Cooking device

Abstract

To provide a heating cooker capable of shortening a cooking time.SOLUTION: The heating cooker (1) includes a heating part (22) configured to heat an inner pot (13), a stirring mechanism (33) configured to stir a food material inside the inner pot, a lid body temperature sensor (26), and a control part (34) configured to control operations of the heating part and the stirring part, and in a second cooking menu for performing heating cooking within a first predetermined time, starts stirring at a timing from start of heating cooking to detection of a first predetermined temperature by the lid body temperature sensor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooking device for cooking food materials. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, cooking appliances that cook ingredients while stirring them are known (for example, see Patent Document 1 below). The cooking appliance has a housing, a lid that opens and closes relative to the housing, an inner pot housed in the housing, and a stirring mechanism for stirring the ingredients. The stirring mechanism has a stirring member that is rotatably mounted relative to the lid, and by rotating the stirring member, the ingredients inside the inner pot are stirred. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-089548 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In such cooking appliances, the ingredients can be relatively hard and difficult to stir for a while after heating begins. Therefore, in conventional cooking appliances, stirring is started only after the ingredients have been cooked to a certain extent (specifically, after the temperature in the inner pot has risen sufficiently and boiling has been detected). Then, while stirring, the heat level (output of the heating unit) and heating time are set according to the cooking menu. In this way, in the cooking appliances described above, the timing to start stirring is set the same for all cooking menus.

[0005] However, for cooking menus that use ingredients such as thinly sliced ​​meat, seafood, bean sprouts, and shredded vegetables and can be cooked by simply heating them quickly (for example, double-cooked pork), there is no need to control the cooking process as with cooking menus that are difficult to cook in a short time (for example, meat and potato stew).For this reason, conventional cooking appliances have room for improvement in terms of shortening cooking time.

[0006] An object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide a cooking device that can shorten cooking time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, a heating cooker according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a housing, a lid that opens and closes relative to the housing, an inner pot contained in the housing, a heating unit that heats the inner pot, a stirring unit that stirs ingredients inside the inner pot, a first temperature detection unit provided in the lid, and a control unit that controls the operation of the heating unit and the stirring unit based on a cooking menu, wherein the cooking menus include a first cooking menu that involves heating and cooking for a period longer than a first predetermined time and a second cooking menu that involves heating and cooking for a period shorter than the first predetermined time, and the control unit, for the first cooking menu, starts stirring by the stirring unit when the first temperature detection unit detects the first predetermined temperature, and, for the second cooking menu, starts stirring by the stirring unit between the start of heating and cooking and the first temperature detection unit detects the first predetermined temperature, including immediately after heating and cooking begins. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, a cooking device that can shorten cooking time can be realized. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a cooking device according to a first embodiment with a lid closed. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cooking device with the lid open. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control device of the cooking device. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing a process of the cooking device. [Figure 5] 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of cooking control based on a first cooking menu executed by the cooking device. [Figure 6] 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of cooking control based on a second cooking menu executed by the cooking device. [Figure 7] 10 is a graph showing the change in food temperature in the comparative example and the example. [Figure 8] 10 is a graph showing the change in food temperature in the comparative example and the example. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of cooking control based on a second cooking menu executed by a cooking device according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] [Embodiment 1] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cooking device according to an embodiment of the present invention with the lid closed. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cooking device shown in Fig. 1 with the lid open.

[0011] (Overview of cooking appliances) As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cooking device 1 includes a cooking device main body 11 (housing), a lid 12, and an inner pot 13.

[0012] (Cooking appliance body) Cooking device body 11 includes an inner pot accommodating section 21, a heating section 22, and an inner pot temperature sensor 23 (second temperature detection section).

