STARCH FOOD

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001 ] The present invention generally relates to a cooking apparatus, and more particularly relates to an electric cooking apparatus and method for cooking low starch food item by draining out the starch water after cooking in order to cook low calorie food item.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Rice is the main food of approximately 60% of the earth's population.

However, there are also several health concerns related to consumption of rice. One such concern is high starch content in rice, if it is not treated or cooked properly. Higher starch content in the cooked rice is a concern for people diagnosed with diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular problems, and increases the blood sugar in the body.

[0003] Conventional rice cookers only allow one method to cook rice, in which a certain ratio of rice and water is added into a pot and heated. When all the water has boiled away, the temperature starts to increase, which tells the rice cooker to shut off because the rice is done. Therefore the time duration taken by rice to be cooked completely is directly proportional to the amount of water available in the cooker. If a user doesn't put in enough water, the rice may come out raw. On the other hand, if the user put in too much water, overcooked. So the user has to learn through experiment about the exact amount of water to be used for the specific rice type.

[0004] There are thousands of types of rice available in market and approximating the exact water quantity is learnt via trial and error by the user. Further, the starch may be categorized into amylose and amylopectin wherein amylose dissolves in the water when rice is being cooked while amylopectin is gelatinized after the rice is being heated. Therefore, the conventional rice cooker would not be able to cook rice in such a way that the starch content is reduced. In order to lower the amount of starch content in the cooked rice, rice may be cooked with more water and after rice gets cooked the extra starch water can then be drained away and thrown.

[0005] US patent publication, 2007/0190221 disclosed a method and an apparatus for healthy rice cooking and removing starch in rice is disclosed. There is provided a rice cooker including an inner pot, an outer case with control buttons, power input terminal, a thermostat component, a control circuit, a rice cooker lid and a heater plate. The inner pot is placed inside the outer case; the heating plate, the thermostat and the control circuit is placed at the bottom of the inner pot. A starch removing device is placed between the bottom of the inner pot and the outer case, the starch removing device comprises: a heating plate, power input terminal, a thermostat component, a control circuit disposed at the bottom, a medium case inside the outer case, a water storage trough at the exterior of the medium case, a water drainage trough between the medium case and the outer case, and a evaporating tube at the bottom of the water storage trough; the ends of the evaporating tube is connected with the water storage trough and the inner pot through channels, the water drainage trough is connected with a valve and the bottom of the inner pot through channels. The valve is mounted within the casing and it would seem that the most feasible way to actually remove the valve for regular cleaning would be to dismantle the rice cooker. However, the disclosed apparatus is complex in structure to users who are not electrical appliances savvy.

[0006] Malaysian patent publication MY-20030968-P disclosed yet another rice cooker with a means to discard water through a vacuum tube and a vacuum pump unit. The vacuum pump does not provide the most effective way to discard the water because the vacuum tube is merely located at one side of the rice cooker. Therefore, the vacuum mechanism would only end up extracting starch water from one side of the rice cooker causing uneven starch content throughout the cooked rice. Furthermore, having a vacuum pump would require more power as water is being sucked out against gravity. A vacuum pump can also be very audible could be displeasing to the users' hearing.

[0007] US patent publication, 2014/0044849 A1 disclosed an apparatus for cooking starchy food with significantly reduced starch content by regulating the draining of the water from the apparatus before the food is fully cooked using a two layered containers with outer layer having a hollow section, inner laying having perforation to hold the food and water, the hollow section having a steel ball to stop the flow of water from outer container to drainage container under normal condition. The steel ball is regulated via an electromagnetic device to slid away and clear the hollow section to drain the starch water. However, this invention needs user to clean up two containers which are used for cooking (inner & outer container) and also the steel ball. Further this invention always needs maximum quantity of water to be used as the cooker doesn't have a mechanism to differentiate between the time of cooking for different quantities of rice.

