Abstract:
The Present invention provides a cooking device for cutting a foodstuff into a prescribed shape, a cooking method using said device, and a foodstuff. Provided is a cooking device that is provided with a cutting portion and a handle to which the cutting portion is attached, wherein: the cutting portion includes a cutting blade and a guide; the cutting blade includes a wave-shaped portion in which trough portions, which are shaped so as to recede downward in a direction approaching a foodstuff to be cut, and crest portions, which are shaped so as to project upward in the opposite direction to the downward direction, appear alternatively; in the cutting blade, crests, which are the tops of the cutting blade crest portions, and troughs, which are the bottoms of the cutting blade trough portions, appear alternatively; and in the guide, at least a portion of a guide surface, which follows the surface of the foodstuff to be cut, is located between the cutting blade crests and cutting blade troughs in the vertical direction.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a cooking device, a cooking method, and food. The present invention claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-234686 filed Nov. 19, 2014 and Japanese Utility Model Registration Application No. 2015-1628 filed Apr. 3, 2015, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference for the designated countries where the incorporation by reference of the documents is approved. 
       BACKGROUND ART 
       [0002]    Conventionally, kitchen knives are commonly used to cut foods, such as root vegetables, cucumbers, pumpkins, in particular. 
         [0003]    Peelers have also been used for cutting foods in recent years. A peeler is disclosed, for example, in Patent Literature 1, which has a blade member with a straight cutting edge on one side of an elongated hole and with a straight guide on the other side. A peeler is disclosed, for example, in Patent Literature 2, which has a blade member with an arcuate cutting edge on one side of an elongated hole and with an arcuate guide on the other side. 
       CITATION LIST 
     Patent Literature 
       [0004]    Patent Literature 1: JP H07-246154 A 
         [0005]    Patent Literature 2: JP 2001-314316 A 
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     Technical Problem 
       [0006]    However, while a kitchen knife is suitable for dice cutting and rough cutting, it is difficult for a common user to cut food into a shape having a predetermined length and thickness. Since both of the above-described peelers are structured focusing on the function of peeling, it is difficult to cut food into a shape having a predetermined length and thickness using the peeler, as with using the kitchen knife. 
         [0007]    Meanwhile, it has been recommended in recent years that we consume more vegetables for our health, and the capability of easily cutting foods, such as root vegetables, into a shape that cause changes in appearance, texture and the like leads to the creation of new dish menu and contributes to health promotion, so that there is a need for a cooking device suitable for cutting in such a way. 
         [0008]    The present invention is intended to solve the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a cooking device for cutting food into a predetermined shape, a cooking method using the cooking device, and food. 
       Solution to Problem 
       [0009]    To solve the problem, a cooking device according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a cutter; and a grip to which the cutter is attached, wherein the cutter includes a blade and a guide, the cutting blade includes a corrugated portion with alternating valleys each having a downwardly concave shape in a direction approaching food to be cut and ridges each having an upwardly convex shape, opposite to downward, the cutting blade has alternating ridge peaks being peaks of the ridges of the cutting blade and valley bottoms being bottoms of the valleys of the cutting blade, and the guide has a guide surface for following food to be cut, at least part of the guide surface being located between extension lines of the ridge peaks of the cutting blade and extension lines of the valley bottoms of the cutting blade in a vertical direction. 
         [0010]    In addition, the cutting blade may have a cutting edge formed on an edge located forward in a cutting direction, and the cutting edge may be shaped such that it projects forward from the ridge peaks of the cutting blade to the valley bottoms of the cutting blade. 
         [0011]    In addition, the cutting blade may have different adjacent pitches, where each of the different adjacent pitches is a distance between adjacent ridge peaks of the cutting blade or between adjacent valley bottoms of the cutting blade. 
         [0012]    In addition, a line connecting the ridge peaks of the cutting blade and a line connecting the valley bottoms of the cutting blade are arcuate, and the guide may have an arcuate shape. 
         [0013]    In addition, at least part of the cutting edge may be provided with a jagged edge. 
         [0014]    In addition, to solve the problem, a cooking device according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a cutter; and a grip to which the cutter is attached, wherein the cutter includes a blade and at a guide, the cutting blade includes a corrugated portion with alternating valleys each having a downwardly concave shape in a direction approaching food to be cut and ridges each having an upwardly convex shape, opposite to downward, the cutting blade has alternating ridge peaks being peaks of the ridges of the cutting blade and valley bottoms being bottoms of the valleys of the cutting blade, the guide includes a corrugated portion with alternating valleys each having a downwardly concave shape in a direction approaching food to be cut and ridges each having an upwardly convex shape, opposite to downward, and the guide has alternating ridge peaks being peaks of the ridges of the guide and valley bottoms being bottoms of the valleys of the guide. 
