Microwave cooking appliance and cooking method

Abstract

To provide a microwave cooker and a cooking method capable of shortening a cooking time with a simple structure.SOLUTION: The microwave cooking apparatus 1 heats and cooks an object to be cooked in liquid by irradiating the object with microwaves. The microwave cooking device 1 includes an oil tank 20 that stores oil, a heating member 40 that is provided in the oil tank 20 and heats the oil stored in the oil tank 20, and an irradiation member 50 that is disposed inside the oil tank 20 and heats food F in the oil by irradiating the food F with microwaves. The irradiation member 50 includes a microwave irradiation port 52 disposed inside the oil tank 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a microwave cooking appliance and a cooking method, and more particularly to a microwave cooking appliance and a cooking method for heating and cooking an object submerged in a liquid by irradiating the object with microwaves. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, as a cooking appliance for heating food in an oil vat, a microwave cooking appliance is known which cooks food by irradiating it with microwaves in addition to heating it with a heater.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a fryer that uses both a microwave oscillator that irradiates microwaves onto food in an oil vat and a heater that heats the oil in the oil vat to heat the food. The microwave oscillator irradiates microwaves from a magnetron installed in the fryer's housing, through a waveguide, from the upper part of the top plate toward the oil vat. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2018 / 225859 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In recent years, there has been an increase in cases where convenience stores and other stores prepare frozen foods before serving them to customers. However, it is difficult to serve frozen foods at convenience stores in a short time, so they are often prepared in advance and kept warm in a heating display. Therefore, there has been a demand for a reduction in cooking time.

[0006] Using a heater and microwaves together can shorten cooking time, but there is a risk of reduced microwave irradiation efficiency when microwaves are irradiated onto food from above the oil vat using a magnetron and waveguide, as in Patent Document 1. Furthermore, introducing a cooking appliance equipped with a magnetron and waveguide can be expensive and can make it difficult to secure sufficient space.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a microwave cooking appliance and cooking method that have a simple configuration and can shorten cooking time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The above problem is solved by the microwave cooking appliance of the present invention, which is a microwave cooking appliance that heats and cooks an object to be cooked in a liquid by irradiating microwaves to the object, comprising: a liquid tank that contains the liquid; a heating member that is provided in the liquid tank and heats the liquid contained in the liquid tank; and an irradiation member that is disposed inside the liquid tank and irradiates the object to be cooked in the liquid with microwaves to heat it, and the irradiation member has a microwave irradiation port that is disposed inside the liquid tank. With the above configuration, the microwave irradiation port is disposed inside the liquid vat, so that the irradiation port is immersed in the liquid. Therefore, in addition to heating by the heating element, the food to be cooked can be heated by directly irradiating microwaves from the irradiation element into the liquid. Furthermore, because the microwave irradiation port is disposed inside the liquid vat, there is no need to install a magnetron outside the liquid vat (inside the housing), and microwaves can be irradiated onto the food with a simple configuration. Therefore, the microwave cooking appliance of the present invention has a simple configuration and can shorten cooking time.

[0009] In this case, the irradiation member is an antenna and has a substrate and an irradiation port formed on the surface of the substrate for irradiating microwaves, and the irradiation port is positioned inside the liquid tank and irradiates the food item in the liquid from the side. With this configuration, the radiation member can be made more compact because an antenna with a radiation port formed on the substrate is used. Also, by configuring the microwave to be radiated directly from the side of the food to be cooked, cooking time can be further reduced.

[0010] In this case, the substrate may include a first substrate placed inside the liquid tank and a second substrate placed inside the liquid tank at a predetermined distance from the first substrate, and the surfaces of the first substrate and the second substrate may be placed inside the liquid tank so that they face each other. With the above configuration, by arranging the substrates so that they face each other, microwaves can be efficiently irradiated onto the object to be cooked.

