Cooking preparation appliance equipped with hot air cooking device

Abstract

The invention relates to a cooking preparation appliance (1), comprising: a housing (2); a cooking pot (4) configured to contain food to be cooked; a lid (9) configured to be in a closed position, in which the lid (9) prevents access to the cooking pot (4), and an open position, in which the lid (9) allows access to the cooking pot (4); the stirring paddle (18) is arranged in the cooking pot (4); a rotation driving device (22) provided in the cover (9) and configured to drive the stirring paddle (18) to rotate; and a hot air cooking device (15) comprising a fan (16) mounted on the cover (9) and configured to generate an air flow, and a heating element (17) fastened to the cover (9) and configured to heat the air flow generated by the fan (16).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates generally to a cooking preparation appliance for cooking food according to a hot air cooking mode and according to a pressure cooking mode, for example an electric pressure cooker. BACKGROUND

[0002] In a known manner, a cooking preparation appliance comprises: - a housing comprising a housing recess, - a cooking pot arranged in the housing recess and configured to contain food to be cooked, - a lid configured to be in a closed position in which it prevents access to the cooking pot and in an open position in which it allows access to the cooking pot, - a stirring paddle arranged in the cooking pot and configured to stir the food contained in the cooking pot, and - a rotary drive device configured to drive the stirring paddle in rotation about a paddle rotation axis.

[0003] In order to avoid providing a passage orifice in the bottom wall of the cooking pot and thus a sealing device at this passage orifice, it is known to arrange the rotary drive device in the lid.

[0004] Such a cooking preparation appliance allows stirring the food contained in the cooking pot before and during cooking.

[0005] However, the number of cooking types that can be implemented with such a cooking preparation appliance and thus the number of recipes that can be implemented is limited. SUMMARY

[0006] The present invention aims to remedy all or part of these drawbacks.

[0007] The basic technical problem of the present invention is in particular to provide a compact and versatile cooking preparation appliance while allowing cooking food according to different cooking types and enabling a greater number of recipes.

[0008] To this end, the present invention relates to a cooking preparation appliance comprising: - a housing comprising a housing recess, - a cooking pot arranged in the housing recess and configured to contain food to be cooked, - a lid configured to be in a closed position in which it prevents access to the cooking pot and in an open position in which it allows access to the cooking pot, - a stirring paddle arranged in the cooking pot and configured to stir the food contained in the cooking pot, and - a rotary drive device arranged in the lid and configured to drive the stirring paddle in rotation about a paddle rotation axis.

[0009] The cooking preparation appliance further comprises a hot air cooking device configured to generate a hot air flow on the food contained in the cooking pot, the hot air cooking device comprising a fan mounted on the lid and configured to generate the air flow, and a heating element, for example an electric resistance heating element, fastened to the lid and configured to heat the air flow generated by the fan.

[0010] Thus, this configuration of the cooking preparation appliance according to the application allows cooking the food according to the hot air cooking mode at the user's choice.

[0011] Thus, the cooking preparation appliance according to the application allows cooking the food according to a greater number of recipes while remaining compact.

[0012] The cooking preparation appliance can further have one or more of the following features, alone or in combination.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the application, the rotary drive device is configured to drive the rotation of the fan belonging to the hot air cooking device.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the application, the fan has a fan axis configured to substantially coincide with the paddle rotation axis.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the application, the rotary drive device comprises a drive motor provided in the lid and a drive shaft rotatably coupled to the drive motor, the drive shaft being integral in rotation with the fan.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the application, the stirring paddle comprises a coupling portion configured to be rotatably coupled to the drive shaft.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the application, the coupling portion and the drive shaft are configured to be aligned along the same extension axis.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the application, the cooking preparation appliance comprises a fastening device configured to reversibly fasten the coupling portion to the drive shaft and to rotate the coupling portion integrally with the drive shaft.

[0019] According to one embodiment of the application, the fastening device comprises a first fastening member provided on a lower end of the drive shaft, and a second fastening member provided on an upper end of the coupling portion and configured to be fastened to the first fastening member.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the application, the fastening device is of the bayonet type or of the right-angle turn type.

[0021] According to one embodiment of the application, the stirring paddle comprises a central hub and at least one paddle arm configured to stir the food contained in the cooking pot, the central hub comprising the coupling portion.

