1718results about "Boiling over prevention" patented technology

An automated food preparation system is described. It allows precise, automated control of the food preparation process, and has the ability to perform an automated cleanup. It comprises at least one manipulator to process and move ingredients, a control system, an autonomously accessible ingredient storage system, and at least one cooking receptacle.

The present disclosure is directed to methods, computer program products, and computer systems for instructing a robot to prepare a food dish by replacing the human chef's movements and actions. Monitoring a human chef is carried out in an instrumented application-specific setting, a standardized robotic kitchen in this instance, and involves using sensors and computers to watch, monitor, record and interpret the motions and actions of the human chef, in order to develop a robot-executable set of commands robust to variations and changes in the environment, capable of allowing a robotic or automated system in a robotic kitchen to prepare the same dish to the standards and quality as the dish prepared by the human chef.

A graphical user interface adapted to enable a user to direct and control a cooking appliance. The graphical user interface generally enables a plurality of cooking appliance operations through associated layers of screens, such as a refrigerate operation, a cook now operation, a cook later operation, etc., and a plurality of cook settings, such as a bake setting, a roast setting, a broil setting, a warm setting, a convection bake setting, a convection roast setting, a convection broil setting, a convection defrost setting, etc. The graphical user interface is adapted to be integrated with and accessible through one or more of the cooking appliance, a handheld device, an Internet-accessible computer, etc.

Techniques are described for automated control of portions of a cooking process, such as to control activation and heating for a cooking location having a piece of cooking equipment. Such automated control may include executing an automated control recipe having defined instructions used to automatically control at least some aspects (e.g., surface temperature) of the cooking equipment piece (e.g., a pan on a stove cooking surface) as part of a cooking episode to prepare one or more dishes, and may further include coordinating actions of a human user who is participating in the cooking episode by providing instructions or other information to the user. Related food preparation systems and cookware devices and components are also provided in connection with which the described automated cooking control techniques and methods may be used.

An automatic cooking and vending machine, for preparing, dispensing, and vending a plate of cooked food to a paying customer, comprising a food storage compartment mounted to a rectangular housing. The food is prepared within the housing, under the direction of a computer. Additionally, the customer utilizes the computer to place an order for a particular plate of food. The food storage compartment has a plurality of different food storage containers. The housing encloses two movable cooking pots, a quantity measuring device for measuring and dispensing a precise quantity of different foods into one of the cooking pots, two movable gas burners for heating the food within the cooking pots, and a plate dispensing system for shuttling an empty plate underneath the cooking pot to receive the prepared dish and then, to the customer receiving platform extending from the housing.

The invention pertains to a multi-functional cooker having a thermal probe operatively connected to a controller for controlling a heating element in response to a real-time temperature reading from the probe. By controlling the level of heat provided by the heating element in response to real-time temperature readings, optimal comestible flavor may be achieved. The multi-functional cooker also includes a hinged lid for directing fluid on an inner surface of the lid into a cooking vessel of the invention upon opening of the lid.

The invention may be broadly conceptualized as an approach in which the configuration of a CD player occurs by a user entering data into a graphical interface, the data is stored in a user profile at a server and also downloaded to the CD player.

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.

An electric rice cooker capable of increasing the water content of rice by a simple structure. The electric rice cooker (1) has a pot (10) in which food substances to be cooked including water and rice are contained, heating device (5, 6, 19) for heating the food substances to be cooked in the pot, a lid (11) for closing the opening of the pot, and a controller (9) for performing rice cooking steps including a water absorption step for allowing the rice to absorb the water by controlling the heating devices. The controller (9) raises the internal pressure of the pot (10) to 1.05-1.18 atm in the water absorbing step to allow the rice to absorb the water.

A lightwave oven for cooking with light having wavelengths in the visible, near visible, and infra-red spectral ranges uses one or more quartz halogen tungsten lamps or quartz arc bulbs positioned above and below the food item and delivers light energy in select ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum during select portions of the cooking cycle.

