Vacuum-Sealed Cookware for Precise Low-Pressure Steam Cooking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooking methods, such as Sous Vide, require sealed plastic bags and expensive, space-consuming water baths for controlled temperature cooking, which are inconvenient and inefficient for cooking large or irregularly shaped foods, and do not allow for accelerated cooking times.
Innovation Solution
A cooking assembly with an induction heating base, a cookware vessel, and a lid that forms a vacuum seal, using a thermal probe to control temperature and reduce air pressure to 0.3 Bar or less, allowing for precise temperature control and accelerated cooking without the need for plastic bags.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If Sous Vide cooking method is used with sealed plastic bags and water baths, then precise temperature control is achieved, but device complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential function of temperature control from the complex water bath system and implements it directly within the cooking vessel itself. The heating element is integrated into the vessel base, and the temperature sensor is positioned to monitor food temperature directly, eliminating the need for external water bath equipment while maintaining precise temperature control.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooking vessel is designed to perform multiple functions: it serves as both the cooking container and the heating device, with the base containing the heating element. The lid functions as both a cover and houses the temperature sensor and control electronics. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate water bath equipment, reducing device complexity while maintaining temperature precision.
2Temperature
If Sous Vide cooking method is used with water baths, then precise temperature control is achieved, but counter space consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cooking vessel and heating device into a single integrated unit. The vessel contains the food, while the base contains the heating element and the lid contains the temperature sensor and controls. This combination eliminates the need for a separate water bath that would occupy counter space, allowing the entire cooking system to fit within a compact vessel that uses minimal space.
3Temperature
If vacuum sealing process is used for Sous Vide preparation, then cooking precision is improved, but food preparation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the food's own weight and the vacuum pump to automatically evacuate air from the vessel. The food is placed in the vessel, the lid is closed, and the vacuum pump automatically removes air through the valve in the lid. This self-service approach eliminates the need for manual vacuum sealing of plastic bags, reducing preparation time while maintaining the precision benefits of vacuum cooking.
4Stress or pressure
If microwave heating is used to expel air from container, then air removal is achieved, but food is partially cooked by initial microwave exposure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a vacuum pump to remove air from the vessel through a valve in the lid, rather than using microwave heating. This pneumatic approach allows air to be evacuated without introducing thermal energy that would partially cook the food. The vacuum is created by the pump pulling air through the valve, and the valve can be closed to seal the vacuum without heating the food contents.
5Temperature
If commercial ovens with vacuum pumps are used for low pressure steam cooking, then temperature control is improved, but device complexity and maintenance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a simplified copy of the commercial vacuum oven system by integrating the essential functions into a consumer-sized vessel. Instead of a large commercial oven with water bath and vacuum pump, the system uses a small vessel with a heating base and a vacuum pump that connects to the lid. This copying approach maintains the low-pressure steam cooking benefits while reducing device complexity and making it suitable for consumer kitchens.
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 efficient and precise cooking of large or irregularly shaped foods at controlled temperatures below the boiling point of water, reducing cooking time and eliminating the need for expensive equipment and plastic bags, while maintaining food quality and flavor.
Implementation Method 1
heating the vessel to a first temperature (T1) with an induction base
Implementation Method 2
the production of water vapor sufficient to replace the atmospheric content of the vessel
Implementation Method 3
the lid seals to the rim of the vessel upon engagement in a sealed environment
Implementation Method 4
using a thermal probe to control temperature
Data Source
AI summary
Food stuffs are cooked at precise temperatures, which are optionally below 100° C., in a vessel that is evacuated to exclude air, in which low pressure steam replaces the air. When a sufficient quantity of air is excluded and replaced with water vapor, the temperature of vapor is accurately measured inside the vessel below the lid to control the temperatures within about 1° C. Air is preferably excluded via a controlled heated process for a relatively short period of time at high temperature to generate steam, the temperature is lowered to condense water vapor upon which the lid will sealingly engage the rim of the vessel, forming a partial vacuum in the cooking vessel.