Food preparation control system

Abstract

Systems, methods, and articles to provide customized control of a cooking appliance, such as a sous vide cooker. A user provides a selection of one or more ending characteristics for a food product. A processor-based device determines one or more output food preparation parameters based on the user's selection of the one or more ending characteristics. Measurements of temperature, power delivery, or other characteristics may be obtained during cooking process. A cooking program controlling the cooking process may be revised or updated based at least in part on the obtained measurements or analysis of the measurements. Estimations or projections about the cooking process may be presented to a user via a user interface of the cooking appliance or a user interface of one or more computing devices (e.g., smartphone, tablet computer) associated with the user.

1 - 90 . (canceled) 
     
     
         91 . A processor-based food preparation guidance system, comprising:
 at least one processor; and   at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium, communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and which stores at least one of processor-executable instructions or data, wherein in use the at least one processor:
 receives a request for preparation guidance for a food product from a user computing device; 
 responsive to the received request, causes at least one of a first set of at least two graphical prompts to be displayed by the user computing device, each of the graphical prompts in the first set of at least two graphical prompts depicting a respective gradation of at least one first characteristic of the food product, the respective gradations being different from one another; 
 receives a selection related to at least one of the gradations of the at least one first characteristic of the food product; 
 responsive to the received selection, causes a cooking program to be generated, the cooking program including at least one of instructions or data usable by a cooking appliance to perform a cooking process for the food product; and 
 controls a cooking appliance to perform the cooking process which cooks the food product according to the cooking program. 
   
     
     
         92 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 91  wherein the at least one processor:
 causes at least two food product selection prompts to be displayed by the user computing device, each of the at least two food product selection prompts associated with a different food product; and 
 receives a selection of one of the at least two food products selection prompts. 
 
     
     
         93 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 92  wherein the at least one processor:
 responsive to receiving the selection of one of the at least two food products selection prompts, causes at least one instructional image or instructional video associated with the selected food product to be displayed by the user computing device. 
 
     
     
         94 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 91  wherein the at least one processor:
 causes a notification to be displayed by the user computing device, the notification instructs a user to place the food product in a food receiving portion of the cooking appliance. 
 
     
     
         95 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 91  wherein the at least one processor:
 causes a notification to be displayed by the user computing device, the notification instructs a user to remove the food product from a food receiving portion of the cooking appliance. 
 
     
     
         96 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 91  wherein the at least one processor:
 causes at least one food preparation parameter to be displayed by the user computing device. 
 
     
     
         97 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 96  wherein the at least one processor:
 causes at least one of a temperature, a projected cooking time, or a projected cooking completion time to be displayed by the user computing device. 
 
     
     
         98 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 91  wherein the at least one processor:
 receives a selection of a temperature which relates to at least one of the gradations of the at least one first characteristic of the food product. 
 
     
     
         99 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 91  wherein the at least one processor:
 receives a selection of a temperature which is between a first temperature associated with a first gradation and a second temperature associated with a second gradation, the second gradation adjacent the first gradation with respect to a temperature scale. 
 
     
     
         100 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 91  wherein the at least one processor:
 receives a selection of a desired cooking completion time indicative of a time by which a user desires the food product to be fully cooked; and 
 causes a first notification to be displayed by the user computing device based at least in part on the received selection of the desired cooking completion time, the first notification instructs a user to turn on the cooking appliance. 
 
     
     
         101 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 100  wherein the at least one processor:
 causes a second notification to be displayed by the user computing device based at least in part on the received selection of the desired cooking completion time, the second notification instructs a user to place the food product in a food receiving portion of the cooking appliance. 
 
     
     
         102 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 91  wherein the at least one processor:
 causes at least one of a first set of at least two graphical prompts to be displayed by the user computing device, each of the graphical prompts in the first set of at least two graphical prompts depicting respective different textures, consistencies, or doneness for the food product. 
 
     
     
         103 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 91  wherein the at least one processor:
 receives a selection of one of the gradations by a processor-based food preparation guidance system over a data network, and causing a cooking program to be generated comprises causing a cooking program to be generated by the food preparation guidance system. 
 