[0013] The inner pot accommodating section 21 is a recess formed in the cooker body 11 and accommodates the inner pot 13. The heating section 22 heats the inner pot 13, i.e., the ingredients, accommodated in the inner pot accommodating section 21. The heating section 22 is formed, for example, from an induction heating coil, but is not limited to this and any conventionally known heating means can be used. The inner pot temperature sensor 23 detects the temperature of the inner pot 13 (inner pot temperature). More specifically, the inner pot temperature sensor 23 is provided below the bottom of the inner pot 13. The inner pot temperature sensor 23 detects the temperature of the bottom of the inner pot 13 as the inner pot temperature.

[0014] (lid) Lid body (lid) 12 is attached to cooker body 11 in an openable and closable manner, and opens and closes the opening of inner pot 13 housed in cooker body 11. Lid body 12 includes outer lid 31, inner lid 32, and stirring mechanism 33 (stirring unit).

[0015] The outer lid 31 is connected to the cooker body 11 via a hinge spring 31a. The inner lid 32 is detachably attached to the outer lid 31, and covers the inner pot 13 when the lid body 12 is in the closed state.

[0016] Inside the outer lid 31, a control unit (cooking control unit, function control unit) 34, a motor 35, and a speaker 36 are provided.

[0017] The control unit 34 is made up of a CPU and controls various operations in the cooking appliance 1, particularly the operation of cooking ingredients. The control unit 34 controls the heating unit 22, stirring mechanism 33, etc. based on programs and input data stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory), and causes the cooking appliance 1 to cook according to the selected dish. The location of the control unit 34 is not particularly limited, and it may be located in the cooking appliance main body 11, for example. The motor 35 rotates the stirring mechanism 33. The speaker 36 outputs audio to notify the user of information.

[0018] An operation display unit 37 for operation and display is provided on the top surface of the outer lid 31. The operation display unit 37 has a display unit 371, and various operation buttons 372 are provided around the display unit 371. The operation buttons 372 include various selection buttons, a start / confirm button, and a cancel button, as well as various buttons for issuing commands for various operations to the cooking appliance 1. The start / confirm button is an operation button for issuing commands to start cooking, including scheduled cooking.

[0019] The display unit 371 displays various information selected by the user in response to the user's operation on the operation button 372, etc.

[0020] A lid temperature sensor 26 (first temperature detection unit) is provided on the underside of outer lid 31. Lid temperature sensor 26 detects the temperature of the air in inner pot 13 (temperature inside the inner pot).

[0021] (mixing mechanism) Stirring mechanism 33 is driven to rotate by motor 35 and stirs the ingredients in inner pot 13 as needed during cooking. Stirring mechanism 33 is detachably attached to the inner lid 32 on the side facing inner pot 13, and has two stirring arms 331 and a rotor 332. Stirring arm 331 is attached to rotor 332 and is in a lying position (solid line) when stirring mechanism 33 is not in use, and is in an upright position (two-dot chain line) when stirring mechanism 33 is in use.

[0022] (Inner pot 13) The inner pot 13 is placed in the inner pot housing portion 21 of the cooker body 11. The inner pot 13 houses ingredients to be cooked (vegetables, meat, fish, seasonings, etc.) depending on the type of dish. The inner pot 13 is made of a highly heat-conductive material such as aluminum.

[0023] (Control device for cooking appliance) Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device of the cooking appliance 1. As shown in Figure 3, the control device of the cooking appliance 1 includes a control unit 34, to which the heating unit 22, inner pot temperature sensor 23, motor drive circuit 38, speaker drive circuit 39, operation display unit 37, timer unit 40, lid temperature sensor 26, and memory unit 42 are connected.

[0024] The motor drive circuit 38 drives the motor 35 under the control of the control unit 34, and the speaker drive circuit 39 drives the speaker 36 under the control of the control unit 34. The clock unit 40 has a timer function and counts time.

[0025] The storage unit 42 stores information (cooking menu) about the control content that the control unit 34 performs on the heating unit 22, the stirring mechanism 33, etc. for cooking each dish. The cooking menu may be downloaded from a server on the Internet or the like via a communication network.