[0008] US patent publication, 2005/0120887 disclosed yet another rice cooker with the capability to discard water using a solenoid valve with a manual override lever. The solenoid valve and the manual override lever are accommodated at the base of the inner pot. The valve is mounted within the rice cooker and it seems that the only way to clean the valve is to detach the rice cooker itself which would be cumbersome. Furthermore, the valve provided has a very thin duct which allows water to be discarded as individual drips from the rice cooker. The water cannot be eliminated effectively due to the size of the duct also because atmospheric pressure may prevent the water from being continuously discarded. Further, if the water is discarded in such a manner, the starch in the water would eventually stick to the rice because water is being discarded at such a slow rate. Additionally, the invention includes a manual override lever that is contained within a water reservoir and cannot be manually controlled by the user as there are no perforations at the water reservoir to allow access to the user to control the lever. There is also no indication that the lever is controlled by some electrical means.

[0009] Therefore, there is a need of an apparatus and method to provide a simplified apparatus to overcome the above stated problems and provide an improved method of cooking.

[0010] Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of described systems with some aspects of the present disclosure, as set forth in the remainder of the present application and with reference to the drawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011 ] An electric cooking apparatus and method for cooking a low starch food item are provided substantially as shown in, and/or described in connection with, at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.

[0012] According to embodiments illustrated herein, there is provided an electric cooking apparatus to cook a low starch food item. The apparatus includes a cooking pot, a heating unit, a rotatable platform, a bearing housing, a motor unit, a user interface, a digital weight sensor, a microcontroller unit, a supporting unit, a power supply unit, a cover, a perforated section integrated on the cooking container or the cover, a drain container, a display unit, an audio unit, and a water level sensor, a memory unit.

[0013] The cooking pot receives the food item and water. The heating unit provided at the bottom of the cooking pot in order to heat the cooking pot. The rotatable platform having a frame and a base unit to hold the cooking pot and the heating unit. The bearing housing integrated with the rotatable platform to house a bearing. The motor unit coupled to the bearing to rotate the rotatable platform on the axis of rotatable platform upto a pre-defined angle. [0014] The user interface having plurality of input receiving means to receive the command from a user. The user interface includes but not limited to a plurality of soft press buttons or touch panel screens with illustrative pictures for taking user input on the type of item to be cooked. In an embodiment, the soft buttons include one or more mode and type selection buttons. The mode selection button allows the user to select the mode from at least one of: cooking with water drainage, and cooking without water drainage. The type selection button allows the selection of the type of rice to be cooked such as white rice, brown rice, parboiled rice, red rice or any other like type. In one embodiment the command is pertaining to type of food item to be cook and plurality of pre-defined option for cooking.

[0015] The digital weight sensor configured with the rotatable platform to calculate the weight of the food item and water placed in the cooking pot. The microcontroller unit operatively coupled to the user interface in order to follow the command received by the user interface, and stores a pre-programed digital value of: time duration to cook the food item, temperature, weight of the food item and water, and type of the food item.

[0016] Further, the microcontroller unit compares the calculated weight of the food item and water received from the digital weight sensor to the preprogrammed digital values of time required for completing the cooking, further the microcontroller unit keeps the heating unit at certain temperature for the preprogrammed digital values of time and drains out the starch water for rice cooking with the drain option, and lastly initiate an audio signal when cooking is complete.

[0017] The supporting unit holds the rotatable platform, bearing housing, and a digital weight sensor. The power supply unit to provide the power supply to the heating unit, the motor unit, and the microcontroller unit. The present electric cooking apparatus prepares a low calorie, fluffier and healthier rice. [0018] According to embodiments illustrated herein, there is provided a method for cooking a low starch food item. The method includes the step of receiving the food item and water through a cooking pot. The method further includes the step of heat the cooking pot through a heating unit provided at the bottom of the cooking pot. Then the method includes the step of holding the cooking pot and the heating unit through a rotatable platform having a frame and a base unit.

[0019] Thereafter, the method includes the step of housing a bearing through a bearing housing integrated with the rotatable platform. The method further includes the step of rotating the rotatable platform on the axis of rotatable platform upto a pre-defined angle through a motor unit coupled to the bearing.

[0020] Then the method includes the step of receiving the command from a user through a user interface having plurality of input receiving means. In one embodiment, the command is pertaining to type of food item to be cook and plurality of pre-defined option for cooking.