[0022] According to an embodiment of the present application, the central hub comprises a lower hub portion to which the at least one stirring paddle is fastened, and an upper hub portion comprising a coupling portion.

[0023] According to an embodiment of the present application, the central hub is configured to extend substantially coaxially with the paddle rotation axis.

[0024] According to an embodiment of the present application, the hot air cooking device is at least partially arranged in the lid.

[0025] According to an embodiment of the present application, the lid delimits an inner volume in which the rotary drive device is accommodated.

[0026] According to an embodiment of the present application, the lid comprises a passage aperture which is open in a lower surface of the lid, the drive shaft extending through the passage aperture and protruding from the lower surface of the lid.

[0027] According to an embodiment of the present application, the drive shaft extends along an extension axis which is configured to extend substantially vertically when the lid is in the closed position and the housing is resting on a horizontal surface.

[0028] According to an embodiment of the present application, the lid is configured to hermetically close the cooking pot when the lid is in the closed position, thereby allowing pressure cooking of food contained in the cooking pot. Pressure cooking refers to a pressure inside the cooking pot of at least 40 kPa.

[0029] According to an embodiment of the present application, the drive motor is a permanent magnet synchronous motor, also known as a brushless direct current motor, abbreviated BLDC motor.

[0030] According to an embodiment of the present application, the cooking preparation appliance comprises a control unit configured to control operation of the cooking preparation appliance at least according to a hot air cooking mode and a stirring mode, the control unit being configured to control operation of the drive motor according to a first rotational speed when the cooking preparation appliance is in the hot air cooking mode, and to control operation of the drive motor according to a second rotational speed when the cooking preparation appliance is in the stirring mode, the second rotational speed being lower than the first rotational speed.

[0031] According to an embodiment of the present application, the control unit is further configured to control operation of the cooking preparation appliance according to a pressure cooking mode.

[0032] According to an embodiment of the present application, the heating element is arranged opposite the lower surface of the lid.

[0033] According to an embodiment of the present application, the heating element is configured to be located opposite the cooking pot when the lid is in the closed position, in particular opposite a bottom wall of the cooking pot.

[0034] According to an embodiment of the present application, the stirring paddle is removable.

[0035] According to an embodiment of the application, the lid is mounted pivotable relative to the housing about a pivot axis. Advantageously, the pivot axis is configured to extend substantially horizontally when the housing is resting on a horizontal surface.

[0036] According to an embodiment of the application, the cooking pot defines a cooking volume and comprises an access opening through which food can be put into the cooking volume.

[0037] According to an embodiment of the application, the cooking pot comprises a bottom wall and a side wall extending from the bottom wall, the access opening being defined by an upper peripheral edge of the side wall.

[0038] According to an embodiment of the application, the cooking preparation appliance further comprises a locking member, such as for example a locking ring, displaceable at least between a locked position, in which the locking member locks the lid in the closed position, and an unlocked position, in which the lid is displaceable between the open position and the closed position.

[0039] According to an embodiment of the application, the fan is housed within an internal volume defined by the lid.

[0040] According to another embodiment of the application, the fan is arranged opposite a lower surface of the lid.

[0041] According to an embodiment of the application, the cooking preparation appliance comprises a heating device arranged in the housing and configured to heat the cooking pot. Advantageously, the heating device is arranged in a lower portion of the housing.

[0042] According to an embodiment of the application, the lid comprises at least one vent opening to the outside of the cooking preparation appliance and configured to allow the escape of steam and / or hot air present in the cooking pot when the lid is in the closed position. Preferably, the at least one vent opening is arranged in a rear portion of the lid. For example, the at least one vent opening can be a valve, a grille or a hinged flap. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0043] The application will be well understood by means of the following description and drawings, in which the same reference designates identical or similar elements or functions, and wherein:

[0044] Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a cooking preparation appliance according to a first embodiment of the application, showing a lid of the cooking preparation appliance in a closed position; Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the cooking preparation appliance of Figure 1 in an open position; Figure 3is a partial schematic sectional view of a cooking preparation appliance according to a second embodiment of the application.

[0045] Figure 4 is a partial schematic sectional view of a cooking preparation appliance according to a third embodiment of the application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] Figure 1 and Figure 2 A cooking preparation appliance 1, for example an electric pressure cooker or a multi-cooker, according to a first embodiment of the application is shown. The cooking preparation appliance 1 is configured to cook food, for example meat, fish, vegetables or other food, in particular according to a pressure cooking mode and according to a hot air cooking mode.