A temperature controlled heatable object is provided in which a temperature sensor is connected to a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag. The RFID tag is located within the handle of the object, and the temperature sensor is placed in contact with the object. In a first embodiment of the invention, the temperature sensor is partially imbedded within the object via a notch located in the side of the object. In a second embodiment of the invention, a temperature sensor is imbedded within a tunnel drilled within the base of the object. In a third embodiment, a temperature sensor is imbedded between the bottom of the object and a slab attached to the bottom of the object. The sensor can be located in a slot formed in either the slab or the bottom or the object. Handles and receivers for mounting the handles to the temperature controllable objects are also provided.

An electronic module for temperature-monitored preparation of food in a cooking vessel, having a base sensor for sensing the temperature of the base of a cooking vessel, and having a communications device for signal transmission of the sensed temperature to a means for controlling or regulating the heating capacity of the cooking point for heating the cooking vessel, where the base sensor has a sensor element, which can be guided into, and out of, a mount in the base of the cooking vessel and is secured in an articulated manner on a housing of the electronic module and is connected to the communications device.

A multiple panel cooking oven having individual controls for combined conductive and radiant heating. Each panel comprises an upper heating element for conductive heating and a lower heating element for radiant heating to obtain uniform baking within a zone between panels in the oven. A control panel having displays and keypads interfaces with a processor which provides control signals for adjusting the temperature of the heating elements of the panels. Cooking energy efficiency is increased through the use of radiative and conductive heat transfer, to reduce bake times by significantly increasing heat transfer to the food products. Independent cook zones allow preparation of multiple products simultaneously under different cooking conditions. The oven, in one embodiment may include a convection heating mode of operation. In an alternative embodiment no convection mode is provided and the sole source of heat is provided by the conductive / radiant panels.

The invention provides an electric cooker capable of relieving the burden of user and more effectively depressing the decay of rice and deterioration of edible flavour induced by heat preservation. The electric cooker comprises boiler holding rice inside the electric cooker body; cover easily openned and closed for covering the peristome of upside of the cooker; heating arrangement for heating the pan bottom; cooker temperature test sensor for detecting temperature; heat control section for controlling the heating action of heating arrangement of the pan bottom; cook information input part for inputting the cook information related with cooking rice; automatic selection part of thermal insulation mode for automatically selecting the corresponding thermal insulation mode from many thermal insulation modes based on the cook information input by cook information input part before cooking; holding temperature control section for controlling temperature, based on thermal insulation mode selected by the automatic selection part of thermal insulation mode and controlling the heat control section by temperature detected by cooker temperature test sensor.

A multifunctional cooking oven for the preparation of food products including a cooking chamber, racks within the cooking chamber to support products to be prepared in the oven and a primary convection heat source. There is a drainable collection pan positioned below the racks to collect by-products rendered from the food products during preparation for later use. A steam source is positioned below the collection pan as well as a flavored smoke generator at the bottom of the preparation chamber. Airflow paths within the preparation chamber allow for the circulation of heat, steam and flavored smoke around the racks. The oven includes a programmable controller to control the primary heat source, the steam source and the flavored smoke generator that is programmed to operate any one of the heat source, the steam source and the flavor generator in any predetermined sequence, and for any predetermined duration of time to provide optimum preparation and flavoring of the products.

A controlled cooking system (CCS) that monitors, measures, and controls the internal temperature of foods placed in an oven having a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) antenna(s), a transmitter / receiver / interrogator / reader / microprocessor (TRIRM) module and an RFID tag with built-in temperature sensor. The RFID tag is buried in the food being cooked and is energized and enabled by an RF signal of pre-determined frequency. The tag output is an RF “backscatter signal” having encoded temperature data indicative of the internal temperature of the food that the tag is buried in. The backscatter signal is received and decoded by the antenna(s) and the TRIRM module incorporating a programmed cooking / baking temperatures for various foods. If the decoded temperature is below a user-set temperature, the TRIRM module allows the oven to remain on. Conversely, if the decoded temperature is at or exceeds the user-set temperature, the TRIRM module shuts off the oven and produces a signal that activates an alarm indicating that the cooking has been terminated.

A control system for a cooking appliance enables a consumer to selectively program a cooking appliance through a control panel in a conventional mode based on established cooking times and temperatures, as well as in a simplified mode incorporating a minimal number of programming steps. In the simplified mode, the consumer selects a first, non-temperature related special features button and inputs a cook time. Immediately following input of the cook time, the control system starts a cooking operation. If the selected time is greater than a predetermined value, the control system automatically operates the cooking appliance in a cold start mode. An override is provided to disable the cold start mode if so desired. In addition, the control system allows a consumer to input both minimum and maximum cook times for the cooking operation.