[0011] In this case, the irradiation member may be arranged so as to be able to be attached later from outside the liquid tank. With the above configuration, a microwave irradiation port can be retrofitted to an existing cooking appliance that only has a heater as heating means. Therefore, even in places where it is difficult to secure space, microwaves can be efficiently irradiated onto the food to be cooked simply by attaching the irradiation member to the existing cooking appliance.

[0012] In this case, a cover part is provided that can be opened and closed to cover the upper opening formed in the liquid tank and suppress leakage of electromagnetic waves, the irradiation member is attached to the cover part and extends from the cover part toward the inside of the liquid tank, and when the cover part covers the upper opening of the liquid tank, the irradiation port is positioned inside the liquid tank. With the above configuration, the cover can suppress leakage of electromagnetic waves. Furthermore, simply by installing the cover to cover the liquid vat, the irradiation port can be positioned inside the liquid vat. This makes it easy to set up the irradiation member.

[0013] In this case, the heating element is provided inside the liquid tank, and the irradiation element is arranged so as to surround the heating element when viewed from above, and is arranged in a position inside the liquid tank so as not to overlap with the heating element when viewed from above. With the above configuration, the heating element and the irradiation element are arranged in positions where they do not overlap when viewed from above, so that the object to be cooked can be efficiently heated and cooked by the heating element and the irradiation element.

[0014] In this case, the microwave cooking appliance may be a fryer that heats and cooks food in edible oil or fat by irradiating it with microwaves. The above-described configuration can be applied to a fryer for cooking food by heating, and with a simple configuration, food in an oil tank can be efficiently heated to shorten cooking time.

[0015] The above problem is solved by the cooking method of the present invention, which is a cooking method for heating and cooking an object to be cooked in a liquid by irradiating microwaves to the object to be cooked, comprising a liquid preparation step of storing the liquid in a liquid tank, an object to be cooked pouring step of putting the object to be cooked into the liquid stored in the liquid tank, and a heating step of irradiating microwaves to the object to be cooked by an irradiation member while the liquid stored in the liquid tank is heated by a heating member, wherein in the heating step, microwaves are irradiated to the object to be cooked in the liquid from an irradiation port of the irradiation member placed in the liquid, thereby heating the object to be cooked. With the above method, microwaves are irradiated from the irradiation port of the irradiation member placed in the liquid to the object to be cooked, and the object can be heated by being directly irradiated with microwaves from the irradiation member in the liquid. Therefore, the cooking time can be shortened with a simple configuration. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the packing device and packing method of the present invention, when inserting an article into a box, the guide member prevents interference between the flap and the bonding portion and the article, allowing for smooth insertion. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall perspective view of a microwave cooking appliance. [Figure 2]FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a microwave cooking appliance, illustrating how food is cooked. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a top view of a microwave cooking appliance. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a process diagram of a cooking method. [Figure 6] 10 is a graph showing the core temperature difference of food according to an experimental example in a test. [Figure 7] 10 is a graph showing the core temperature difference of food according to a comparative example in a test. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] <Microwave cooking equipment> Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The microwave cooking appliance 1 of this embodiment heats and cooks food in a liquid by irradiating it with microwaves. Specifically, the microwave cooking appliance 1 is a fryer that heats and cooks food F in edible oil or fat by irradiating it with microwaves.

[0019] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, microwave cooking appliance 1 is a cooking appliance consisting of a box-shaped housing 2. Microwave cooking appliance 1 includes an oil vat 10 for storing oil, a lid 20 for covering oil vat 10, a cover 30 for suppressing leakage of electromagnetic waves, a heating member 40 for heating the oil stored in oil vat 10, an irradiation member 50 for irradiating and heating food F in the oil with microwaves, and a controller 60 for controlling heating member 40 and irradiation member 50. Microwave cooking appliance 1 also includes a microwave generating unit that generates microwaves, which includes a power supply, a microwave oscillator that excites microwaves, and an amplifier. When power is supplied from the power supply, the microwave oscillator oscillates microwaves. The amplifier amplifies the oscillated microwaves. In addition to heating by the heating member 40, the microwave cooking appliance 1 can also heat food F in oil by directly irradiating it with microwaves from the irradiation member 50. The lid 20 is attached to the oil vat 10 so as to be able to open and close. The control controller 60 is provided inside the housing 2 and is connected to the heating member 40 and the irradiation member 50.