[0026] The storage unit 42 also stores various setting information set by the operation buttons 372 and speech information indicating what should be spoken by the speaker 36 during cooking and the like.

[0027] The control unit 34 controls the operations of the heating unit 22, a motor drive circuit 38 that drives the motor 35, and a speaker drive circuit 39 that drives the speaker 36 in accordance with the control contents stored in the storage unit 42.

[0028] Specifically, control unit 34 controls each unit to perform cooking based on the cooking information stored in memory unit 42. In this case, control unit 34 controls the operation of heating unit 22 so that the temperature of the ingredients reaches a predetermined temperature defined in the cooking information.

[0029] The control unit 34 indirectly detects the temperature of the ingredients in the inner pot 13 based on the temperature of the inner pot 13 detected by the inner pot temperature sensor 23.

[0030] That is, the cooking appliance 1 stores data associating the temperature detected by the inner pot temperature sensor 23 with the temperature of the ingredients in the memory unit 42. The control unit 34 references the data and detects the temperature of the ingredients in the inner pot 13 from the temperature detected by the inner pot temperature sensor 23 and the heating time.

[0031] Furthermore, the control unit 34 determines that steam has been generated from the inner pot 13 (i.e., the water in the inner pot 13 has boiled) when the temperature detected by the lid temperature sensor 26 reaches or exceeds the first predetermined temperature. The lid temperature sensor 26 functions as a sensor that detects steam generated from the inner pot 13. The first predetermined temperature differs depending on factors such as the size of the cooker body 11. The first predetermined temperature is set to a higher value when the cooker body 11 is relatively large than when it is relatively small, and is a value below 100°C.

[0032] Furthermore, when the inner pot temperature sensor 23 detects a second predetermined temperature, the control unit 34 performs overheating prevention control, stopping the heating unit 22 so that the inner pot temperature remains below the second predetermined temperature. The second predetermined temperature varies depending on the cooking menu. For example, the second predetermined temperature is 115°C for a soup-based cooking menu with a high water content, and 125°C for a cooking menu with a low water content that tends to heat up the bottom of the pot. When the heating unit 22 is stopped, the inner pot temperature rises for a while due to residual heat, and then decreases as temperature uniformity is eliminated by stirring. When the inner pot temperature falls below the second predetermined temperature, the control unit 34 resumes heating by the heating unit 22. Even after heating by the heating unit 22 is resumed, the inner pot temperature remains below the second predetermined temperature because temperature uniformity is eliminated by stirring. Such overheating prevention control is performed to prevent the inner pot 13 from burning and for safety reasons.

[0033] (Cooking control) The cooking menus stored in memory 42 include a first cooking menu for cooking for a time longer than a first predetermined time and a second cooking menu for cooking for a time shorter than the first predetermined time. The first predetermined time is, for example, 15 minutes. In other words, the cooking menus stored in memory 42 are roughly divided into first cooking menus for which cooking times longer than the first predetermined time (relatively long cooking times) are set, and second cooking menus for which cooking times shorter than the first predetermined time (relatively short cooking times).

[0034] The cooker 1 according to this embodiment performs different cooking control for the first cooking menu and the second cooking menu. Specifically, for the first cooking menu, the control unit 34 starts stirring by the stirring mechanism 33 when the lid temperature sensor 26 detects a first predetermined temperature. On the other hand, for the second cooking menu, the control unit 34 starts stirring by the stirring mechanism 33 at a timing between the start of cooking and when the lid temperature sensor 26 detects the first predetermined temperature (when the temperature detected by the lid temperature sensor 26 is below the first predetermined temperature), including immediately after cooking starts. Preferably, for the second cooking menu, the control unit 34 starts stirring by the stirring mechanism 33 within three minutes (within 20% of the first predetermined time) after cooking starts, including immediately after cooking starts. That is, for the first cooking menu, the control unit 34 starts stirring by the stirring mechanism 33 after boiling is detected, while for the second cooking menu, the control unit 34 starts stirring by the stirring mechanism 33 within three minutes after cooking starts (at least before boiling is detected). As a result, in the second cooking menu, which requires a relatively short cooking time, stirring mechanism 33 starts stirring immediately after cooking begins, thereby shortening the cooking time.

