Sous Vide Water Temperature Control for Multi-Food Even Cooking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Sous vide cooking devices lack the ability to efficiently cook multiple and different food items simultaneously due to long cooking times and incomplete air exclusion from sealed bags, which can lead to overcooking and uneven cooking.
Innovation Solution
A sous vide device with a reservoir, user interface, heating element, temperature sensor, and processor module that controls water temperature and a movable food rack, allowing for customizable cooking profiles based on food type and style, including eggs, with options for egg white and yolk texture, and wireless communication for remote input and temperature monitoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sous vide cooking is performed with sealed bags, then moisture and flavour are retained, but air exclusion is incomplete leading to uneven cooking
Solution Approach 1:
A weight is introduced as an intermediary element inside the sealed bag to push the food down and ensure complete water contact. This mediator overcomes the problem of incomplete air exclusion and floating food items, achieving uniform cooking without requiring perfect vacuum sealing.
Solution Approach 2:
The weight inside the bag acts as a counterweight to the buoyancy force that causes food to float and air pockets to remain. By balancing these forces, the food is forced into contact with the water, eliminating uneven cooking caused by trapped air.
2Productivity
If multiple different food items are cooked simultaneously, then cooking efficiency is improved, but cooking precision for each item becomes difficult to control
Solution Approach 1:
The cooking system is segmented into multiple independent zones or bags, each containing different food items with their own weight elements. This allows simultaneous cooking of multiple items while maintaining individual control over each item's cooking conditions through the processor module.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts cooking parameters for different food items based on user input. The processor module can vary temperature, time, and other parameters for each bag independently, enabling precise control over multiple items cooked simultaneously.
3Adaptability or versatility
If food rack is fixed in position, then device complexity is reduced, but ability to accommodate different food items is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The food rack is made movable rather than fixed, allowing it to be adjusted to different positions to accommodate various food item sizes and shapes. This dynamic adjustment capability increases versatility without significantly complicating the overall device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable rack design allows the same rack structure to serve multiple functions by accommodating different types and sizes of food items. This universal design approach enables one rack to replace multiple specialized racks, maintaining simplicity while increasing adaptability.
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
Enables precise and even cooking of various food items by regulating water temperature and cooking time, ensuring optimal doneness for eggs and other foods, while preventing overcooking and allowing for simultaneous cooking of multiple items.
Implementation Method 1
a heating element for heating water in the reservoir
Implementation Method 2
a temperature sensor element for providing a temperature signal indicative of water temperature in the reservoir
Implementation Method 3
the processor module being coupled to the temperature sensor element for receiving the temperature signal; the processor module enables control of the heating element for regulating the temperature of water in the reservoir
Data Source
AI summary
A sous vide device and method for cooking food. The device including: a reservoir for retaining water; a user interface having one or more user input elements and a display element; a heating element for heating water in the reservoir; a temperature sensor element for providing a temperature signal indicative of water temperature in the reservoir; and a processor module, the processor module being coupled to the user interface for receiving user inputs; the processor module being coupled to the temperature sensor element for receiving the temperature signal; the processor module enables control of the heating element for regulating the temperature of water in the reservoir.