FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the technical field of food ingredients preparation, and in particular it relates to a method and a device for preparing food ingredients.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Consumers eating food pursue its nutrients and taste. Some nutrients are heat sensitive, which is easily decomposed by thermal effect and loss their function. Especially for vegetables, as plant tissue is easily to break due to the pectin and hemicellulose that bind the cells dissolved. As a result, the cell walls gradually lose their structures/nutrients and then collapse; the intracellular water and other substances leach out. During cooking process, nutrients will lose due to heat-decomposition or leaching out to liquid medium. So some consumers choose to eat vegetable in raw, for its nutrients as well as the crispy texture. However, people commonly don't like eating vegetables in raw especially for the children, because the taste of raw vegetables is boring and pale. Even if you add some seasoning on the vegetables, it is still tasteless because the flavor is hard to penetrate hereinto in a short time.

Immersing food in a flavored liquid medium is a common method of adding new flavor into the food. It usually takes hours to get food fully flavored by osmotic effect and the texture of food will change.

However, common immersion method takes too long time to make food fully tasty, and its effect is not comparable with cooking, although cooking will damage its nutrients. So how to make food especially vegetables flavored and tasty in very short time without thermal cooking is always a tough problem sought to be solved in the present field.

BE475095 describes submerging a vegetable product in a container filled with water or another liquid, which then discharges the air between the water surface and the cover, causing the vacuum, created by an air outlet, of the intercellular spaces and replacing it with water that penetrates and makes it fresher than it was before treatment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention intends to solve the technical problem of providing a method and a device for non-thermally preparing food ingredients, to make the food ingredients flavored and tasty in a short time without thermal cooking.

In order to solve the above mentioned technical problem, the present invention provides a method of preparing food ingredients, comprising the steps of:

- pressurizing air to a first value in a first closed chamber containing air and the food ingredients being immersed in a flavored liquid, said first value being lower than the value of the pressure outside said first closed chamber; and

- increasing the pressure inside said first closed chamber from said first value to a second value.

Preferably, in an embodiment of the present invention, the step of increasing the pressure inside said first closed chamber comprises the steps of:

- pressurizing air to a third value in a second closed chamber containing air, said third value being higher than the first value; and

- connecting the inside of said first closed chamber with the inside of said second closed chamber.

Preferably, in an embodiment of the present invention, the pressure difference between the third value and the first value is in the range [70; 100] kPa.

Preferably, in an embodiment of the present invention, the method further comprises a step of vacuuming or cooling said first closed chamber to obtain said first value.

Preferably, in an embodiment of the present invention, the method further comprises a step of pressurizing or heating said second closed chamber to obtain said third value.

Preferably, in an embodiment of the present invention, the step of pressurizing air to a first value in a first closed chamber comprises a step of keeping said first value during a time duration in the range [1; 5] minutes.

Preferably, in an embodiment of the present invention, the step of connecting the inside of said first closed chamber with the inside of said second closed chamber comprises a step of increasing said first value to said second value over a time duration in the range [0.1; 1] second.

In order to solve the above mentioned technical problem, the present invention also provides a device for preparing food ingredients, comprising:

- a first closed chamber for receiving air and said food ingredients being immersed in a flavored liquid;

- a first system for pressurizing said air to a first value in said first closed chamber, said first value being lower than the value of the pressure outside the first closed chamber; - a second system for increasing the pressure of air in said first closed chamber from said first value to a second value.

Preferably, in an embodiment of the present invention, the first system comprises a first air pump or an air cooling generator for decreasing the pressure inside said first closed chamber. Also a combination may be applied.

Preferably, in an embodiment of the present invention, the second system comprises a second closed chamber adapted to be pressurized to a third value being higher than said first value.

Preferably, in an embodiment of the present invention, the second system further comprises a second air pump or an air heating generator for increasing the pressure inside said second closed chamber.

Preferably, in an embodiment of the present invention, the pressure difference between said third value and said first value is in the range [70; 100] kPa.

Preferably, in an embodiment of the present invention, said second system is adapted to increase the pressure of said first closed chamber from said first value to said second value over a time duration in the range [0.1; 1] second.

