Semi-finished food material processing and cooking method suitable for vending machine

Abstract

The invention discloses a semi-finished food material processing and cooking method suitable for a vending machine. Relates to the technical field of food cooking of vending machines, semi-finished food materials are instant noodles, rice noodles and frozen foods packaged by PE films, and the processing and cooking method comprises the following steps: preparing materials and storing; ordering by the user; cooking preparation: after food materials enter a cooking part, a water injection cover plate is pressed downwards to cover a cooking chamber to form a closed cooking space, and meanwhile, the lower end of a hot water injection mechanism penetrates through a PE film package of a cooking object to supply quantitative high-temperature cooking water with set temperature to the interior of the cooking object; the closed cooking space of the cooking part is kept after the hot water injection mechanism injects water, and the microwave generation device emits microwaves to food materials in the middle of the closed cooking space for heating; and cooking is completed. Food such as instant noodles can be quickly and automatically cooked in the mode that the microwave generation device is matched with the hot water injection mechanism to inject hot water, and convenience is improved for users.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of food cooking for automatic vending machines, and in particular to a method for processing and cooking semi-finished food ingredients suitable for automatic vending machines. Background Art

[0002] With the accelerated pace of modern life, the quick-cooking semi-finished food ingredients sold through vending machines have met people's needs for speed and convenience to a considerable extent. Among them, instant noodles have a large audience among consumers. Although instant noodles can be eaten dry, more often people always choose to fill water with instant noodles for quick cooking. There are also instant noodle vending machines that are equipped with hot water to facilitate consumers to complete the instant noodle process directly at the vending machine.

[0003] However, existing vending machines still have certain problems. When taking out instant noodles for sale, consumers still need to manually take out the cooking object, open the packaging of the cooking object, select hot water and manually inject water into the food, then reseal the packaging and wait, which may be inconvenient for consumers. In addition, this type of simple instant noodle processing takes a long time, and the taste of the instant noodles is average. Only soaking in hot water can easily cause the noodles to become soft, and the oil overflows from the noodles, causing the noodles to be chewy and greasy. Relatively speaking, boiled noodles have a better flavor. Although some instant noodle vending machines now have external electric stoves for auxiliary noodle cooking, such equipment usually still uses conventional paper box packaging barrel noodles, and most of them are open structures, and still need to be heated externally. The overall cooking time is long and the cooking time is not shortened. Manual assisted cooking operations are inconvenient and unsafe. The reason for this type of problem is due to the characteristics of the current processing method of instant noodles in vending machines. The lack of other cooking methods and further automation is not conducive to meeting the convenience and speed requirements of vending machines. In view of this, in-depth research was conducted on the above-mentioned issues, which led to this case. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for processing and cooking semi-finished food ingredients suitable for vending machines, so as to solve the problem that the vending machines provided in the above-mentioned background technology lack other cooking methods and further automation, which is not conducive to meeting the convenience and speed requirements of vending machines.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides the following technical solutions: a method for processing and cooking semi-finished food ingredients suitable for vending machines; The semi-finished cooking ingredients are instant noodles, rice noodles and frozen food ingredients, and the food storage method is PE film packaging for sealed storage; The vending machine is an automatic vending machine including a cooking part and an ordering module. The main body of the cooking part is an openable and closable sterile and sealed space consisting of a water injection cover plate and a cooking chamber, and a microwave generating device for performing microwave heating in the cooking chamber and a hot water injection mechanism for supplying water to the cooking chamber are arranged on the water injection cover plate, and rapid cooking is performed by injecting hot water of sufficient temperature in combination with microwave heating; The processing and cooking methods of semi-finished food ingredients for vending machines include: Step 1: Material preparation and storage: The prepared ingredients are stored in the vending machine in advance, and the ingredients packaged by PE film can be stacked and stored; Step 2: User orders food: The user selects food through the ordering module and sends a meal preparation instruction to the vending machine. The food enters the cooking part and is ready for cooking. In the initial state, the water injection cover and the cooking chamber of the cooking part remain open, and the food is pushed into the cooking chamber by opening the interval; Step 3: Cooking preparation: After the food enters the cooking section, the water injection cover is pressed down and closed with the cooking chamber to form a closed cooking space. At the same time, the lower end of the hot water injection mechanism passes through the PE film packaging of the cooking object and supplies a certain amount of high-temperature cooking water at a set temperature into the cooking object. Step 4: Quick cooking: After the hot water injection mechanism injects water, the enclosed cooking space of the cooking part is maintained, the cooking object is kept inside the enclosed cooking space, and the microwave generating device emits microwaves to the food in the middle of the enclosed cooking space for heating, so as to shorten the cooking time; Step 5: Cooking is complete: After the set time has passed and the cooking operation is completed, the food can be served.