         [0015]    In addition, the cutting blade may have pitches that are the same between any adjacent ridges or between any adjacent valleys, where each of the pitches is a distance between adjacent ridge peaks of the cutting blade or between adjacent valley bottoms of the cutting blade, the guide may have pitches that are the same between any adjacent ridges or between any adjacent valleys and are the same as those of the cutting blade, where each of the pitches is a distance between adjacent ridge peaks of the guide or between adjacent valley bottoms of the guide, the cutting blade and the guide may be arranged such that the ridges of each other or the valleys of each other are offset, and the guide may have a guide surface for following food to be cut, a portion, which corresponds to the valley bottoms of the guide, of the guide surface being located between extension lines of the ridge peaks of the cutting blade and extension lines of the valley bottoms of the cutting blade in a vertical direction. 
         [0016]    In addition, the guide may include a plurality of bead-shaped elements. 
         [0017]    In addition, the guide may include a position changing mechanism for adjusting a position of the guide surface in a direction orthogonal to a cutting direction. 
         [0018]    In addition, the cutting blade may include a position changing mechanism for adjusting a position of the cutting blade in a cutting direction. 
         [0019]    In addition, a line connecting the ridge peaks of the cutting blade and a line connecting the valley bottoms of the cutting blade are arcuate. 
         [0020]    In addition, a line connecting the ridge peaks of the guide and a line connecting the valley bottoms of the guide, are arcs, and the cutting blade and the guide may have the same radius of curvature of the arc. 
         [0021]    In addition, the cutter may include two of the cutting blade and two of the guide, the two cutting blades may be arranged in a direction orthogonal to the cutting direction with an end of one cutting blade coupled to an end of another cutting blade, and the two guides may be arranged in a direction orthogonal to the cutting direction with an end of one guide coupled to an end of another guide. 
         [0022]    In addition, the cooking device may further include two cutters including the at least one cutter. 
         [0023]    In addition, to solve the problem, an aspect of the present invention may be a cooking method for cutting food to be cut using the cooking device. 
         [0024]    In addition, to solve the problem, an aspect of the present invention may be food cut by the cooking method. 
       Advantageous Effects of Invention 
       [0025]    The present invention provides a cooking device for cutting food into a predetermined shape, a cooking method using the cooking device, and food. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0026]      FIGS. 1A and 1B  are views illustrating a cooking device according to a first embodiment, where  FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of the cooking device and  FIG. 1B  is a view illustrating an example of a cutter of the cooking device. 
           [0027]      FIGS. 2A and 2B  are views showing the cooking device in use according to the first embodiment, where  FIG. 2A  is a view seen from the side and  FIG. 2B  is an anterior-posterior view. 
           [0028]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  are views showing other examples of the cooking device according to the first embodiment, where  FIG. 3A  shows another example and  FIG. 3B  shows still another example. 
           [0029]      FIGS. 4A to 4C  are views illustrating a cooking device according to a second embodiment, where  FIG. 4A  is a view seen from the front,  FIG. 4B  shows a state in which the cooking device is used, and  FIG. 4C  shows cut pieces. 
           [0030]      FIG. 5  is a view illustrating other examples of pieces cut by the cooking device according to the second embodiment. 
           [0031]      FIG. 6  is a view illustrating a cooking device according to a first modification of the second embodiment. 
           [0032]      FIG. 7  is a view illustrating a cooking device according to a second modification of the second embodiment. 
           [0033]      FIGS. 8A and 8B  are views showing the cooking device in use according to the second modification of the second embodiment, where  FIG. 8A  shows one example and  FIG. 8B  shows another example. 
           [0034]      FIG. 9  is a view illustrating a cooking device according to a third embodiment. 
           [0035]      FIGS. 10A and 10B  are views showing the cooking device in use according to the third embodiment, where  FIG. 10A  shows a state in which the cooking device is used and  FIG. 10B  shows food to be cut that has been cut. 
           [0036]      FIG. 11  is a view illustrating a cooking device according to a first modification of the third embodiment. 
           [0037]      FIGS. 12A and 12B  are views illustrating a cooking device according to a second modification of the third embodiment,  FIG. 12A  shows the cooking device and  FIG. 12B  shows cut pieces. 