Preferably, in an embodiment of the present invention, the device further comprises a timer to actuate said first air pump or said air cooling generator during a time duration in the range [1; 5] minutes. Also a combination of a first air pump and an air cooling generator may be applied.

In order to solve the above mentioned technical problem, the present invention additionally provides a kitchen appliance for preparing food ingredients, comprising a device as described above, said kitchen appliance being taken among multi-cooker and cold-cooker.

As compared with the prior arts, the present invention has the following technical benefits:

The present invention devotes itself to solve the technical problem of providing a method and a device for non-thermally preparing food ingredients, to make the raw food ingredients especially vegetables flavored and tasty in a short time instead of several hours by cold treatment, which can maintain most nutrients inside the food. This present invention could be applied in most solid food ingredients (e.g. leaf vegetable, root vegetable, legume and meat) for cold cooking and quick immersion like pre-treatment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other features, properties and advantages of the invention will be more apparent from the following description in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a simplified schematic diagram of a device for non-thermally preparing food ingredients in an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is another simplified schematic diagram of a device for non-thermally preparing food ingredients in an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 A is a simplified flow chart of a method of non-thermally preparing solid food ingredients in an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3B is another simplified flow chart of a method of non-thermally preparing solid food ingredients in an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a flow chart of a method in combination with the device illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 for non-thermally preparing solid food ingredients in an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a single flow chart of the first closed chamber in the device illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 for non-thermally preparing solid food ingredients in an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 6 is a single flow chart of the second closed chamber in the device illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 for non-thermally preparing solid food ingredients in an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

This invention is mainly for method and device to make liquid with flavor (e.g. soup or sauce) infuse into food ingredients in very short time. Dynamic pressure will be applied for expelling the air inside the food ingredients and then push the liquid into the food ingredients. The preparation can be done in very short time instead of several hours. Such preparation could maintain most nutrients in the food ingredients. This invention could be applied in most food ingredients for cold cooking or pre-treatment.

The principle of this cold preparation can be described hereinafter. Most food ingredients (raw food ingredients, including vegetables, fruits and meats) have tubular and capillary structures which contain lots of air bubbles. When this kind of tissue is under lower pressure environments, the air will be expelled from the food ingredients to the lower pressure environment. The liquid is not condensed, so when the space with food ingredients and liquid under lower pressure tries to increase its pressure, the liquid will be pushed into the food ingredients and make them succulent and tasty. The present invention will be further described in conjunction with the following specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings, although the present invention is not so limited.

Fig. 1 is a simplified schematic diagram of a device for non-thermally preparing food ingredients in an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the device 100 for non-thermally preparing food ingredients 120 may mainly comprises: a first closed chamber 102, a first system 104 and a second system 106. The first closed chamber 102 is used for receiving air and said food ingredients 120 are immersed in a flavored liquid 105. The solid food ingredients 120 can be leaf vegetables, root vegetables, legumes or meats. Similarly, the flavored liquid 105 can be soup or sauce. The first system 104 is used for pressurizing the air to a first value in the first closed chamber 102, the first value is lower than the value of the pressure outside the first closed chamber 102. The second system 106 is used for increasing the pressure of air in the first closed chamber 102 from the first value to a second value. That is to say, the first system 104 is used for decreasing the air pressure inside the first closed chamber 102, and the second system 106 is used for elevating the air pressure inside the first closed chamber 102.

As shown in Fig. 1, in this embodiment of the present invention, the pipes 111, 112 can be adopted to connect between the first closed chamber 102 and the first system 104, as well as the first closed chamber 102 and the second system 106. A valve 113 can be set on the pipe 112 between the first closed chamber 102 and the second system 106 to control the air circulation between the first closed chamber 102 and the second system 106 by opening or closing thereof according to different stages of the preparation progress. However, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that there could be other various solutions to connect between the first closed chamber 102 and the first system 104 or the second system 106. For example, they can just be adjacent to each other without pipes 111, 112 and using other switches to control the air circulation between the chamber and the systems. So the way of connection is not only limited by the one shown in the figures.

