RFIQin
Encyclopedia
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
ed automatic cooking device that consists of three different sized pans, a portable
Portable stove
A portable stove is a cooking stove specially designed to be portable and lightweight, as for camping or picnicking, or for use in remote locations where an easily transportable means of cooking or heating is needed...
induction heater, and recipe cards, which is designed by Vita Craft Corporation
Vita Craft Corporation
Vita Craft Corporation is a manufacturer of various cookware products, notably multi-ply stainless steel cookware. The cookware is manufactured and sold in the United States, but the majority of sales are from the Asian and European markets. In the United States, Vita Craft is sold door-to-door...
, but is currently only sold in Japan through Vita Craft Japan. Electronics are embedded in the cookware, which monitor the food and send wireless signals to adjust the temperature of the induction heater accordingly; this prevents the loss of nutrients and saves thermal energy because the food is not overheated. Specialized recipe cards send a wireless signal to the RFIQin system when a recipe card is waved under the handle of the pan, which begins the cooking process; each recipe card can incorporate 23 separate recpie steps. The recipe cards have cooking steps to follow that are indicated by a beeping sound from the induction heater. The system can cook almost all types of food, including cakes and fried foods
Frying
Frying is the cooking of food in oil or another fat, a technique that originated in ancient Egypt around 2500 BC. Chemically, oils and fats are the same, differing only in melting point, but the distinction is only made when needed. In commerce, many fats are called oils by custom, e.g...
.
Each pan is embedded with a RFID tag in the handle of cookware, which is covered by a special pan tag that protects the RFID tag from heat and moisture. A temperature sensor connected to the RFID tag is imbedded within a tunnel in the bottom center of the pan.
The RFID tag monitors the food 16 times per second and transmits a proprietary signal to the |induction heater regarding the heating characteristics of the contents as well as the temperature of the contents to adjust the heat accordingly; the special pan tag is not battery powered and does not need to be recharged.
During the cooking process the food does not need to be monitored or stirred because the pans use waterless cooking methods and the induction heater uses alternating pulses to control the heat, so the liquid in the pans continually revolves in a circular motion. The RFIQin pans are built with a vapor seal that enables the pans to use techniques of pressure cooking
Pressure cooking
Pressure cooking is a method of cooking in a sealed vessel that does not permit air or liquids to escape below a preset pressure. Because the boiling point of water increases as the pressure increases, the pressure built up inside the cooker allows the liquid in the pot to rise to a higher...
. The portable induction heater and cookware can be used in a manual mode as a regular induction heater.
Popular Science
Popular Science
Popular Science is an American monthly magazine founded in 1872 carrying articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. Popular Science has won over 58 awards, including the ASME awards for its journalistic excellence in both 2003 and 2004...
reported RFIQin will cost $600 dollars; however, in May 2006, The Sacramento Bee
The Sacramento Bee
The Sacramento Bee is a daily newspaper published in Sacramento, California, in the United States. Since its creation in 1857, the Bee has become Sacramento's largest newspaper, the fifth largest newspaper in California, and the 25th largest paper in the U.S...
reported RFIQin costs $2,100 (241,500 Yen) in Japan.
See also
- Benefits of Induction Cooking
- Benefits of Pressure Cooking