[0021] Thereafter the method includes the step of calculating the weight of the food item and water placed in the cooking pot through a digital weight sensor configured with the rotatable platform. The method further includes the step of following the command received by the user interface through a microcontroller unit operatively coupled to the user interface, and storing a pre-programed digital value of: time duration to cook the food item and water, temperature, weight of the food item and water, type of the food item. In one embodiment, the microcontroller unit further compares the calculated weight of the food item and water received from the digital weight sensor to the pre-programmed digital values of time required for completing the cooking, further the microcontroller unit keeping the heating unit at certain temperature for the pre-programmed digital values of time and draining out the starch water for rice cooking with the drain option, and lastly initiates an audio signal when cooking is complete.

[0022] Furthermore, the method includes the step of supporting the rotatable platform, bearing housing, and a digital weight sensor through a supporting unit. The method further includes the step of providing the power supply through a power supply unit to the heating unit, the motor unit, and the microcontroller unit.

[0023] These and other features and advantages of the present disclosure may be appreciated from a review of the following detailed description of the present disclosure, along with the accompanying figures in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0024] The accompanying drawings illustrate the various embodiments of systems, methods, and other aspects of the disclosure. Any person with ordinary skills in the art will appreciate that the illustrated element boundaries (e.g., boxes, groups of boxes, or other shapes) in the figures represent one example of the boundaries. In some examples, one element may be designed as multiple elements, or multiple elements may be designed as one element. In some examples, an element shown as an internal component of one element may be implemented as an external component in another, and vice versa. Further, the elements may not be drawn to scale.

[0025] Various embodiments will hereinafter be described in accordance with the appended drawings, which are provided to illustrate and not to limit the scope in any manner, wherein similar designations denote similar elements, and in which:

[0026] FIG. 1 illustrates an electric cooking apparatus to cook a low starch food item, in accordance with at least one embodiment;

[0027] FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of the microcontroller unit, in accordance with at least one embodiment;

[0028] FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of a method for cooking a low starch food item, in accordance with at least one embodiment; and

[0029] FIG. 4 illustrates a diagram of rotation of the cooking apparatus upto 100 degree, in accordance with at least one exemplary embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The present disclosure is best understood with reference to the detailed figures and description set forth herein. Various embodiments are discussed below with reference to the figures. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed descriptions given herein with respect to the figures are simply for explanatory purposes as the methods and systems may extend beyond the described embodiments. For example, the teachings presented and the needs of a particular application may yield multiple alternative and suitable approaches to implement the functionality of any detail described herein. Therefore, any approach may extend beyond the particular implementation choices in the following embodiments described and shown.

[0031 ] References to "one embodiment," "at least one embodiment," "an embodiment," "one example," "an example," "for example," and so on indicate that the embodiment(s) or example(s) may include a particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element, or limitation but that not every embodiment or example necessarily includes that particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element, or limitation. Further, repeated use of the phrase "in an embodiment" does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.

[0032] Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can also be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, the preferred methods and materials are now described. All publications, patents and patent applications mentioned herein are incorporated herein in their entirety.

[0033] It is also noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "and", and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the claims, the terms "first," "second", and so forth are to be interpreted merely as ordinal designations they shall not be limited in themselves. Further, the use of exclusive terminology such as "solely," "only" and the like in connection with the recitation of any claim element is contemplated. Also, it is contemplated that any element indicated to be optional herein may be specifically excluded from a given claim by way of a "negative" limitation. Finally, it is contemplated that any optional feature of the inventive variation(s) described herein may be set forth and claimed independently or in combination with any one or more of the features described herein.

[0034] Definitions: The following terms shall have, for the purposes of this application, the respective meanings set forth below.

[0035] The term 'electric cooking apparatus' or 'electric cooker' as may be used herein and in the claims means an apparatus for cooking powered by electricity.

[0036] The term 'starch' or 'carbohydrate', or '(C6H10O5)n' may be used herein and in the claims found mainly in the rice, bread, seeds, fruits, tubers, roots, and stem pith of plants, notably in corn, potatoes, and wheat and varying widely in appearance according to source.

[0037] As used herein, the term 'food item', may be used herein and in the claims means rice, idly, egg, water, milk, potato, pasta, or any similar edibles.