[0047] The cooking preparation appliance 1 comprises a housing 2 including a receiving recess 3, and a cooking pot 4 removably arranged in the receiving recess 3 and delimiting a cooking volume 5 configured to receive food to be cooked.

[0048] The cooking pot 4 comprises a bottom wall 6, a side wall 7 extending from the bottom wall 6, and an access opening 8 through which food can be put into the cooking chamber 4. Advantageously, the access opening 8 is delimited by an upper peripheral edge of the side wall 7.

[0049] The cooking preparation appliance 1 further comprises a lid 9 configured to be in an open position (see Figure 2 ) and in a closed position (see Figure 1 ), in which the lid 9 allows access to the cooking volume 5, in which the lid 9 prevents access to the cooking volume 5. According to the embodiment shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the lid 9 is mounted pivotable about a pivot axis relative to the housing 2. Advantageously, the pivot axis is located in a rear portion of the housing 2 and is configured to extend substantially horizontally when the housing 2 is resting on a horizontal surface.

[0050] In the schematic view shown in Figure 1 , a clear gap can be seen between the lid 9 and the cooking pot 4. However, by adjusting the travel of the lid 9 or by adjusting the dimensions of the lid 9, the gap can be very small or even no gap. A shoulder corresponding to the rim of the cooking pot 4 can for example be provided in the lid 9.

[0051] For example, the lid 9 can be configured to hermetically close the cooking pot 4 when the lid 9 is in the closed position, thereby allowing pressure cooking of food contained in the cooking pot 4. To this end, the cooking preparation appliance 1 can for example comprise a locking member, for example a locking ring, displaceable between a locked position, in which the locking member locks the lid 9 in the closed position and ensures the hermetic closing of the cooking pot 4, and an unlocked position, in which the lid 9 can be displaced between the open position and the closed position.

[0052] Advantageously, the lid 9 comprises a vent 13 opening to the outside of the cooking preparation appliance 1 and configured to allow the escape of steam and / or hot air present in the cooking pot 4 when the lid 9 is in the closed position. Preferably, the vent 13 is provided in the rear portion of the lid 9. For example, the vent can be a valve, a grid or a hinged flap.

[0053] The cooking preparation appliance 1 further comprises a heating device 14, for example an electric resistance heating element, provided in the housing 2 and configured to heat the cooking pot 4 and, consequently, the food to be cooked contained in the cooking pot 4. The heating device 14 can for example be configured to be located below the cooking pot 4 or to extend around the cooking pot 4.

[0054] The cooking preparation appliance 1 further comprises a hot air cooking device 15 configured to generate a flow of hot air on the food contained in the cooking pot 4. Advantageously, the hot air cooking device 15 is at least partially provided in the lid 9.

[0055] The hot air cooking device 15 more particularly comprises a fan 16 mounted on the lid 9 and configured to generate a flow of air, and a heating element 17, for example an electric resistance heating element, fastened to the lid 9 and configured to heat the flow of air generated by the fan 16. Advantageously, the fan 16 has a fan axis configured to extend substantially vertically when the lid 9 is in the closed position and the housing 2 is resting on a horizontal surface.

[0056] According to the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the fan 16 and the heating element 17 are located in the internal volume delimited by the lid 9 and the heating element 17 is configured to be located opposite the bottom wall 6 of the cooking pot 4 when the lid 9 is in the closed position. Figure 1 Figure 2 According to the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the fan 16 and the heating element 17 are located in the internal volume delimited by the lid 9 and the heating element 17 is configured to be located opposite the bottom wall 6 of the cooking pot 4 when the lid 9 is in the closed position.

[0057] The cooking preparation appliance 1 further comprises a stirring paddle 18 provided in the cooking pot 4. Advantageously, the stirring paddle 18 is removable. More particularly, the stirring paddle 18 comprises a central hub 19 and one or more paddle arms 21 extending from the central hub 19 and configured to stir the food contained in the cooking pot 4.

[0058] ​The cooking preparation appliance 1 further comprises a rotary drive device 22 which is provided in the lid 9 and is configured to drive the stirring paddle 18 in rotation about a paddle rotation axis and to drive the fan 16 in rotation about a fan axis. Advantageously, the fan axis is configured to substantially coincide with the paddle rotation axis and the central hub 19 is configured to extend substantially coaxially with the paddle rotation axis.