[0035] The time period (standby period) from the start of cooking to the start of stirring in the second cooking menu varies depending on the cooking menu. For example, if the ingredients are relatively soft, the standby period is set to 0 minutes, and if the ingredients are relatively hard, it is set to 2 minutes. This allows for the cooking time to be further reduced by starting stirring simultaneously with the start of cooking when the ingredients are relatively soft. Furthermore, if the ingredients are relatively hard, setting a 2-minute standby period allows the ingredients to soften and prevents abnormal noises from being generated during stirring.

[0036] The first cooking menu includes meat and potatoes, etc. On the other hand, the second cooking menu includes double cooked pork, stir-fried pork with green peppers, etc. When the cooking menu is double cooked pork, the waiting period is 0 minutes, and when the cooking menu is stir-fried pork with green peppers, the waiting period is 2 minutes.

[0037] Furthermore, for the second cooking menu, the control unit 34 performs pause control to temporarily stop the heating unit 22. The control unit 34 stops the heating unit 22 for a predetermined pause period. The predetermined pause period is, for example, about 10 seconds. The control unit 34 may perform the pause control only once for the second cooking menu, or may perform it two or more times. The control unit 34 temporarily stops the heating unit 22 to prevent the inner pot temperature from rising above the second predetermined temperature. This further improves the possibility of avoiding overheating prevention control. This leads to a further reduction in the cooking time for the second cooking menu.

[0038] Control unit 34 initiates pause control when inner pot temperature sensor 23 detects a third predetermined temperature that is lower than the second predetermined temperature. The third predetermined temperature is, for example, 105°C. This allows control unit 34 to reliably execute pause control before the inner pot temperature reaches or exceeds the second predetermined temperature. Control unit 34 may also initiate pause control when a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of cooking.

[0039] (Operation of cooking device 1) Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing of the cooking device 1. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of cooking control based on a first cooking menu executed by the cooking device 1. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of cooking control based on a second cooking menu executed by the cooking device 1. An example of the operation of the cooking device 1 that performs different cooking controls for the first cooking menu and the second cooking menu will be described below with reference to Figs. 4 to 6.

[0040] First, the control unit 34 accepts an input operation by the user. As shown in Fig. 4, the control unit 34 determines whether the cooking menu selected by the user is the first cooking menu or the second cooking menu (S1). In other words, the control unit 34 determines whether the cooking time set in the cooking menu selected by the user exceeds a first predetermined time. If the cooking menu selected by the user is the first cooking menu (YES in S1), the control unit 34 executes cooking control based on the first cooking menu (S2). If the cooking menu selected by the user is the second cooking menu (NO in S1), the control unit 34 executes cooking control based on the second cooking menu (S3).

[0041] Next, details of the heat cooking control based on the first cooking menu will be described with reference to FIG.

[0042] First, the control unit 34 starts cooking when the user inputs a signal to start cooking (S11). That is, heating is started by the heating unit 22. Next, the control unit 34 determines whether the temperature inside the inner pot has reached or exceeded a first predetermined temperature (S12). When the temperature inside the inner pot has reached or exceeded the first predetermined temperature (YES in S12), the control unit 34 determines that steam has been generated from the inner pot 13, and starts stirring by the stirring mechanism 33 (S13). That is, for the first cooking menu, which has a relatively long cooking time set, the control unit 34 starts stirring after the ingredients have been cooked to a certain extent.

[0043] Next, the control unit 34 determines whether the inner pot temperature sensor 23 detects the second predetermined temperature until the heating time predetermined for the cooking menu has elapsed (S14). If the inner pot temperature sensor 23 detects the second predetermined temperature (YES in S14), the control unit 34 performs overheating prevention control, which stops the heating unit 22 so that the inner pot temperature falls below the second predetermined temperature. During the overheating prevention control, when the inner pot temperature falls below the second predetermined temperature, the control unit 34 resumes heating by the heating unit 22. When the heating time predetermined for the cooking menu has elapsed (YES in S16), the control unit 34 ends the cooking process.