[0038] All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.

[0039] The use of the terms "a" and "an" and "the" and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and plural, unless indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms "comprising", "having", "including", and "containing" are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning "including, but not limited to,") unless otherwise noted. The term "connected" is to be construed as partly or wholly contained within, attached to, or joined together, even if there is something intervening.

[0040] The recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value failing within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein.

[0041 ] All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., "such as") provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate embodiments of the invention and does not impose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed.

[0042] FIG. 1 illustrates an electric cooking apparatus 100 to cook a low starch food item, in accordance with at least one embodiment. The apparatus includes a cooking pot (101 ), a heating unit (104), a rotatable platform (103), a bearing housing (120), a bearing (122), a motor unit (107), a user interface (105), a digital weight sensor (106), a microcontroller unit (explained in conjunction with Fig. 2), a supporting unit (128), a power supply unit (not shown in Fig.), a cover (102), a perforated section (109), a drain container (1 1 1 ), a display unit (1 10), an audio unit (not shown in Fig.), a water level sensor (not shown in Fig.), and a memory unit (not shown in Fig.),

[0043] The cooking pot (101 ) to receive the food item and water. The heating unit (104) provided at the bottom of the cooking pot (101 ) in order to heat the cooking pot (101 ). The rotatable platform (103) having a frame and a base unit to hold the cooking pot (101 ) and the heating unit (104).

[0044] The bearing housing (120) integrated with the rotatable platform (103) to house a bearing (122). The motor unit (107) coupled to the bearing (122) to rotate the rotatable platform (103) on the axis of rotatable platform (103) upto a pre-defined angle. The pre-defined angle is about 100 degree.

[0045] The user interface (105) having plurality of input receiving means to receive the command from a user. The user interface includes (105) but not limited to a plurality of soft press buttons or touch panel screens with illustrative pictures for taking user input on the type of item to be cooked. In an embodiment, the soft buttons include one or more mode and type selection buttons. The mode selection button allows the user to select the mode from at least one of: cooking with water drainage, and cooking without water drainage. The type selection button allows the selection of the type of rice to be cooked such as white rice, brown rice, parboiled rice, red rice or any other like type.

[0046] In one embodiment, the command is pertaining to type of food item to be cook and plurality of pre-defined option for cooking. The digital weight sensor (106) configured with the rotatable platform (103) to calculate the weight of the food item and water placed in the cooking pot (101 ).

[0047] The microcontroller unit (shown in FIG. 2 as 200) operatively coupled to the user interface (105) in order to follow the command received by the user interface. The microcontroller unit (shown in FIG. 2 as 200) is further explained in conjunction with FIG. 2.

[0048] The supporting unit (128) to hold the rotatable platform (103), bearing housing (120), and a digital weight sensor (106). The power supply unit (not shown in Fig.) to provide the power supply to the heating unit (104), the motor unit (107), and the microcontroller unit (200).

[0049] The cover (102) attached to the movable platform (103) to cover the cooking pot (101 ) from the top. The cover (102) further includes a perforated section (109) to drain the starch water when the rotatable platform (103) and the cooking pot (101 ) is rotated. In one embodiment, the electric cooking apparatus (100) further includes a second cover (not shown in Figures) to house the user interface (105).

[0050] The drain container (1 1 1 ) placed below the cooking pot (101 ) to collect the starch water drained from the strainer element (109). The display unit (1 10) to display data related to cooking. In one embodiment, the displayed data includes time duration of cooking the food item, and the temperature of the heating unit. The audio unit (not shown in Fig.) to generate an audio signal received from the microcontroller unit (200). In one embodiment, the audio signal indicates the completion of cooking. The water level sensor (not shown in Fig.) placed over the drain container (1 1 1 ) to sense the overflow of starch in the drain container (1 1 1 ).

[0051 ] The memory unit (not shown in Fig.) stores plurality of steps performed by the user during cooking operation for later usage. In the preferred embodiment, memory unit (not shown in Fig.) may be a conventional flash memory array, and in alternate embodiments, unit may be any other suitable type of non-volatile erasable/programmable memory. Memory unit includes a read protection flag or byte, which may be set during the production of the microcontroller unit (200) after instructional data or firmware has been installed onto memory unit.