[0020] The food to be cooked in the microwave cooking appliance 1 is food F, such as frozen food or processed food. The food F is placed in oil contained in the oil tank 10 and cooked by the heating member 40 and the irradiation member 50. The object to be cooked is not limited to food F such as frozen food or processed food, but may be fresh food such as vegetables, meat, or fish, or an item other than food.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, the oil vat 10 has a rectangular shape when viewed from above and is a liquid vat for storing oil. An upper opening is formed in the oil vat 10. Food F is added to or removed from the oil vat 10 through the upper opening. The oil vat 10 may be formed integrally with the housing 2 or may be attached to the housing 2 as a separate body. The shape of the oil vat 10 is not limited to a rectangular shape when viewed from above, and may be, for example, a circular shape.

[0022] A basket 11 with an open top is placed inside the oil vat 10. The basket 11 is, for example, a metal mesh member that is smaller than the inner dimensions of the oil vat 10 and has a shape that corresponds to the shape of the oil vat 10. The basket 11 is attached to the oil vat 10 by hooking it with a locking portion 11a. By placing food F inside the basket 11, it is possible to prevent the food F from coming into contact with the bottom or sides of the oil vat 10 and to place the food F in an appropriate position in the oil. However, the size and position of the basket 11 are not limited to this. For example, the basket 11 may have a shape or size that corresponds to the food F to be cooked.

[0023] The top opening of the oil vat 10 is covered by a lid 20 in an openable and closable manner. A pivotable portion 10a for pivoting the lid 20 is formed around the periphery of the top opening of the oil vat 10. As shown in Figure 2, when the lid 20 is closed, the top opening of the oil vat 10 is covered by a cover 30. A heating element 40 is provided below the oil vat 10. Specifically, the heating element 40 is disposed in the gap between the bottom surface of the oil vat 10 and the basket 11. By providing the basket 11 above the heating element 40, the food F can be prevented from coming into contact with the heating element 40.

[0024] 1, the lid 20 is a part that serves as a lid for the oil vat 10 and is rotatably attached to the oil vat 10. The lid 20 has a rotating part 20a that is pivotally supported on a rotated part 10a of the oil vat 10. In other words, the lid 20 has a hinge structure and opens and closes with respect to the oil vat 10 around the rotating part 20a. 2, a recess 20b for accommodating the cover 30 is formed inside the lid 20. The cover 30 is attached to the recess 20b and opens and closes the top opening of the oil vat 10 as the lid 20 rotates.

[0025] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the cover 30 is an electromagnetic wave shield that can open and close the top opening formed in the oil vat 10 and suppresses the leakage of electromagnetic waves. The cover 30 is made of metal such as iron, stainless steel, or aluminum. The cover 30 is a metal plate that has a rectangular shape when viewed from above and is attached to the recess 20b of the lid 20. The material of the cover 30 is not limited to metal, and may be any material that suppresses the leakage of electromagnetic waves, such as resin plating or conductive paint.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1 , the heating element 40 is a hot wire heater that is provided in the oil vat 10 and heats the oil contained in the oil vat 10. The heating element 40 is detachably provided inside the oil vat 10 and is electrically connected to a controller 60 provided in the housing 2. Because the heating element 40 is provided inside the oil vat 10, it can directly heat the oil. This allows the oil to be heated efficiently in a short time, thereby shortening the cooking time. Furthermore, because the heating element 40 is detachably provided in the oil vat 10, it can be removed and the oil vat 10 can be easily cleaned. The heating element 40 is not limited to a hot wire heater, and may be a heat source such as a gas stove or an induction heater. The heating element 40 is disposed inside the oil vat 10, but may also be disposed outside the oil vat 10 (in the housing 2).

