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EP0066637B1 - Verfahren zum Aufbräunen von Nahrungsmitteln in einem Mikrowellenherd - Google Patents

Verfahren zum Aufbräunen von Nahrungsmitteln in einem Mikrowellenherd Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0066637B1
EP0066637B1 EP81104380A EP81104380A EP0066637B1 EP 0066637 B1 EP0066637 B1 EP 0066637B1 EP 81104380 A EP81104380 A EP 81104380A EP 81104380 A EP81104380 A EP 81104380A EP 0066637 B1 EP0066637 B1 EP 0066637B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
food
cooking
power
infrared heater
oven
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
EP81104380A
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English (en)
French (fr)
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EP0066637A1 (de
Inventor
Phyllis Eck
Ronald G. Buck
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Northrop Grumman Guidance and Electronics Co Inc
Original Assignee
Litton Systems Inc
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Publication date
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Priority to AT81104380T priority Critical patent/ATE22769T1/de
Priority to DE8181104380T priority patent/DE3175458D1/de
Priority to EP81104380A priority patent/EP0066637B1/de
Publication of EP0066637A1 publication Critical patent/EP0066637A1/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0066637B1 publication Critical patent/EP0066637B1/de
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05B—ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
    • H05B6/00—Heating by electric, magnetic or electromagnetic fields
    • H05B6/64—Heating using microwaves
    • H05B6/6435—Aspects relating to the user interface of the microwave heating apparatus
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05B—ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
    • H05B6/00—Heating by electric, magnetic or electromagnetic fields
    • H05B6/64—Heating using microwaves
    • H05B6/647—Aspects related to microwave heating combined with other heating techniques
    • H05B6/6482—Aspects related to microwave heating combined with other heating techniques combined with radiant heating, e.g. infrared heating

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method of cooking and browning food in a microwave oven in accordance with the generic clause of claim 1, and further relates to a microwave oven adapted to cook and brown food in accordance with the generic clause of claim 13.
  • US-A-4227062 discloses a method of cooking and browning food in a microwave oven comprising the steps of applying microwaves to a food raising its temperature, applying power to an infrared heater whose radiation irradiates said food for browning said food, and applying microwaves to further cook said food.
  • the first step of applying microwaves to the food raising its temperature can be regarded as a preliminary warming interval.
  • the functions of this preliminary warming interval is two-fold. First, by ensuring that some microwave cooking occurs first, they prevent an outer crust from forming on the food before microwave cooking even begins. This has been found preferable from a cooking standpoint. Additionally, the preliminary warming interval permits the infrared heater to begin warming up before its first on time interval.
  • the method steps for applying power to the infrared heater of browning said food and applying microwaves to further cook said food are carried out alternately.
  • the respective time ratio of the second method step of applying power to the infrared heater with respect to the third method step of applying microwaves to further cook said food can be varied, so that the percentage of microwave power is increased when the percentage of browning power is decreased, if desired.
  • the cook predetermines the percentage of browning power to microwave power by setting a control knob. Furthermore, he predetermines the overall cooking time by means of a cooking timer knob.
  • a first drawback of this prior art method consists in that it is undesirably complicated to operate this oven as the cook has to read a manual for finding out the respective cooking- browning ratio for each food before cooking it.
  • Another drawback of this known method is that the cook has only the choice between long time browning and short time browning of the surface of the food, as he can only predetermine the period of time of the respective browning intervals, but he cannot vary the respective intensities or power levels of these browning intervals.
  • US-A-3 569 656 discloses a method of cooking and browning food in a microwave oven, the oven having means for applying microwaves to a food, means for thermally heating the interior of the oven and means for programming a control means for controlling the application of microwaves and the application of thermal energy.
  • thermal energy is supplied to the interior of the oven during the total cooking time, wherein the cooking of the food is assisted by the application of microwave energy.
  • this known method only discloses conventional cooking assisted by microwave cooking. The result is a slow, energy- inefficient method of cooking.
  • EP-A-00 23 971 discloses a method for controlling the cooking operation making use of a constant stored in a microcomputer, which constant is determined in advance according to the type of food and defines the type of cooking operation.
  • the constant describes a characteristic cooking time of a respective type of food from the detection of vapor by means of a vapor sensor to the end of the cooking by heating.
  • This reference does not contain any teaching concerning a food- dependent time for applying microwaves before switching over to an infrared radiation.
  • this reference does not include any indication as to the measurement of the temperature of the infrared heater.
  • the present invention is based on the technical task of providing a method in accordance with the prior art portion of claim 1 and an oven in accordance with the prior art portion of claim 13 allowing optimal cooking results, a high energy-efficiency and a simple to use and time-saving operation of the oven.