           [0038]      FIG. 13  is a view illustrating a cooking device according to a third modification of the third embodiment. 
           [0039]      FIG. 14  is a view illustrating a cooking device according to a fourth embodiment. 
           [0040]      FIG. 15  is a view illustrating a cooking device according to another example of the present application. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       [0041]    Exemplary embodiments of a cooking device according to the present application will now be described with reference to the drawings. In the cooking device according to the present application, a cutting direction is referred to as “forward” and the opposite direction is referred to as “rearward”. The direction approaching food to be cut in cutting work is referred to as “downward” and the opposite direction is referred to as “upward”. 
       First Embodiment 
       [0042]      FIGS. 1A and 1B  are views illustrating a cooking device  1  according to a first embodiment, where  FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of the cooking device  1  and  FIG. 1B  is a view illustrating an example of a cutter  2  of the cooking device  1 .  FIGS. 2A and 2B  are views showing an example of the cutter  2  of the cooking device  1  in use, where  FIG. 2A  is a view seen from the side and  FIG. 2B  is an anterior-posterior view. As illustrated, the cooking device  1  includes a cutter  2  for cutting food to be cut F and a grip  3  to which the cutter  2  is attached. 
         [0043]    The cutter  2  includes a cutting blade  4  for cutting food in cutting work and a guide  5  functioning as a guide in the cutting work. The cutter  2  may be integrally formed with the cutting blade  4 , the guide  5 , etc. or may be formed of separate components such as cutting blade  4 , guide  5 , etc. In the present embodiment, an integrally formed cutter  2  is described as an example. 
         [0044]    The cutter  2  includes two connecting portions  21  for connecting the cutting blade  4  and the guide  5  at each of the left and right ends. The two connecting portions  21  are each provided with two attachments  22 , and the cutter  2  is attached to the grip  3  through the attachments  22 . The connecting portion  21  includes a cutting blade connecting portion  23  connected to the cutting blade  4  and a guide connecting portion  24  connected to the guide  5 . In other words, the cutting blade  4  and the guide  5  are attached to the grip  3  through two connecting portions  21 . 
         [0045]    The grip  3  is a portion to be gripped when cutting work is performed on food. While an example of Y-shaped grip  3  is described herein as an example, the grip  3  may be any shape such as T-shaped, I-shaped, U-shaped. The grip  3  can be formed of a material such as, for example, plastic resin or metal. 
         [0046]    The grip  3  includes holders  31  to which the cutter  2  is attached. In the present embodiment, the holders  31  are formed with two separate parts in a Y-shape, and the cutter  2  is attached to the two holders  31 . 
         [0047]    The cutting blade  4  is horizontally elongated. The cutting blade  4  includes a corrugated portion with alternating valleys each having a downwardly concave shape and ridges each having an upwardly convex shape. That is, the cutting blade  4  has a plate shape including the corrugated portion with alternating ridge peaks being peaks of the ridges and valley bottoms being bottoms of the valleys. In the present embodiment, a line connecting ridge peaks  41  is substantially straight and a line connecting valley bottoms  42  is also substantially straight, as illustrated. 
         [0048]    A height difference H between the ridge peak  41  and the valley bottom  42  is 2 mm or more. A pitch P, which is the distance between adjacent ridge peaks  41  (or between adjacent valley bottoms  42 ), is 4 mm or more. Preferably, the height difference H of the cutting blade  4  is in the range from 2 mm to 10 mm. The pitch P of the cutting blade  4  is in the range from 5 mm to 20 mm. 
         [0049]    The cutting blade  4  is provided with a cutting edge  43  at the front. As an example, as shown in the figure, the cutting edge  43  is formed on the front edge of the cutting blade  4 . The cutting edge  43  is formed, for example, as a band having a uniform width. 
         [0050]    The guide  5  is a horizontally elongated plate. In the present embodiment, the guide  5  has a flat plate shape. The guide  5  has a guide surface  51  (herein the bottom surface) for following the surface of food to be cut, and the guide surface  51  comes into contact with food to be cut in cutting work and guide the cutting work. 