[0006] Preferably, the ordering module includes an ordering screen arranged on the surface of the machine body or orders food through a mobile terminal or PC network. The user selects food through the ordering module and sends a purchase and preparation meal instruction to the vending machine by scanning a QR code or entering a meal pickup code.

[0007] Preferably, the hot water injection mechanism is connected to the heating water supply mechanism, and the heating water supply mechanism provides hot water of a set temperature by heating bottled pure water or external tap water provided with a filtering mechanism; A water injection pipe and a water injection port are arranged at the lower end of the water injection mechanism, and the water injection pipe penetrates the water injection cover plate, the water injection port is located below the water injection cover plate, and the water injection port is located inside the cooking part.

[0008] Preferably, the height of the enclosed cooking space is greater than or equal to the thickness of a portion of food, and the lowest height of the water injection port is lower than the PE packaging film on the surface of the food. The main body of the microwave generating device is a magnetron, and the microwaves irradiated inside the enclosed cooking space are concentrated in the center of the enclosed cooking space.

[0009] Preferably, the water injection pipe has a pressure relief groove above the water injection port, and the pressure relief groove is located outside the PE packaging film on the surface of the food, which is used to discharge the vacuum pressure or gas filled inside the cooking object to the outside of the cooking object to prevent the cooking water supplied to the inside of the cooking object from interfering with the vacuum pressure or gas.

[0010] Preferably, the amount of the quantitative high-temperature cooking water in step 3 is set at 250-400 ml, and the amount of water is preferably just enough to cover the noodles so that they are fully soaked, and the high-temperature cooking water is injected into the instant noodle container in a pre-heated state, and the temperature is set at 70-100° C. to shorten the cooking time of the instant noodles.

[0011] By adopting the above technical solution, water sufficient to cook one serving of instant noodles can be injected according to demand.

[0012] Preferably, the cooking time in step 4 is set as the time for properly cooking the instant noodles, and is set to 1-5 minutes according to the type, quantity and amount of water of the instant noodles. The ordering module is further provided with a time adjustment unit according to customer needs to reduce or increase the working time of the microwave generating device. The user can adjust the cooking time of the instant noodles according to his or her preferences.

[0013] By adopting the above technical solution, since the heat-resistant temperature of the PE film packaging of the food is usually 110°C, fast cooking can be achieved by combining hot water injection and microwave heating, and low-power microwave heating is sufficient.

[0014] Preferably, the cooking part is in an open structure when the water filling cover and the cooking chamber are opened, and a pushing and transferring mechanism is provided on the side of the cooking part for pushing the cooking part and the ingredients forward as a whole to facilitate users to take food, and at the same time, a lifting support mechanism is provided on the lifting direction of the side of the water filling cover for driving the lifting and closing of the water filling cover above the cooking chamber, and both the pushing and transferring mechanism and the lifting support mechanism are electric screw driven displacement structures.

[0015] Preferably, a weight sensing module is also provided at the bottom of the cooking chamber, and the weight sensing module is used to measure the weight of the food and the water injection weight in the cooking chamber. When the measured weight reaches a critical value, the microwave generating device and the hot water injection mechanism run corresponding steps.

[0016] Preferably, the critical value setting of the weight sensing module includes two critical points of 50g and 250g, which correspond to the weight after placing food and the weight after water injection respectively; The specific detection operation steps of the weight sensing module are as follows: A. First, when the cooking chamber is empty, the water filling cover and cooking chamber are open; B. Then when the food enters the cooking chamber and the measured weight exceeds the first critical value of 50g, the water injection cover is pressed down and closed to inject water; C. When the total weight of the food and the injected water exceeds the second critical value of 250g, the microwave generating device starts to emit microwaves to the food in the middle of the enclosed cooking space for timed heating; D. After the preset time is reached, the water filling cover and the cooking chamber are opened and reset, and the cooked ingredients are taken out to complete a complete operation step.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the semi-finished food material processing and cooking method suitable for automatic vending machines can shorten the cooking time of ready-to-eat processed food, and does not require manual work by users. The microwave generating device cooperates with the hot water injection mechanism to inject hot water and combine with microwave heating to quickly and automatically cook instant noodles and other foods, thereby improving the convenience of users. The cooking object is stored in a closed space and water is injected through the packaging PE film. When the water injection cover plate descends to form a complete closed cooking space, the water injection pipe penetrates the PE film to inject water. No additional driving steps are required for rapid collaborative cooking, which can reduce the time required for cooking in the automatic vending machine. The cooking process is more efficient. By automatically injecting hot water and assisting in heating and cooking noodles in a microwave manner, the cooking method of the vending machine is changed, and real cooking of instant noodles is achieved, rather than just instant noodles. The noodles have a chewy and non-greasy texture after cooking. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the cooking method of the present invention; Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the specific detection operation steps of the weight sensing module of the present invention; Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the cooking part structure of the present invention.

