Cooking appliance and method of cooking a food item

• US 8,766,144 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2009
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electrolux Consumer Products Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Electrolux Home Products Incorporated (AB Electrolux)
• Inventors: McLoughlin, Keith, Sterling, Margaret Mary
• Primary Examiner(s): PELHAM, JOSEPH MOORE
• Application Number:
  US12/500,158
• Publication Number:
  US 20100006558A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,818 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 219/413
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/08 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 2207/06 for preparation purposes

Abstract

According to another aspect, the subject application involves an oven and a method of controlling an oven for cooking a food item. The oven includes a cooking cavity, a user interface comprising an input device to be actuated with a single actuation event by a cook to select a predetermined cooking mode for cooking the food item, a heating element operable to produce heat required to cook the food item within the cooking cavity, and a control unit. The method includes receiving a cooking signal in response to actuation of the input device with the single actuation event by the cook, and establishing a cooking parameter for the predetermined cooking mode based on the cooking signal. The cooking parameter can be specific to the food item to be cooked according to the predetermined cooking mode of the oven. The method also includes initiating the predetermined cooking mode associated with the input device, and detecting that cooking of the food item according to the predetermined cooking mode is complete.

Claims

1. An oven for cooking a food item, the oven comprising:

a cooking cavity for receiving the food item during cooking;

a rack for supporting the food item within the cooking cavity;

at least one heating element operable to heat the cooking cavity and elevate a temperature of the food item supported on the rack within the cooking cavity;

a user interface comprising an input device to be manipulated by a cook for inputting a request for activation of a predetermined cooking mode specific to a type of the food item and associated with the input device by using a single actuation event, the cooking mode selected by the single actuation event being responsive to an internal property of the food item, wherein said activation of the predetermined cooking mode is requested in response to the single actuation event without requiring an additional input, separate from the single actuation event, to be entered by the cook via the user interface;

a sensor to be at least partially inserted into the food item to sense the internal property of the food item while the food item is exposed to heat from the at least one heating element within the cooking cavity and transmit a control signal indicative of the internal property; and

a control unit operatively connected to the sensor to receive the internal property sensed by the sensor, and the user interface to receive a cooking signal in response to the single actuation event performed by the cook to request the predetermined cooking mode and initiate the predetermined cooking mode in response to receiving the cooking signal, wherein the control unit controls the predetermined cooking mode responsive to the internal property indicated by the control signal.

2. The oven according to claim 1, wherein the input device comprises a push button and the single actuation event comprises a single push of the push button by the cook.

3. The oven according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined cooking mode is associated with the food item and establishes a desired value of the internal property of the food item when cooking of the food item is complete.

4. The oven according to claim 3, wherein the internal property of the food item comprises a target internal temperature of the food item.

5. The oven according to claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises a microprocessor, and the oven further comprises a memory operatively connected to the microprocessor, the memory storing a plurality of different desired values of the internal property to be established during the predetermined cooking mode from which the cook can make a selection.

6. The oven according to claim 5, wherein the desired values of the internal property comprises a plurality of different predetermined target internal temperatures of the food item that can be achieved during the predetermined cooking mode corresponding to different degrees of doneness.

7. The oven according to claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a temperature sensor to be at least partially inserted into the food item and operatively connected to the control unit, wherein the temperature sensor transmits the control signal in response to detecting a condition where an internal temperature of the food item has been elevated during cooking according to the predetermined cooking mode to a temperature that is at least equal to a target internal temperature defined by the predetermined cooking mode.

8. The oven according to claim 7, wherein the input device comprises a button and the single actuation event comprises a single pressing of the button by the cook.

9. The oven according to claim 7, wherein the food item comprises a turkey, and the predetermined cooking mode is specific to the turkey and is initiated to establish a target internal temperature of the turkey that is to be achieved during cooking of at least 165°

F.

10. The oven according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is adapted to, in response to the internal property of the food item being achieved, lower a cooking temperature within the oven from a cooking temperature to a lower temperature that is less than the cooking temperature and keeps the food item warm without appreciably cooking the food item beyond a degree of doneness that existed when the internal property of the food item was achieved.

11. The oven according to claim 1 further comprising a memory operatively connected to the control unit and storing a plurality of different temperatures to be established as a cooking temperature within the oven during the predetermined cooking mode selected by the single actuation event, wherein times when the different temperatures are to be established are determined based on the internal property sensed by the sensor.

17. The oven according to claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises a microprocessor and the oven further comprises a memory operatively connected to the microprocessor, the memory storing a desired value of the internal property to be established during the predetermined cooking mode that is customizable by the cook to be stored in the memory as the desired value of the internal property to be achieved during a subsequent initiation of the predetermined cooking mode.

12. A method of controlling an oven for cooking a food item, the oven comprising a cooking cavity, a user interface comprising an input device to be actuated with a single actuation event by a cook to select a predetermined cooking mode for cooking the food item, a heating element operable to produce heat required to cook the food item within the cooking cavity, and a control unit, the method comprising:

receiving a cooking signal in response to actuation of the input device with the single actuation event by the cook;

without requiring an additional or separate input other than the single actuation event entered via the input device by the cook, establishing a desired value of a cooking parameter for the predetermined cooking mode specific to a type of the food item based on the cooking signal, the desired value of the cooking parameter being a value of a cooking parameter specific to the food item to be considered cooked to a desired degree according to the predetermined cooking mode of the oven;

initiating the predetermined cooking mode associated with the input device;

receiving an indication of the sensed value of the cooking parameter while the food item is being cooked according to the predetermined cooking mode selected with the single actuation event, wherein the sensed value of the cooking parameter is sensed by a sensor that is at least partially inserted into the food item being cooked; and

detecting that cooking of the food item according to the predetermined cooking mode is complete when the sensed value of the cooking parameter corresponds to the value of the cooking parameter specific to the food item to be considered cooked to the desired degree.

13. The method according to claim 12 further comprising:

in response to said detecting, initiating a post cooking action including at least one of;

lowering a temperature of the heating element from a temperature of the heating element during the predetermined cooking mode, deactivating the heating element, causing presentation of at least one of an audible and a visible alert indicating that cooking of the food item is complete.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the post cooking action is performed automatically in response to said detecting that cooking of the food item is complete without human intervention.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein said detecting that cooking of the food item is complete comprises receiving a temperature indication signal from a thermometer operatively connected to communicate with the control unit, comparing a temperature corresponding to the temperature indication signal to a target temperature, and determining that cooking of the food item is complete when the temperature corresponding to the temperature indication signal is greater than or equal to the target temperature.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the temperature sensor is at least partially inserted into the food item and the temperature corresponding to the temperature indication signal is an internal temperature of the food item being cooked within the cooking cavity.