         [0051]    The guide  5  is located forward of the cutting blade  4 . At least part of the guide surface of the guide  5  is located between extension lines of the ridge peaks  41  of the cutting blade and extension lines of the valley bottoms  42  of the cutting blade in a vertical direction. In the present embodiment, the ridge peak  41  of the cutting blade  4  is located at the same height as the guide surface  51  of the guide  5  as an example, as illustrated in  FIG. 1B . Alternatively, as an example, the guide surface may also be positioned below the ridge peak  41  of the cutting blade  4  between the ridge peak  41  of the cutting blade and the valley bottom  42  of the cutting blade while taking into account the softness and resilience of the food. 
         [0052]    When the guide surface  51  of the guide  5  is as high as the ridge peak  41  of the cutting blade  4 , the surface of the food to be cut F is cut into a corrugated shape by the cutter  2  as shown in  FIGS. 2A and 2B . Along with this, a plurality of rod-shaped cut pieces f are obtained. Herein, the rod-shaped cut piece f is shaped such that its cross-sectional shape gradually decreases in thickness from the center to both ends. 
         [0053]    Thus, the cooking device  1  can easily cut the surface of the food to be cut into a corrugated shape. The plurality of cut pieces, each having a cross-sectional shape which gradually decreases in thickness from the center to both ends, can be easily obtained. 
         [0054]    Here, the cutting blade  4  may have a sharpened cutting edge  43  as shown in  FIG. 3A . For example, the cutting edge  43  is formed to gradually project forward from the ridge peak  41  to the valley bottom  42 . In other words, the cutting edge  43  of the cutting blade  4  is formed to project in a cutting direction so that a valley bottom  42  portion is located most forward and a ridge peak  41  portion is located most rearward. Forming the cutting blade  4  in this manner further improves the cutting performance of the cooking device  1 . 
         [0055]    As shown in  FIG. 3B , the cutting blade  4  may have different adjacent pitches P (for example, P 1  and P 2  in the drawing). Although not illustrated, the pitches P may be determined to be randomly different. Forming the cutting blade  4  in this manner can easily provide cut pieces having different widths in a single cutting. 
       Second Embodiment 
       [0056]      FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C  are views illustrating a cooking device la according to a second embodiment, where  FIG. 4A  is a view seen from the front,  FIG. 4B  shows the cooking device la in use, and  FIG. 4C  shows cut pieces. The cooking device  1   a  is similar to the cooking device  1  according to the first embodiment except for a cutter  2   a , wherein like reference numerals denote like elements and points different from the cooking device  1  are described. 
         [0057]    A cutter  2   a  includes the cutting blade  4  for cutting food in cutting work and a guide  5   a  functioning as a guide in the cutting work. 
         [0058]    The guide  5   a  is plate-shaped and includes a corrugated portion with alternating valleys each having a downwardly concave shape and ridges each having an upwardly convex shape. That is, the guide  5   a  has a plate shape including the corrugated portion with alternating ridge peaks being peaks of the ridges and valley bottoms being bottoms of the valleys. Thus, a guide surface  51   a  of the guide  5   a  includes the corrugated portion. In the present embodiment, a line connecting ridge peaks  52   a  is substantially straight and a line connecting valley bottoms  53   a  is also substantially straight. 
         [0059]    A pitch P, which is the distance between adjacent ridge peaks  52   a  (or between adjacent valley bottoms  53   a ), is 4 mm or more. Preferably, the pitch P of the guide  5   a  is in the range from 5 mm to 20 mm. Preferably, the pitch of the guide  5   a  is the same as that of the cutting blade  4 . 
         [0060]    The guide  5   a  is located forward of the cutting blade  4  and is arranged such that the ridges and valleys of the guide  5   a  face the valleys and ridges of the cutting blade  4 , respectively (i.e., the ridges or the valleys of each other are offset by ½ pitch). At least part of the guide surface  51   a  of the guide  5   a  is located between extension lines of the ridge peaks of the cutting blade  4  and extension lines of the valley bottoms of the cutting blade  4  in a vertical direction. In the present embodiment, the guide surface  51   a  corresponding to the valley bottoms  53   a  of the guide surface  51   a  is located between extension lines of the ridge peaks of the cutting blade  4  and extension lines of the valley bottoms of the cutting blade  4  in a vertical direction. 
         [0061]    As an example, as shown in  FIG. 4A , the guide surface  51   a  corresponding to the valley bottoms  53   a  of the guide  5   a  and the ridge peaks  41  of the cutting blade  4  are formed at the same height. In this case, the corrugated guide surface  51   a  of the guide  5   a  guides cutting work along grooves and ridges remaining on the surface of the food to be cut F after a first cutting. When the cutting blade  4  cuts the food to be cut F, a plurality of rod-shaped cut pieces f are obtained as shown in  FIGS. 4B and 4C . The rod-shaped cut piece f has a cross-sectional shape whose center expands upward and downward and is vertically symmetrical. 