  • the food to be cooked will be placed in a conventional microwave oven (not shown) having included therein a magnetron 10, a browning heater 12, a high voltage power supply 14 connected to the magnetron 10, a power supply 16, means such as triacs 18, to control the application of power to the aforesaid devices, a power sensing circuit 22 interconnected to high voltage power supply 14 for magnetron 10 and to browning heater 12, a microprocessor (not shown, but represented by control panel 20) having a permanent read only memory (ROM) (not shown) which is interconnected with control panel 20, said power supply 16, and said control means 18.
  • a power sensing circuit 22 is interconnected between the microprocessor and browning heater 12 and high voltage power supply 14.
  • Buttons Auto-Cook 24, Auto-Brown 26, and Rare 28 through Well 30 will then be present only in that embodiment using a power sensing technique to compute total cooking time.
  • a power sensing technique is disclosed in copending application Serial No. 73,077 to Buck filed September 6,1979.
  • control panel 20 will instead have a button labelled such as Vari-Brown (not shown) in lieu of the Auto-Brown button to indicate to the microprocessor the initiation of a browning-cooking recipe rather than a microwave along cooking recipe. Additionally, power sensing circuit 22 will not be connected to high voltage power supply 14.
  • buttons shown on control panel such as Vari-Cook, Defrost II, etc. are included to provide the cook the option of cooking by older microwave oven methods.
  • the numerical buttons 34 will be used in either of the present invention's preferred embodiments to enter such information as food code, food mass or cooking time into the microprocessor.
  • the start button 36 initiates cooking as in the prior art.
  • door interlock 38 prevents the operation of the microwave oven while the door is open. Additionally, in the present invention, it provides a signal to the microprocessor when the cook has performed the programmed request to turn the food over.
  • FIG. 2 illustrates a representative chart 52 of the cooking program performed by the microprocessor using a typical recipe of the preferred embodiment.
  • the total cooking time T is entered by the cook.
  • this cooking time is instead calculated from food type, food mass, doneness selected and average measured power input to the magnetron 10.
  • the cook After placing the food in the oven and closing the door, the cook enters into the microprocessor via the control panel 20 the type of food which is to be cooked and the total cooking time.
  • the type of food to be cooked is preferably represented by a two digit number code entered via push buttons 34.
  • the code which is appropriate for a particular food type is listed on the control panel area 32.
  • This area 32 would preferably have two columns of information.
  • the left column 40 would list various types of food such as roast, hamburger, pie, rolls, vegetables, etc.
  • the right hand column 42 would list a corresponding two digit number code.
  • the entry of this code into the control panel 20 after having selected the browning function by pushing the Auto-Brown button 26, causes the microprocessor to select the appropriate recipe for that type of food from the associated read-only-memory.
  • control panel 20 can list the more common food types and the balance can be listed in a cookbook which may be provided to the consumer upon the sale of the microwave oven.
  • the cook would then enterthe total cooking time T via the numerical buttons 34.
  • the total cooking time would be based upon a suggested recipe time from a cookbook of how long to cook a particular quantity of that type of food to a preselect range of doneness, i.e. from rare to well done and a number of gradiations therebetween.
  • the cook may, of course, refine these choices not only to accommodate his own personal taste, but also to accommodate finer gradiations in mass or quantity and the cooking pans he uses.
  • the microprocessor uses the food code entered by the cook to look up a recipe for that food type located in a read-only-memory module.
  • This recipe is comprised of a number of constants 50, 17 in the preferred embodiment, which provides the microprocessor the information it needs to run the cooking program 52. Included therein is such information as to how long relatively the microwave generating device is to be on, how long relatively the infrared heater is to be on, and in which order they are to be on, etc.
  • Each of these constants 50 will have been empirically predetermined by expert cooks operating the microwave generating device 10 and the infrared heater 12 in the microwave oven in various sequences, for various times and at various powers to obtain optimum cooking and browning for a given type of food.
  • the microprocessor will use these constants to reproduce exactly the same sequence of operations performed by the expert cook to give optimum results each time the microwave oven is used at home.
  • the method of the present invention can thus provide excellent cooking and browning for many categories of foods, results never before achievable in a microwave oven.
  • the recipe 50 includes constants, such as r10 and r11, which indicate in which order microwave and infrared radiation should be applied. If microwave radiation is to be applied first, a time chart of the cooking program executed by the microprocessor will result in a chart 52 as illustrated in Figure 2.
  • the specification of a specific constant number, such as r11, is only suggestive.
