Press Release
IH Chinese Cooking Range Developed for Commercial Kitchens-Low-cost kitchen appliance allows wok-shaking-
September 08, 2010
Chubu Electric Power Co.,Inc.
Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. (President and Director: Akihisa Mizuno; Head office: 1, Higashi-Shincho, Higashi-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan) and Chubu Corporation (President: Yoshinori Mitsubayashi; Head office: 1533-1 Hagasaki, Dogamine, Kuwana, Mie Prefecture, Japan) have jointly developed an IH*1 Chinese cooking range*2 for commercial kitchens. Chubu Corporation will begin sales of the product in November 2010.
Chinese restaurants and other such commercial establishments use mostly gas Chinese ranges in their kitchens. Some have begun to employ electric kitchen appliances in recent years from the perspectives of ensuring safety and an eco-friendly working environment, but the use of conventional IH Chinese ranges has not spread widely, due to the small production and high cost of the 10 kw IH circuits used in the ranges.
Our solution was to apply a parallel synchronous operating system*3, which, in place of a 10 kW IH circuit, combines and synchronously controls two parallel-connected 5 kW IH circuits that are mass-produced and available at low prices. By adopting this system, we have been able to produce an IH Chinese range that provides high heating power but costs significantly less than conventional IH Chinese ranges.
Our new IH Chinese range also addresses the heat problem of conventional IH Chinese ranges. In many cases, Chinese foods are cooked (stir-fried) by lifting and shaking the wok, but with conventional IH Chinese ranges, heating stops when the wok is lifted off the range top, requiring the user to turn the heat back on.
We solved this problem and improved heating continuity by controlling the current that flows through the coils when the wok is lifted from the range top. As a result, we have made it possible to lift and shake a Chinese wok while cooking on an IH Chinese range, for the first time in the industry.
Furthermore, with conventional IH Chinese ranges, spillovers onto the range top sometimes produced steam due to the heat of the wok bottom, but our new IH Chinese range provides enhanced safety by draining spillovers through a drainage hole created in the center of the range top.
Main features
1. Considerable price reduction
Our new IH Chinese range costs 70% less than conventional IH Chinese ranges (10 kW), owing to the application of a parallel synchronous operating system that combines two parallel-connected 5 kW IH circuits.
2. Allows wok-shaking while cooking
The wok can be lifted off the range top and shaken while cooking.
3. Enhanced safety
A water-draining structure prevents spillovers from pooling on the range top and producing steam.
(*1) Abbreviation for induction heating Induction heating is the process of heating metals (such as pots and pans) by passing an electrical current through a coil to generate magnetic field lines and placing metals near the coil so that eddy currents flow through and heat them.
(*2) A cooking range designed specifically for round-bottomed Chinese woks. IH Chinese ranges are a type of IH cooking heater that has a concave range top that matches the shape of a wok.
(*3) An operating system that allows synchronous control of currents flowing through multiple parallel-connected coils to adjust output.
Attachment: Overview of the IH Chinese Cooking Range for Commercial Kitchens