         [0062]    Thus, by using the cooking device  1   a  according to the second embodiment, cut pieces each having a shape whose center expands upward and downward can be easily obtained. 
         [0063]    The guide  5   a  maybe arranged to be offset from the cutting blade  4  by a distance different from the above, for example, by ¼ or ⅛ pitch. This provides cut pieces f, such as f 1 , f 2 , and f 3  illustrated in  FIG. 5 , having more variety of shapes. 
       First Modification of Second Embodiment 
       [0064]      FIG. 6  is a view illustrating a cooking device  1   b  according to a first modification of the second embodiment. The cooking device  1   b  is similar to the cooking device  1   a  according to the second embodiment except for a guide  5   b  of a cutter  2   b , wherein like reference numerals denote like elements and points different from the cooking device  1   a  are described. 
         [0065]    In a cutter  2   b , the cutting blade  4  and a guide  5   b  are formed separately and attached to the holders  31 . The guide  5   b  includes a position changing mechanism for adjusting a position of the guide surface in a direction orthogonal to the cutting direction. As an example, the guide  5   b  includes a rotational guide  54   b  and a guide position changer  55   b.    
         [0066]    The rotational guide  54   b , which includes a plurality of bead-shaped elements, is inserted through the guide position changer  55   b  and attached to the grip  3  through the guide position changer  55   b . The guide surface  51   b  that guides cutting work while comes in contact with the surface of food is formed of the surface, which comes in contact with the food, of the rotational guide  54   b.    
         [0067]    The guide position changer  55   b  has a male thread and a knob  56   b  at least at one end thereof. At least one of the holders  31  has a female thread corresponding to the guide position changer  55   b . By rotating the knob  56   b , the rotational guide  54   b  inserted into the guide position changer  55   b  rotates and slides in the direction orthogonal to the cutting direction. 
         [0068]    By using the cooking device  1   b , the position of the guide  5   b  in the direction orthogonal to the cutting direction and, more specifically, the position of the guide surface  51   b  can be adjusted, and cut pieces having more various cross-sectional shapes can be obtained. 
         [0069]    The arrangement for adjusting the position of the guide  5   b  in the direction orthogonal to the cutting direction is not limited to the above, and any of the conventional techniques having similar effects can be used. 
       Second Modification of Second Embodiment 
       [0070]      FIG. 7  is a view illustrating a cooking device  1   c  according to a second modification of the second embodiment. The cooking device  1   c  is similar to the cooking device  1   a  according to the second embodiment except for a cutting blade  4   c  of a cutter  2   c , wherein like reference numerals denote like elements and points different from the cooking device  1   a  are described. 
         [0071]    A cutter  2   c  includes a cutting blade  4   c  for cutting food in cutting work and the guide  5   a  functioning as a guide in the cutting work. The cutting blade  4   c  includes a position changing mechanism for adjusting a position in the cutting direction. As an example, the cutting blade  4   c  includes cutting blade position changers  44   c  and bolts  45   c . Otherwise the cutting blade  4   c  is similar to the cutting blade  4 , and thus description is omitted. 
         [0072]    A cutting blade position changer  44   c  is provided at each end of the cutting blade  4   c . As an example, as shown in  FIG. 7 , the cutting blade position changer  44   c  is a substantially elliptical through-hole extending in the cutting direction and is attached to the connecting portion  21  by the bolt  45   c . The position of the cutting blade  4   c  in the cutting direction can be adjusted by the cutting blade position changers  44   c  and the bolts  45   c.    
         [0073]    When the cutting blade  4   c  is attached at a first position located forwardly in the cutting direction, the central thickness of the cut piece f is t 1  as shown in  FIG. 8A . On the other hand, when the cutting blade  4   c  is attached at a second position located rearwardly of the first position in the cutting direction, the distance between the cutting blade  4   c  and the guide  5   a  decreases and the cutting blade  4   c  penetrates less into the food to be cut F, as shown in  FIG. 8B , so that the thickness of the cut piece f is t 2  thinner than t 1 . 
         [0074]    Thus, the cooking device  1   c  allows the thickness of the cut piece f to be easily adjusted by changing the position at which the cutting blade  4   c  is attached. 