Fig. 2 is another simplified schematic diagram of a device for non-thermally preparing food ingredients in an embodiment of the present invention, but it is more detailed than Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the first system 104 may comprise a first air pump 107 or an air cooling generator 108 for decreasing the air pressure inside the first closed chamber 102 on the condition that the valve 113 is tightly closed. Thus, the first closed chamber 102 is under a relatively lower air pressure than the one outside the first closed chamber 102. The first system 104 may also comprise a timer (not shown in the figures) to actuate the first air pump 107 or the air cooling generator 108 and keep the first closed chamber 102 under the lower air pressure (first value) for a time duration, e.g. in the range of 1 second to 30 minutes, and in the range of 1 minute to 5 minutes is preferred.

Similarly, as shown in Fig. 2, the second system 106 may comprise a second closed chamber 103 adapted to be pressurized to a third value which is higher than the first value. That is to say, the first closed chamber 102 is under a relatively lower air pressure value (compared with the air pressure value of the second closed chamber 103) and the second closed chamber 103 is under a relatively higher air pressure value (compared with the air pressure value of the first closed chamber 102) before the opening of the valve 1 13 between the first closed chamber 102 and the second closed chamber 103.

Still as shown in Fig. 2, the second system 106 may further comprise a second air pump 109 or an air heating generator 110 for increasing the air pressure inside the second closed chamber 103 on the condition that the valve 113 is tightly closed. Thus, the air pressure difference between the third value of the second closed chamber 103 and the first value of the first closed chamber 102 can be in the range [0; 1000] kPa, and [70; 100] kPa is preferred. So the valve 113 is set to gradually open to balance the air pressures of the first closed chamber 102 and the second closed chamber 103. It renders that the second system 106 is adapted to increase the air pressure of the first closed chamber 102 from the first value to the second value over a time range from 0.1 second to 2 minutes, and from 0.1 to 1 second is preferred, a very short time. At last the air pressure of the first closed chamber 102 increases from the first value to the second value.

Still as shown in Fig. 2, the device 100 may also comprise a separate food container 114 which is located inside the first closed chamber 102, thus the flavored liquid 105 and the solid food ingredients 120 can be all accommodated in the food container 114. But as it could be well understood by those skilled in the art, the food container 114 is not indispensable in the present invention.

The present invention can also provide a new kitchen appliance for non-thermally preparing food ingredients. It comprises the device as described in any above embodiments, the kitchen appliance can be multi-cooker or cold-cooker.

Fig. 3A is a simplified flow chart of a method of non-thermally preparing solid food ingredients in an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 3A, the method 300 of non-thermally preparing solid food ingredients can mainly comprises the steps of:

Performing step A: pressurizing air to a first value in a first closed chamber containing air and the food ingredients being immersed in a flavored liquid, said first value being lower than the value of the pressure outside said first closed chamber. The food ingredients can be leaf vegetables, root vegetables, legumes or meats. The flavored liquid can be soup or sauce.

In an embodiment of the present invention, said first value can be obtained by an additional step of vacuuming or cooling said first closed chamber. After the first value of the air pressure inside the first closed chamber is obtained, the above step A can comprise an additional step of keeping the current status (said first value of the air pressure) for a first time duration. This first time duration for which the solid food ingredients are immersed in the flavored liquid under relatively lower air pressure atmosphere before the next step can be ranged from 1 second to 30 minutes, from 1 to 5 minutes is preferred.

Then performing step B: increasing the air pressure inside said first closed chamber from said first value to a second value.

Fig. 3B is another simplified flow chart of a method of non-thermally preparing solid food ingredients in an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 3B, the step A of the method 300' of non-thermally preparing solid food ingredients is totally the same as the method 300 depicted in Fig. 3A. But the step B of the method 300 shown in Fig. 3A may comprise the steps of:

Performing step Bl: pressurizing air to a third value in a second closed chamber containing air, said third value being higher than the first value; and

Performing step B2: connecting the inside of said first closed chamber with the inside of said second closed chamber.

The air pressure difference between the third value and the first value can be in the range [0; 1000] kPa, and [70; 100] kPa is preferred. The third value in the second closed chamber can be obtained by an additional step of pressurizing or heating said second closed chamber.

Moreover, in the above mentioned step B2, it comprises a step of increasing said first value to said second value over a second time duration in the range from 1 second to 2 minutes, and from 0.1 second to 1 second is preferred.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the flavored liquid and the solid food ingredients immersed therein can be all accommodated in a separate food container in the first closed chamber.

