LOW-PRESSURE COOKING METHOD AND COOKWARE VESSEL ADAPTED FOR THE SAME

• US 20140348987A1
• Filed: 05/22/2014
• Published: 11/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meyer Intellectual Properties Limited
• Original Assignee: Meyer Intellectual Properties Limited
• Inventors: Cheng, Stanley Kin Sui, Sherman, Edward S., Wong, Chun Wing, Li, Kam Yuen, Cheung, Hing Hang Homer
• Granted Patent: US 11,064,833 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 426/231
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 5/13 using water or steam
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 2027/043 for cooking food in steam
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 27/004 with integral electrical heating means drinking cups with integral heating means A47J36/2466
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 27/04 for cooking food in steam; Devices for extracting fruit juice by means of steam ; Vacuum cooking vessels steam-heated vessels for hotels, restaurants or canteens A47J27/16
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 27/08 Pressure-cookers; Lids or locking devices specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 36/321 the electronic control being performed over a network, e.g. by means of a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2213/06 Cook-top or cookware capable of communicating with each other
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/062 for cooking plates or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/1236 adapted to induce current in a coil to supply power to a device and electrical heating devices powered in this way
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/129 induction ovens
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 40/00 Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers

Abstract

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.

Claims

1. ) A cooking assembly comprising:

a. an induction heating base having an upper surface for supporting a cookware vessel, one or more induction heating coils disposed below the upper surface, and a controller that is responsive to energize the one or more induction heating coils,

b. a cookware vessel having a bottom portion adapted to be supported by the upper surface of the induction heating base, substantially upright sidewall extending upward there from to terminate at a rim, the sidewall encircling said bottom portion to form an interior portion capable of retaining a fluid,

c. a lid adapted with a gasket to engage said cookware vessel at the rim thereof to form a vacuum seal therewith, the lid having at least one sealable penetration formed in the surface thereof,

d. a transmitter device adapted for removable supported engagement with the lid and in signal communication with the controller, the transmitter device having a thermal probe that enters an interior portion of the vessel via the sealable penetration of the lid,

e. wherein the programmable controller is operative to energize and de-energize the one or more induction coils to maintain a pre-determined temperature entered into the controller in response to the temperature measured by the thermal probe,

f. wherein the gasket and sealable penetration in the lid are adapted to maintain at least one of an at least partial vacuum and a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure in the interior portion of the vessel,

g. wherein the cooking assembly includes a means to reduce the partial pressure of air in the cookware vessel to 0.3 Bar and less.

2. ) The cooking assembly of claims 1 wherein the means to reduce the partial pressure of air in the cookware vessel to 0.3 Bar and less is the programmable controller first energizing the inductions coils at least until the thermal probe detects the temperature of about 200°

F.

3. ) The cooking assembly of claims 1 wherein the transmitter is wired or wireless.

4. ) The cooking assembly of claim 1 wherein the programmable controller is operative to de-energize the induction coils upon at a calculated time after the reception of a signal from the transmitter that a first predetermined temperature is reached, in which the time to reach the first temperature is used to determine the calculated time.

5. ) The cooking assembly of claim 4 in which the calculated time is sufficient to provide for the production of a quantity of water vapor that is operative to expel air from the vessel so that a vacuum seal is formed between the lid and rim via the gasket after the induction coil is de-energized at the calculated time.

6. ) The cooking assembly of claim 5 in which the calculated time is sufficient to provide for the production of a quantity of water vapor that is operative to expel air from the vessel is the time to reach at least about 94°

, less 60 seconds, then divided by 2.

7. ) The cooking assembly of claim 1 wherein the transmitter is wireless and comprises a processor to calculate transmit times based on temperature variation with time.

8. ) The cooking assembly of claim 1 wherein the lid further comprises an annular handle that surrounds the sealable penetration in the lid and the transmitter is adapted to nest within the inner annulus of the annular handle, wherein the thermal probe penetrates and seals the sealable penetration via a removable grommet.

9. ) A cooking assembly comprising:

a. a cookware vessel having a bottom, substantially upright sidewalls extending upward there from to terminate at a rim, the sidewall encircling said bottom portion to form an interior portion capable of retaining a fluid,

b. a sealing means to form a vacuum within the vessel,

c. a heating means for providing thermal communication with said cookware vessel,

d. a controller to modulate the output of the heating means,

e. a thermal probe adapted to measure a temperature of at least a portion of the vessel or the environment thereof,

f. a transmitter device adapted to receive the output of the thermal probe and transmits values thereof to the controller

g. wherein the programmable controller is operative to energize and de-energize the one or more induction coils to maintain a pre-determined temperature entered into the controller in response to the temperature measured by the transmitter device,

h. wherein the cooking assembly includes a means to reduce the partial pressure of air in the vacuum sealed vessel to 0.3 Bar and less.

10. ) A cooking assembly according to claim 9 wherein the sealing means is a gasket and lid and the gasket is adapted to engage a portion of the vessel rim.

11. ) A cooking assembly according to claim 10 further comprising a sealable penetration in the lid that is closed by the thermal probe which extends into the vessel interior.

12. ) A cooking assembly according to claim 11 wherein the gasket and sealable penetration in the lid are operable to maintain an at least partial vacuum and a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure in an interior portion of the vessel.

13. ) A cooking assembly according to claim 12 wherein the gasket is operative to be urged downward by the lid when the vessel is evacuated so that the visible portion thereof above the vessel rim is disposed below the vessel rim after evacuation.

14. ) A cooking assembly according to claim 12 wherein the gasket has an F shape and the sidewall portion of the vessel sidewall below the rim has a curvilinear portion that contacts multiple portions of the F shaped gasket when a vacuum is formed in the interior of the vessel.

15. ) A process for cooking, the process comprising the steps of:

a) providing a vessel capable of retaining fluid therein having a lid that is in sealable engagement with the rim thereof,

b) introducing at least one of water and an aqueous fluid in the vessel,

c) placing a foodstuff in the vessel,

d) placing the lid on the vessel,

e) heating the vessel to a first temperature at least until the water is converted to a sufficient quantity of water vapor to replace the atmospheric content of the vessel,

f) reducing the heating power to the vessel to bring the vessel to a 2nd temperature lower than the first temperature, wherein the condensation of the water vapor within the vessel causes an internal reduction pressure sufficient to engage the lid to seal with the rim of the vessel.

g) maintaining the vessel at the 2nd temperature for a predetermined amount of time.

16. ) The process for cooking according to claim 15 wherein the step of heating to a first temperature is from a radiant heat source below the vessel.

17. ) The process for cooking according to claim 15 wherein the radiant heat source is an induction cooking base.

18. ) The process for cooking according to claim 17 wherein lid further comprises means to measure the temperature in the vessel and the step of maintaining the vessel at the second temperature further comprises the induction cooking base applying a series of spaced apart power pulses, wherein the maximum temperature rise from each pulse is measured with the means to measure temperature, and the power in each subsequent pulse is determined by the measured variance from the first temperature.

19. ) The process for cooking according to claim 16 wherein lid further comprises means to measure the temperature in the vessel and the step of heating the vessel to a first temperature at least until the water is converted to a sufficient quantity of water vapor to replace the atmospheric content of the vessel is terminated is a time calculated from a first time to reach a predetermined temperature.

20. ) The process for cooking according to claim 19 wherein the predetermined temperature is at least about 94°

, the time to terminate the heating to the first temperature is the first temperature, less 60 seconds, then divided by 2.