Steam oven

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing cooking technologies face challenges in achieving precise and even heat distribution, leading to overcooking or undercooking of food, especially in home settings, where thinner cuts of meat like fish and chicken are difficult to cook to the desired balance of juicy and crisp, and users struggle to set appropriate cooking parameters without experience.

Innovation Solution

A method and apparatus for cooking food in a pressurized steam oven that involves steam cooking in a first stage and searing in a second stage, using a combination of 3D imaging and internal temperature monitoring to adjust cooking times and parameters based on food type, size, and desired doneness, ensuring the critical temperature is not exceeded, with the ability to reduce cooking time to prevent overcooking.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of time

If high-pressure steam cooking is used to cook food faster, then cooking time is reduced, but the food texture becomes boiled rather than roasted

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecooking timeVSAvoidfood texture quality

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The cooking process is divided into two distinct stages: first stage uses high-pressure steam for rapid cooking to reduce cooking time, and second stage uses compressed air for browning and texturing to achieve roasted appearance. This segmentation allows each stage to optimize for its specific function without compromising the other.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system transitions seamlessly from steam cooking to compressed air injection without removing the food from the cooking chamber, maintaining continuous cooking action. The compressed air is injected during the cooking process to achieve browning and texturing while the food is still hot, maximizing efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

2Extent of automation

If image recognition is used to identify food type, then automatic cooking can be initiated, but the cooking experience remains poor without parameter adjustment

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveautomatic cooking initiationVSAvoidcooking parameter adjustment

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses image recognition to identify food type and characteristics, then automatically adjusts cooking parameters (time, pressure, air injection timing) based on the identified food properties. This closed-loop feedback system eliminates the need for manual parameter adjustment while maintaining optimal cooking results.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The cooking system performs self-adjustment of parameters based on automatic food identification and internal temperature monitoring, making the system self-sufficient without requiring user expertise or intervention for parameter setting.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Difficulty of detecting and measuring

If only surface temperature is monitored to determine cooking doneness, then measurement is simple, but internal doneness cannot be accurately assessed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetemperature measurement simplicityVSAvoidinternal doneness assessment

Core Design Contradiction:

Difficulty of detecting and measuringVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system replaces manual thermometer insertion with automatic internal temperature sensors that continuously monitor the food's internal temperature. This substitution provides precise real-time data without requiring user intervention or complex measurement procedures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

Internal temperature sensors act as intermediaries between the food's internal state and the control system, providing accurate information about internal doneness that would otherwise be inaccessible, enabling precise control of the cooking process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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 allows for more precise and efficient cooking, ensuring food is cooked evenly and safely, maintaining juiciness on the inside and crispiness on the outside, while being energy-efficient and user-friendly.

Implementation Method 1

steam cooking

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCondensation: Condensation

Implementation Method 2

steam cooking

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectConvection: Convection

Implementation Method 3

searing in a second stage

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCompression heating: Adiabatic Heating

Data Source

PatentUS20240215618A1Steam oven

Publication Date: 2024.07.04 TULI RAJA SINGH

AI summary

The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for cooking the foodstuff in a pressurized steam oven with the foodstuff being steam cooked in the first stage and seared in the next stage. The method automatically identifies the time of the first stage (slow) cooking and the time of the second stage (fast) cooking based on the type, size, temperature, and 3D image of the foodstuff. The slow cook is stopped before the foodstuff reaches the critical temperature by an amount determined by various parameters and next, the fast cook of searing is started. The slow cook method can be a pressurized steam cooking method. The method automatically reduces the time of the slow cooking so that the internal temperature of the food does not prematurely reach the critical temperature. The method helps in avoiding overcooking the foodstuff during the searing stage.