  • the actual constant may be a single bit of information located anywhere in the read-only-memory section allocated for a particular recipe.
  • the cooking program executed by the microprocessor using the recipe 50 is broken into two major periods, C and D.
  • the inclusion of two separate periods C and D allows the microprocessor to interrupt cooking at some predetermined percentage of time, indicated by r7, to provide for the turning over of food, the readjusting of the power levels and cycle times and the order of cycling of the radiation devices 10 and 12.
  • r7 some predetermined percentage of time
  • microwave cooking With microwave cooking, the only present source of increased evaporation is the continuously operated air blower. But since it operates at reduced temperatures vis-a-vis conventionally heated ambient air, its moisture absorbing capabilities remain limited. Furthermore, the evaporation itself reduces the temperature of the surface area which thereby reduces the energy available to drive the browning reaction as well as reduces the energy available to further vaporize surface area water.
  • the present invention uses the infrared heater 12 to provide additional energy to the surface area of the food specifically to increase the vaporization rate of the surface area water, to increase water activity, and to increase the reaction activation energy available.
  • the air blower 13 which is normally operated throughout the periods in which the microwave generating device 10 is on, may also be operated with the heater 12 to increase the rate of evaporation or to reduce (by cooling) the rate of the browning reaction.
  • a constant r9 is provided to indicate whether the air blower 13 should be on during the infrared portions of the first period D.
  • the period of time for which the microwave generating device is on during the preamble 56 is determined by constant r12 and by cooking time T entered by the cook. This time, tx 1, is the result of the multiplication of constant r12 by time T.
  • the power applied to the microwave generating device 10 is given by constant r16.
  • the constant may be used to set the duty cycle, dcx 1, of a magnetron 10 for example. Varying the duty cycle of a magnetron is a conventional technique for varying the cumulative microwave power input to the microwave oven's cavity.
  • the duty cycle, dcx1, of the magnetron 10 may be controlled by the microprocessor by controlling the percentage of time triac 17 is enabled.
  • Variations in power are necessary to adjust microwave cooking for different food's capabilities to absorb microwave energy as well as their ability to transfer heat.
  • the infrared heater 12 is turned on. This initial period may be longer as the heater 12, starting cold, may have a delay to bring it up to a temperature at which it will begin browning the food efficiently.
  • microwave ovens in the United States use a 120 volt, 1800 watt maximum power supply. This power is insufficient to operate both the microwave generating device 10 and the infrared heater 12 simultaneously. Thus all representations of the preferred embodiment illustrated and discussed herein will have either one or the other device on at any given moment, but not both. It should be noted at this point that if the microwave generating device 10 is a magnetron, a power level of 70% of full power means that the microprocessor is applying power to the high voltage power supply 14 only 70% of the time. The other 30% may conveniently be used to supply power to the infrared generating device 12.
  • the period of time during which power is applied to the infrared heater 12 is indicated by ty1.
  • Time ty1 is determined by multiplying constant r14 by cooking T.
  • constant r14 constant r14
  • cooking T As an essential purpose of this initial period is to bring the heater from room temperature up to the temperature range at which it will be used in succeeding cycles to brown the food, various infrared heaters have varying response times. Accordingly, the length of this period will vary with the infrared heater used. Many times the cook will use his microwave oven to cook a second item of food immediately after the first item is done. In such a case, the infrared heater may be well above room temperature to begin with and require a much shorter time to reach operational temperatures.
  • the microprocessor must know the initial temperature of the infrared heater. Depending on food type and the form of compensation which may be necessary, this measurement may be taken either at the very beginning of the cooking algorithm or just prior to applying power to the infrared generating device 12 during the first preamble period 56.
  • the temperature of the infrared heater 12 may be determined by the resistance of its heater , element (not shown).
  • the temperature is given by the formula where To is a predetermined temperature such as 20°C, R° is the resistance of the heater element at this temperature, R is the measured resistance, and a is a temperature coefficient for the heater in ohms per degree centigrade.
  • the constant a may be derived from the standard temperature coefficient for the metal used in the resistance element by multiplying it by the resistance R°.
  • the resistance of heater 12 is measured by measuring the voltage and current into heater 12.
  • the power sensing circuit 22 of Figure 1 measures both voltage and current and returns them to the microprocessor. The resistance then is v/I.
  • This circuit 22 may be of conventional design.
  • this power sensing circuit may also conveniently be used to provide voltage or constant power regulation to the infrared heater 12 to compensate for manufacturing variations from heater to heater and for line voltage variation.
  • microwave radiation of a fixed duration and power is cycled with the application of power to the infrared heater 12 a fixed number of times, N.