     
     
         104 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 91  wherein the at least one processor:
 causes at least one of a first set of images or videos to be displayed by the user computing device. 
 
     
     
         105 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 91  wherein the at least one processor:
 causes at least one of a first set of images or videos to be displayed by the user computing device, the first set of images or videos depicting a user interaction with the food product. 
 
     
     
         106 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 105  wherein the at least one processor:
 causes at least one of a first set of images or videos to be displayed by the user computing device, the first set of images or videos depicting at least one of: cutting the food product, breaking the food product into one or more pieces, stirring the food product, pouring the food product, or manipulating the food product. 
 
     
     
         107 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 91  wherein the at least one processor:
 causes a cooking program to be generated at the food preparation guidance system; and 
 sends the generated cooking program from the food preparation guidance system to the cooking appliance over a data channel. 
 
     
     
         108 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 107  wherein the at least one processor:
 sends the generated cooking program from the food preparation guidance system to the cooking appliance over the data channel via a user computing device coupled to each of the food preparation guidance system and the cooking appliance. 
 
     
     
         109 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 91  wherein the at least one processor:
 obtains at least one parameter measurement indicative of a characteristic of the cooking process during control of the cooking appliance; and 
 determines at least one of an update to the cooking program or a cooking projection parameter relating to the cooking process based at least in part on the obtained at least one parameter measurement. 
 
     
     
         110 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 109  wherein the at least one processor:
 obtains a temperature measurement of a fluid bath of the cooking appliance and obtaining a measurement of an amount of heat transferred to the fluid bath. 
 
     
     
         111 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 109  wherein the at least one processor:
 obtains a plurality of temporally spaced parameter measurements. 
 
     
     
         112 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 109  wherein the at least one processor:
 obtains a plurality of temporally spaced temperature measurements and a plurality of corresponding temporally spaced measurements of an amount of heat transferred to a fluid bath. 
 
     
     
         113 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 109  wherein the at least one processor:
 obtains a measurement indicative of at least one of temperature of a fluid bath of the cooking appliance or power delivered by the cooking appliance. 
 
     
     
         114 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 109  wherein the at least one processor:
 obtains a temperature measurement from a temperature sensor of at least one of a surface of the food product or an interior of the food product. 
 
     
     
         115 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 114  wherein the at least one processor:
 obtains a temperature measurement from at least one of a resistive temperature detector, a thermocouple, a thermistor, a positive temperature coefficient element or a blackbody/infrared emissions detector. 
 
     
     
         116 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 109  wherein the at least one processor:
 obtains a measurement indicative of power from at least one of a voltage sensor, a current sensor, a resistance sensor, a magnetic field sensor, a Hall effect sensor, or a giant magnetoresistance sensor. 
 
     
     
         117 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 109  wherein the at least one processor:
 determines an estimated time until the food product reaches a specific condition. 
 
     
     
         118 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 109  wherein the at least one processor:
 causes the at least one of an update to the cooking program or a cooking projection parameter relating to the cooking process to be presented by a user computing device. 
 
     
     
         119 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 118  wherein the at least one processor:
 sends data to the user computing device over a data channel. 
 
     
     
         120 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 91  wherein the at least one processor:
 causes a cooking program to be generated that includes at least one of instructions or data usable by a cooking appliance to perform a cooking process for the food product, the cooking appliance comprising an immersion circulator. 
 
     
     
         121 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 91  wherein the at least one processor:
 receives a request for preparation of a food product from a remotely located client computing device. 
 
     
     
         122 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 91  wherein the at least one processor:
 causes the determination of at least one of a cooking temperature or a cooking time for the food product. 
 
     
     
         123 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 91  wherein the at least one processor:
 subsequent to receipt of the request for preparation of the food product, causes at least one supplemental prompt to be presented by a user computing device; 
 receives a response to the at least one supplemental prompt; and 
 determines at least one food preparation parameter for the cooking program based at least in part on the received response to the supplemental prompt. 
 
     
     
         124 . The food preparation guidance system of  claim 123  wherein the at least one processor:
 causes at least one supplemental prompt to be presented by the user computing device, the at least one supplemental prompt relating to at least one of a physical characteristic of the food product, an environmental condition, or a food preparation condition.