[0059] The rotary drive device 22 comprises a drive motor 23 which is provided in the lid 9, more specifically in the internal volume delimited by the lid 9. Advantageously, the drive motor 23 is a permanent magnet synchronous motor, also known as brushless direct current motor, abbreviated as BLDC motor.

[0060] The rotary drive device 22 further comprises a drive shaft 24 which is rotatably coupled to the drive motor 23 and rotates integrally with the fan 16. The drive shaft 24 extends along an extension axis which is configured to extend substantially vertically when the lid 9 is in the closed position and the housing 2 is resting on a horizontal surface.

[0061] More specifically, the stirring paddle 18 comprises a coupling portion 25 which is configured to be rotatably coupled to the drive shaft 24. According to the embodiment shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 The central hub 19 comprises a lower hub portion to which the one or more stirring arms 21 are fastened and an upper hub portion comprising the coupling portion 25. Advantageously, the coupling portion 25 and the drive shaft 24 are configured to be aligned along the same extension axis.

[0062] The cooking preparation appliance 1 further comprises a fastening device 26 which is configured to reversibly, i.e. temporarily and removably, fasten the coupling portion 25 to the drive shaft 24 and to rotate the coupling portion 25 and the drive shaft 24 integrally.

[0063] Advantageously, the fastening device 26 comprises a first fastening member provided on a lower end portion of the drive shaft 24 and a second fastening member provided on an upper end portion of the coupling portion 25 and configured to be fastened to the first fastening member. For example, the fastening device 26 can be of the bayonet type or of the right-angle turn type.

[0064] The cooking preparation appliance 1 further comprises a control unit 27, e.g. an electronic circuit board, which is configured to control the operation of the cooking preparation appliance 1 according to a hot air cooking mode, a pressure cooking mode and a stirring mode.

[0065] The control unit 27 is more specifically configured to control the operation of the drive motor 23 according to a first rotational speed when the cooking preparation appliance 1 is in the hot air cooking mode and to control the operation of the drive motor 23 according to a second rotational speed when the cooking preparation appliance 1 is in the stirring mode, the second rotational speed being lower than the first rotational speed.

[0066] Advantageously, the cooking preparation appliance 1 also comprises a screen 28, which is provided on the faceplate of the casing 2 and is configured to allow the user to activate the cooking preparation appliance, to select operating parameters of the cooking preparation appliance (cooking temperature, heating power or preparation operation, etc.) or to select a complete recipe (a series of operating parameters as a function of time).

[0067] When the lid 9 is in the closed position, the user can select, through the screen 28, the operating mode of the cooking preparation appliance 1.

[0068] If the user selects the hot air cooking mode, the control unit 27 controls the operation of the drive motor 23 according to the first rotation speed and also controls the supply of power to the heating element 17 in order to heat the air flow generated by the fan 16. The heating device 24 can be activated simultaneously when the hot air cooking mode is selected. In other words, the heating element 17 and the heating device 24 can be activated in operation in the hot air cooking mode. Given the high rotation speed of the drive shaft 24 during the hot air cooking mode, it can be preferable not to use the stirring paddle 18 during this cooking mode, in order to avoid damaging the food contained in the cooking pot 4.

[0069] If the user selects the pressure cooking mode, the control unit 27 controls the supply of power to the heating element 14 in order to heat the food contained in the cooking pot 4. Preferably, the heating element 17 is stopped in operation when the pressure cooking mode is selected. However, the stirring paddle 18 can be used when the pressure cooking mode is selected and is therefore continuously or intermittently rotated by the rotary drive device 22. The cooking preparation appliance 1 according to the application thus allows pressure cooking to be provided with simultaneous stirring of the food.

[0070] Figure 3 A cooking preparation appliance according to a second embodiment of the application is shown, which mainly differs from the first embodiment in that the lid 9 comprises a lower wall provided with a lower face 9.1 configured to be located opposite the access opening 8 of the cooking pot 4 when the lid 9 is in the closed position, in addition to a passage aperture 9.2 provided on the lower wall and opening in the lower face 9.1 of the lid 9, for example in a central portion of said lower face 11, the heating element 17 being provided opposite the lower face 9.1 and the drive shaft 24 extending through the passage aperture 9.2 provided on the lid 9 and protruding from the lower face 9.1.

