Indirect Steaming Vessel With Pressure-Controlled Water Jacket
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooking vessels, such as traditional, steaming, and pressure cookers, often result in undesirable alterations of food quality due to direct heat contact, steam exposure, or high temperatures, leading to nutrient loss, burning, and flavor degradation.
Innovation Solution
A vessel designed for indirect steaming with automatic temperature control, featuring a water-containing hollow space between the heat source and food, with a pressure-adjusting valve to maintain a constant temperature around 105°C, preventing direct heat contact and steam exposure, and allowing use on induction cooking plates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional cooking vessels with direct heat contact are used, then cooking efficiency is improved, but food quality deteriorates due to burning and nutrient loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary water layer between the heat source and the food. This water layer acts as a mediator that transfers heat indirectly to the food through controlled evaporation, preventing direct contact between high-temperature heat source and food, thus avoiding burning while maintaining cooking efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the thermal parameter by introducing a water-based heat transfer medium instead of direct conductive or radiant heat. The water layer absorbs and evaporates controlled amounts of heat, maintaining a maximum temperature of 100°C at the food interface, which preserves nutritional value while enabling efficient cooking
2Productivity
If steam cooking is used, then cooking speed is improved, but food quality deteriorates due to nutrient loss from steam contact
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses water as an intermediary medium that prevents direct steam contact with food. The water layer absorbs excess steam and controls the thermal environment, allowing fast cooking through efficient heat transfer while protecting water-soluble nutrients from leaching into steam
Solution Approach 2:
The patent controls the thermal parameters by maintaining the water layer at temperatures that enable rapid heat transfer to food while preventing excessive steam generation that would cause nutrient loss. The controlled evaporation rate ensures fast cooking without harmful steam exposure
3Loss of time
If pressure cooking is used, then cooking time is reduced, but food quality deteriorates due to high temperature damage to delicate substances
Solution Approach 1:
The patent fundamentally changes the temperature parameter by using water as a heat transfer medium with a maximum evaporation temperature of 100°C. This prevents the high temperatures (108-120°C) typical of pressure cooking that damage vitamins and enzymes, while still achieving reduced cooking time through efficient thermal conduction and evaporation
Solution Approach 2:
The water layer serves as a protective intermediary that limits the maximum temperature reaching the food to 100°C, preventing thermal degradation of delicate substances while maintaining accelerated cooking rates through controlled evaporation and heat transfer
4Object-affected harmful factors
If indirect steaming with automatic temperature control is implemented, then food quality is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional hollow space and valve mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the vessel base multi-functional by enabling it to serve both as a structural support and as a water reservoir for indirect heating. This eliminates the need for separate heating elements or complex temperature control systems, achieving automatic temperature control through the phase change properties of water while maintaining simple vessel geometry
Solution Approach 2:
The system achieves automatic temperature control through the self-regulating property of water evaporation. When the water layer reaches 100°C, it naturally evaporates at a rate that maintains this temperature, providing self-regulating thermal control without complex sensors or actuators, thus improving food quality while minimizing device complexity
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 method preserves nutritional value and flavor, reduces energy consumption, and simplifies cooking by maintaining a consistent temperature, preventing burning and nutrient loss, while enabling easy assembly and replacement of the pressure device.
Implementation Method 1
a water-containing hollow space is interposed between the heat source, for instance a gas ring or an electric hot plate, and the food
Implementation Method 2
The pressure of steam generated inside the hollow space due to water heating is adjusted by a control valve, which is generally located on the vessel wall and is calibrated so as to prevent the burst of the walls of the hollow space and to keep the temperature inside the vessel constant, at a value of about 105°C
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3b
AI summary
A method of manufacturing a vessel (11) for indirect steaming of food with automatic temperature control, said vessel comprising an outer first body (13) and an inner second body (15) which have both a closed bottom (13a, 15a) and a corresponding opening (13b, 15b) on the opposite base and define therebetween a hollow space (17) associated with a pressure controlling device (21), wherein said first and second bodies (13, 15) have respective circumferential edges (13c, 15c) that at least partially overlap each other so as to close said hollow space (17) and said circumferential edges (13c, 15c) are joined by welding or crimping in order to close the hollow space (17).