[0052] In one embodiment, the electric cooking apparatus 100 further includes plurality of switching unit (not shown in FIG.1 ) to detect the cover (102) is put in right place and further to detect the drainage cap (not shown in FIG.1 ) is put in the right place. If cover (102) and drainage cap are not in right place option A/B/C/D (explained below in detail) may display appropriate message to the user and prompt the user to put the cover (102) and drainage cap to start the cooking or else the cooking will not start. In option E (explained below in detail) there is no such restriction, cooking may start and continue without the switching units.

[0053] FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of the microcontroller unit 200, in accordance with at least one embodiment. The microcontroller unit (200) stores a pre-programed digital value of: time duration to cook the food item, temperature, weight of the food item and water, type of the food item. In one embodiment, the microcontroller unit (200) further compares the calculated weight of the food item and water received from the digital weight sensor (106) to the pre-programmed digital values to initiate an audio signal.

[0054] Therefore, the microcontroller unit (200) controls the functioning of the cooking apparatus and also controls all the auxiliary devices associated with the apparatus such as digital weight sensor, heating unit, motor unit, user interface, display unit, and the timer.

[0055] The present invention uses standard single integrated circuit microcontroller having an embedded erasable/programmable non-volatile memory unit with read protection in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0056] In the preferred embodiment, microcontroller also includes erasable/programmable non-volatile memory unit, a processing unit or micro- control unit ("MCU"), logic and control register circuit, input/output pins, input/output pin switching logic, special mode detecting logic, flash signals switching logic, and flash signals control logic. Microcontroller may also include a conventional read-only memory ("ROM") unit and a random access memory ("RAM") unit.

[0057] Microcontroller unit (200) is adapted to selectively operate in a special mode in which an external circuit may gain control of flash memory unit (explained in conjunction with FIG. 1 ) by use of input/output pins (e.g., in which pins are communicatively coupled, to memory unit). This special mode may be activated by communicating a predetermined sequence of signals to the input/output pins, and allows a manufacturer to program instructional data, microcode or firmware into flash memory unit.

[0058] For instance, the display unit (1 10) such as Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) is also provided with two soft press buttons or touch panels to either increase or decrease the time of cooking (1 min. at a time) which is calculated by the microcontroller unit (200).

[0059] Additionally, the microcontroller unit (200) may also control the supply of power to the heater. During the time period of cooking, the microcontroller unit (200) may use its intelligence to intermittently switch on/off the heater and control the water from boiling over & spilling outside the pot. When the time calculated by the microcontroller unit (200) or selected by user has elapsed the heater will be switched off.

[0060] The perforated section (shown in FIG. 1 as 109) connected to the cooking pot may then start draining the extra starch water from the cooking pot to the drain container (1 1 1 ). This drain container (1 1 1 ) is placed below the pot to collect the extra starch water. The extra starch water thus collected will be thrown away before the next round of cooking is started. The LCD timer will switch off at this moment indicating the completion of rice cooking process.

[0061 ] The working principle of the cooking apparatus in accordance with the preferred embodiment is explained as follows: user fills the cooking pot (shown in FIG.1 ) with a pre-defined ratio of rice and water or any other stuff to be cooked. The cooking pot is placed over the rotatable platform and the cover is closed. Power supply unit is switched on by inserting the plug into the power source pressing the power on button. Select the mode of cooking by pressing the selection buttons 1 or 2. Further, select the type of item to be cooked from switches A, B, C, and D.