[0044] Next, details of the cooking control based on the second cooking menu will be described with reference to FIG.

[0045] First, the control unit 34 starts cooking when the user inputs a signal to start cooking (S21). That is, heating is started by the heating unit 22. Next, the control unit 34 determines whether a predetermined waiting time has elapsed since the start of cooking (S22). When the predetermined waiting time has elapsed (YES in S22), the control unit 34 starts stirring by the stirring mechanism 33 (S23). The predetermined waiting time is predetermined in the cooking menu and is, for example, 0 minutes or 2 minutes. When the predetermined waiting time is 0 minutes, the control unit 34 starts cooking and simultaneously starts stirring by the stirring mechanism 33. That is, in the second cooking menu, which has a relatively short cooking time set, the control unit 34 starts stirring by the stirring mechanism 33 immediately after starting cooking.

[0046] Next, control unit 34 determines whether inner pot temperature sensor 23 has detected a third predetermined temperature that is lower than the second predetermined temperature (S24). When inner pot temperature sensor 23 detects the third predetermined temperature (YES in S24), control unit 34 performs pause control to stop heating unit 22 for a predetermined pause period (e.g., 10 seconds) (S25). Note that instead of S24 and S25, control unit 34 may determine whether a predetermined time has elapsed since cooking began, and perform pause control if the predetermined time has elapsed.

[0047] Next, control unit 34 executes S14 to S16 in the same manner as for the first cooking menu. That is, for the second cooking menu, control unit 34 also performs overheating prevention control if inner pot temperature sensor 23 detects the second predetermined temperature before the end of cooking.

[0048] (Action and effect) With the above configuration, the cooking device 1 starts stirring with the stirring mechanism 33 immediately after starting cooking with the second cooking menu. This allows for a shorter cooking time. It also prevents the bottom of the inner pot 13 from becoming hotter than other parts, which in turn prevents the cooking device 1 from executing overheat prevention control. This leads to a further shortening of the cooking time with the second cooking menu. It also allows for the ingredients to be heated evenly and without unevenness. This allows for efficient heating of the ingredients.

[0049] As described above, the cooking device 1 can achieve cooking that can cook ingredients to a moderate degree in a short time. This prevents the ingredients from being overcooked and becoming hard. For example, when cooking a menu using shrimp, it can prevent the shrimp from becoming too firm and hard, improving the finished dish. It can also soften thinly sliced ​​meat.

[0050] (Example) 7 and 8 are graphs showing the changes in food temperature in a comparative example and an example. FIG. 7 shows the changes in food temperature and the changes in stirring ON / OFF. The changes in food temperature correspond to the left vertical axis, and the changes in stirring ON / OFF correspond to the right vertical axis. FIG. 8 shows the changes in food temperature and the changes in heating ON / OFF. The changes in food temperature correspond to the left vertical axis, and the changes in heating ON / OFF correspond to the right vertical axis. Note that "1" and "0" on the right vertical axis in FIGS. 7 and 8 indicate ON and OFF, respectively. Here, the comparative example corresponds to conventional cooking in which the second cooking menu is controlled by the same cooking control as the first cooking menu shown in FIG. 5, and the example corresponds to cooking in this embodiment in which the second cooking menu is controlled by the cooking control shown in FIG. 6.

[0051] 7 and 8, the temperature of the ingredients in the Example rises more efficiently than in the Comparative Example. That is, it can be seen that the cooking time can be shortened in the Example compared to the Comparative Example by starting stirring by stirring mechanism 33 immediately after starting cooking with heat.