In the present invention, different air pressure difference and immersion time (first time duration) designed for different types of solid food ingredients can be listed as follows:

- Leaf vegetables (e.g. -70 to -80 kPa for 2 minutes)

- Legumes (e.g. -90 to -100 kPa for 5 minutes) - Root vegetables (e.g. -80 to -90 kPa for 3 minutes)

- Meats (e.g. -90 to -100 kPa for 5 minutes)

Apparently, the dynamic pressure preparation procedure could be in circulation until the food preparation result is satisfied by the user.

Fig. 4 is a flow chart of a method in combination with the device illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 for non-thermally preparing solid food ingredients in an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 4, the method 400 provided in an embodiment of the present invention can be de depicted in combination with the device 100 described above. The method 400 can mainly comprises the steps of:

Performing step s401: providing the first closed chamber 102, which containing air and a flavored liquid 105 therein for the solid food ingredients 120 to be immersed in;

Performing step s402: decreasing the air pressure of the first closed chamber 102 by means of such as vacuuming by a first air pump 107 or cooling by an air cooling generator 108 in the first system 104;

Performing step s403: providing the second closed chamber 103, which connected to the first closed chamber 102 by such as a pipe 112; the pipe 112 is disposed a currently closed valve 113 thereon to control the getting through between the first closed chamber 102 and the second closed chamber 103 according to different stages of the preparation;

Performing step s404: increasing the air pressure of the second closed chamber 103 by means of such as pressurizing by a second air pump 109 or heating by an air heating generator 110 in the second system 106;

Performing step s405: judging whether the air pressure of the first closed chamber 102 is lower (e.g. the pressure difference can be from 0 to -1000 kPa, -70 to -100 kPa is preferred) than the pressure of the second closed chamber 103; if no, returning back to step s402 and/or step s404; if yes, entering into next step s406;

Performing step s406: keeping the current status for a first time duration (e.g. from 1 second to 30 minutes, 1 to 5 minutes is preferred);

Performing step s407: opening the valve 113, making the first closed chamber 102 getting through with the second closed chamber 103 in a second time duration (e.g. from 0.1 second to 2 minutes, 0.1 to 1 second is preferred) and resulting in the higher air pressure in the second closed chamber 103 entering into the first closed chamber 102, then closing the valve 113; Performing step s408: judging whether the prepared solid food ingredients 120 are satisfied with the requirements of the preparation or not; if no, returning back to step s402 and step s404; if yes, entering into next step s409; and

Performing step s409: ending the procedure of the preparation, taking the solid food ingredients 120 out from the air pressure elevated first closed chamber 102.

Wherein, those skilled in the art can understand that the above-described step s403 and step s404 are not necessarily performed behind the step s401 and step s402. That is to say, the step s403 and step s404 can also be performed prior to the step s401 and step s402, or performed simultaneously.

Fig. 5 is a single flow chart of the first closed chamber in the device illustrated in Figs.

1 and 2 for non-thermally preparing solid food ingredients in an embodiment of the present invention. Similarly, Fig. 6 is a single flow chart of the second closed chamber in the device illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 for non-thermally preparing solid food ingredients in an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 5, the working flow 500 of the first closed chamber 102 can be described as follows. The working flow 500 can mainly comprises the steps of:

Performing step s501: providing the first closed chamber 102, putting solid food ingredients 120 inside the first closed chamber 102 and pouring a flavored liquid 105 thereinto to make the solid food ingredients 120 immersed in the flavored liquid 105;

Performing step s502: decreasing the pressure of the first closed chamber 102 by means of such as vacuuming by a first air pump 107 or cooling by an air cooling generator 108 in the first system 104;

Performing step s503: judging whether the air pressure of the first closed chamber 102 is lower (e.g. the pressure difference can be from 0 to -1000 kPa, -70 to -100 kPa is preferred) than the air pressure of the second closed chamber 103; if no, returning back to step s502; if yes, entering into next step s504;

Performing step s504: keeping the current status for a first time duration (e.g. from 1 second to 30 minutes, 1 to 5 minutes is preferred);

Performing step s505: making the first closed chamber 102 getting through with the second closed chamber 103 in a second time duration (e.g. from 0.1 second to 2 minutes, 0.1 to 1 second is preferred) and resulting in the higher pressure in the second closed chamber 103 entering into the first closed chamber 102;

Performing step s506: judging whether the prepared solid food ingredients 120 are satisfied with the requirements of the preparation; if no, returning back to step s502; if yes, entering into next step s507; and Performing step s507: ending the procedure of the preparation, taking the solid food ingredients 120 out from the pressure balanced first closed chamber 102.