[0027] 2, the heating element 40 is disposed in the lower portion of the oil vat 10 (between the bottom surface of the oil vat 10 and the cage 11). By heating the oil contained in the oil vat 10 from below, the temperature of the oil in the oil vat 10 can be made uniform. 3, the heating element 40 has a wave shape when viewed from above. The heating element 40 is arranged so as to spread over the bottom surface of the oil vat 10, so that the oil contained in the oil vat 10 can be heated efficiently.

[0028] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the irradiation member 50 is disposed inside the oil vat 10 and irradiates microwaves onto the food F in the oil to heat it. The irradiation member 50 is a slot antenna capable of irradiating microwaves of, for example, 2.45 GHz, and can heat the food F from the inside using the microwaves. The microwave frequency is not limited to 2.45 GHz, and may be in the K band (18 GHz to 26.5 GHz). Any frequency may be used as long as it can heat the food F from the inside; for example, the frequency is preferably 0.3 GHz to 300 GHz, more preferably 1 GHz to 100 GHz, and even more preferably 2.45 GHz to 50 GHz.

[0029] 1, the irradiation member 50 has multiple antennas that can be attached from the outside of the oil vat 10. More specifically, the irradiation member 50 has a first antenna 50a, a second antenna 50b, a third antenna 50c, and a fourth antenna 50d that are detachably attached to the lid portion 20 and the cover portion 30. The irradiation member 50 (each antenna) is attached to the lid portion 20 so as to extend from the cover portion 30 toward the inside of the oil vat 10. In this way, since the oil tank 10 and the irradiation member 50 are separate, even in places where it is difficult to secure space, microwaves can be efficiently irradiated onto food F simply by attaching the irradiation member 50 to an existing cooking appliance.

[0030] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the irradiation member 50 is, for example, a SIW (Substrate Integrated Waveguide) slot antenna, and has a substrate 51 attached to the cover portion 30, a microwave irradiation port 52 placed inside the oil vat 10, and an attachment portion 53 for attachment to the cover portion 30. The SIW slot antenna is a planar antenna that simulates a waveguide circuit system within a dielectric substrate. By using the SIW slot antenna, it is possible to reduce the weight of the radiation member 50. In addition, the SIW slot antenna allows for easy circuit fabrication, reducing manufacturing costs.

[0031] As shown in Figure 4, the substrate 51 has a plate-shaped dielectric substrate 54, a first conductive plate 55 and a second conductive plate 56 sandwiching the dielectric substrate 54, and a metal post 57 extending in the thickness direction of the dielectric substrate 54 and connecting the first conductive plate 55 and the second conductive plate 56. An opening (slot) that serves as the irradiation port 52 is formed on the surface of the substrate 51 (specifically, the first conductive plate 55).

[0032] Examples of materials for the dielectric substrate 54 include glass, ceramics, and fluorine-based resin. Examples of materials for the first conductor plate 55 and the second conductor plate 56 include copper and silver. The first conductor plate 55 and the second conductor plate 56 serve as the ground of the planar antenna. The metal posts 57 are made of a conductive material, and are formed in plurality on the periphery of the substrate 51 and are arranged in a U-shape so as to surround the irradiation port 52 .

[0033] As shown in FIG. 4, the irradiation port 52 is an opening formed in the first conductor plate 55 on the surface of the substrate 51, and is a slot for irradiating microwaves. As shown in Fig. 2, irradiation port 52 is disposed inside oil vat 10 and irradiates microwaves from the side onto food F in oil. When cover unit 30 covers the top opening of oil vat 10, irradiation port 52 of irradiation member 50 is disposed inside oil vat 10. More specifically, when lid unit 20 is closed with oil contained in oil vat 10, irradiation member 50 is disposed inside oil vat 10 and irradiation port 52 is immersed in oil. Therefore, microwaves can be directly irradiated from irradiation member 50 onto food F in oil to heat it.