[0019] In the figure: 1. cooking part; 101. water injection cover; 102. cooking chamber; 2. microwave generating device; 3. hot water injection mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0021] See also Figure 1-3 , the present invention provides a technical solution: A method for processing and cooking semi-finished food ingredients suitable for an automatic vending machine, wherein the semi-finished food ingredients are instant noodles, rice noodles and frozen food ingredients, and the food ingredients are stored in a sealed manner by packaging with a PE film; the vending machine is an automatic vending machine comprising a cooking unit 1 and an ordering module, the ordering module comprising an ordering screen arranged on the surface of the machine body or ordering through a mobile terminal or a PC network, the user selects food through the ordering module, and sends a purchase and preparation instruction to the automatic vending machine by scanning a QR code or inputting a meal pickup code.

[0022] The main body of the cooking section 1 is an openable and closable sterile and enclosed space consisting of a water injection cover plate 101 and a cooking chamber 102, and the water injection cover plate 101 is provided with a microwave generating device 2 for microwave heating in the cooking chamber 102 and a hot water injection mechanism 3 for supplying water to the cooking chamber 102, and rapid cooking is performed by injecting hot water of sufficient temperature in combination with microwave heating; the cooking section 1 is an open structure when the water injection cover plate 101 and the cooking chamber 102 are opened, and a pushing and transferring mechanism is provided on the side of the cooking section 1 for pushing the cooking section 1 and the ingredients forward as a whole to facilitate users to take meals, and at the same time, a lifting support mechanism is provided on the lifting direction of the side of the water injection cover plate 101 for driving the lifting and closing of the water injection cover plate 101 above the cooking chamber 102, and both the pushing and transferring mechanism and the lifting support mechanism are electric screw driven displacement structures.

[0023] The hot water injection mechanism 3 is connected to the heating water supply mechanism, and the heating water supply mechanism provides hot water of a set temperature by using bottled pure water or external tap water provided by a filtering mechanism and heating it; a water injection pipe and a water injection port are provided at the lower end of the water injection mechanism, and the water injection pipe is provided through the water injection cover plate 101, the water injection port is located below the water injection cover plate 101, and the water injection port is located inside the cooking part 1. The height of the enclosed cooking space is greater than or equal to the thickness of a portion of food, and the lowest height of the water injection port is lower than the PE packaging film on the surface of the food. The main body of the microwave generating device 2 is a magnetron, and the microwaves irradiated inside the enclosed cooking space are concentrated in the center of the enclosed cooking space. A pressure relief groove is left above the water injection port on the water injection pipe, and the pressure relief groove is located outside the PE packaging film on the surface of the food, which is used to discharge the vacuum pressure or gas filled inside the cooking object to the outside of the cooking object to prevent the cooking water supplied to the inside of the cooking object from interfering with the vacuum pressure or gas.

[0024] The processing and cooking methods of semi-finished food ingredients for vending machines include: Step 1: Material preparation and storage: Turn on the power supply of the vending machine, and the operator will store the prepared ingredients in the vending machine in advance. The ingredients packaged by PE film can be stacked and stored, and the cooking water is preheated and stored in a warm state; Step 2: User orders food: The user selects food through the ordering module. When the user confirms that the corresponding amount of consumption requires the vending machine to perform cooking operations, a meal preparation instruction is issued to the vending machine, and the food enters the cooking part 1 to prepare for cooking. In the initial state, the water injection cover 101 and the cooking chamber 102 of the cooking part 1 remain in the open state, and the food is pushed into the cooking chamber 102 through the open interval; Step 3: Cooking preparation: After the food enters the cooking part 1, the water injection cover 101 is pressed down and covers the cooking chamber 102 to form a closed cooking space. At the same time, the lower end of the hot water injection mechanism 3 passes through the PE film packaging of the cooking object and supplies a fixed amount of high-temperature cooking water of a set temperature into the cooking object. In step 3, the amount of quantitative high-temperature cooking water is set at 250-400 ml, and the amount of water is preferably just enough to cover the noodles so that they are fully soaked. The high-temperature cooking water is injected into the instant noodle container in a pre-heated state, and the temperature is set at 70-100° C. to shorten the cooking time of the instant noodles.

