Patent Publication Number: US-2019191912-A1

Title: Cooking apparatus

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a suction member and a cooking kit used for cooking in a decompressed state, and a cooking apparatus that enables cooking using the cooking kit. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     Conventionally, it has been proposed to cook food materials in a decompressed state. In the conventional aspect, the entire apparatus is vacuumed and cooking is performed in that state. For example, JP 2007-225204 A proposes an apparatus having a casing, a heating means for providing heat to a food material in the casing, and a suction means for making the interior of the casing negative in pressure. 
     However, when vacuuming the entire apparatus in this manner, not only the apparatus is increased in size but also the price as a product is increased. For this reason, it is difficult to easily cook food materials in a decompressed state (perform vacuum cooking). Thus, vacuum cooking in general households is not very popular at present. 
     In addition, JP 2005-106376 A is known as an apparatus that uses steam as vacuum cooking, and an apparatus that performs high-temperature wave heating is known from JP H06-241465 A. However, in a case of using steam or high-temperature wave heating, the apparatus configuration becomes large, parts used for the apparatus become expensive, and as a result, the selling price becomes high. For this reason, it is still difficult to use vacuum cooking easily in general households. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     Technical Problem 
     The present invention has been made in view of these points, and provides a cooking apparatus capable of cooking food materials in a decompressed state, at low cost. 
     Solution to Problem 
     A cooking apparatus according to the present invention is usable for vacuum cooking 
     the cooking apparatus may comprise: 
     a casing; 
     a heating part for heating water in a cooking utensil provided on the casing by electromagnetic or electric power; 
     a measuring unit having a measuring part for measuring a temperature of the water in the cooking utensil; and 
     an adjusting part for adjusting a temperature of the heating part based on a measurement result by the measuring part. 
     In the cooking apparatus according to the present invention, 
     the measuring unit may have a fixing part for fixing a position with respect to the cooking utensil. 
     In the cooking apparatus according to the present invention, 
     the fixing part may be a clamping part that clamps a side face of the cooking utensil. 
     The cooking apparatus, according to the present invention, may further comprise a circulation part for circulating the water in the cooking utensil. 
     In the cooking apparatus according to the present invention, 
     the measuring unit may have a circulation part for circulating the water in the cooking utensil. 
     In the cooking apparatus according to the present invention, 
     the measuring unit may have a measurement main body having a vertically elongated shape, and 
     the measuring part and the circulation part may be provided in a vicinity of a bottom face of the measurement main body. 
     In the cooking apparatus according to the present invention, 
     a bag holding part for holding a bag, containing a food material and being in a decompressed state, in the water in the cooking utensil may be provided. 
     In the cooking apparatus according to the present invention, 
     the bag holding part may have a suction member holding part for holding a suction member used for decompressing the bag containing the food material. 
     In the cooking apparatus according to the present invention, 
     the bag holding part and the measuring unit may be connectable. 
     The cooking apparatus, according to the present invention, may further comprise a setting part for setting temperature adjusted by the adjusting part, wherein 
     a scale of setting temperature by the setting part in a range of from 40 to 80 degrees may be smaller than the scale of setting temperature in a range exceeding 80 degrees. 
     In the cooking apparatus according to the present invention, 
     the measuring unit and the casing may be connected by a connecting part, 
     the connecting part may be connected in a vicinity of a top face of the measuring unit, and 
     a measurement result by the measuring part may be sent to the adjusting part via the connecting part. 
     In the cooking apparatus according to the present invention, 
     the temperature of the water may be controllable in 0.5-degree scale. 
     Advantageous Effects of Invention 
     According to the present invention, the temperature of water put in a cooking utensil is measured, and the temperature of the heating part is adjusted according to the result. Therefore, unlike JP 2005-106376 A in which steam is used for cooking and JP H06-241465 A in which high-temperature wave heating is performed, the apparatus configuration is simplified and food materials in a decompressed state can be cooked properly, at low cost. As a result, it can be expected to promote the use of vacuum cooking in general households. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1( a )  is a view illustrating a bag and a suction member according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and  FIG. 1( b )  is a view of the suction member attached to the bag according the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a side view illustrating a first member and a second member used in the first embodiment of the present invention, in a separated state. 
         FIG. 3  is a side view illustrating the first member and the second member used in the first embodiment of the present invention attached to the bag. 