[0071] According to this embodiment of the application, the fan 16 is located in an internal volume of the lid 9, which is delimited in part by the lower wall. An air inlet aperture and / or an air outlet aperture (not visible in the figure) are provided opening in the lower face 9.1 to allow the circulation of a hot air flow inside the cooking pot 4. Figure 3

[0072] Figure 4 ​A cooking preparation appliance according to a third embodiment of the application is shown, which differs from the second embodiment mainly in that the fan 16 is arranged opposite the lower face 9.1 of the lid 9.

[0073] Of course, the present application is in no way limited to the described and shown embodiment, which is provided by way of example only. Some modifications can be made, especially with regard to the constitution of the various elements or through substitution by equivalent technologies, without departing from the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A cooking preparation utensil (1), comprising: - Includes a housing (2) that accommodates the recess (3). - A cooking pot (4), which is disposed in the receiving recess (3) and configured to hold the food to be cooked. - A lid (9) configured to be in a closed position and an open position, wherein in the closed position the lid (9) prevents entry into the cooking pot (4) and in the open position the lid allows entry into the cooking pot (4). - A stirring paddle (18), which is disposed in the cooking pot (4) and configured to stir the food contained in the cooking pot (4), and - A rotary drive (22), which is disposed in the cover (9) and configured to drive the stirring paddle (18) to rotate about the paddle rotation axis. The cooking appliance (1) is characterized in that it further includes a hot air cooking device (15) configured to generate a hot airflow over food contained in the cooking pot (4), the hot air cooking device (15) including a fan (16) mounted on the lid (9) and configured to generate the airflow, and a heating element (17) fastened to the lid (9) and configured to heat the airflow generated by the fan (16).

2. The cooking and preparation utensil (1) according to claim 1, wherein, The rotary drive (22) is configured to drive the fan (16) belonging to the hot air cooking device (15) to rotate.

3. The cooking and preparation utensil (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The fan (16) has a fan axis that is configured to substantially coincide with the axis of rotation of the propeller.

4. The cooking preparation utensil (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The rotary drive device (22) includes a drive motor (23) disposed in the cover (9) and a drive shaft (24) rotatably connected to the drive motor (23), the drive shaft (24) rotating integrally with the fan (16).

5. The cooking and preparation utensil (1) according to claim 4, wherein, The agitator (18) includes a connecting portion (25) configured to be rotatably connected to the drive shaft (24).

6. The cooking preparation utensil (1) according to claim 5, comprising a fastening device (26) configured to reversibly fasten the connecting portion (25) to the drive shaft (24) and to rotate the connecting portion (25) and the drive shaft (24) together.

7. The cooking and preparation utensil (1) according to claim 6, wherein, The fastening device (26) includes a first fastening member (26.1) disposed on the lower end of the drive shaft (24) and a second fastening member (26.2) disposed on the upper end of the connecting portion (25) and configured to be fastened to the first fastening member (26.1).

8. The cooking preparation utensil (1) according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein, The stirring paddle (18) includes a central hub (19) and at least one paddle arm (21), the at least one paddle arm being configured to stir food contained in the cooking pot (4), the central hub (19) including the connecting portion (25).

9. The cooking preparation utensil (1) according to any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein, The drive motor (23) is a permanent magnet synchronous motor.

10. The cooking appliance (1) according to any one of claims 4 to 9, comprising a control unit (27) configured to control the operation of the cooking appliance (1) according to at least a hot air cooking mode and a stirring mode, the control unit (27) configured to control the operation of the drive motor (23) according to a first speed when the cooking appliance (1) is in the hot air cooking mode, and to control the operation of the drive motor (23) according to a second speed when the cooking appliance (1) is in the stirring mode, the second speed being lower than the first speed.

11. The cooking preparation utensil (1) according to any one of claims 4 to 10, wherein, The cover (9) includes a channel opening (9.2) in the lower surface (9.1) of the cover (9), and the drive shaft (24) extends through the channel opening (9.2) and protrudes from the lower surface (9.1) of the cover (9).

12. The cooking preparation utensil (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein, The hot air cooking device (15) is at least partially disposed in the lid (9).

13. The cooking preparation utensil (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein, The lid (9) is configured to seal the cooking pot (4) when the lid (9) is in the closed position.

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