Patent ID: 7730830

Claim:
A steam cooking apparatus comprising: steam generating means that generates steam from water fed thereinto from water feeding means and that feeds the steam into a heating chamber in which an article-to-be-heated is heated; first time counting means that counts a retention time for which the water present inside the steam generating means is retained there; water draining means that drains the water inside the steam generating means; and controlling means that controls operation of the water draining means, wherein when the retention time counted by the first time counting means has reached a predetermined time, the controlling means makes the water draining means drain the water inside the steam generating means, wherein the first time counting means counts, as a first retention time, a time for which the water that is fed from the water feeding means and retained inside the steam generating means before generation of the steam by the steam generating means and that contains chlorine is retained, and wherein when the first retention time has reached a first predetermined time set with respect to the water, the controlling means makes the water draining means drain the water inside the steam generating means.