         FIG. 4  is a side view illustrating the further detailed structure of the first member and the second member used in the first embodiment of the present invention, in a separated state. 
         FIG. 5  is a side view illustrating the further detailed structure of the first member and the second member used in the first embodiment of the present invention, in a state of being attached to the bag. 
         FIG. 6( a )  is an upper plan view illustrating a first aspect of an opening/closing part of the second member used in the first embodiment of the present invention, and  FIG. 6( b )  is an upper plan view illustrating a second aspect of the opening/closing part of the second member used in the first embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a side view illustrating a third aspect of the opening/closing part of the second member used in the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a side view illustrating a sucking member used in the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a view illustrating an external seal member used in the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a side view illustrating a cooking apparatus that can be used in the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 11( a )  is a side view of the bag in a decompressed state, and  FIG. 11( b )  is a side view of the bag not in a decompressed state. 
         FIG. 12  is a side view illustrating an example of a cooking apparatus that can be used in a second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 13  is a side view illustrating a measuring unit used in the second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 14  is a side view illustrating another example of the cooking apparatus that can be used in the second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 15  is a side view illustrating a bag holding part used in the second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 16  is a side view illustrating still another example of the cooking apparatus that can be used in the second embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     First Embodiment 
     «Configuration» 
     Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a cooking kit, a suction member, and a cooking apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Here,  FIGS. 1 to 11  are views for describing the embodiment of the present invention. Note that, in the present embodiment, cooking in a decompressed state is also referred to as “vacuum cooking”. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the cooking kit of the present embodiment has a bag  60  having an aperture  61  for inputting a food material  200  (see  FIG. 11 ), and a suction member  5 . The suction member  5  can be attached to the bag  60 . More specifically, the suction member  5  can be attached anywhere on the surface of the bag  60 . The bag  60  has a sealing part  65 , and the aperture  61  may also be sealed by the sealing part  65 . The present invention is not limited to such an aspect, and the aperture  61  may also be sealed by using an external seal member  66  (see  FIG. 9 ). Note that the sealing part  65  may be of a zipper type, a fastener type, or a heat seal type. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the suction member  5  according to the present embodiment has a first member  10  attached to the inner face of the bag  60  and a second member  20  attached to the outer face of the bag  60 . By fitting the first member  10  with the second member  20 , a hole is formed in the bag  60 . The first member  10  or the second member  20  has an opening/closing part  25  (see  FIG. 6 ), and when a negative pressure equal to or lower than a second threshold is applied from the outside on the second member  20  side, the opening/closing part  25  is opened, so that gas in the bag  60  can escape. In addition, when a pressure equal to or higher than a first threshold value is applied from the inside on the first member  10  side, the opening/closing part  25  is opened and the gas in the bag  60  can also escape, so that the food material  200  can be cooked with heat in the bag  60 . A sucking member  90  such as illustrated in  FIG. 8  can be attached to the second member  20 , and the gas in the bag  60  can be sucked by the sucking member  90  via the opening/closing part  25  (in the opened state). As the sucking member  90 , for example, a manual pump or an automatic pump can be used. Incidentally, the present embodiment is described using an aspect in which the opening/closing part  25  is provided on the second member  20 ; however, the present invention is not limited thereto, and an opening/closing part may be provided on the first member  10 , and as an example, an opening/closing part may be provided at the tip of a penetration part  11 . 
     Note that the first threshold and the second threshold may be the same value, or the first threshold may be larger than the second threshold. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the first member  10  may have the penetration part  11 , and a first circumference part  13  provided on the outer circumference of the penetration part  11 . The second member  20  may have an insertion part  21  into which the penetration part  11  is inserted, and a second circumference part  23  provided on the outer circumference of the insertion part  21  The penetration part  11  may be harder than the first circumference part  13 . The insertion part  21  may be harder than the second circumference part  23 . When the penetration part  11  is provided, a hole is formed in the bag  60  by the penetration part  11 . Such an aspect in which the hole is formed in the bag  60  by the penetration part  11  is adopted, so that the hole formed in the bag  60  can be made small and the decompressed state of the bag  60  can be more reliably maintained. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the penetration part  11  may have a tapered tip. Adoption of such an aspect is advantageous in that the hole can be easily formed in the bag  60  by the penetration part  11 . As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the penetration part  11  may have a bulging part  11   a  expanding outward and a narrow part  11   b  provided on the proximal end side of the bulging part  11   a.  The insertion part  21  may have a protrusion  24  that abuts on the narrow part  11   b  and is caught by the bulging part  11   a.  Adoption of such an aspect enables the penetration part  11  inserted in the insertion part  21  to be less likely to come off (see  FIG. 5 ). 