[0062] Upon selection of any of the switch A/B/C, the digital weight sensor may get activated and get the weight of the rice and water in the cooking pot. This weight information may act as an input to the microcontroller unit (200). The microcontroller unit (200) with the help of weight information and switch option selection may determine the time required for cooking the given quantity of rice and water. The time will be fed as an input to the cooker and will be displayed on the LCD screen for the user, informing the time required to complete the cooking. [0063] In another embodiment, the time suggested by the microcontroller unit (200) may be increased or decreased by the user by pressing '+' or '-' keys. This increase or decrease the time of cooking by one minute. This is needed as different kinds of rice take different amount of cooking time, and user based on his experience can approximate the time required for cooking the kind of rice used by him. However, the time approximation may be done by using various methods such as using a water level sensor in the cooking pot, or using some other kind of sensor like piezo electric sensor that doesn't measure the weight but indirectly get similar information like say acceleration when the cooking pot is placed inside cooker. When user changes the time suggested by the controller, the new time is saved by the rice cooker in the memory unit of the microcontroller unit (200) for the kind and quantity of the rice. The saved time is used next time user is trying to cook the same kind & quantity of rice. This makes the electric cooking apparatus or rice cooker a learning system and saves the user from always having to experiment with time required to cook rice to his preferred consistency.

[0064] After selection of start button, the microcontroller unit (200) turns on the heating unit via the relay switch after start button is pressed. With each minute of elapsed time of cooking, the LCD will show the updated time remaining for completing the cooking. Few minutes before the end of cooking time, the microcontroller unit (200) makes the motor unit rotate the cooking pot by more than 100 degree.

[0065] Further the user is provided with three options to select the category of rice used for cooking using a user interface (buttons/touch panel etc.). The options are 'A' for White Rice, 'B' for Brown/Boiled Rice and 'C for Red Rice. These three categories of rice are broadly believed to have different time requirement for cooking, assuming same quantity of water used, same heat applied and same quantity of rice. [0066] The user is instructed to use a pre-defined proportion of water for each category of rice A/B/C respectively. For example, for white rice, the display unit may displays user to use 4 cups of water for 1 cup of rice, 8 cups of water for 2 cups of rice and so on. Similarly for Brown rice the user might be instructed to use 5 cups of water for 1 cup of rice and so on. Each category of rice may need different proportions of water for cooking properly.

[0067] However, a fully automatic starch draining electric cooker or rice cooker may use the knowledge that there is no harm in using the maximum amount of water required for any kind of rice as the excess water is drained at the end of cooking. While the cooker is plugged to power supply, user may press the power switch ON and put the cooking container with rice and water filled in the instructed quantity into the electric cooker and chooses the kind of rice the is cooking (A/B/C). After user has selected his choice from A/B/C, micro-controller receives the information about the user selection & the weight of the rice and water via weight sensors placed on the platform which holds the container.

[0068] Using the information about the category of the rice (A/B/C) and weight of the rice and water, micro-controller retrieves a pre-programmed time, saved on its memory device, required for completing the cooking. This pre-programmed time required for cooking is displayed (using a display device) to the user and he is prompted, via display message, to press the start button to start the cooking process.

[0069] The pre-programmed time saved in the memory unit is based on data from cooking experiments with various kinds of rice & water. The cooking pot is placed on a platform, which may be rotated on its axis, with the help of a motor fitted to a bearing on the platform. The cap or the cooking container has perforation on them to facilitate the drainage of extra starch water when the platform containing the cooking pot is rotated on its axis.

[0070] User is displayed the updated time left for completing cooking with every passing minute. When the time required for completing cooking approaches last few minutes, microcontroller unit activates the motor unit to rotate the platform holding the cooking container on its axis to, and keeps it in tilted position 100 degree or more for a time period which may enable all the starch water present in the container to be completely drained.

[0071 ] After the starch draining is completed, the micro-controller rotates the motor in reverse direction to bring the platform holding the cooking container back into upright position. If while doing the starch draining, the drain container fills up, water level sensor placed above the starch drain container will send notice to micro-controller to rotate the container back to its original position as there is no space in drain container to hold more liquid. As time left for cooking approaches 0, user is indicated of the cooking process completion via the audio unit or a buzzer.

[0072] Different kinds of rice, even of the same category e.g., white rice, depending on its age, origin and type of water (hard/soft), may take slightly different time to cook to desired consistency from user. So it's necessary for user to have control over, cooking the rice to its desired consistency by cooking it for longer or shorter duration than what micro-controller has decided based on its pre-set time. Hence we provide user with the option to change the pre-set time from us by giving input via user interface buttons (add(+)/reduce(-) one minute at a time from the pre-set time and prompting him to change the time to either cook for longer or shorter duration based on his experience of the rice cooked by the cooker.

