h a l f b a k e r yGo ahead. Stick a fork in it.
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The unit looks very like a conventional microwave oven. The difference is that it incorporates a refrigeration unit.
In standby mode, the refrigeration unit runs and keeps the chamber at 2 degrees C for safe food storage. However, on user command, or more usefully on timer or remote command, the
refrigerator goes off and the microwave (or grill, or combo) comes on. The food is then rapidly heated to a safe cooking temperature.
The idea of this is that you can put your breakfast in the ChillOven the night before and when you come down for breakfast it will be cooked. Because of the refrigeration there is no risk of meat or dairy products spoiling overnight in a conventional timer oven. Or you could put a roast in the ChillOven on Friday night and go away for Saturday, then when you came home on Sunday there would be a hot meal waiting for you. The trick for this would be to be able to trigger the oven remotely via cellular phone or Internet.
The only extra energy needed over a conventional oven is the need to heat a few litres of chilled air, for which the specific heat is pretty low.
Whirlpool Polara
http://www.whirlpoo...ooking/polara.htmls
Cooks, Cools, Liberates... or so it says. [dag, Jun 26 2002]
Microwave Fridge
http://www.halfbake.../microwave_20fridge
[DrCurry, Jun 26 2002]
[link]
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Most of the quick meals I microwave are cooked from frozen. I guess you could set the cooling power the same way you set the heating power (ie -10 = frozen, +10 = high-power cooking). It would also be good for making leftovers, whereby you would quickly and safely cook frozen/refrigerated food, and then quickly and safely cool them down either to eating temperature or to save for another day (this is for those people who cook and store meals, babyfood, etc.). I think this is a very useful idea. |
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Close, but this one cooks the old fashion way. [Link] I imagine the microwave variant isn't far off. |
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This ones been halfbkaed a couple of times... |
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The microwave fridge link is actually quite different from this. |
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DrCurry: Not quite the same thing but thanks for the link. What I don't understand is why I didn't hit on that idea when I searched for prior art. |
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Dag: I like it ! Very close to my idea so part baked. This doesn't seem to be advertised in the UK but I will look around. |
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Matty: I hadn't thought of it in terms of the post-cook chill/freeze option but yes, that's entirely practicable. |
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