  • the length of the microwave half cycle, tuw1 is determined by constant r3 multiplied by cooking time T.
  • the microwave power, dc1 is determined by a constant r1 which may be used to set the magnetron's 1 duty cycle.
  • the length of time power is applied to the infrared heater in a half cycle, tir1, is determined by a constant r5.
  • the total number of cycles, N is determined by the cooking time T multiplied by constant r7, minus the nominal preamble time, tx1 + ty1, this entire sum divided by the cycle time, tuw1 + tir1. Or, as T is a multiplier for all terms this equation may be restated as
  • the food was brought up to a temperature at which browning may begin and the infrared heater was activated to both bring it up to temperature and begin drying and browning the food.
  • the infrared heater was activated to both bring it up to temperature and begin drying and browning the food.
  • the infrared heater was on, heat induced regionally by microwave radiation will have had time to conduct to lower temperature areas of the food.
  • the food is now ready to accept more microwave radiation to both continue cooking and to maintain water level and temperature of the surface region of the food for browning purposes.
  • the infrared heater is cycled with the microwave generating device 10 in a co-ordinated fashion to maintain the food surface at the proper conditions for best browning as cooking proceeds.
  • the food is both cooked and browned in an optimal manner.
  • the first operation at the beginning of this period D is to determine from a constant r8 whether to turn the food over.
  • the reason this must be done for certain foods lies partly in the fact that a single infrared heater located on the roof of the microwave oven cavity is highly directional. It browns only the top of the food. With some foods this may be all that is desired, such as with cupcakes. With other foods, though, the food must be turned over to brown the bottom.
  • the microprocessor signals the cook with appropriate indicators: flashing lights, audible alarms or some combination thereof, that it is time to turn the food over.
  • the cook opens the microwave oven door, turns the food over, and closes the door.
  • the closing of the door is signaled by door interlock 38.
  • the microprocessor then resumes cooking.
  • a timer may be provided to restart the cooking after a set period, such as 30 seconds. Thereafter the cook may still turn the food over without serious interference with the cooking program, but overall browning will necessarily be uneven.
  • cooking period D would appear as represented in Figure 2.
  • Period D is again divided into two parts, a preamble period 54 and a cycling period 60.
  • the second preamble period 54 allows further flexibility in accommodating the cooking needs of various types of food.
  • the preamble 54 may be substantially a long microwave period to finish cooking, or it may be a long infrared period to provide for more browning.
  • the time the microwave generating device 10 is activated, tx2, is determined by constant r13 multiplied by cooking time T.
  • the power at which the microwave generating device 10 is run is determined by constant r17.
  • This constant r17 may be used to set a magnetron duty cycle, dcx2.
  • the period the infrared heater is on is determined by constant r15 multiplied by cooking time T.
  • This time, ty2 may again be modified as is the first preamble's infrared heater time, ty1, by the initial temperature of the heater in the ,same manner as described above.
  • the heater will generally be on longer during this second preamble 54 to dry the accumulated juices on the bottom of the food which has just been turned over.
  • the microprocessor again cycles the microwave radiation with the infrared for a fixed number of cycles M.
  • a given cycle radiates microwave for a time, tuw2 and then infrared for a time tir2.
  • Tuw2 is determined from constant r4 multiplied by cooking time T
  • tir2 is determined from constant r6 multiplied by cooking time T.
  • the total number of cycles M is determined by the length of the period D, minus the second preamble time, tx2 + ty2, divided by the cycle time, tuw-2 + tir2. As all terms have T as a factor, the equation reduces to
  • constant r12 is used to set the power level of the microwave generating device lower. If the device is a magnetron 10, r2 may be its duty cycle, dc2.
  • the microprocessor signals the cook that the food is done.
  • the food might not be fully cooked in the sense that in some foods there should be a period in which the heat built up in same areas of the food is allowed to conduct to lower temperature areas of the food to finish the cooking in those areas. This practice is common today.
  • An alternative embodiment contains all the features of the first embodiment with the addition that the cook inputs to the microprocessor the mass (or quantity) of the food to be cooked instead of the time. He also selects a doneness such as RARE 28 from a set of donenesses 29 on the control panel 20 by pressing the button 28 marked RARE.
  • a doneness such as RARE 28 from a set of donenesses 29 on the control panel 20 by pressing the button 28 marked RARE.
  • the buttons 29, as can be seen from Figure 1 also contain subheadings indicating degrees of doneness from warm 28 to hottest 30. These categories may be used where RARE 28 to WELL 30 are inappropriate for the food to be cooked, such as with a cup of coffee. Also the buttons may be color coded with shades of brown, from light brown on button 28 to dark brown on button 30).
