Airfrying system and method
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current air fryers face challenges in evenly cooking large volumes of deep-frozen food, often resulting in burnt exteriors and undercooked interiors, and are limited to home use due to their small size and design limitations.
Innovation Solution
A system incorporating an RF-impermeable layer and a holder with an air-permeable side, where RF-energy is used to heat the food while hot air circulation creates a crispy exterior, allowing for even cooking and expanding the system's capacity for commercial use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the chamber size is increased to accommodate large volumes of food, then the productivity is improved, but the evenness of cooking deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cooking process is segmented into two distinct heating methods: RF-heating for the core of the food to ensure even internal cooking, and hot air convection for the exterior to create crispiness. This segmentation allows each method to optimize its function without compromising the other, solving the contradiction between chamber size and cooking evenness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges two heating technologies (RF-heating and hot air convection) into a single air frying system. The RF-antenna and hot air circulation system work simultaneously to address both the internal and external heating requirements, enabling large volume cooking with uniform results.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the chamber size is increased for commercial use, then the adaptability is improved, but the temperature distribution deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature control is segmented into two zones: RF-heating providing uniform temperature distribution throughout the food core, and localized hot air heating providing high temperature for exterior crispiness. This segmentation maintains optimal temperature distribution regardless of chamber size.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the heating parameters by introducing RF-energy as a controllable parameter alongside traditional hot air convection. This allows independent control of internal and external temperature, enabling the system to adapt to different food volumes and types while maintaining uniform temperature distribution.
3Manufacturing precision
If hot air circulation is used for air frying, then the crispy layer formation is improved, but the core heating speed deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The heating function is segmented between hot air circulation (for exterior crispiness) and RF-heating (for core heating speed). This segmentation allows each method to perform its optimized function simultaneously, resolving the contradiction between crispy layer formation and core heating speed.
Solution Approach 2:
RF-energy acts as an intermediary heating mechanism that penetrates directly to the food core, bypassing the limitation of external hot air heating. This intermediary approach enables rapid core heating while the hot air circulation simultaneously forms the crispy exterior layer.
4Productivity
If deep-frozen food is fried at once in a small chamber, then the productivity is improved, but the cooking evenness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cooking process is segmented into RF-heating for uniform core heating of multiple frozen items, and hot air convection for exterior crisping. This segmentation enables batch processing of deep-frozen food while maintaining cooking evenness across all items in the batch.
Solution Approach 2:
The introduction of RF-heating changes the thermal parameters by providing volumetric heating throughout the food, rather than surface-only heating. This parameter change enables even cooking of large batches of deep-frozen food simultaneously, overcoming the limitations of small chamber convection-only systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables even heating of large volumes of food from frozen to cooked state, preventing burnt exteriors and ensuring a crispy exterior with an evenly cooked interior, and allows for commercial-scale air frying.
Implementation Method 1
an RF-antenna arranged to radiate RF-energy to the inside of the processing chamber for heating the food inside the holder
Implementation Method 2
a fan for circulating the air in the processing chamber through the air-permeable side and through the holder
Implementation Method 3
a heater arranged to provide heat to the circulated air
Implementation Method 4
the RF-impermeable layer in use separates the processing chamber in a first area susceptible to RF-energy from the RF-antenna and a second area shielded against RF-energy from the RF-antenna
Data Source
AI summary
A system for preparing food that includes a holder for holding the food and an apparatus. The apparatus includes a processing chamber that is RF-impermeable and air-impermeable, a holding device for holding the holder inside the processing chamber, an RF-antenna to radiate RF-energy to the inside of the processing chamber for heating the food inside the holder, a fan for circulating the air in the processing chamber through an air-permeable side and through the holder, and a heater to provide heat to the circulated air. The fan and the heater are to air fry the food inside the holder. The processing chamber includes a top shell having a top inner space and a top rim forming an access opening to the top inner space, and a bottom shell having a bottom inner space and a bottom rim forming an access opening to the bottom inner space. In a closed position, the top shell and the bottom shell are to envelop an interior space that includes the top inner space and the bottom space. The processing chamber is shaped such that the RF-wave has a node substantially at the top rim and/or the bottom rim in the closed position.