[0073] If and when user chooses to change the pre-set time by his own input time, micro-controller saves the time to memory, which is selected by user for the category & quantity of the rice & water used by user. Next time when user chooses, same category of rice and quantity of rice & water, micro-controller selects the user set time for cooking the rice. This makes the electric cooker a learning system without requiring the user to experiment with the timings each time when he is cooking the same category and quantity of rice and water. [0074] Further option provided for the user is boil & drain anything option. This option may mentioned as option 'D' for the user to boil and drain things like pasta, egg, potato etc. and any other food which needs boiling and draining. After choosing D, user may prompted via display unit to input the time using time input interface (not shown in FIG.) and then press Start button. User may need to input the time (greater than 0) using the interface and then press start. Cooking will start by starting the heater, and updated time left for completing cooking will displayed with every passing minute. When the time required for completing cooking approaches last few minutes, micro-controller activates the motor to rotate the platform holding the cooking container on its axis to, and keeps it in tilted position of 90 degree or more for a time period which will enable all the water present in the container to be completely drained.

[0075] After the starch draining is completed, the microcontroller unit rotates the motor in reverse direction to bring the platform holding the cooking container back into upright position. If while doing the starch draining, the drain container fills up, water level sensor placed above the starch drain container will send notice to microcontroller unit to rotate the container back to its original position as there is no space in drain container to hold more liquid. As time left for cooking approaches 0, user is indicated of the cooking process completion via the audio unit or the buzzer.

[0076] Further option provided for the user is Cook, No drain option. This option may mentioned as Option Έ' chosen by user to cook anything on timer such as idly cooking, milk boiling etc., in this scenario the user doesn't need to drain, just need the heater to be switched on for the desired time which may be instructed via various recipes.

[0077] After choosing E, the user may prompted via display unit to input the time using time input interface and then press Start button. User may need to input the time (greater than 0) using the interface and then press start. Cooking will start by starting the heating unit, and updated time left for completing cooking will be displayed with every passing minute. As time left for cooking approaches 0, user is indicated of the cooking process completion via the audio unit or a buzzer.

[0078] FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of a method 300 for cooking a low starch food item, in accordance with at least one embodiment. The method 300 of the present invention initiates with a step of 302 of receiving the food item and water through a cooking pot.

[0079] The step 302 is then followed by a step 304 of heating the cooking pot through a heating unit provided at the bottom of the cooking pot. Then, the step 304 is then followed by a step 306 of holding the cooking pot and the heating unit through a rotatable platform having a frame and a base unit.

[0080] Then, the step 306 is followed by a step 308 of housing a bearing through a bearing housing integrated with the rotatable platform. Thereafter, the step 308 is then followed by a step 310 of rotating the rotatable platform on the axis of rotatable platform upto a pre-defined angle through a motor unit coupled to the bearing.

[0081 ] The step 310 is then followed by a step 312 of receiving the command from a user through a user interface having plurality of input receiving means. In one embodiment the command is pertaining to type of food item to be cook and plurality of pre-defined option for cooking. The step 312 is then followed by a step 314 of calculating the weight of the food item and water placed in the cooking pot through a digital weight sensor configured with the rotatable platform.

[0082] The step 314 is then followed by a step 316 of following the command received by the user interface through a microcontroller unit operatively coupled to the user interface, and storing a pre-programed digital value of: time duration to cook the food item, temperature, weight of the food item, type of the food item, and weight of water. In one embodiment, the microcontroller unit further compares the calculated weight of the food item and water received from the digital weight sensor to the pre-programmed digital values of time required for completing the cooking and initiates an audio signal when cooking is complete.

[0083] Thereafter, the step 316 is then followed by a step 318 supporting the rotatable platform, bearing housing, and a digital weight sensor through a supporting unit. The step 318 is then followed by a step 320 providing the power supply through a power supply unit to the heating unit, the motor unit, and the microcontroller unit.

[0084] The step 320 is then followed by a step 322 of controlling the operation of heating unit in order to turning ON and OFF through the microcontroller unit, furthermore controlling the motor unit in order to rotate the platform through the microcontroller unit.