     As an example, the penetration part  11  and the insertion part  21  may be made of a plastic material (including an engineering plastic material), and the first circumference part  13  and the second circumference part  23  may be made of an elastic material such as a rubber material. For example, nylon can be used as the plastic material, and silicone rubber, for example, can be used as the rubber material. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the opening/closing part  25  may be provided at the tip of the insertion part  21 . More specifically, the opening/closing part  25  made of the elastic material may be provided at the tip of the insertion part  21  made of the plastic material. In this aspect, the insertion part  21  has a main body  22  made of the plastic material, and the opening/closing part  25  provided at the tip of the main body  22  and made of the elastic material. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 6( b ) , the opening/closing part  25  may have a slit  25   a  cut in a cross shape, or may have a slit  25   a  cut in a straight line as illustrated in  FIG. 6( a ) . Furthermore, as illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the opening/closing part  25  may be in a closed state by contacting a member made of an elastic material having a certain length. Also in this case, when a pressure equal to or higher than the first threshold is applied from the inside on the first member  10  side, the gas in the bag  60  escapes via the opening/closing part  25  (in the opened state), and even when a negative pressure equal to or lower than the second threshold is applied from the outside on the second member  20  side, the gas in the bag  60  escapes via the opening/closing part  25 . 
     The bag  60  may be made of, for example, polyethylene. In addition, the bag  60  may have a vacuum preservation function. As an example of this case, the bag  60  may have a two-layer structure of polyethylene and nylon. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 10 , a cooking apparatus  100  used in the present embodiment has: a casing  105  having a placing face on which an subject to be cooked or a cooking utensil  190  such as a cooking pot with the subject to be cooked put therein is placed; a heating part  110  that is provided in the casing  105  and performs heating by electromagnetic or electric power; a measuring part  120  that is directed to the outside of the casing  105  and measures the temperature of the subject to be cooked or the temperature of an medium W such as water (also including hot water) put in the cooking utensil  190  placed on the placing face; and an adjusting part  130  that adjusts the temperature of the heating part  110  based on the measurement result by the measuring part  120 . In the present embodiment, description will be made using the cooking kit having the bag  60  and the suction member  5 , as the subject to be cooked; however, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the subject to be cooked may be a general food material  200 . By the heating part  110  provided in the casing  105 , the water in the cooking utensil  190  can be entirely controlled with heat. Therefore, the temperature of the water in the cooking utensil  190  can be precisely controlled, and for example, even temperature control in 0.5-degree scale can also be made. 
     Note that the measuring part  120  and the adjusting part  130  may be connected by a connecting part  125  having plasticity. 
     A setting part  140  for setting temperature adjusted by the adjusting part  130  may be provided. In addition, the scale of setting temperature by the setting part  140  in the range of from 40 to 80 degrees (° C.) may be smaller than the scale of setting temperature in the range exceeding 80 degrees. As an example, the temperature may be adjusted in scale of 0.5 to 2 degrees (typically in scale of 1 degree) at 40 to 80 degrees, and the temperature may be adjusted in scale of 3 to 5 degrees in the range exceeding 80 degrees. Furthermore, at 50 to 65 degrees that are considered preferable for low-temperature vacuum cooking of meat, the temperature may be set in units of 1 degree or less (for example, 0.5-degree scale). 
     «Functions and Effects» 
     Next, among functions and effects according to the present embodiment including the above-described configuration, those not yet described will be mainly described. Note that aspects described in “Functions and Effects” can also be applied in the above “Configuration”. 
     According to the present embodiment, the sucking member  90  can be attached to the second member  20 , and the gas in the bag  60  can be sucked by the sucking member  90 , so that the inside of the bag  60  that is used for cooking can be easily brought into a decompressed state (see  FIGS. 11( a ) and ( b ) ).  FIG. 11( a )  is a view illustrating a bag  60  in the decompressed state, and  FIG. 11( b )  is view illustrating the bag  60  not in the decompressed state. Furthermore, when a pressure equal to or higher than the first threshold is applied from the inside on the first member  10  side, the gas in the bag  60  can escape; therefore, even when moisture included in the food material  200  evaporates due to heat, the gas in the bag  60  can be appropriately discharged outward and the possibility that the bag  60  will rupture can be eliminated in advance. In this regard, it is particularly advantageous when a food material  200  that is high in moisture or includes liquid is cooked. 