       Third Embodiment 
       [0075]      FIG. 9  is a view illustrating a cooking device  1   d  according to a third embodiment.  FIGS. 10A and 10B  are views showing the cooking device  1   d  in use, where  FIG. 10A  shows a state in which the cooking device  1   d  is used and  FIG. 10B  shows food to be cut F that has been cut. The cooking device  1   d  is similar to the cooking device  1  according to the first embodiment except for a cutter  2   d , wherein like reference numerals denote like elements and points different from the cooking device  1  are described. 
         [0076]    A cutter  2   d  includes a cutting blade  4   d  for cutting food in cutting work and a guide  5   d  functioning as a guide in the cutting work. 
         [0077]    The cutting blade  4   d  includes a corrugated portion with alternating valleys each having a downwardly concave shape and ridges each having an upwardly convex shape. That is, the cutting blade  4   d  has a plate shape with alternating ridge peaks  41   d  being peaks of the ridges and valley bottoms  42   d  being bottoms of the valleys. A pitch P, which is the distance between adjacent ridge peaks  41   d  (or between adjacent valley bottoms  42   d ), is 4 mm or more. Preferably, the pitch P of the cutting blade  4   d  is in the range from 5 mm to 20 mm. 
         [0078]    In the present embodiment, a line connecting the ridge peaks  41   d  is arcuate and a line connecting the valley bottoms  42   d  is also arcuate. The radius of curvature of an arc can be determined based on the shape of the food to be cut. As an example, an upward arc is employed herein. 
         [0079]    The cutting blade  4   d  can be formed, for example, by corrugating an arcuate plate member in such a manner that ridges and valleys are alternately arranged along the arc. 
         [0080]    The guide  5   d  is an arcuate plate. Preferably, the radius of curvature of the guide  5   d  is similar to that of the cutting blade  4   d.    
         [0081]    The guide  5   d  is located forward of the cutting blade  4   d . Preferably, at least part of a guide surface  51   d  of the guide  5   d  is located between extension lines of the ridge peaks  41   d  of the cutting blade  4   d  and extension lines of the valley bottoms  42   d  of the cutting blade  4   d  in a vertical direction. 
         [0082]    As an example, when the guide surface  51   d  of the guide  5   d  is as high as the ridge peak  41   d  of the cutting blade  4   d , the cooking device  1   d  is moved in the cutting direction (i.e., forward), the guide  5   d  guides cutting work along the surface of the food to be cut F, and the cutting blade  4   d  penetrates the food, as shown in  FIG. 10A , whereby the food to be cut F is cut to form a cross-sectional shape like a flower as shown in  FIG. 10B . Along with this, a plurality of rod-shaped cut pieces f are obtained. The rod-shaped cut piece f is shaped such that its cross-sectional shape gradually decreases in thickness from the center to both ends. 
         [0083]    Thus, in addition to the above effects, the cooking device  1   d  can cut a rod-shaped food F to form a beautiful cross-sectional shape such as a flower, and cut pieces having beautiful shapes can be easily obtained by further cutting the food to be cut F into round slices. 
       First Modification of Third Embodiment 
       [0084]      FIG. 11  is a view illustrating a cooking device  1   e  according to a first modification of the third embodiment. The cooking device  1   e  is similar to the cooking device  1   d  according to the third embodiment except for a cutter  2   e , wherein like reference numerals denote like elements and points different from the cooking device  1   d  are described. 
         [0085]    A cutter  2   e  includes the cutting blade  4   d  for cutting food in cutting work and a guide  5   e  functioning as a guide in the cutting work. The cutting blade  4   d  is as described above, and description thereof is omitted herein. 
         [0086]    The guide  5   e  includes a corrugated portion with alternating valleys each having a downwardly concave shape and ridges each having an upwardly convex shape. That is, the guide  5   e  has a plate shape with alternating ridge peaks  52   e  being peaks of the ridges and valley bottoms  53   e  being bottoms of the valleys. A pitch, which is the distance between adjacent ridge peaks  52   e  (or between adjacent valley bottoms  53   e ), is 4 mm or more. Preferably, the pitch of the guide  5   e  is in the range from 5 mm to 20 mm. 
         [0087]    In the present embodiment, a line connecting the ridge peaks  52   e  is arcuate and a line connecting the valley bottoms  53   e  is also arcuate. The radius of curvature of an arc can be determined based on the shape of the food to be cut. As an example, an upward arc is employed herein. The radius of curvature of the guide  5   e , which can be determined based on the shape of the food to be cut, is preferably the same as that of the cutting blade  4   d.    