[0025] You can add enough water to cook one serving of instant noodles as needed.

[0026] Step 4: Quick cooking: After the hot water injection mechanism 3 injects water, the enclosed cooking space of the cooking part 1 is maintained, and the cooking object is kept inside the enclosed cooking space. The microwave generating device 2 emits microwaves to the food in the middle of the enclosed cooking space for heating, and the cooking operation based on the high-temperature cooking water and the cooking operation based on the microwave are performed at the same time. The cooking operation based on the high-temperature cooking water and the cooking operation based on the operation of the cooking part 170 are performed simultaneously, which can shorten the cooking time of the cooking object; The cooking time in step 4 is set as the time required to properly cook the instant noodles, and is set to 1-5 minutes according to the type, quantity and amount of water of the instant noodles. The ordering module further provides a time adjustment unit according to customer needs to reduce or increase the working time of the microwave generating device 2. Users can adjust the cooking time of the instant noodles according to their preferences.

[0027] Since the heat-resistant temperature of the PE film packaging of the food is usually 110°C, fast cooking can be achieved by combining hot water injection and microwave heating, and low-power microwave heating is sufficient.

[0028] Step 5: Cooking is complete: After the set time has passed and the cooking operation is completed, the meal can be served and the user can eat the cooked ready-to-eat processed food.

[0029] At the same time, in the above cooking steps, a weight sensing module is also provided at the bottom of the cooking chamber 102 corresponding to the system operation part. The weight sensing module is used to measure the weight of the food and the water injection weight in the cooking chamber 102. When the measured weight reaches a critical value, the microwave generating device 2 and the hot water injection mechanism 3 run the corresponding steps. The measurement critical value setting of the weight sensing module includes two critical points of 50g and 250g, which correspond to the weight after placing the food and the weight after water injection respectively; the specific detection operation steps of the weight sensing module are as follows: A. First, when the cooking chamber 102 is empty, the water filling cover 101 and the cooking chamber 102 are in an open state; B. Then when the food enters the cooking chamber 102 and the measured weight exceeds the first critical value of 50g, the water injection cover 101 is pressed down and closed to inject water; C. When the total weight of the food and the injected water exceeds the second critical value of 250g, the microwave generating device 2 starts to emit microwaves to the food in the middle of the enclosed cooking space for timed heating; D. After the preset time is reached, the water filling cover 101 and the cooking chamber 102 are opened and reset, and the cooked ingredients are taken out to complete a complete operation step.

[0030] Contents not described in detail in this specification belong to the prior art known to professional and technical personnel in the field. Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it is understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the attached claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for processing and cooking semi-finished food ingredients suitable for vending machines, characterized in that: The semi-finished cooking ingredients are instant noodles, rice noodles and frozen food ingredients, and the food storage method is PE film or PP film packaging for sealed storage; The vending machine is an automatic vending machine comprising a cooking section (1) and an ordering module, wherein the main body of the cooking section (1) is an openable and closable sterile enclosed space consisting of a water injection cover plate (101) and a cooking chamber (102), and the water injection cover plate (101) is provided with a microwave generating device (2) for performing microwave heating in the cooking chamber (102) and a hot water injection mechanism (3) for supplying water to the cooking chamber (102), so that rapid cooking is performed by injecting hot water of sufficient temperature in combination with microwave heating; The processing and cooking methods of semi-finished food ingredients for vending machines include: Step 1: Material preparation and storage: The prepared ingredients are stored in the vending machine in advance, and the ingredients packaged by PE film can be stacked and stored; Step 2: User orders food: The user selects food through the ordering module and sends a meal preparation instruction to the vending machine, and the food enters the cooking section (1) to prepare for cooking. In an initial state, the water injection cover (101) and the cooking chamber (102) of the cooking section (1) remain in an open state, and the food is pushed into the cooking chamber (102) through the open gap; Step 3: Cooking preparation: After the food enters the cooking section (1), the water injection cover (101) is pressed down to cover the cooking chamber (102) to form a closed cooking space, and at the same time, the lower end of the hot water injection mechanism (3) passes through the PE film packaging of the cooking object to supply a fixed amount of high-temperature cooking water at a set temperature to the interior of the cooking object; Step 4: Quick cooking: After the hot water injection mechanism (3) injects water, the closed cooking space of the cooking part (1) is maintained, the cooking object is kept inside the closed cooking space, and the microwave generating device (2) emits microwaves to the food in the middle of the closed cooking space for heating, so as to shorten the cooking time; Step 5: Cooking is complete: After the set time has passed and the cooking operation is completed, the food can be served.