[0034] The radiation member 50 is not limited to an SIW slot antenna, and may be a planar antenna such as a rectangular patch antenna or a circular patch antenna. For example, a patch antenna has a plate-shaped radiation element and a conductor plate arranged on the front and back surfaces of a dielectric substrate. The radiation element has a rectangular or circular shape and corresponds to the radiation port 52. The power feeding method may be, for example, a coplanar power feeding method, in which the radiation element is fed by a stripline arranged on the same plane as the radiation element. The power feeding method may also be a back-coaxial power feeding method or an electromagnetic coupling power feeding method.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 3 , the irradiation member 50 is disposed so as to surround the heating member 40 in a top view. Specifically, the substrate 51 of the irradiation member 50 includes a first substrate 51a of the first antenna 50a, a second substrate 51b of the second antenna 50b, a third substrate 51c of the third antenna 50c, and a fourth substrate 51d of the fourth antenna 50d. The first substrate 51a and the second substrate 51b are disposed inside the oil vat 10 with their surfaces facing each other. The third substrate 51c and the fourth substrate 51d are disposed inside the oil vat 10 with their surfaces facing each other. That is, the irradiation ports 52 provided on the surfaces of the substrates 51 are disposed opposite each other. Because the irradiation ports 52 face each other in this manner, microwaves can be efficiently irradiated onto the food F. Furthermore, the irradiation member 50 is disposed in a position inside the oil vat 10 where it does not overlap with the heating member 40 when viewed from above. Because the heating member 40 and the irradiation member 50 are disposed in positions where they do not overlap when viewed from above, the oil and food F can be efficiently heated and cooked by the heating member 40 and the irradiation member 50.

[0036] In this embodiment, four slot antennas are arranged to surround from the sides the food F placed in the center of the oil vat 10. However, the number and arrangement of the slot antennas are not limited to this, and any position is acceptable as long as the irradiation port 52 is immersed in oil and can irradiate the food F with microwaves. For example, the surfaces (irradiation ports 52) of the two substrates 51 may be arranged so as to face each other, or so as not to face each other. The slot antenna may also be arranged in the center of the oil vat 10 with the irradiation port 52 facing the side of the oil vat 10, or may be arranged above the oil vat 10 with the irradiation port 52 facing the bottom of the oil vat 10. When arranged above the oil vat 10, the irradiation port 52 is positioned so that it is immersed in oil, allowing microwaves to be irradiated directly onto the food F in the oil to heat it.

[0037] <Controller> The controller 60 is a control unit equipped with a CPU (processor) as a data calculation and control processing device, ROM and RAM as storage devices, and a communication interface for sending and receiving information data (RAM may not be included). A cooking program is stored in the ROM and RAM, and the functions of the microwave cooking appliance 1 are realized by the program being executed by the CPU (processor). Specifically, the control controller 60 is configured to receive signals from an operation unit and a sensor (not shown) and send control signals to the heating member 40 and the irradiation member 50 to heat and cook the food F. The control controller 60 is also configured to send control signals to a display unit (not shown) to display the contents of various settings on the display screen. The control controller 60 is attached to the housing 2 and is electrically connected to the heating member 40 and the irradiation member 50. Note that if the frequency is not variable, the control controller 60 may not be provided.

[0038] <Cooking method> Next, a cooking method using the microwave cooking appliance 1 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in Figure 5, this method includes at least a "liquid preparation step (S1)" of placing oil in an oil vat 10, a "cooking object introduction step (S2)" of placing food F into the oil contained in the oil vat 10, and a "heating step (S3)" of irradiating the food F with microwaves using an irradiation member 50 to heat it while the oil contained in the oil vat 10 is heated by a heating member 40. These steps will be described in detail below. Note that explanations of other steps involved in cooking the food F will be omitted. The above steps are performed by a cook who cooks the food F. The microwave cooking appliance 1 controls the heating member 40 and the irradiation member 50 by the controller 60, and cooks the food F by heating.