         [0088]    The guide  5   e  can be formed, for example, by corrugating an arcuate plate member in such a manner that ridges and valleys are alternately arranged along the arc. 
         [0089]    The guide  5   e  is located forward of the cutting blade  4   d  and is arranged in aligned relationship with the cutting blade  4   d . That is, the ridge peak  52   e  of the guide  5   e  and the ridge peak  41   d  of the cutting blade  4   d  are at the same position in the direction orthogonal to the cutting direction, and the valley bottom  53   e  of the guide  5   e  and the valley bottom  42   d  of the cutting blade  4   d  are at the same position in the direction orthogonal to the cutting direction. 
         [0090]    A guide surface  51   e  of the guide  5   e  is located above the cutting blade  4   d . When the cooking device  1   e  is moved in the cutting direction (i.e., forward), the guide  5   e  guides cutting work along the surface of food to be cut, the cutting blade  4   d  penetrates and cuts the food, and thus a corrugated plate-shaped cut piece can be obtained. 
         [0091]    Thus, by using the cooking device  1   e , corrugated plate-shaped cut pieces can be easily obtained. 
       Second Modification of Third Embodiment 
       [0092]      FIGS. 12A and 12B  are views illustrating a cooking device if according to a second modification of the third embodiment. The cooking device if is similar to the cooking device  1   d  according to the third embodiment except for a cutting blade  4   f  of a cutter  2   f , wherein like reference numerals denote like elements and points different from the cooking device  1   d  are described. 
         [0093]    A cutter  2   f  includes a cutting blade  4   f  for cutting food in cutting work and the guide  5   a  functioning as a guide in the cutting work. The guide  5   a  is as described above, and description thereof is omitted herein. 
         [0094]    Since the cutting blade  4   f  is similar to the cutting blade  4   d  according to the third embodiment except for a cutting edge  43   f , like reference numerals are denoted and description thereof is omitted. 
         [0095]    At least part of a cutting edge  43   f  is provided with a jagged edge. As an example, as shown in  FIG. 12A , the jagged edge is formed in the substantially central portion of the cutting edge  43   f.    
         [0096]    The cutting blade  4   f , including the jagged edge, makes a cut piece f on which streaky pattern remains in a portion corresponding to the jagged edge as shown in  FIG. 12B . The jagged edge is formed of a plurality of small zigzag edges that are further provided in a single corrugation of the corrugated blade described so far. For example, the jagged edge may be formed by making the corrugation of the corrugated blade finer or may be provided with pointed tips. Alternatively, it may be triangular edges (i.e., a saw blade). 
       Third Modification of Third Embodiment 
       [0097]      FIG. 13  is a view illustrating a cooking device  1   g  according to a third modification of the third embodiment. The cooking device  1   g  is similar to the cooking device  1   d  according to the third embodiment except for a cutter  2   g , wherein like reference numerals denote like elements and points different from the cooking device  1   d  are described. 
         [0098]    A cutter  2   g  includes a cutting blade  4   g  for cutting food in cutting work and a guide  5   g  functioning as a guide in the cutting work. 
         [0099]    The cutting blade  4   g  includes two cutting blades, which are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the cutting direction with an end of one cutting blade coupled to an end of another cutting blade. As an example, the cutting blade  4   g  is formed of two cutting blades, that is, a first cutting blade  46   g  having an arcuate shape and a second cutting blade  47   g  having an arcuate shape including a corrugated portion. Both the first cutting blade  46   g  and second cutting blade  47   g  are upwardly arcuate and are arcs each on different circumferences. The first cutting blade  46   g  and the second cutting blade  47   g  are coupled in a cutting blade coupling portion  48   g.    
         [0100]    The guide  5   g  includes two guides, which are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the cutting direction with an end of one guide coupled to an end of another guide. As an example, the guide  5   g  is formed of two guides, that is, a first guide  57   g  having an arcuate shape and a second guide  58   g  having an arcuate shape. Both the first guide  57   g  and second guide  58   g  are upwardly arcuate and are arcs each on different circumferences. The first guide  57   g  and the second guide  58   g  are coupled in a guide coupling portion  59   g.    
         [0101]    The guide  5   g  is located forward of the cutting blade  4   g  and is disposed above the cutting blade  4   g . When the cooking device  1   g  is moved in the cutting direction (i.e., forward), the guide  5   g  guides cutting work along the surface of food to be cut, the cutting blade  4   g  penetrates and cuts the food to be cut, and corrugation is formed only on part of the surface, a cut piece having two arcuate portions is obtained. 
