This technology utilizes an infrared and blue laser to allow for precise and thorough cooking of food in a highly controllable fashion.
Conventional cooking methods, such as by stovetop or oven, rely on heat conduction and convection and provide uncontrolled heat delivery over a broad surface with slow penetration, Additionally, these methods are unable to cook individual parts of the edible structure in different ways. Microwave ovens provide a rapid method to cook and reheat meals, but are unable to reliably brown food. Laser ovens present an exciting new avenue for controlled cooking, as infrared (IR) lasers are highly effective at browning food surfaces. However, IR waves cannot penetrate beyond the surface, leaving IR lasers unable to thoroughly cook food without another heating mechanism.
This technology is a food preparation system that incorporates both an IR and blue laser to cook and brown food. Unlike an IR laser, a blue laser operates at a wavelength that has a much higher transmission through water, preventing energy loss that otherwise occurs as the beam passes through the depth of the food. In turn, the laser is able to generate high temperatures in the middle of food and effectively cook it. Moreover, the blue laser operates at quite low power, making it an energy efficient approach to cooking that is comparable to microwave cooking with higher specificity and tunability. The IR laser is then able to efficiently brown the exterior of the food for depth of flavor and presentability. Therefore, the combination of these lasers offers a more precise and controllable way to effectively cook food. In the future, this technology could be coupled with 3D food printing to create an all-in-one system for food generation and preparation.
A prototype of this technology has been demonstrated to cook food effectively using a blue laser, and to inhibit undercooking or overcooking in controlled patterns.
IR CU18039
Licensing Contact: Mitchell Fullerton