[0052] [Embodiment 2] Other embodiments of the present invention will be described below. For ease of explanation, the same reference numerals will be used to designate components having the same functions as those described in the above embodiment, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

[0053] In the second embodiment, another example of cooking control based on the second cooking menu executed by the cooker 1 will be described. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the control unit 34 of the cooker 1 performs the following control instead of performing pause control when the inner pot temperature sensor 23 detects the third predetermined temperature. That is, in the second cooking menu, the control unit 34 reduces the output of the heating unit 22 when the lid temperature sensor 26 detects a fourth predetermined temperature that is lower than the first predetermined temperature. The fourth predetermined temperature varies depending on factors such as the size of the cooker body 11. For example, the fourth predetermined temperature is 60°C when the cooker body 11 is relatively small and 66°C when the cooker body 11 is relatively large. The control unit 34 reduces the output of the heating unit 22 so that the inner pot temperature is less likely to reach or exceed the second predetermined temperature.

[0054] Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of heat cooking control based on the second cooking menu executed by the heat cooker 1 according to the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 9, first, the control unit 34 executes S21 to S23 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Next, the control unit 34 determines whether the lid body temperature sensor 26 has detected a fourth predetermined temperature lower than the first predetermined temperature (S31). When the lid body temperature sensor 26 detects a fourth predetermined temperature lower than the first predetermined temperature (YES in S31), the control unit 34 reduces the output of the heating unit 22. Specifically, the control unit 34 reduces the output of the heating unit 22 below the output of the heating unit 22 predetermined in the cooking menu. Next, the control unit 34 executes S36 to S28 in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

[0055] With the above configuration, the control unit 34 can reduce the output of the heating unit 22 before steam is generated from the inner pot 13. This slows down the rise in the inner pot temperature and improves the likelihood of avoiding overheating prevention control. This leads to a further reduction in the cooking time for the second cooking menu.

[0056] [Software implementation example] The functions of the cooking device 1 (hereinafter referred to as the "device") can be realized by a program that causes a computer to function as the device, and a program that causes a computer to function as each control block (particularly the control unit 34) of the device.

[0057] In this case, the device includes a computer having at least one control device (e.g., a processor) and at least one storage device (e.g., a memory) as hardware for executing the program. The control device and storage device execute the program, thereby realizing the functions described in each of the above embodiments.

[0058] The program may be non-transitory and may be recorded on one or more computer-readable recording media. The recording media may or may not be included in the device. In the latter case, the program may be supplied to the device via any wired or wireless transmission medium.

[0059] Furthermore, some or all of the functions of the control blocks can be realized by logic circuits. For example, an integrated circuit in which a logic circuit that functions as each of the control blocks is formed is also included in the scope of the present invention. In addition, the functions of the control blocks can also be realized by, for example, a quantum computer.

[0060] Furthermore, each process described in each of the above embodiments may be executed by AI (Artificial Intelligence). In this case, the AI ​​may run on the control device or on another device (for example, an edge computer or a cloud server).

[0061] 〔summary〕 A cooking device according to aspect 1 of the present invention comprises a housing, a lid that opens and closes relative to the housing, an inner pot housed in the housing, a heating unit that heats the inner pot, a stirring unit that stirs ingredients inside the inner pot, a first temperature detection unit provided in the lid, and a control unit that controls the operation of the heating unit and the stirring unit based on a cooking menu, wherein the cooking menus include a first cooking menu that involves cooking for a period longer than a first predetermined time and a second cooking menu that involves cooking for a period shorter than the first predetermined time, and the control unit, for the first cooking menu, starts stirring by the stirring unit when the first temperature detection unit detects the first predetermined temperature, and for the second cooking menu, starts stirring by the stirring unit between the start of cooking and the time when the first temperature detection unit detects the first predetermined temperature, including immediately after cooking begins.

[0062] According to the above configuration, the second cooking menu has a shorter waiting time from the start of cooking until the start of stirring by the stirrer compared to the first cooking menu. That is, the cooking device starts stirring at a relatively early stage in the second cooking menu. This allows for a shorter cooking time. It also prevents the bottom of the inner pot from becoming hotter than other parts, which in turn prevents the cooking device from executing overheat prevention control. This leads to a further shortening of the cooking time for the second cooking menu. It also allows for the ingredients to be heated evenly and without unevenness. Therefore, the ingredients can be heated efficiently.