  • the microprocessor uses the food code 32 previously entered along with the doneness 28 selected to index an array of empirically predetermined constants X F , D for each food type and doneness. As food types range from 00 to 99 and as there are five doneness categories 29, this array would be 100 by 5 and contain 500 X F , D . constants.
  • the microprocessor uses the indexed constant in the formula to calculate the total cooking time T, where M is the food mass and P is the averaged measured power.
  • This method is disclosed in the copending application of Buck, Serial No. 73,077. Of course, in that application, microwave power was applied constantly at full or at a predetermined power. The above equation must be modified to adjust cooking time for the periods that the microwave generating device is off and for the various power levels at which the microwave generating device 10 will be operating.
  • the computed value of T may then be used to compute the actual operating times of the two radiation devices 10 or 12 in the cooking program.
  • P must be average because the instantaneous power input to the magnetron 10 may fluctuate widely due to varying impedances on the magnetron output and varying line voltages on the power supply 16.
  • the value of T will then vary slightly during the running of the program, but this variance will become progressively less as the number of samples increases.
  • the actual run time Tr may be retained by the microprocessor and a time-to-complete, Tc, where may be displayed to the cook on a display 21.
  • the power sensing circuit 22 to measure power input to the infrared heater 12 and the magnetron 10 may be of conventional design.
  • doneness is basically an internal phenomena while browning is a surface phenomena, and the two are not totally dependent upon each other.
  • the disclosed method may be altered by those skilled in the art to implement separate browning choices.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
  • Electric Ovens (AREA)
  • General Preparation And Processing Of Foods (AREA)

Claims (24)

1. Verfahren zum Kochen und Bräunen von Nahrungsmitteln in einem Mikrowellenofen, mit folgenden Verfahrenschritten:
a) Anwenden von Mikrowellen auf ein Nahrungsmittel zum Anheben von dessen Temperatur;
b) Zuführen von Leistung zu einem Infrarotheizgerät (12), dessen Strahlung das Nahrungsmittel zum Bräunen des Nahrungsmittels bestrahlt; und
c) Anwenden zum Mikrowellen zum weiteren Kochen des Nahrungsmittels, gekennzeichnet durch folgende Verfahrensschritte:
d) Steuern der Schritte a), b) und c) in Abhängigkeit von empirisch bestimmten Parametern, die in einem Speicher eines Mikroprozessors gespeichert sind, der dem Mikrowellenofen zugeordnet ist, wobei der. Verfahrenschritt a) des Anwendens von Mikrowellen auf das Nahrungsmittel derart ausgeführt wird, daß die Oberflächentemperatur des Nahrungsmittels zumindest auf eine Temperatur ansteigt, bei der ein signifikantes Bräunen auftreten kann, wobei ferner der Verfahrenschritt b) das Messen der Temperatur des infrarotstrahlers (12) und das Anpassen sowohl der Zeitdauer (i) des Anwendens der Mikrowelle auf das Nahrungsmittel oder (ii) des Zuführens von Leistung zu dem Infrarotheizgerät (12) beinhaltet, sobald die Temperatur einen bestimmten Pegel überschreitet.
2. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die jeweilige Zeitdauer, die Abfolgen und die Leistungspegel für jeden der Verfahrensschritte a), b) und c) empirisch vorbestimmt sind für eine Mehrzahl von Nahrungsmitteltypen pro Einheit der Masse und auf diese Parameter zum Durchführen mittels eines Kochalgorithmus reduziert sind, daß der Mikroprozessor steuerbar mit dem Speicher und einer Steuertafel (20) verbunden ist, und daß das Eingeben von Kodes entsprechend den Nahrungsmitteltypen und deren Masse über die Steuertafel zu dem Mikroprozessor zum Aufnehmen der Parameter aus dem Speicher durch den Mikroprozessor und zum Ausführen des Kochalgorithmus unter Verwenden dieser Parameter und dieser Nahrungsmittelmasse führt.
3. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1 oder 2, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Anzeige der Masse durch Eingeben einer Gesamtkochzeit zum Mikroprozessor über die Steuertafel (20) geschieht.
4. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 1, 2 und 3, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Anzeige der Masse durch Eingabe der Masse des Nahrungsmittels in geeigneten Gewichts- oder Mengeneinheiten zu dem Mikroprozessor über die Steuertafel (20) vorgesehen ist.
5. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 4, gekennzeichnet durch die Verfahrensschritte des Messens der Temperaturen des Infrarotheizgerätes vor dem Zuführen von Leistung zu diesem und des Einstellens des Betriebes der Verfahrensschritte a) und b), sobald diese Temperatur wesentlich einen vorbestimmten Pegel überschreitet.
6. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 5, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß das Heizgerät (12) einen elektrischen Leistungseingang hat, und daß das Zuführen von Leistung zu dem Heizgerät (12) geregelt wird, um eine konstante Ausgangsleistung zu erzielen.
7. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 6, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß der Verfahrensschritt d) derart ausgeführt wird, daß der Wasserinhalt der Oberflächenregion des Nahrungsmittels in Richtung auf einen empirisch vorbestimmten, vom Nahrungsmitteltyp abhängigen Pegel gesteuert wird, bei dem die schnellste Bräunungsreaktion auftritt.
8. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 7, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß der Verfahrensschritt c) derart ausgeführt wird, daß das Anwenden von Mikrowellen ferner Wasser zu der Oberflächenregion bringt, um ein Gleichgewicht mit dem Wasser zu schaffen, das durch Wirkung der Infrarotstrahlung entzogen wird.
9. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 8, gekennzeichnet durch den weiteren Verfahrensschritt des Wendens des Nahrungsmittels zum Bräunen des Bodenbereichs des Nahrungsmittels, wobei der Verfahrensschritt d) ferner die Beendigung des Kochens im wesentlichen gleichzeitig mit der Beendigung des Bräunens des Bodens aufweist.
10. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 9, bei dem das Nahrungsmittel eine teigartige Kruste hat, gekennzeichnet durch eine Anfangsperiodendauer vor dem ersten Anwenden von Mikrowellen, während der Infrarotstrahlung auf das Nahrungsmittel angewendet wird, um dessen teigartige Kruste zu härten.
11. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 10, gekennzeichnet durch den weiteren Verfahrensschritt des Bewegens von Luft über das Nahrungsmittel zum Erhöhen der Oberflächentrocknungsrate.
12. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 11, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Leistung, die zur Quelle (10) für Mikrowellenstrahlung zugeführt wird, und die Leistung, die zum Infrarotheizgerät zugeführt wird, während des Ausführens der Verfahrensschritte b) und c) in einer im wesentlichen zwischenraumartigen Abfolge von Zeitdauern zugeführt werden, wobei die Leistung zunächst an eines und dann an das andere der Geräte (10, 12) angelegt wird.
13. Mikrowellenofen, der geeignet ist, sowohl zum Kochen als auch zum Bräunen von Nahrungsmitteln mit folgenden Merkmalen:
einer Quelle für Mikrowellenenergie (10);
einem Infrarotheizgerät (12);
einer Steuereinrichtung (20), die wirksam mit der Quelle für Mikrowellenenergie (10) und dem Infrarotheizgerät (12) verbunden ist;
einer Steuereinrichtung (20) mit der Koch-Bräunungs-Routine, die geeignet ist, um die Steuereinrichtung zu veranlassen, die Quelle für Mikrowellenenergie (10) und das Infrarotheizgerät (12) zu betätigen; und
einer Bedienungspersoneingabevorrichtung (32, 34), die wirksam mit der Steuereinrichtung (20) verbunden ist, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Steuereinrichtung (20) einen nicht flüchtigen Speicher hat, in dem für jeden Nahrungsmitteltyp aus einer Mehrzahl von vorbestimmten Nahrungsmitteltypen ein Satz von empirisch vorbestimmten Zeit-Dauerwerten und Folgeparameterwerten gespeichert ist;
daß die Koch-Bräunungs-Routine die Steuereinrichtung (20) dazu veranlaßt, die Quellen (10, 12) gemäß einem Satz aus den Sätzen von empirisch vorbestimmten Parametern sowie in Übereinstimmung mit der Temperatur des Infrarotheizgerätes (12) zu betätigen;
daß die Routine dazu geeignet ist, sich selbst proportional einzustellen, um eine Gesamtkochzeit einzunehmen, wobei die Gesamtkochzeit eine vorbestimmte Beziehung zur Nahrungsmittelmasse hat;
daß die Bedienungspersoneingabevorrichtung (32, 34) dazu geeignet ist, von der Steuereinrichtung (20) eine Bedienungspersoneingabe über den Nahrungsmitteltyp zu empfangen und mit dieser zu kommunizieren;
daß der Ofen eine Einrichtung enthält, um der Steuereinrichtung (20) eine Angabe über die Nahrungsmittelmasse zuzuführen; und
daß die Steuereinrichtung dazu geeignet ist, auf die Nahrungsmitteltypangabe anzusprechen, um die Koch Bräunungs-Routine auszuführen und die Quelle der Mikrowellenenergie (10) und das Infrarotheizgerät (12) in Übereinstimmung mit der Temperatur des Infrarotheizgerätes (12) und dem Satz aus den Sätzen von empirisch vorbestimmten Parametern entsprechend des angegebenen Nahrungsmitteltypes für eine Gesamtkochzeit, durch die Nahrungsmittelmassenangabe bestimmt ist, zu betätigen.