[0085] The step 322 is then followed by a step 324 of monitoring the temperature of the heating unit through the microcontroller unit, and monitoring overflow of starch water while draining through the microcontroller unit.

[0086] The step 324 is then followed by a step 326 of: covering the cooking pot from the top through a cover attached to the movable platform; and draining the starch water through a perforated section when the rotatable platform and the cooking pot is rotated.

[0087] The step 326 is then followed by a step 328 of collecting the starch water drained from the strainer element through a drain container placed below the cooking pot. The step 328 is then followed by a step 330 of: displaying data related to cooking through the display unit. In one embodiment the displayed data includes: time duration of cooking the food item, and the temperature of the heating unit; and generating an audio signal received from the microcontroller unit through the audio unit. In one embodiment the audio signal indicates the completion of cooking.

[0088] The step 330 is then followed by a step 332 of: sensing the overflow of starch in the drain container through a water level sensor placed over the drain container; and storing plurality of steps performed by the user during cooking operation for later usage through a memory unit.

[0089] FIG. 4 illustrates a diagram of rotation of the cooking apparatus 100 upto 100 degree, in accordance with at least one exemplary embodiment. The rotation of the cooking apparatus 100 upto 100° in accordance with the present invention to drain the excess water into the a drain container.

[0090] For a user, it is of utmost importance that the rice should be cooked to his/her satisfaction and taste. If, from his experience, user finds that the time suggested by the rice cooker is not sufficient to cook the rice to his satisfaction, then the user should be able to alter the time of cooking to suit to his taste i.e. either soft or hard. This change of time may also be taken as input by the microcontroller unit and may be used to improve and customize the cooking of rice. When the user tries to cook the same type of rice and quantity in future, the processor, via display messages, will indicate the user about the past choices of time there by giving user convenience.

[0091 ] Also, the type of water (hard/soft) one uses for cooking, sometimes determines the time required for cooking to complete. This option to alter the time suggested by microcontroller unit may help user to have more control over the time required for cooking.

[0092] After draining is completed, the microcontroller unit with the help of motor unit may rotate the cooking pot back to the upright position. Once the whole process is completed i.e. the time come to 0 (and draining has completed) a soft bell through the audio unit may alert the user that cooking is completed and the microcontroller unit switch off the heating unit. Further, the drained starch water collected in drain container may be taken out from the cooker separately for cleaning.

[0093] It will be well understood by a person skilled in the art that the cooking apparatus may be used for cooking anything where a boil and drain kind of mechanism is required for example - are Potato, Eggs, Pasta, etc. Sometimes, it may be used only for boiling items for example - feeding bottle can be sterilized and many more similar usage.

[0094] Thus the present systems and methods provide various advantages such as user convenience. For instance a self-learning mechanism along with weight determining sensor which tries to give a best estimate of the time required to complete the cooking. User is not left to guessing the quantity of water required to use and is instructed to use 1 :5 proportion for rice and water. Further, the ability to alter the timer for cooking helps user to have more control over the cooking process.

[0095] Further advantage is self-learning feature. For example, the cooking apparatus remember users last cooking attempts time input for a given quantity and type of rice and prompts him with the same time estimates next time. It also saves him from the hassle of having to approximate the water to be used for cooking the rice. The instruction manual and cooker will have clearly displayed instruction to prompt the user to use rice and water in proportion of 1 :5 (the exact proportion could change and subject to further experimentation being carried out)

[0096] Additional advantage provided by the present invention is lower calorie and fluffy Rice: This invention makes it possible to cook rice with large volume of water and strain the excess water at the end of cooking thereby enabling user to have lower calorie and fluffier rice consistently. Lower calorie helps to control the blood sugar, as rice is easy to digest carbohydrate which easy to convert to sugar by the body.

[0097] Furthermore advantage is electricity saving. Due to a better handling and the microprocessor controlled switching on/off of the heating element, the electricity consumption while cooking might be significantly reduced.

[0098] Embodiments of the invention include a program or application that includes instructions executable on a process system such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet, a portable computer or computer system capable of carrying out the steps of the method.

[0099] No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.

[00100] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modification and variations can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. There is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form or forms enclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modification, alternative construction, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modification and variation of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.