[0039] In the "liquid preparation step (S1)," oil is poured into the oil vat 10. Specifically, when the lid 20 is closed and the irradiation member 50 is placed in the oil vat 10 in the heating step (S3), the oil is poured up to a position where the irradiation port 52 is immersed (an upper position in the oil vat 10). Then, the heating element 40 is controlled to heat the oil in the oil tank 10 to a preset temperature.

[0040] In the "cooking object putting step (S2)," food F is put into the oil contained in the oil vat 10. Specifically, the food F, which is the cooking object, is put into the inside of the basket 11 placed in the oil vat 10. At this time, the heating element 40 is controlled to continuously heat the oil in the oil vat 10 to a preset temperature.

[0041] In the "heating step (S3)", after the food F is placed in the oil vat 10, the food F in the oil is heated by irradiating it with microwaves from the irradiation port 52 of the irradiation member 50 placed in the oil, while the oil is still heated by the heating member 40. More specifically, after the food F is placed in the oil vat 10, the lid 20 is closed, the irradiation member 50 is placed in the oil vat 10, and the irradiation port 52 is immersed in the heated oil. At this time, the irradiation port 52 is placed in a position facing the food F from the side. The irradiation member 50 is then controlled to irradiate the food F with microwaves to heat it.

[0042] When the predetermined time has elapsed and cooking is finished, the irradiation member 50 is controlled to stop irradiating microwaves, the lid 20 is opened, and the food F is removed from the oil vat 10. At this time, the basket 11 and the food F may be removed together from the oil vat 10, or only the food F may be removed. Thereafter, when another food F is to be cooked, the cooking is repeated from the step of putting in the food to be cooked (S2) again while maintaining the temperature of the oil with the heating element 40. After all the food F has been cooked, the heating element 40 is controlled to stop heating the oil.

[0043] In this way, microwaves are irradiated onto the food F in the oil from irradiation port 52 of irradiation member 50 placed in the oil to heat it, so that the food F can be heated by being directly irradiated with microwaves from irradiation member 50 in the oil. Therefore, cooking time can be shortened with a simple configuration. The order of the steps is not limited to that described above and can be changed as appropriate. For example, if the irradiation member 50 is attached to a location other than the lid 20, oil may be poured into the oil vat 10 in which the irradiation member 50 is placed in the liquid preparation step (S1). Then, before the object-to-be-cooked pouring step (S2), the oil may be heated by the heating member 40 and the irradiation member 50. Then, food F may be poured into the heated oil, and in the heating step (S3), the oil contained in the oil vat 10 is heated by the heating member 40, and the food F may be heated by irradiating it with microwaves from the irradiation member 50.

[0044] <Other embodiments> In the above embodiment, the microwave cooking appliance 1 has been described as a fryer that heats and cooks food F in edible oil or fat by irradiating it with microwaves, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the microwave cooking appliance 1 may be a cooking appliance such as a pot or a steamer.

[0045] In the above embodiment, the microwave cooking appliance and cooking method according to the present invention have been mainly described. However, the above embodiment is merely an example for facilitating understanding of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention. The present invention can be modified and improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and the present invention naturally includes equivalents thereof. In particular, the above-described embodiments are merely examples and do not limit the present invention. [Example]

[0046] Examples of the present invention will be described below. <Cooking method> In the example, a known 3L electric fryer was used. An SIW slot antenna was attached inside the oil tank of the 3L electric fryer, and oil was placed in the oil tank. The slot, which serves as the irradiation port, was immersed in the oil in the oil tank. The SIW slot antenna was installed near croquette A, and the slot was positioned so that it faced croquette A. The heating temperature of the heater in a 3L electric fryer was set to 160°C, and two frozen croquettes (Croquettes A and B) were fried for 4 minutes. Microwaves with a frequency of 2.45 GHz and an input power of 10 W were irradiated from the side of Croquettes A using an SIW slot antenna. Croquettes B were not irradiated with microwaves.

[0047] <Measuring the core temperature of food> To measure the core temperature difference of food, first, croquette A and croquette B, which had been seasoned with oil for 4 minutes, were cut in half with a knife and a temperature sensor was inserted into the cut surface. The core temperature was recorded 20 seconds after the insertion. A known temperature sensor was used to measure the core temperature of food. The core temperature difference was calculated as the core temperature of croquette A minus the core temperature of croquette B.

