Liquid movement and control within a container for food preparation

Abstract

An apparatus and method for controlling the movement of liquids into and out of a container is described. The apparatus includes a main container for holding the food product, a liquid inlet for providing liquid into the main container with the food product, and a liquid outlet for removing liquid from the main container without removing the food product. The apparatus can include a valve attached to the liquid inlet and a valve attached to the liquid outlet for automated regulation of inflow and outflow of the liquid from the main container. The apparatus also includes a heater associated with the main container for automated heating of the main container including the food/liquid, and a controller for automatically regulating the inflow/outflow of the liquid from the main container. The apparatus can be designed as a cleanable, portable, fully automated appliance for sprouting, rinsing, soaking, cooking, etc. food products.

1 . A portable apparatus for preparing and cooking a food product, the apparatus comprising:
 a main container for holding the food product;   a liquid inlet container for holding liquid;   a liquid inlet opening into the main container for controllably providing liquid from the liquid inlet container into the main container with the food product;   an inlet valve connected to the liquid inlet for automated regulation of inflow of the liquid into the main container;   a liquid outlet opening from the main container for controllably removing liquid from the main container without removing the food product;   an outlet valve connected to the liquid outlet for automated regulation of outflow of the liquid from the main container;   a heater in contact with the main container for automated heating of the food product and the liquid in the main container;   a controller in communication with the main container for automatically regulating the inflow of liquid into the main container, the outflow of the liquid from the main container, and the heating of the food product and the liquid by the heater .  and   an outer container surrounding at least a portion of the main container and the heater.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions executable by a computer processor, the computer instructions comprising a recipe that specifies a timing for delivering and removing liquid to the main container, and specified one or more levels of the liquid in the main container during food preparation. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising an outlet cover positioned over the liquid outlet for allowing liquid to drain out of the main container without allowing the food product to pass through the liquid outlet. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a liquid outlet container attached to the outlet valve of the main container for receiving and containing the liquid drained from the main container through the outlet valve. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a lid, the outer container and lid together surrounding the main container for providing thermal insulation to the main container, wherein one of the lid or the outer container includes a gas outlet for releasing gases formed in the main container. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein substantially all of the parts of the apparatus in solid or liquid contact with the food are detachable from the apparatus for removal and cleaning in a household dishwasher. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more sensors arranged on the apparatus to measure a plurality of parameters inside the main container, wherein the parameters comprise a type of food and an eatability or cooking status of the food product in the main container. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more seasonings containers attached to the main container for providing seasonings to the food product inside the main container, wherein the one or more seasonings containers comprise an openable hatch having an opening that leads to the main container for releasing the seasonings inside the seasonings container and into the main container. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more seasonings containers attached to the main container for providing seasonings to the food product inside the main container, wherein the seasonings container is designed to hold a seasonings package containing the seasonings, and the apparatus further comprises a code-reading sensor proximal to the seasonings container for sensing contents of a seasoning container or for reading a code associated with the seasonings package inside the seasoning container. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more seasonings containers attached to the main container for providing seasonings to the food product inside the main container, wherein the controller is further configured for controlling an opening or closing of the one or more seasonings containers according to a recipe to provide one or more seasonings to the food product. 
     
     
         11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . A method for preparing a food product in the portable apparatus of  claim 1 , the method comprising:
 receiving the food product into the main container of the portable apparatus having the inlet valve and the outlet valve that are both closed;   receiving one or more settings input by a user;   opening the inlet valve connected to the liquid inlet in the main container for controllably providing a controlled amount of liquid into the main container with the food product while keeping the outlet valve closed;   responsive to the controlled amount of liquid being present in the main container, closing the inlet valve to stop inflow of the liquid into the main container;   applying heat to the food product and liquid in the main container for preparing the food product; and   opening the outlet valve connected to the liquid outlet in the main container for controllably removing liquid from the main container without removing the food product.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein receiving one or more settings further comprises receiving setting for at least two cycles selected from a group consisting of: food product sprouting cycle, food product rinsing cycle, food product soaking cycle, food product cooking cycle, and apparatus self-cleaning cycle, and further comprising automatically starting a new cycle selected from the group of cycles responsive to completion of a cycle. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising allowing the food product to cook for a specified time period according to a recipe specific to the particular food product to be cooked. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein receiving one or more settings further comprising receiving settings for a soaking cycle and a cooking cycle for the food product, the soaking cycle further comprising the steps of:
 opening the inlet valve for providing liquid into the main container with the food product while keeping the outlet valve closed;   closing the inlet valve to stop inflow of the liquid into the main container;   allowing the food product to soak in the liquid for a specified time period;   responsive to an end of the specified time period being reached, opening the outlet valve for removing liquid from the main container without removing the food product; and   starting the cooking cycle responsive to an end of the soaking cycle.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the method is a sprouting method, and wherein the controlled amount of liquid is an amount of liquid sufficient to partially cover the food product for sprouting, and wherein applying heat further comprises applying heat needed to sprout the food product. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising opening one or more seasonings containers associated with the apparatus to release one or more seasonings into the main container for seasoning the food product. 
     
     
         18 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the outer container further surrounds at least a portion of the liquid inlet opening, the liquid outlet opening, and the controller, and wherein the outer container connects the main container and the liquid inlet container. 
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the heater in contact with the main container is configured to directly heat the main container to cause heating of the liquid inside the main container. 
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the liquid inlet container is configured to contain liquid prior to a start of operation of the apparatus, wherein the liquid inlet valve is configured to allow liquid to enter the main container through the liquid inlet opening such that the food product in the main container is substantially covered over by the liquid to allow the food product to soak in the liquid for a period of time. 
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 23  further comprising a liquid outlet container attached to the outlet valve of the main container, the liquid outlet container configured for receiving and containing the liquid drained through the liquid outlet opening via the outlet valve following the soaking of the food product, and wherein the liquid inlet valve is configured to allow additional liquid from the liquid inlet container to enter the main container through the liquid inlet valve after the liquid for soaking is drained from the main container such that food product is substantially covered over by the additional liquid to cook the food product.