     Furthermore, according to an aspect in which the manual pump is used as the sucking member  90  (see  FIG. 8 ), it is advantageous in that even the food material  200  including liquid can be cooked. That is, in the case of using the manual pump, even when the manual pump sucks the liquid, the possibility of the manual pump being broken is extremely low. Therefore, it is advantageous in that a decompressed state can be easily made even for the food material  200  including the liquid. 
     Incidentally, by performing vacuum cooking, it is possible to evenly infiltrate seasoning into the food material  200  and evenly apply heat thereto. Moreover, since moisture does not escape except for evaporating and escaping from the suction member  5 , food using fish, meat, and the like can be plump and juicy. Furthermore, vacuum cooking enables heat to be easily transmitted to the inside of the food material  200 , so that it can be firmly cooked with heat even at a low temperature. For example, when the surface of the protein is denatured, heat is not easily transmitted to the inside, but heating at a low temperature enables heat to be transmitted to the inside of the food material  200  before the surface is denatured. Therefore, cooking with heat can be performed without denaturing or destroying the protein. 
     In a case of adopting an aspect in which the gas in the bag  60  escapes via the opening/closing part  25  (in the opened state) when a negative pressure equal to or lower than the second threshold is applied from the outside on the second member  20  side, and the gas in the bag  60  escapes via the opening/closing part  25  (in the opened state) when a pressure equal to or higher than the first threshold is applied from the inside on the first member  10  side, it is advantageous in that with the simple configuration, the inside of the bag  60  can be brought into a decompressed state by the sucking member  90  and the gas in the bag  60  can escape during vacuum cooking. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , in a case of adopting an aspect in which the first member  10  has the penetration part  11  having a hollow shape and the first circumference part  13  provided on the outer circumference of the penetration part  11 , and the second member  20  has the insertion part  21  having a hollow shape into which the penetration part  11  is inserted and the second circumference part  23  provided on the outer circumference of the insertion part  21 , with the bag  60  firmly pinched by the first circumference part  13  and the second circumference part  23 , the bag  60  is firmly sucked by the sucking member  90  via the penetration part  11  and the insertion part  21  positioned therebetween. Therefore, even when moisture included in the food material  200  evaporates due to heat to generate gas, with the bag  60  firmly pinched by the first circumference part  13  and the second circumference part  23 , the gas can be efficiently guided to the outside of the bag  60  by the penetration part  11  and the insertion part  21 . In addition, even when the gas or the liquid leaks out from the hole formed in the bag  60 , the circumference of the hole can be brought into a sealed state by the first circumference part  13  and the second circumference part  23 , so that it is possible to prevent the inside of the bag  60  from being out of the decompressed state and to prevent the liquid coming out from the food material  200  from leaking. 
     Particularly, an aspect in which the insertion part  21  surrounds the circumference of the penetration part  11  is adopted, so that a path through which the gas flows can have a two-layer structure (see  FIG. 5 ). As a result, the sucking member  90  can firmly suck, and even when moisture included in the food material  200  evaporates due to heat to generate gas, the gas can be more reliably guided to the outside of the bag  60 . 
     When the penetration part  11  is harder than the first circumference part  13  and the insertion part  21  is harder than the second circumference part  23 , suction by the sucking member  90  can be performed more efficiently and the gas generated from the food material  200  can be more efficiently guided to the outside of the bag  60 . Furthermore, the first circumference part  13  and the second circumference part  23  that are soft can more reliably clamp the bag  60  in the sealed state. 
     In particular, in a case where the penetration part  11  and the insertion part  21  are made of the plastic material and the first circumference part  13  and the second circumference part  23  are made of the elastic material, suction by the sucking member  90  can be performed more efficiently, and the gas generated from the food material  200  can be guided to the outside of the bag  60 , at low cost and efficiently. In addition, since the first circumference part  13  and the second circumference part  23  having elasticity can firmly clamp the bag  60 , it is possible to clamp the bag  60  even more securely in the sealed state. 