[0048] In the example, croquette A was subjected to a heat treatment and microwave irradiation treatment, and croquette B was subjected to a heat treatment only. The results of the core temperature difference in the example are shown in FIG. In the comparative example, only the heat treatment was performed on croquette A, and only the heat treatment was performed on croquette B. The results of the core temperature difference in the comparative example are shown in FIG.

[0049] <Food temperature measurement results> Figures 6 and 7 show the relationship between core temperature difference and alcohol content (N number). As shown in Figure 6, the average core temperature difference for foods irradiated with microwaves was 9.6°C (median 9.6°C). As shown in Figure 7, the average core temperature difference for foods not irradiated with microwaves was 0.74°C (median 1.0°C). Therefore, it was revealed that foods irradiated with microwaves had a greater difference in core temperature than foods that were not irradiated with microwaves.

[0050] These results demonstrate that cooking time can be shortened by using microwaves. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1. Microwave cooking equipment 2. Case 10 Oil tank (liquid tank) 10a Rotating part 11 basket 11a Locking part 20 Lid 20a Rotating part 20b Recess 30 Cover 40 heating element 50 Irradiation member 50a First Antenna 50b Second Antenna 50c Third Antenna 50d fourth antenna 51 PCB 51a First board 51b Second board 51c Third board 51d Fourth board 52 Irradiation port 53 Mounting part 54 Dielectric Substrate 55 First conductor plate 56 Second conductor plate 57 Metal Post 60 Controller F. Food (food to be cooked)

Claims

1. A microwave cooking appliance that heats and cooks food in a liquid by irradiating it with microwaves, a liquid tank for containing the liquid; a heating member provided in the liquid tank and configured to heat the liquid contained in the liquid tank; an irradiation member disposed inside the liquid tank and irradiating the food to be cooked in the liquid with microwaves to heat it; The microwave cooking appliance is characterized in that the irradiation member has a microwave irradiation port disposed inside the liquid tank.

2. The irradiation member is an antenna, and includes a substrate and the irradiation port formed on a surface of the substrate and irradiating microwaves, The microwave cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation port is disposed inside the liquid tank and irradiates the object to be cooked in the liquid from a side with microwaves.

3. the substrates include a first substrate disposed inside the liquid tank and a second substrate disposed inside the liquid tank at a predetermined distance from the first substrate; The microwave cooking appliance according to claim 2, wherein the first substrate and the second substrate are disposed inside the liquid bath so that their surfaces face each other.

4. The microwave cooking appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the irradiation member is arranged so as to be attachable from outside the liquid tank.

5. a cover portion that covers an upper opening formed in the liquid tank in an openable and closable manner and suppresses leakage of electromagnetic waves; the irradiation member is attached to the cover portion and extends from the cover portion toward the inside of the liquid tank; The microwave cooking appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the irradiation port is disposed inside the liquid vat when the cover part covers the upper opening of the liquid vat.

6. the heating element is provided inside the liquid tank; The microwave cooking appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the irradiation member is arranged so as to surround the heating member when viewed from above, and is arranged in a position inside the liquid tank so as not to overlap with the heating member when viewed from above.

7. 4. The microwave cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein the microwave cooking appliance is a fryer that heats and cooks food in edible oil or fat by irradiating microwaves onto the food.

8. A cooking method for heating and cooking an object in a liquid by irradiating it with microwaves, a liquid preparation step of storing the liquid in a liquid tank; a cooking object introduction step of introducing the cooking object into the liquid contained in the liquid tank; a heating step of irradiating the object to be cooked with microwaves by an irradiation member while the liquid contained in the liquid tank is heated by a heating member, A cooking method characterized in that in the heating step, microwaves are irradiated from an irradiation port of the irradiation member placed in the liquid to heat the object to be cooked in the liquid.

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