Cooking process has been made easy through introduction of systems and electronic devices like microwaves, pressure cookers and electronic cookers. Modern cooking methods have provision for timing the entire cooking period. This eliminates stern supervision ensuring that everything goes according to plan in absentia of the cook. Here, we are going to learn how utensils like cooking pots can be automated to make cooking process easy and more reliable.
Automated cooking system
Automated cooking pot system consists of metallic pot, cooker, microcontroller, database management system (DBMS) and timer system. Microcontroller is used in this system to help in monitoring and controlling the cooking process remotely. It links the system to electronic devices such as cellphones that can be used to coordinate and direct all the functions of the system. Microcontrollers have GSM (Global Sim for Mobile communication) modem that enhances the connection between the entire system and the owner’s cellphone. The DBMS is responsible for data storage, deletion and retrieval. It also manages the programs used to run the whole system. The data in DBMS are from the user’s end as well as the manufacturer’s end. During production, programs are stored in the database to assist the system in discharging its functions. While the system is operating, the user can enter instructions through his or her phone to control and guide the cooking process. Cooker is an essential part of this system. It provides heat energy required during cooking. Moreover, inside the metallic pot is where cooking happens. The pot is calibrated and fitted with temperature and water sensors. Calibrations assist in leveling of the water required for the food to cook properly. Water sensors are used in tracking the level of water in the food being cooked while temperature sensors are used to regulate the amount of heat being produced by the cooker. Finally, the timer system is used to time the process of cooking as set by the cook. All these parts collectively work together for reliability and efficiency.
Automated cooking pot system can be controlled remotely using cellphone or physically using control buttons on the system. When cooking, after turning on the cooker, pour adequate water into the pot and use the calibration marks to set the soup level. This is the amount of soup the cooked food is expected to have. When the water level in the pot drops to the set level, water sensors send signals to the microcontroller that responds by turning off the cooker. Alternatively, the timer circuit can be set to time the cooking process. When it is set to allow cooking to take place in a period of fifteen minutes, on the fifteenth minute mark, microcontroller is notified to turn off the cooker. There are some meals that do not require a lot of heat. When preparing such kinds of meals, you can set the required temperature on the cooker and the temperature sensors on the cooking pot will track and maintain that temperature. They send signals to the microcontroller whenever the temperature on the cooking pot rises above the required value. In response, microcontroller adjusts the amount of heat energy being produced by the cooker.
Cooking pot system can be switched on and off remotely, using a cellphone with an app designed for controlling that specific system. The company that has produced and assembled the whole system develops this app. It has various features that perfectly coordinate the functions of the system. For instance, when cooking is undergoing and you feel like the food is ready, you can turn off the cooker using your cellphone if you are committed somewhere. Through the app, you can also view the level of soup in the food you are preparing. This is necessitated by the water sensors fixed on the cooking pot. With the help of calibrations on the cooking pot, they update microcontroller on the soup level and in turn, it conveys the same message to the user via the installed app.
Advantages of this system are as follows:
- It is reliable. The system is designed in such a manner it can be turned off and on remotely. This makes it is more reliable compared to normal cooking methods that require attention and presence of the cook.
- The system can be timed to prevent overcooking or undercooking of meals. Timing also ensures that the cooker is automatically switched off when the food is ready.
- The cook can monitor the level of soup inside the cooking pot using his or her cellphone without necessarily opening the pot. This makes the meal preparation process quite easy.
Disadvantages of this system are as follows:
- The system is very expensive to acquire. This system very expensive compared to normal cookers due to technology deployed in making it.
- . It encourages laziness when cooking that can be dangerous to people. The person cooking can relax in the living room hoping that he or she will turn off the cooker when the food is ready. When the system fails, the house can catch fire due to electrical faults.
This system makes cooking very easy as you can control the whole process remotely. However, care needs to be taken to avoid electrical faults. This is possible especially when the system fails.
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