[0063] A heating cooker according to aspect 2 of the present invention is the same as in aspect 1 above, further comprising a second temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of the inner pot, and when the second temperature detection unit detects a second predetermined temperature, the control unit performs overheating prevention control to stop the heating unit so that the temperature of the inner pot becomes less than the second predetermined temperature, and the control unit may perform pause control to temporarily stop the heating unit for the second cooking menu.

[0064] This configuration can slow down the temperature rise in the inner pot and improve the likelihood of avoiding overheating prevention control, which leads to a further reduction in cooking time for the second cooking menu.

[0065] In a heating cooker according to aspect 3 of the present invention, in the above aspect 2, the control unit may start the pause control at a timing when the second temperature detection unit detects a third predetermined temperature lower than the second predetermined temperature.

[0066] In a cooking device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the control unit may start the pause control at a timing when a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of cooking.

[0067] A heating cooker according to aspect 5 of the present invention is, in the above-mentioned aspect 1, further provided with a second temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of the inner pot, and when the second temperature detection unit detects a second predetermined temperature, the control unit performs overheating prevention control to stop the heating unit so that the temperature of the inner pot becomes lower than the second predetermined temperature, and the control unit may, in the second cooking menu, reduce the output of the heating unit when the first temperature detection unit detects a fourth predetermined temperature that is lower than the first predetermined temperature.

[0068] With this configuration, the control unit can reduce the output of the heating unit before steam is generated from the inner pot. This slows down the temperature rise in the inner pot and increases the likelihood of avoiding overheating prevention control. This leads to a further reduction in cooking time for the second cooking menu.

[0069] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 1 Cooker 11 Cooking appliance body (casing) 12 Lid 13 Inner pot 21 Inner pot housing 22 Heating section 23 Inner pot temperature sensor (second temperature detection unit) 26 Lid temperature sensor (first temperature detection unit) 31 Outer lid 32 Inner lid 33 Stirring mechanism (stirring section) 34 Control Unit

Claims

1. The housing and a cover that opens and closes relative to the housing; an inner pot housed in the housing; A heating unit that heats the inner pot; A stirring unit that stirs ingredients inside the inner pot; a first temperature detection unit provided on the lid; a control unit that controls the operation of the heating unit and the stirring unit based on a cooking menu; The cooking menus include a first cooking menu for cooking for a period longer than a first predetermined time, and a second cooking menu for cooking for a period shorter than the first predetermined time, The control unit In the first cooking menu, the stirring unit starts stirring when the first temperature detection unit detects a first predetermined temperature; In the second cooking menu, the cooking device starts stirring by the stirring unit at a timing between the start of cooking and the first temperature detection unit detecting the first predetermined temperature, including immediately after cooking starts.

2. Further provided is a second temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of the inner pot, When the second temperature detection unit detects a second predetermined temperature, the control unit performs overheating prevention control to stop the heating unit so that the temperature of the inner pot becomes less than the second predetermined temperature, The cooking device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit performs pause control to temporarily stop the heating unit during the second cooking menu.

3. The cooking device according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit starts the pause control at a timing when the second temperature detection unit detects a third predetermined temperature that is lower than the second predetermined temperature.

4. The cooking device according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit starts the pause control when a predetermined time has elapsed since cooking started.

5. Further provided is a second temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of the inner pot, When the second temperature detection unit detects a second predetermined temperature, the control unit performs overheating prevention control to stop the heating unit so that the temperature of the inner pot becomes less than the second predetermined temperature, 2. The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein, in the second cooking menu, the control unit reduces the output of the heating unit when the first temperature detection unit detects a fourth predetermined temperature that is lower than the first predetermined temperature.

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