14. Ofen nach Anspruch 13, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Bedienungspersonangabevorrichtung (32,34) ferner dazu geeignet ist, eine von der Bedienungsperson bestimmte Gesamtkochzeit zu empfangen und an die Steuereinrichtung (20) weiterzuleiten, wobei die von der Bedienungsperson bestimmte Kochzeit die Nahrungsmittelmasse anzeigt.
15. Ofen nach Anspruch 13, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Bedienungspersoneingabeeinrichtung ferner dazu geeignet ist, eine Bedienungspersoneingabe für eine Mehrzahl von Garungsgraden zu empfangen und an die Steuereinrichtung (20) weiterzuleiten, und daß die Gesamtkochzeit eine weitere vorbestimmte Beziehung zu dem Garungsgrad des Nahrungsmittels hat.
16. Ofen nach einem der Ansprüche 13 bis 15, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Steuereinrichtung (20) eine Einrichtung zum Messen der mittleren Leistungszufuhr zu der Quelle für die Mikrowellenenergie (10) aufweist; daß der Speicher ferner für jeden der Mehrzahl von Nahrungsmitteltypen und Nahrungsmittelgarungsstufen einen empirisch vorbestimmten Parameter für die Masse pro Leistung bezüglich der Zeit hat, und daß die vorbestimmte Beziehung der Gesamtkochzeit zur Nahrungsmittelmasse und zum Nahrungsmittelgarungsgrad ferner in Beziehung steht zur durchschnittlichen Leistungszufuhr zur Quelle für Mikrowellenenergie, wobei die Beziehung folgende Gleichung beinhaltet:
Figure imgb0008
wobei T die Gesamtkochzeit, M die Nahrungsmittelmasse, und Xf,d einer der Parameter für die Masse pro Leistung bezüglich der Zeit ist, der dem angegebenen Nahrungsmitteltyp und dem angegebenen Garungsgrad des Nahrungsmittels entspricht.
17. Ofen nach einem der Ansprüche 13 bis 16, gekennzeichnet durch eine Einrichtung zum Messen der Temperatur des Infrarotheizgerätes (12), die wirksam verbunden ist mit der Steuereinrichtung (20), und bei der die Steuereinrichtung (20) dazu geeignet ist, die Einrichtung zum Messen der Temperatur zu veranlassen, und bei der die Routine dazu geeignet ist, sich selbst in einer vorbestimmten Art unter Steuerung durch ein der Parameter von dem entsprechenden Satz der empirisch bestimmten Parameter in Reaktion auf die Heizgerätetemperatur einzustellen, die erheblich oberhalb der vorbestimmten Raumtemperatur liegt.
18. Ofen nach einem der Ansprüche 13 bis 17, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Routine eine erste Vorabschnittszeitdauer und eine erste Zykluszeitdauer aufweist, wobei die erste Vorabschnittszeitdauer dazu geeignet ist, ein Nahrungsmittel wenigstens auf eine Temperatur zu bringen, bei der ein erhebliches Bräunen beginnt, und zwar mittels des Betriebes der Quelle für Mikrowellenstrahlung (10), wobei die Zykluszeitdauer dazu geeignet ist, sowohl das Nahrungsmittel zu bräunen als auch zu kochen bei einer optimalen Rate mittel der Betätigung sowohl der Quelle für die Mikrowellenenergie (10) als auch des Infrarotheizgerätes (12).
19. Ofen nach einem der Ansprüche 13 bis 18, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß jeder der Sätze der Parameter wenigstens ein Parameter beinhaltet, der einen mittleren Leistungspegel anzeigt, bei dem die Quelle (10) für die Mikrowellenenergie zu betreiben ist, wobei die Steuereinrichtung (20) ferner eine Einrichtung (14) beinhaltet, die auf einen Leistungspegelparameter anspricht, um Leistung zu der Quelle für Mikrowellenenergie (10) bei einem Durchschnittsleistungspegel wenigstens während des Betriebes der Quelle für Mikrowellenenergie zuzuführen.
