Food storage and cooking system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sous-vide cooking methods are time-consuming and lack flexibility in cooking different food items with varying procedures, temperatures, and times, and fail to efficiently manage and discard used cooking fluid without contaminating the cooking device.
Innovation Solution
A food storage and cooking device that includes a method of cooking by positioning a food item in a container within the device, where a flow of fluid is conveyed to cook the item and then automatically drained when the fluid volume exceeds a threshold, allowing for precise temperature control and efficient fluid management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional sous-vide cooking methods are used, then food can be cooked at precise temperatures, but the cooking process takes a significant amount of time and lacks flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The cooking system is divided into multiple independent cooking chambers, each capable of cooking different food items simultaneously at different temperatures and times. This segmentation allows parallel processing of multiple cooking tasks, reducing total cooking time while maintaining precise temperature control in each chamber.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts cooking parameters (temperature, time, fluid flow) for each cooking chamber based on the specific food items being prepared. This dynamic control enables flexible cooking procedures for different foods while maintaining precision, allowing the system to adapt cooking time and temperature profiles to minimize overall cooking duration.
2Productivity
If used cooking fluid is not drained, then the cooking device remains full and ready for continuous operation, but the fluid contaminates the device and food items
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically extracts and drains used cooking fluid from each cooking chamber through dedicated drainage systems. This extraction removes the contaminating fluid while preserving the cooking chambers for continuous operation, eliminating contamination without interrupting productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooking system incorporates self-draining mechanisms that automatically remove used fluid without requiring manual intervention. The system serves itself by maintaining cleanliness through automated fluid management, allowing continuous operation while preventing contamination.
3Device complexity
If manual fluid management is used, then the device structure can be simpler, but the cooking process becomes more complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges multiple functions (cooking, draining, fluid management) into integrated cooking chambers and automated systems. This combination eliminates the need for separate manual fluid management steps, simplifying the cooking process while the underlying structure remains relatively simple through functional integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooking device incorporates multi-functional components that can cook, drain, and manage fluids automatically. These universal components perform multiple operations without requiring separate dedicated mechanisms, maintaining structural simplicity while enhancing operational ease through automation.
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 approach enables efficient cooking of food items with precise temperature control and automatic fluid management, addressing the limitations of existing sous-vide methods by simplifying the cooking process and maintaining device cleanliness.
Implementation Method 1
a volume of fluid is conveyed into the inner volume of the food container and has a temperature sufficient to cook the food item
Implementation Method 2
The thermal energy released by the hot water heats the submerged food until a temperature of the food and the temperature of the hot water are in a state of substantial thermal equilibrium
Implementation Method 3
The volume of fluid in the inner volume of the food container is then drained automatically into the drain of the food storage and cooking device in response to the volume in the inner volume of the food container exceeding the threshold
Data Source
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AI summary
A food storage and cooking system, the system comprising: a food container (221) defining an inner volume configured to receive a food item, the food container having an outlet (224) in fluid communication with the inner volume; and a storage and cooking device including a controller, a thermal container and a fluid circulation system, the thermal container configured to receive the food container such that the outlet of the food container is substantially aligned with the drain of the device, with the food container disposed in the thermal container, the controller configured to send a first signal operable to cause the fluid circulation system to heat a fluid circulating in the fluid circulation system and to convey a first flow of the fluid through into the inner volume such that a volume of the fluid in the food container is less than a threshold volume of fluid, and after a predetermined amount of time, the controller configured to send a second signal operable to cause the fluid circulation system to convey a second flow of the fluid into the inner volume such that the volume of the fluid in the food container exceeds the threshold volume of fluid, the outlet of the food container configured to automatically drain the volume of the fluid from the inner volume and into the drain of the storage and cooking device in response to the volume of the fluid in the food container exceeding the threshold volume.