Method for controlling cooking time and associated cooking appliance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooking appliances struggle to set optimal cooking times based on the quantity and type of food, leading to overcooking or undercooking, which degrades food quality and accelerates component wear.
Innovation Solution
A cooking appliance with a control interface, temperature sensor, and heating means that determines the quantity and size of food through temperature measurements, calculating an optimized cooking time based on type, mass, and cross-section, and adjusts for appliance state parameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the user sets the cooking time manually using a timer, then the user has control over the cooking duration, but the cooking time may not correspond to the actual time needed, degrading food quality
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses temperature sensors to continuously monitor the heating process and compares the measured temperature evolution with reference profiles stored in memory. Based on this feedback, the microprocessor automatically adjusts or determines the optimal cooking time, eliminating the need for manual user estimation while maintaining operational simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooking appliance autonomously determines the optimal cooking time by analyzing temperature measurements and comparing them with pre-stored reference data. The system performs self-diagnosis and self-adjustment, freeing the user from the complex task of precisely timing the cooking process while ensuring optimal results.
2Reliability
If the heating element operates for extended periods to compensate for incorrect timing, then the food can be cooked thoroughly, but the heating element deteriorates more quickly
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature sensor provides real-time feedback on the cooking progress, allowing the microprocessor to determine when the food has reached the desired doneness. This prevents unnecessary extended operation of the heating element, ensuring cooking completeness while minimizing wear and extending the heating element's service life.
3Extent of automation
If the cooking appliance uses pre-set cooking times from a remote terminal, then the cooking process is automated, but the user must precisely measure the food quantity, and errors lead to poor cooking results
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically determines the actual food mass present by analyzing the temperature evolution during heating. The microprocessor compares the measured temperature profile with reference profiles corresponding to different food masses, thereby automatically detecting the food quantity without requiring manual measurement by the user. This maintains automation while eliminating preparation errors.
4Device complexity
If the cooking appliance operates with fixed cooking times, then the system is simple to control, but the organoleptic qualities of the food are degraded when timing is incorrect
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature sensor continuously monitors the cooking process and provides feedback to the microprocessor, which compares the actual temperature evolution with reference profiles. This automatic adjustment ensures optimal cooking quality without requiring complex user input or manual timing, maintaining simplicity while achieving precise results.
Solution Approach 2:
The system stores multiple reference temperature profiles in memory, each corresponding to different food types, masses, or cooking conditions. The microprocessor selects and compares against the appropriate reference profile based on the detected parameters, dynamically adapting the cooking process to achieve optimal organoleptic qualities without increasing apparent system 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
Ensures precise cooking times tailored to the actual food amount and type, preserving food quality and reducing unnecessary appliance usage.
Implementation Method 1
at least one measurement is acquired by at least one temperature sensor of the temperature of the receiving means and a value relating to the temperature rise of the cooking appliance is determined
Implementation Method 2
a main heating means designed to generate a heating flow over the receiving means directed so as to substantially strike at least a portion of the food
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for controlling the cooking of food which includes at least one step in which the temperature of the food is monitored in order to determine the quantity and size of the food introduced and thus obtain a cooking time relative to the quantity and size of the food introduced and the invention also relates to a cooking apparatus which is adapted to implement the control method and in particular at least the preceding step of the method.