20. Ofen nach einem der Ansprüche 13 bis 19, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß jeder der Parametersätze einen Parameter beinhaltet, der anzeigt, ob das Nahrungsmittel, das gekocht wird, zu wenden ist und daß die Routine an einem vorbestimmten Punkt innerhalb der Routine ein Anhalten beinhaltet sowie das Signalgeben mittels einer Signalgebevorrichtung für die Bedienungsperson, damit das Nahrungsmittel gewendet wird.
21. Ofen nach Anspruch 20, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Routine eine zweite Vorabschnittszeitdauer und eine zweite Zykluszeitdauer beinhaltet, wobei die zweite Vorabschnittszeitdauer dazu geeignet ist, im wesentlichen den Wassergehalt in dem vorherigen Bodenbereich des Nahrungsmittels mittels Betätigung des Infrarotheizgerätes (12) zu reduzieren, wobei die zweite zyklische Zeitdauer dazu geeignet ist, sowohl das Nahrungsmittel zu kochen als auch es zu bräunen mit einer optimalen Rate mittels Betätigung der Quelle (10) für Mikrowellenenergie und des Infrarotheizgerätes (12).
22. Ofen nach einem der Ansprüche 13 bis 21, gekennzeichnet durch eine Luftbewegungseinrichtung (13), die steuerbar mit der Steuereinrichtung (20) verbunden ist, wobei ferner jeder der Sätze der Parameter wenigstens einen Parameter beinhaltet, der anzeigt, ob die Luft über das Nahrungsmittel wenigstens während einer Betätigung des Infrarotheizgerätes zu bewegen ist, und wobei die Routine ferner die Steuereinrichtung (20) veranlaßt, die Luftbwegungseinrichtung (13) zu betätigen, wie dies durch den wenigstens einen Parameter angegeben ist.
23. Ofen nach einem der Ansprüche 13 bis 22, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Quelle (10) für Mikrowellenenergie ein Magnetron (10) ist, und daß die Einrichtung (14) zum Zuführen eines mittleren Leistungspegels zum Magnetron (10) eine Lastzykluseinrichtung beinhaltet, und wobei die Routine ferner die Steuereinrichtung (20) veranlaßt, das Infrarotheizgerät (12) während derjenigen Abschnitte einer Lastzyklus zu betreiben, während der keine Leistung zum Magnetron (10) zugeführt wird.
24. Ofen nach einem der Ansprüche 18 bis 23, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die erste zyklische Zeitdauer im wesentlichen besteht aus dem Betreiben zunächst entweder von der Quelle (10) für Mikrowellenenergie oder dem Infrarotheizgerät (12) in einer sich abwechselnden Folge, wobei die Betriebsdauer für jedes Gerät eine vorbestimmte Zeitdauer ist, deren Bestimmung durch die Routine unter Verwendung der vorbestimmten Parameter aus dem Parametersatz entsprechend dem angegebenen Nahrungsmitteltyp multipliziert mit der Gesamtkochzeit durchgeführt wird.
EP81104380A 1981-06-05 1981-06-05 Verfahren zum Aufbräunen von Nahrungsmitteln in einem Mikrowellenherd Expired EP0066637B1 (de)

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AT81104380T ATE22769T1 (de) 1981-06-05 1981-06-05 Verfahren zum aufbraeunen von nahrungsmitteln in einem mikrowellenherd.
DE8181104380T DE3175458D1 (en) 1981-06-05 1981-06-05 A method of browning food in a microwave oven
EP81104380A EP0066637B1 (de) 1981-06-05 1981-06-05 Verfahren zum Aufbräunen von Nahrungsmitteln in einem Mikrowellenherd

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FR2701093B1 (fr) * 1993-02-02 1995-04-14 Moulinex Sa Appareil de cuisson comportant un dispositif de dorage et un dispositif de génération d'énergie micro-ondes et procédé de commande de cuisson d'un tel appareil .
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FR2730892B1 (fr) * 1995-02-17 1997-09-05 Moulinex Sa Procede de cuisson pour un four a chauffage combine par resistance chauffante et micro-ondes
FR2737552B1 (fr) * 1995-08-04 1998-03-06 Moulinex Sa Procede de relance d'une nouvelle operation de chauffage d'un aliment en fin de cuisson
EP0788292B1 (de) * 1996-02-02 2002-01-23 AEG Hausgeräte GmbH Kochmulde mit automatischer Regelung des Garvorganges
US5877477A (en) * 1996-12-18 1999-03-02 Amana Company, L.P. Oven with high power radiant cooking elements and methods of developing, optimizing, storing, and retrieving recipes for the operation of the oven
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DE3175458D1 (en) 1986-11-13
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