 is sealed.

[0046] The cover plate 4 is fixedly installed on the steamer 3 through the pot opening lock 41. In addition to the pot opening lock 41 in the prior art, the cover plate 4 can also be fixed by rotating clamping and the like, and a sealing ring can also be arranged to seal, so as to ensure that the cover plate 4 is fixed and sealed on the steamer 3.

[0047] A sealing element 5 is arranged between the inner wall of the inner pot 2 and the outer wall of the steamer 3, and the sealing element 5 seals the circumferential gap between the inner pot 2 and the steamer 3. Generally, the sealing element 5 is a sealing ring, and the outer wall of the steamer 3 is formed with oppositely arranged mounting plates 33, and a sealing groove is formed between the two mounting plates 33. The sealing groove is provided for the sealing ring to be sleeved, so as to install the sealing element 5 on the steamer 3. With the movement of the steamer 3, the sealing ring keeps in contact with the inner pot 2 to ensure sealing. In addition, the sealing element 5 can also be installed on the inner wall of the inner pot 2, but it is not convenient for the steamer 3 to be sleeved in the inner pot 2.

[0048] In this way, the cooking cavity 31 is sealed by the cover plate 4, and the gap between the inner pot 2 and the steamer 3 is sealed by the sealing element 5, so as to ensure the sealing of the piston cavity and prevent the piston cavity from leaking and the steamer 3 from being unable to normally rise.

[0049] Moreover, the elastic element 6 is clamped between the steamer 3 and the inner pot 2, the elastic element 6 balances the force received by the steamer 3, and the steamer 3 rises. By adjusting the elastic force of the elastic element 6, the time point at which the pressure in the pot overcomes the total weight of the steamer 3 and the rice water can be adjusted, so as to change the time length of the first stage of steaming rice and control the softness of the rice.

[0050] In order to prevent the elastic element 6 from contacting the water in the water storage cavity 21, the upper end of the inner pot 2 is formed with an inwardly extending flange 22, and the spring is clamped between the flange 22 and the mounting edge. The elastic element 6 can be a compression spring or a tension spring. When the elastic element 6 is a compression spring, the pressure in the pot needs to overcome the elastic force + the weight of the steamer 3 and the food material, so as to make the steamer 3 rise, and this is generally used in household electric rice cookers. If the elastic element 6 is a tension spring, the pressure in the pot and the elastic force need to overcome the weight of the steamer 3 and the food material, so as to make the steamer 3 rise, which is suitable for large inner pots 2. The specific type and model of the elastic element 6 is set according to the specific situation, and it is only required to ensure that the end time of cooking rice meets the requirement of moderate softness of rice.

[0051] Combination Figure 2As shown, the inner pot 2 is provided with a retractable locking block 7, and the steamer 3 is provided with an insertion opening for the locking block 7 to be inserted into, so as to fix the raised steamer 3 and prevent the steamer 3 from falling due to unstable pressure. Specifically, the outer pot 1 is provided with a mounting hole for mounting the locking block 7, and the locking block 7 is sleeved in the mounting hole. One end of the locking block 7 in the outer pot 1 is provided with a protruding block 71, and a spring is clamped between the protruding block 71 and the inner wall of the outer pot 1, so as to drive the locking block 7 to be inserted into the insertion opening. The inner pot 2 is provided with an avoiding hole for the locking block 7 to pass through, so as to prevent the inner pot 2 from interfering with the normal work of the locking block 7. One end of the locking block 7 outside the outer pot 1 is provided with a handle 73, so as to pull the locking block 7 and release the locking. The insertion opening can be independently arranged on the outer wall of the inner pot 2, or arranged in the gap between the sealing member 5 and the mounting plate 33, so as to save space.

[0052] In the embodiment, the bottom of the steamer 3 is provided with a detachable partition plate 32, and the through hole 321 is arranged on the partition plate 32, so that the bottom plate can be easily detached for cleaning the through hole 321.

[0053] The bottom of the inner pot 2 is formed with a forming column 23, which can pass through the through hole 321 and be inserted into the rice, so that the forming column 23 is separated from the steamer 3 after the steamer 3 is raised, so as to form the rice in the steamer 3 with air holes. Through the air holes, steam can enter the inside of the rice during the steaming process, so that the rice is heated more uniformly, and the rice is dry and full, and the taste is better.

[0054] In addition, the through hole 321 can also be arranged at the lower end of the side of the steamer 3, which can also play a role in draining water, but cannot be provided with the forming column 23, and is not preferred.

[0055] In combination Figure 3 As shown, the cover plate 4 is provided with an exhaust pipe 8, and the exhaust pipe 8 is provided with a steam valve 9, so as to open the exhaust pipe 8 after the steamer 3 is raised, and discharge steam to steam the rice. Specifically, the side wall of the exhaust pipe 8 is provided with an inner air outlet 81, and the steam valve 9 includes an outer pipe sleeved on the exhaust pipe 8, and the outer pipe is fixedly arranged relative to the outer pot 1, and the outer pipe is provided with an outer air outlet 91 on the side. When the steamer 3 is raised, the inner air outlet 81 and the outer air outlet 91 are aligned along the outer pipe, so as to discharge steam. In addition, the lower side of the outer air outlet 91 is provided with a gas blocking part 92, which is sealingly connected with the exhaust pipe 8, so as to close the inner air outlet 81 before the steamer 3 is raised. Specifically, the gas blocking part 92 is provided with sealing rings at the upper and lower ends, so as to be sealed. Therefore, when steaming the rice, high pressure does not need to be maintained, and the exhaust pipe 8 is opened to steam the rice.