A cooking apparatus includes a cooking vessel and a lid for covering the cooking vessel. The cooking apparatus also may include an exhaust tube for bleeding off pressure within the cooking vessel, in which a portion of the exhaust tube is positioned above the lid when said lid covers said cooking vessel. In another embodiment, the cooking apparatus includes a first O-ring gaskets for forming a first seal between the cooking vessel and the lid, and a second O-ring gasket for forming a second seal between the cooking vessel and the lid. A method for reducing pressure includes the steps of providing a vessel and covering the vessel with a lid. The method also includes the steps of positioning a portion of an exhaust tube above the lid when the lid covers the vessel and bleeding off at least a portion of the pressure inside the vessel through the exhaust tube.

A horizontal axis rotisserie oven with versatile electronic controls. The rotisserie further includes: an improved spit for quick mounting of food, and a door which hides blemishes due to normal use, and easily referenced food cooking indexes, and means for keeping countertops clean.

A method of baking a dessert using steam in an automated household oven comprises a first heating step where a heating system preheats a cooking cavity to a first temperature at a first heating rate and a second heating step where the heating system preheats the cooking cavity from the first temperature to a second temperature at a second heating rate less than the first heating rate. The first temperature is preferably about the boiling point of water, and a steam system introduces steam into the cooking cavity to facilitate baking of the dessert after the cooking cavity reaches the first temperature. A convection fan of the heating system is active during the first and second heating steps to help circulate air and steam in the cooking cavity and becomes inactive later in the baking method.

Method and computer program product for using an RFID antenna of a cooking appliance to read a plurality of cooking instruction sets from a single RFID tag associated with a food product that is positioned to be cooked by the cooking appliance. The cooking appliance selects one of the plurality of cooking instruction sets that the cooking appliance is capable of performing. Furthermore, the cooking appliance may then automatically cook the food product by controlling the cooking appliance according to the selected cooking instruction set. The selection of a cooking instruction set may consider the temperature of the food product or a determination whether the food product is frozen. Alternatively, cooking appliance settings may be interpolated between two cooking instruction sets or calculated on the basis of physical property information about the food product.

A programmable temperature controller with dual temperature probes for food cooking, comprising: (a) an AC power supply for providing power supply to the programmable temperature controller, a smoker cooker, and a smoke generator, (b) a plurality of temperature probe inputs, (c) a smoker cooker power supply, (d) a smoker cooker cooling fan power supply, (e) a smoke generator control, (f) a plurality of user input keys, and (g) a plurality of information displays, wherein the cooking is divided into several phases and these phases can be terminated by either a predetermined cooking time or a predetermined food internal temperature, and the user uses the plurality of user input keys to program the programmable temperature controller, the programmable temperature controller controls the smoker cooker, and the smoke generator according to the plurality of the temperature probe inputs and cooking duration programmed into the programmable temperature controller to obtain optimal cooking results.

A device and method are provided for measuring and controlling temperatures of a cooking platen. In particular, according to the invention, a surface temperature sensor is configured to measure a temperature on or proximate to a cooking surface of the platen and an internal temperature sensor is provided to measure an internal temperature of the platen, which may be proximate to the hottest location in the platen, i.e., the opposite surface of an insulated platen or the core of an uninsulated platen. The surface temperature sensor provides an accurate reading of the actual cooking surface temperature, while the internal temperature sensor provides a better indication of total heat energy stored in the platen, being less sensitive to surface fluctuations. A microprocessor controls the rate of heat energy addition to the platen based on information from both temperature sensors.

A robotic cooking apparatus that can cook dishes using a computer recipe provided by a user and ingredients stored in it. Able to adjust the recipe based on user preference data. Cooking apparatus comprises of ingredient input section, cooking stations, pre-processing and post-processing station. Input section has trays and can be at room temperature or refrigerated for storing perishable ingredients. Robot head assembly is able to transfer ingredients, identify and measure as well as take inventory periodically. Cooking apparatus is connected to a network and can be operated remotely by a fixed or handheld device and monitor its operation remotely.