Similarly, as shown in Fig. 6, the working flow 600 of the second closed chamber 103 can also be described as follows. The working flow 600 can mainly comprises the steps of:

Performing step s601: providing the second closed chamber 103;

Performing step s602: increasing the air pressure of the second closed chamber 103 by means of such as pressurizing by a second air pump 109 or heating by an air heating generator 110 in the second system 106;

Performing step s603: judging whether the air pressure of the second closed chamber 103 is higher (e.g. the pressure difference can be from 0 to 1000 kPa, 70 to 100 kPa is preferred) than the air pressure of the first closed chamber 102; if no, returning back to step s602; if yes, entering into next step s604;

Performing step s604: keeping the current status for a first time duration (e.g. from 1 second to 30 minutes, 1 to 5 minutes is preferred);

Performing step s605: making the first closed chamber 102 getting through with the second closed chamber 103 in a second time duration (e.g. from 0.1 second to 2 minutes, 0.1 to 1 second is preferred) and resulting in the higher pressure in the second closed chamber 103 entering into the first closed chamber 102;

Performing step s606: judging whether the prepared solid food ingredients 120 are satisfied with the requirements of the preparation; if no, returning back to step s602; if yes, entering into next step s607; and

Performing step s607: ending the procedure of the preparation, taking the solid food ingredients 120 out from the pressure balanced first closed chamber 102.

So the mechanism of this dynamic pressure preparation can be summed up as follows with the help of the device as shown in Fig. 2. Food ingredients are disposed into a flavored liquid in the chamber with vacuum pressure for expelling the bubbles for certain time, and then the valve will open for connecting the two chambers and make the air in the chamber under higher pressure enter into the chamber under lower pressure to push the flavored liquid into the food ingredients. Different types of food ingredients could be in different conditions of preparation.

Hereinafter, the technical benefits of the present invention can be demonstrated by some experiments. In one experiment, the applicant chose to use a vacuum air pump to make the dynamic pressure change. Solid food ingredients were immersed in the flavored liquid in a glass chamber which connected to the vacuum air pump to make them under lower pressure. When the solid food ingredients under lower pressure underwent for several seconds, the air bubbles in the food were expelled from the food. After certain time of preparation (first time duration), the air pump stopped and the glass chamber was connected to the atmosphere, the flavored liquid was suddenly injected into the food ingredients.

In one experiment, grape juice was used for clear observation of the difference of sample and control. Apple, onion and radish were put in the grape juice under preparation of under -80 kPa vacuum and under normal atmosphere for 3, 2, 4 minutes respectively. Comparison photographs (not shown herein) can be obtained during the experiment which explicitly illustrate the comparative experimental results of non-thermally preparing a series of solid food ingredients using grape juice by a method provided in the present invention and the common one already existed in the prior art, just to demonstrate the better technical effects of the present invention. In the comparison photographs, it can be detected that the technical effect of the present invention (dynamic pressure preparation) is very obvious that grape juice is much more injected inside the food ingredients with preparation, as compared with the technical effect of the prior art (common atmosphere preparation).

In another experiment, the peppers were also conducted in the cold chicken soup. After 2 minutes' dynamic pressure preparation under -70 kPa, the pepper sank down due to being saturated with the chicken soup. And the peppers in the cold chicken soup under normal atmosphere for 2 minutes' preparation were still floating on the surface without soup inside.

