Development and performance analysis of continuous cooking systems

Abstract The continuous cooking system is a sustainable solution that significantly impacts large‐scale cooking in the form of the economy of scale. Some rice needed a longer cooking time and a higher ratio of water to rice, which required a larger quantity of water and consumed much more energy. This study aims to optimize energy efficiency in a continuous cooking device with the potential of enhancing thermal performance by heating in coming fresh water using latent heat associated with the hot cooked meal while it exits the cooker. This is similar to the principles of energy integration followed in the chemical industry. This experimental continuous cooker is developed, which can cook 30 kg/h of dry food equivalent to 100 kg/h of wet cooked rice continuously. Thermal efficiency achieved by this system is around 70.17% & the overall cooking efficiency obtained by this cooking system is 66.66% with further implementation possibility. Practical applications Continuous cooking methods are helpful when a minimum of 1000 or more meals are to be cooked per hour. Many locations, such as hostels, hospitals, and industrial kitchens, cook more than 2500 meals. So, this time is increased significantly at religious locations, mess, and canteens serving mid‐day meals for students in India. In these places mentioned above, where cooking is done by conventional method over long periods, continuous cooking is an excellent option. Also, this developed cooking system can be implemented on the same rural and industrial scale. The expected socio‐economical benefit of activity is expected to be in the range of Rupees 200,000 Crores annually.