Steam Oven Temperature Profiling for Bag-Free Gentle Cooking

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional steam cooking methods require enclosing food in a bag, limiting the ease of use and efficiency, and result in longer cooking times due to the need for a gentle temperature ramp to prevent surface overheating.

Innovation Solution

A method where food is placed directly in the cooking chamber, with controlled steam introduction and temperature management to follow a time-dependent temperature curve, allowing for a steep initial rise followed by a flat adaptation to the final temperature, without a steam-insulating casing, ensuring efficient heat input and preventing excessive cooking chamber temperatures.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If food is enclosed in a steam-insulating bag for gentle steam cooking, then the food can be cooked gently without surface overheating, but the ease of operation is limited and cooking time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegentle cooking qualityVSAvoidease of use
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts the food from the steam-insulating bag and places it directly in the cooking chamber. The bag is removed entirely, and the food is cooked in direct contact with steam in the open chamber, eliminating the operational complexity of bag preparation while maintaining gentle cooking through controlled steam introduction

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the temperature parameter profile by implementing a two-stage heating process: initial heating at moderate temperature followed by a final heating phase at elevated temperature (100-150°C). This parameter change allows gentle cooking without the bag while achieving the desired cooking quality

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If a gentle temperature ramp is used to prevent local overheating on the surface of meat, then the food can be cooked gently, but the cooking time becomes relatively long

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprevention of local overheatingVSAvoidcooking time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The invention implements periodic action through a two-stage heating process. The first stage uses moderate temperature heating to gently cook the food core without overheating the surface. The second stage introduces a final heating phase with elevated temperature (100-150°C) to complete the cooking process efficiently, creating a periodic pattern of heating intensity that resolves the time-quality contradiction

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention applies parameter changes by transitioning from moderate temperature heating to elevated temperature heating (100-150°C) in the final phase. This parameter change in temperature profile allows the system to overcome the time penalty of gentle cooking while maintaining control over surface overheating through the structured two-stage approach

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If the cooking chamber temperature is kept moderate to prevent surface overheating, then gentle cooking is achieved, but the cooking efficiency is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegentle cooking qualityVSAvoidcooking efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention uses periodic action with distinct heating phases. The initial phase maintains moderate cooking chamber temperature for gentle cooking. The final phase introduces elevated temperature (100-150°C) to accelerate the cooking process and improve efficiency, creating a periodic pattern that balances quality and productivity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The invention applies preliminary action by conducting the gentle cooking phase first to prepare the food core, followed by the final elevated temperature phase to complete cooking efficiently. This preliminary action structure ensures that when high temperature is applied, the food is already partially cooked, preventing surface overheating while improving overall efficiency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

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 significantly reduces cooking time to less than 3 hours while maintaining gentle cooking, ensuring precise temperature control and preventing thermal damage, making it suitable for cooking meat and other foods without the need for a bag.

Implementation Method 1

The cooking space is preferably heated by the metered introduction of steam (possibly with the aid of additional heating means), which enables efficient heat input into the food to be cooked without the cooking space temperature having to be very high.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSteam heating: Phase Change

Implementation Method 2

The cooking space is preferably heated by the metered introduction of steam... which enables efficient heat input into the food to be cooked

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Data Source

PatentEP2789918B1Method for cooking a cooked good and cooking device
Publication Date: 2016.10.26 V-ZUG AG
  • EP2789918B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2789918B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

The invention relates to a method for operating an oven using hot steam and to an oven for carrying out the method. The cooking product (2) can be introduced into the cooking chamber (1) without a steam-insulating cover, and the cooking chamber temperature (TGR) in the cooking chamber (1) can be controlled for example by introducing steam in a metered manner such that the cooking product temperature (TGG) follows a time-dependent cooking-product-temperature target value curve (TGGS). The cooking-product-temperature target value curve (TGGS) has at least one first section and a second section which follows the first section, and the cooking-product-temperature target value curve has a greater increase in the first section than in the second section. Using said method, the cooking product (2) can be cooked quickly and gently even without using a bag.