Other comparison photographs (not shown herein) can also be obtained during the experiment which explicitly illustrate the comparative experimental results of non-thermally preparing peppers using chicken soup by a method provided in the present invention and the common one already existed in the prior art to demonstrate the technical effects of the present invention. In the comparison photographs, it can be detected that the better technical effect of the present invention (dynamic pressure preparation) is also very obvious that the peppers saturated with the chicken soup are too heavy to keep themselves floating on the surface, and the technical effect of the prior art (common atmosphere preparation) is not ideal enough as the peppers does not absorb much chicken soup which makes the weight of the peppers is almost not changed showing that they were still floating on the surface of the chicken soup.

In conclusion, as compared with the prior arts, the present invention has the following technical benefits:

The present invention devotes itself to solve the technical problem of providing a method and a device for non-thermally preparing food ingredients, to make the raw food ingredients especially vegetables flavored and tasty in a short time instead of several hours by cold treatment, which can maintain most nutrients inside the food. This present invention could be applied in most solid food ingredients (e.g. leaf vegetable, root vegetable, legume and meat) for cold cooking and quick immersion like pre-treatment.

As indicated above, amongst others the present invention provides the following embodiments, which are only numbered for reference reasons:

1. A method of preparing food ingredients, comprising the steps of:

- pressurizing A air to a first value VI in a first closed chamber containing air and the food ingredients being immersed in a flavored liquid, said first value VI being lower than the value V0 of the pressure outside said first closed chamber; and

- increasing B the pressure inside said first closed chamber from said first value VI to a second value V2.

2. The method as described in embodiment 1, wherein the step of increasing B comprises the steps of:

- pressurizing Bl air to a third value V3 in a second closed chamber containing air, said third value V3 being higher than the first value VI; and

- connecting B2 the inside of said first closed chamber with the inside of said second closed chamber.

3. The method as described in any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the pressure difference between the third value V3 and the first value VI is in the range [70; 100] kPa.

4. The method as described in any one of the preceding embodiments, further comprising a step of vacuuming or cooling said first closed chamber to obtain said first value VI.

5. The method as described in any one of the preceding embodiments, further comprising a step of pressurizing or heating said second closed chamber to obtain said third value V3.

6. The method as described in any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the step of pressurizing A comprises a step of keeping said first value VI during a time duration in the range [1; 5] minutes.

7. The method as described in any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the step of connecting B2 comprises a step of increasing said first value VI to said second value V2 over a time duration in the range [0.1; 1] second.

8. A device 100 for preparing food ingredients 110, comprising: - a first closed chamber 102 for receiving air and said food ingredients 110 being immersed in a flavored liquid 105;

- a first system 104 for pressurizing said air to a first value VI in said first closed chamber 102, said first value VI being lower than the value V0 of the pressure outside the first closed chamber 102;

- a second system 106 for increasing the pressure of air in said first closed chamber 102 from said first value VI to a second value V2.

9. The device 100 as described in embodiment 8, wherein the first system 104 comprises a first air pump 107 or an air cooling generator 108 for decreasing the pressure inside said first closed chamber 102.

10. The device 100 as described in any one of the preceding embodiments 8-9, wherein the second system 106 comprises a second closed chamber 103 adapted to be pressurized to a third value V3 being higher than said first value VI.

11. The device 100 as described in any one of the preceding embodiments 8-10, wherein the second system 106 further comprises a second air pump 109 or an air heating generator 110 for increasing the pressure inside said second closed chamber 103.

12. The device 100 as described in any one of the preceding embodiments 8-11, wherein the pressure difference between said third value V3 and said first value VI is in the range [70; 100] kPa.

13. The device 100 as described in any one of the preceding embodiments 8-12, wherein said second system 106 is adapted to increase the pressure of said first closed chamber 102 from said first value VI to said second value V2 over a time duration in the range [0.1; 1] second.

14. The device 100 as described in any one of the preceding embodiments 8-13, further comprising a timer to actuate said first air pump 107 or said air cooling generator 108 during a time duration in the range [1; 5] minutes.

15. A kitchen appliance for preparing food ingredients, comprising a device as described in any of embodiments 8 to 14, said kitchen appliance being taken among multi- cooker and cold-cooker.

The invention has been disclosed above with preferred embodiments, which are not intended to limit the invention. Possible variations and modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, any contents compliant with the technical solutions of this invention, any variations to the above embodiments made in accordance with the technical nature of this invention, the equivalents and modifications thereof all fall within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.