[0056] In order to fix the steam valve 9 with the outer pot 1, the outer pot 1 is fixed with an outer cover 12, and the steam valve 9 is fixed on the outer cover 12. The outer cover 12 has a relatively thick depth relative to the cover plate 4, so that when the outer cover 12 covers the outer pot 1, the outer cover 12 and the outer pot 1 form a relatively deep inner cavity for the steamer 3 to rise and fall. The steam valve 9 is fixed on the outer cover 12, and the opening and closing of the exhaust pipe 8 is realized by the rising and falling of the exhaust pipe 8 on the cover plate 4, which is simple in structure and stable and controllable.

[0057] In addition, the steam valve 9 can also be replaced by other solenoid valves, which are opened when the sensor detects that the steamer 3 is lifted to exhaust steam, but the structure is more complex and is not preferred.

[0058] The cooking assembly of the present application, when the rice is cooked to 3-7 layers, the steamer 3 is lifted by the pressure in the pot, the water in the rice flows back to the inner pot 2 through the through hole 321 on the partition plate 32, and the rice and water are separated. Since the steamer 3 and the cover plate 4 are lifted, the exhaust pipe at the top of the cover plate 4 is in communication with the exhaust hole of the steam valve 9, the steam and pressure in the pot are released and discharged outside the pot, and at this time the cooking mode is switched from pressure cooking to steaming.

[0059] The present application also discloses an electric rice cooker comprising the above-mentioned cooking assembly.

[0060] It can be understood that the present application is described by some embodiments, and those skilled in the art know that various changes or equivalent replacements can be made to these features and embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. In addition, under the guidance of the present application, these features and embodiments can be modified to adapt to specific conditions and materials without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Therefore, the present application is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed herein, and all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims of the present application are within the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A retort assembly comprising an inner pot, characterized in that, The inner pot is sleeved with a steamer, which can slide along the inner wall of the inner pot; the inner pot is formed with a water storage cavity, and the steamer is formed with a cooking cavity, which is provided with a through hole connected to the water storage cavity, so that the water storage cavity and the cooking cavity form a closed piston cavity; the inner pot is heated, the piston cavity expands, and the steamer rises along the inner pot to separate the rice and water.

2. The retort assembly of claim 1, wherein, A cover plate is arranged on the cooking cavity to seal the cooking cavity.

3. A retort assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, A sealing member is arranged between the inner wall of the inner pot and the outer wall of the steamer to seal the circumferential gap between the inner pot and the steamer.

4. The retort assembly of claim 3, wherein, The sealing member is a sealing ring, and a sealing groove is formed on the outer wall of the steamer for sleeving the sealing ring.

5. The retort assembly of claim 1, wherein, A resilient member is clamped between the steamer and the inner pot to balance the pressure in the pot and make the steamer rise at the end of cooking.

6. The retort assembly of claim 5, wherein, The resilient member is a compression spring, and the pressure in the pot overcomes the elastic force and the weight of the steamer and food to make the steamer rise.

7. The retort assembly of claim 1, wherein, A telescopic locking block is arranged on the inner pot, and the steamer is provided with a socket for inserting the locking block to fix the raised steamer.

8. The retort assembly of claim 7, wherein, An outer pot is sleeved on the inner pot, and the outer pot is provided with a mounting hole for mounting the locking block; one end of the locking block located in the outer pot is provided with a protrusion, and a resilient member is clamped between the protrusion and the inner wall of the outer pot to drive the locking block to be inserted into the socket.

9. The retort assembly of claim 1, wherein, The through hole is arranged on the bottom surface of the steamer.

10. The retort assembly of claim 9, wherein, A detachable partition plate is arranged at the bottom of the steamer, and the through hole is arranged on the partition plate.

11. The cooking assembly according to claim 9, characterized in that The inner pot is formed with a shaped column at the bottom, which can be inserted into the rice through the through hole to make the shaped column separate from the steamer after the steamer rises, so that the rice in the steamer is formed with a vent hole.

12. The retort assembly of claim 2, wherein, An exhaust pipe is arranged on the cover plate, and a steam valve is arranged on the exhaust pipe to open the exhaust pipe and discharge steam for cooking rice after the steamer rises.

13. The retort assembly of claim 12, wherein, The sidewall of the exhaust pipe is provided with an inner air outlet; the steam valve includes an outer pipe sleeved on the exhaust pipe, and the outer pipe is fixedly arranged relative to the outer pot and provided with an outer air outlet on the side surface; the steamer rises to move the exhaust pipe along the outer pipe to align the inner air outlet with the outer air outlet to discharge steam.

14. The retort assembly of claim 13, wherein, A gas blocking part is arranged below the outer air outlet, which is sealingly connected with the exhaust pipe to close the inner air outlet before the steamer rises.

15. An electric rice cooker, characterized by comprising: The cooking assembly comprises the steamer according to any one of claims 1-14.

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