         [0102]    Thus, by using the cooking device  1   g , a more variety of plate-shaped cut pieces can be easily obtained. 
       Fourth Embodiment 
       [0103]      FIG. 14  is a view illustrating a cooking device  1   h  according to a fourth embodiment. The cooking device  1   h  is similar to the cooking device  1   d  according to the third embodiment except for including a second cutter  6   h , wherein like reference numerals denote like elements and points different from the cooking device  1   d  are described. 
         [0104]    A cooking device  1   h  includes two cutters, that is, a first cutter  2   d  and a second cutter  6   h . The first cutter  2   d  is as described above, and description thereof is omitted herein. 
         [0105]    The second cutter  6   h  is disposed at a predetermined distance above the first cutter  2   d . The second cutter  6   h  is structured similarly to the first cutter  2   d  except that a cutting blade  61   h  includes no corrugated portion. 
         [0106]    Specifically, the second cutter  6   h  includes a cutting blade  61   h  and a guide  62   h . The cutting blade  61   h  has an arcuate plate with no corrugated portion. In use of the second cutter  6   h  for cutting work, the cooking device  1   h  is used turned upside down. Under this condition, the cutting blade  61   h  and the guide  62   h  are upwardly arcuate. That is, the cutting blade  61   h  and the guide  62   h  of the second cutter  6   h  have an arcuate shape expanding in a direction different from that of the cutting blade and the guide of the first cutter  2   d.    
         [0107]    The cutting work may be performed using one or both of the first cutter  2   d  and the second cutter  6   h  depending on cut pieces needed, and thus differently shaped cut pieces can be easily obtained using a single cooking device  1   h.    
         [0108]    While the embodiments of the cooking device according to the present invention have been described above, these are merely examples of the embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. The present invention includes combinations of the above embodiments and various modifications. 
         [0109]    For example, while the corrugation of the cutting blade has been illustrated and described as an arcuate shape in the above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the corrugation may be triangular-wave shaped, square-wave shaped, or trapezoidal-wave shaped. At the same time, at least the guide surface of the guide may also have a triangular-wave shape, a square-wave shape, or a trapezoidal-wave shape corresponding to the shape of the cutting blade. 
         [0110]    The cooking device according to the present application may be formed such that a cutting blade  4   i  curves in the cutting direction as seen in a cooking device  1   i  of  FIG. 15 . That is, ridge peak lines are upwardly warped. This prevents the deformation of the cutting blade during use and also induces curvature of cut pieces. Likewise, a guide  5   i  may also have an upwardly warped shape. Although not shown in the drawings, the cutting blade of the cooking device according to the present application may be provided longitudinally with a rib to reinforce its strength. 
         [0111]    The present invention also includes a cooking method for cutting food to be cut using the cooking device according to the above embodiments and modifications thereof and food cut by the cooking method. 
       REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 
       [0112]      1 ,  1   a ,  1   b ,  1   c ,  1   d ,  1   e ,  1   f ,  1   g ,  1   h  cooking device 
         [0113]      2 ,  2   a ,  2   b ,  2   c ,  2   d ,  2   e ,  2   f ,  2   g ,  2   h  cutter (first cutter) 
         [0114]      21  connecting portion 
         [0115]      3  grip 
         [0116]      31  holder 
         [0117]      4 ,  4   c ,  4   d ,  4   f ,  4   g  cutting blade 
         [0118]      41 ,  41   d  ridge peak 
         [0119]      42 ,  42   d  valley bottom 
         [0120]      43 ,  43   d ,  43   f  cutting edge 
         [0121]      44   c  cutting blade position changer 
         [0122]      45   c  bolt 
         [0123]      46   g  first cutting blade 
         [0124]      47   g  second cutting blade 
         [0125]      48   g  cutting blade coupling portion 
         [0126]      5 ,  5   a ,  5   b ,  5   d ,  5   e ,  5   g  guide 
         [0127]      51 ,  51   a  guide surface 
         [0128]      52 ,  52   a  ridge peak 
         [0129]      53 ,  53   a  valley bottom 
         [0130]      54   b  rotational guide 
         [0131]      55   b  guide position changer 
         [0132]      56   b  knob 
         [0133]      57   g  first guide 
         [0134]      58   g  second guide 
         [0135]      59   g  guide coupling portion 
         [0136]      6   h  second cutter