     In a case of adopting an aspect in which the opening/closing part  25  is provided at the tip of the insertion part  21  or the penetration part  11 , it is only necessary to close the hollowness of the insertion part  21  or the penetration part  11  with the opening/closing part  25 , so that a sectional area for providing the opening/closing part  25  can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that gas such as air enters from the outside into the bag  60  that has been sucked by the sucking member  90 . 
     Note that when the bag  60  has a vacuum preservation function, for example, the food material  200  can be preserved for a long period of time in a vacuum state, which is advantageous in that vacuum cooking can be performed as it is when cooking is desired. 
     According to the cooking apparatus  100  of the present embodiment such as illustrated in  FIG. 10 , the temperature of the subject to be cooked or the temperature of the medium W such as water (including hot water) put in the cooking utensil  190  can be directly measured by the measuring part  120 . Thus, the temperature control can be made based on the accurate temperature. In particular, when vacuum cooking is performed, heat is directly transmitted to the food material  200  because there is no medium such as air. Thus, performing the temperature control based on the accurate temperature is very advantageous for properly cooking the food material  200  with heat. For example, since the temperature at which a protein is denatured is determined according to its type, by heating at a temperature lower than or slightly above the temperature, it is possible to cook the inside well even at a low temperature. 
     In addition, in a case of adopting an aspect in which the setting part  140  has the scale of setting temperature in the range of from 40 to 80 degrees smaller than the scale of setting temperature in the range exceeding 80 degrees, precise temperature setting in the range of from 40 to 80 degrees can be made, and eventually the food material  200  can be cooked with heat at a more suitable temperature. Since it is often cooked at a low temperature when performing vacuum cooking, it is very advantageous to be able to precisely set the scale of setting temperature in the range of from 40 to 80 degrees in this manner. 
     Second Embodiment 
     A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, a cooking apparatus  100  will be described. In the second embodiment, the same members as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and will be described. 
     The cooking apparatus  100  of the present embodiment may include a measuring unit  150  having a fixing part for fixing a position with respect to a cooking utensil  190 , and a measuring part  120  that measures the temperature of water as a medium W in the cooking utensil  190 . The fixing part is, for example, a clamping part  153  that clamps a side face of the cooking utensil  190 . More specifically, the fixing part is the clamping part  153  that clamps, from above, a side face of a cooking pot as an example of the cooking utensil  190 . The fixing part may be an adsorbing member adsorbed to the inner bottom face or the inner circumferential face of the cooking utensil  190 . Only one measuring part  120  may be used, and a plurality of measuring parts  120  may also be used. Only one measuring unit  150  may be used, and a plurality of measuring units  150  may also be used. 
     The cooking apparatus  100  may have a circulation part  155  such as a circulation pump, a rotary motor, or the like for circulating the water in the cooking utensil  190 . The circulation part  155  may be provided separately from the measuring unit  150  as illustrated in  FIG. 14 , but may be included in the measuring unit  150  as illustrated in  FIG. 13 . By providing such a circulation part  155 , the temperature of the water in the cooking utensil  190  can be made uniform, and as a result, the temperature of the water in the cooking utensil  190  can be adjusted accurately. As an example, the temperature of the water in the cooking utensil  190  can be controlled in 0.5-degree scale. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 13 , the measuring unit  150  may have a measurement main body  151  having a vertically elongated shape such as a substantially cylindrical shape, a substantially prismatic shape, or the like. The measuring part  120  and the circulation part  155  may be provided in the vicinity of the bottom face of the measurement main body  151 . The vicinity of the bottom face of the measurement main body  151  means the lowermost region when the height direction of the measurement main body  151  is equally divided into five. Thus, providing the measuring part  120  and the circulation part  155  in the vicinity of the bottom face means that in the lowermost region when the height direction of the measurement main body  151  is equally divided into five, at least a portion of the measuring part  120  is positioned and at least a portion of the circulation part  155  is positioned. The circulation part  155  in the measurement main body  151  may be driven by receiving electric power from a connecting part  125 , or may be driven by a battery housed in the measurement main body  151 . In addition, the measuring part  120  and an adjusting part  130  or a heating part  110  may not be connected by a wire such as the connecting part  125 , but may be wirelessly connected. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 12 and 15 , for example, a bag holding part  170  such as a rack for holding, in the water in the cooking utensil  190 , a bag  60  containing a food material and being in a decompressed state such as described in the first embodiment may be provided. The bag holding part  170  may have a bag holding main body  172  for holding the bag  60 , and a pair of arms  171  horizontally extending from the bag holding main body  172  and placed on the top face of the cooking utensil  190 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 15 , the bag holding part  170  may have a suction member holding part  175  for holding a suction member  5  such as described in the first embodiment. For example, the suction member holding part  175  may have a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the suction member  5 , and by disposing the suction member  5  in the suction member holding part  175 , the bag  60  housing the food material in the decompressed state may be disposed at a determined position. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 15 , the bag holding part  170  and the measuring unit  150  may be connectable. In this case, the measurement main body  151  of the measuring unit  150  may be connected to a measuring unit connection part  174  provided in the bag holding part  170 . The measuring unit connection part  174  has, for example, a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the measurement main body  151 , and by inserting, for example, from above, the measurement main body  151  into the measuring unit connection part  174 , the measuring unit  150  may be connected to the measuring unit connection part  174 . In this case, the measuring unit connection part  174  may have an inner circumference (for example, inner diameter) on the lower side smaller than an inner circumference (for example, inner diameter) on the upper side, and the measurement main body  151  may not come out downward. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 14 , the connecting part  125  such as a wire may be connected in the vicinity of the top face of the measuring unit  150  so as not to be immersed in the water in the cooking utensil  190 . The vicinity of the top face means the uppermost region when the height direction of the measurement main body  151  is equally divided into five. Thus, providing the connecting part  125  in the vicinity of the top face means that at least a portion of the connecting part  125  is positioned in the uppermost region when the height direction of the measurement main body  151  is equally divided into five. 
     In a case of adopting an aspect in which the measuring part  120  that measures the temperature of the water in the cooking utensil  190  is provided and the temperature of the heating part is adjusted based on the measurement result by the measuring part  120 , the temperature of the water in the cooking utensil  190  can be measured to feed back the measurement result, so that the adjusting part can adjust the temperature of the heating part. In general cooking, the temperature of the water in the cooking utensil  190  such as a cooking pot is not specially measured and feedback control is not performed. Such temperature adjustment is necessary because it is assumed to perform vacuum cooking. That is, as described above, in vacuum cooking, since there is no medium such as air, heat is directly transmitted to a food material  200 . Thus, performing the temperature control based on the accurate temperature is very advantageous for properly cooking the food material  200  with heat. The temperature of the water in the cooking utensil  190  may be controllable in 0.5-degree scale, for example. 
     Furthermore, according to the aspect of the present embodiment, it is advantageous in that vacuum cooking can be performed with the simple configuration. That is, unlike JP 2005-106376 A in which steam is used for cooking and JP H06-241465 A in which high-temperature wave heating is performed, the apparatus configuration can be simplified in the present embodiment, and a food material in a decompressed state can be properly cooked at low cost. In addition, compared to the aspect of the present embodiment, cleaning and maintenance are difficult when steam or high-temperature wave heating is used. 
     In a case where the fixing part for fixing the position with respect to the cooking utensil  190  is provided, the measuring part  120  can be positioned at a determined position of the cooking utensil  190 , which is advantageous in that the influence of change in the temperature measured in the cooking utensil  190  according to the position of the measuring part  120  can be reduced. 
     In a case of adopting, as the fixing part, the clamping part  153  that clamps the side face of the cooking utensil  190  such as illustrated in  FIG. 13 , the measuring part  120  can be positioned at a predetermined distance with respect to the side face of the cooking utensil  190  every time, which is advantageous in that the influence of change in the temperature measured in the cooking utensil  190  according to the positional relationship between the measuring part  120  and the side face of the cooking utensil  190  can be further reduced. 
     In a case where the circulation part  155  for circulating the water in the cooking utensil  190  is provided, the water in the cooking utensil  190  can be made uniform and occurrence of unevenness in the water temperature can be prevented. As a result, it is advantageous in that the difference between the heat applied to the food material that is to be vacuum-cooked and the heat measured by the measuring part  120  can be reduced. 
     In a case of adopting an aspect in which the circulation part  155  is included in the measuring unit  150 , the positional relationship between the measuring part  120  and the circulation part  155  can be determined. Therefore, change in the positional relationship between the circulation part  155  and the measuring part  120  is advantageous in that the influence of change in the temperature measured by the measuring part  120  can be reduced. 