2. The method for processing and cooking semi-finished food ingredients suitable for vending machines according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ordering module includes an ordering screen arranged on the surface of the machine body or ordering through a mobile terminal or PC network. The user selects food through the ordering module and sends a purchase and preparation instruction to the vending machine by scanning a QR code or entering a meal pickup code.

3. The method for processing and cooking semi-finished food ingredients suitable for vending machines according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hot water injection mechanism (3) is connected to the heating water supply mechanism, and the heating water supply mechanism provides hot water of a set temperature by heating bottled pure water or external tap water provided with a filtering mechanism; A water injection pipe and a water injection port are provided at the lower end of the water injection mechanism, and the water injection pipe is provided through the water injection cover plate (101), the water injection port is located below the water injection cover plate (101), and the water injection port is located inside the cooking portion (1).

4. The method for processing and cooking semi-finished food ingredients suitable for vending machines according to claim 3, characterized in that: The height of the enclosed cooking space is greater than or equal to the thickness of a portion of food, and the lowest height of the water injection port is lower than the PE packaging film on the surface of the food. The main body of the microwave generating device (2) is a magnetron, and the microwaves irradiated inside the enclosed cooking space are concentrated in the center of the enclosed cooking space.

5. The method for processing and cooking semi-finished food ingredients suitable for vending machines according to claim 3, characterized in that: The water injection pipe is provided with a pressure relief groove above the water injection port, and the pressure relief groove is located outside the PE packaging film on the surface of the food material, and is used to discharge the vacuum pressure or gas filled inside the cooking object to the outside of the cooking object to prevent the cooking water supplied to the inside of the cooking object from interfering with the vacuum pressure or gas.

6. The method for processing and cooking semi-finished food ingredients suitable for vending machines according to claim 1, characterized in that: The amount of the quantitative high-temperature cooking water in step 3 is set at 250-400 ml, and the amount of water is preferably just enough to cover the noodles so that they are fully soaked. The high-temperature cooking water is injected into the instant noodle container in a pre-heated state, and the temperature is set at 70-100° C. to shorten the cooking time of the instant noodles.

7. The method for processing and cooking semi-finished food ingredients suitable for vending machines according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cooking time in step 4 is set as the time required to properly cook the instant noodles, and is set to 1-5 minutes according to the type, quantity and amount of water of the instant noodles. The ordering module is further provided with a time adjustment unit according to customer needs to reduce or increase the working time of the microwave generating device (2). The user can adjust the cooking time of the instant noodles according to his or her own preferences.

8. The method for processing and cooking semi-finished food ingredients suitable for vending machines according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cooking portion (1) is in an open structure when the water injection cover plate (101) and the cooking chamber (102) are open, and a push transfer mechanism is provided on the side of the cooking portion (1) for pushing the cooking portion (1) and the food ingredients forward as a whole to facilitate users to take food, and a lifting support mechanism is provided on the side of the water injection cover plate (101) in the lifting direction for driving the water injection cover plate (101) to lift and close above the cooking chamber (102), and both the push transfer mechanism and the lifting support mechanism are electric screw driven displacement structures.

9. The method for processing and cooking semi-finished food ingredients suitable for vending machines according to claim 1, characterized in that: A weight sensing module is also provided at the bottom of the cooking chamber (102), and is used to measure the weight of food and water injection in the cooking chamber (102). When the measured weight reaches a critical value, the microwave generating device (2) and the hot water injection mechanism (3) execute corresponding steps.

10. The method for processing and cooking semi-finished food ingredients suitable for vending machines according to claim 9, characterized in that: The critical value setting of the weight sensing module includes two critical points: 50g and 250g, which correspond to the weight after placing food and the weight after water injection respectively; The specific detection operation steps of the weight sensing module are as follows: A. First, when the machine is unloaded, the water filling cover (101) and the cooking chamber (102) are in an open state; B. Then, when the food enters the cooking chamber (102) and the measured weight exceeds a first critical value of 50 g, the water injection cover (101) is pressed down and closed to inject water; C. When the total weight of the food and the injected water exceeds a second critical value of 250 g, the microwave generating device (2) starts to emit microwaves to the food in the middle of the enclosed cooking space for timed heating; D. After the preset time is reached, the water filling cover (101) and the cooking chamber (102) are opened and reset, and the cooked food is taken out to complete a complete operation step.

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