Low-pressure steam cooker
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional steam cookers are complex, space-consuming, and can cause damage to ovens due to excessive water vapor escape, and they fail to generate steam pressure that significantly exceeds room pressure, affecting cooking time and quality.
Innovation Solution
A low-pressure steam cooker with a base plate and hood made from non-glazed ceramic material admixed with granite meal, featuring a water trough for controlled steam generation and a steam outlet gap to manage pressure, allowing for efficient steam cooking in both ovens and microwave ovens.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional steam cookers are used to generate steam atmosphere, then food can be cooked, but the devices are technically complex and take up space in the kitchen
Solution Approach 1:
The steam cooker is divided into two separate components: a base plate with water trough and a hood with mounting rim. This segmentation allows the device to be simple yet functional, eliminating the need for complex integrated steam generation systems while maintaining ease of use.
Solution Approach 2:
The base plate and hood combination serves multiple functions: it generates steam atmosphere, contains water, and can be used in both conventional ovens and microwave ovens. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate steam cooking devices, reducing kitchen space requirements.
2Productivity
If water is used to generate steam in conventional steam cookers, then steam atmosphere is created, but excessive escape of water vapor causes damage to the oven
Solution Approach 1:
The hood acts as a flexible barrier that contains steam atmosphere while allowing controlled vapor escape through the steam outlet gap. This prevents excessive water vapor damage to the oven while maintaining adequate steam generation for cooking.
Solution Approach 2:
The hood and base plate are designed with specific local features: the mounting rim with steam outlet gap allows controlled steam escape at critical locations, preventing excessive vapor damage to the oven while maintaining steam atmosphere where needed for cooking.
3Reliability
If conventional steam cookers are designed to contain steam, then steam atmosphere is maintained, but no steam pressure that significantly exceeds room pressure can be generated, adversely affecting cooking time and result
Solution Approach 1:
The hood serves as a flexible containment structure that maintains steam atmosphere while allowing controlled pressure buildup. The steam outlet gap provides pressure relief, enabling the system to generate steam pressure that exceeds room pressure without excessive force, thereby reducing cooking time while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The steam outlet gap provides dynamic pressure regulation, allowing the steam cooker to adapt to varying cooking conditions. This enables the system to generate adequate steam pressure for faster cooking while preventing excessive pressure buildup, optimizing both cooking time and reliability.
4Strength
If the mounting rim and hood bearing surface are designed to fit tightly, then the hood is securely mounted, but steam cannot escape creating overpressure
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting interface is designed with local quality variation: the mounting rim provides secure mounting through its overall structure, while the steam outlet gap creates localized pressure relief zones. This allows the hood to be securely mounted while enabling controlled steam escape to prevent overpressure.
Solution Approach 2:
The hood and base plate form a flexible sealing system that maintains secure mounting while allowing controlled steam escape. The steam outlet gap in the mounting interface provides pressure relief without compromising the overall mounting security, balancing strength and pressure management.
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
The solution enables quick, energy-efficient, and gentle cooking with reduced water usage, preventing overpressure and preserving food quality, while using a heat-resistant, non-toxic ceramic material that is safe for microwave use and easy to clean.
Implementation Method 1
at least one water trough for holding water, which water is evaporated during the cooking process
Implementation Method 2
the base plate and the low-pressure hood are each formed in one piece and consist of a non-glazed ceramic material
Implementation Method 3
a steam outlet gap remains between them... necessary in order for the steam generated under the hood to be able to escape in a restricted manner, so that there is a pressure under the hood that is slightly higher than the ambient pressure
Data Source
AI summary
A low-pressure steam cooker comprises a base plate and low-pressure hood. The base plate has a base surface and cooking product surface opposite the base surface. The cooking product surface has a hood bearing surface having a peripheral raised retaining edge and at least one water trough for holding water. The low-pressure hood has a dish-shaped hood volume and a mounting rim, the contour of which is shaped complementary to the contour of the retaining edge of the base plate, so that the mounting rim is enclosed by the retaining edge when the mounting rim is seated on the hood bearing surface. The base plate and low-pressure hood are each formed of a non-glazed ceramic material. The surfaces of the mounting rim and the hood bearing surface facing each other are formed so that a steam outlet gap remains therebetween, at least in sections.