     In a case of adopting an aspect in which the measurement main body  151  has a vertically-elongated shape and the measuring part  120  and the circulation part  155  are provided in the vicinity of the bottom face of the measurement main body  151 , the measuring part  120  and the circulation part  155  can be positioned at a deep position in the cooking utensil  190  without occupying a large region in the horizontal direction. Positioning the measuring part  120  at the deep position is advantageous in that the water temperature can be measured at the deep position where the food material is highly likely to be positioned. By positioning the circulation part  155  at the deep position, the water in the cooking utensil  190  can be circulated from the deep position, which is advantageous in that the temperature of the water in the cooking utensil  190  can be made more uniform. Note that the vertically elongated shape means that the length in the longitudinal direction is three times or more the length in the lateral direction. 
     In a case of adopting an aspect in which the bag holding part  170  for holding, in the water in the cooking utensil  190 , the bag  60  containing the food material in the decompressed state is provided, the positional relationship between the food material and the measuring part  120  can be made to be somewhat constant. Therefore, change in the positional relationship between the food material and the measuring part  120  is advantageous in that the influence of change in the relationship of a difference between the temperature measured by the measuring part  120  and the temperature applied to the food material can be reduced. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 15 , in a case of adopting an aspect in which the bag holding part  170  has the suction member holding part  175  for holding the suction member  5 , the positional relationship between the food material and the measuring part  120  can be made more constant. Therefore, change in the positional relationship between the food material and the measuring part  120  is advantageous in that the influence of change in the relationship of a difference between the temperature measured by the measuring part  120  and the temperature applied to the food material can be more reduced. In addition, a position indication for indicating the position to which the suction member  5  is attached may be printed or the like on the bag  60 . When such a position indication is made, a user can easily position the suction member  5  at a determined position of the bag  60 , which is advantageous in which the position of the bag  60  held by the bag holding part  170  can be easily positioned at the determined position. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 15 , in a case of adopting an aspect in which the bag holding part  170  and the measuring unit  150  are connectable, the positional relationship between the bag holding part  170  and the measuring unit  150  can be made constant. Making thee positional relationship between the bag holding part  170  and the measuring unit  150  constant as described above enables the positional relationship between the food material housed in the bag  60  and the measuring part  120  to make more constant, and change in the positional relationship between the food material and the measuring part  120  is advantageous in that the influence of change in the relationship of a difference between the temperature measured by the measuring part  120  and the temperature applied to the food material can be more reduced. Note that in a case of adopting this aspect, the measuring unit  150  can be positioned with respect to the bag holding part  170 , so that the fixing part such as the clamping part  153  may not be provided. However, it is also conceivable that such a suction member holding part  175  is not used by the user; therefore, even in the aspect in which the bag holding part  170  is provided, the fixing part such as the clamping part  153  may be provided. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 16 , the adjusting part  130  can communicate with a communication terminal  300  such as a smartphone, a tablet, a personal computer (PC), and the adjusting part  130  may prepare the water temperature by receiving information from the communication terminal  300 . That is, depending on the relationship between the cooking temperature and the time based on a recipe stored in the communication terminal  300 , or the relationship between the cooking temperature and the time based on a recipe acquired at a site accessible by the communication terminal  300 , the adjusting part  130  may be prepared to perform automatic temperature change and temperature adjustment, and the food material may be vacuum-cooked with the water in the cooking utensil  190 . Furthermore, the communication terminal  300  may monitor the water temperature measured by the measuring part  120  (possibly at a remote location). 
     The descriptions of the above-described embodiments and the disclosure of the drawings are merely examples for explaining the invention described in claims, and the invention described in claims is not limited by the description of the above-described embodiments or the disclosure of the drawings. 
     REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 
     
         
           5  Suction member 
           10  First member 
           11  Penetration part 
           13  First circumference part 
           20  Second member 
           21  Insertion part 
           23  Second circumference part 
           25  Opening/closing part 
           60  Bag 
           61  Aperture 
           90  Sucking member 
           105  Casing 
           110  Heating part 
           120  Measuring part 
           130  Adjusting part 
           140  Setting part 
           150  Measuring unit 
           151  Measurement main body 
           153  Clamping part (Fixing part) 
           155  Circulation part 
           170  Bag holding part 
           175  Suction member holding part 
           200  Food material