What are the consequences of failure of temperature control in electric food steamer

The impact of temperature control failure on food quality is obvious, especially during the cooking process. When the temperature fluctuates by more than ±5℃, the B vitamins in the food will decompose faster, resulting in nutritional loss. For example, when the temperature of green leafy vegetables is continuously above 105℃, chlorophyll will be converted into pheophytin, which will not only make the color of the vegetables dull, but also reduce their nutritional value by about 30%. In addition, in an overheated environment, proteins will undergo the Maillard reaction to produce carcinogens such as acrylamide, while too low a temperature will not effectively kill pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella, thus significantly increasing food safety risks.

In terms of equipment operation safety, temperature control failure also poses severe challenges. Modern electric steamers usually use PTC ceramic heating elements or thick film heating technology. Once the thermostat fails, resulting in continuous overload of the equipment, the surface temperature of the heating element may exceed the critical point of 300℃. This extreme working condition may cause two types of dangers: one is the carbonization of the insulation layer, causing the risk of leakage; the other is the overheating of the metal casing, which may cause scalding accidents. A certain brand of electric steamer caused a fire due to temperature control failure. The investigation found that after four hours of continuous operation, the temperature of the inner pot of the device had reached 180℃, far exceeding its design limit of 120℃.

The IoT function of the smart electric steamer may become a potential safety hazard when the temperature control fails. When the temperature sensor outputs false data, the information obtained by the user through the APP may show the normal cooking status, while the actual inner pot temperature has exceeded the set value by 20℃. This information asymmetry prevents users from taking timely measures. Some consumers have eaten undercooked chicken due to mistrust of mobile phone prompts, resulting in food poisoning. More seriously, abnormally high temperatures may cause the circuit protection mechanism to fail, thereby causing the risk of spontaneous combustion of the equipment.

The shortening of equipment life is also an issue that cannot be ignored. Failure of the temperature control system will cause the heating element to be in an abnormal working state for a long time, accelerating metal fatigue. In a simulation test in a laboratory, the resistance value of the heating tube of an electric steamer with failed temperature control changed by more than 40% after 100 hours of continuous operation, which is significantly higher than the 5% standard of normal loss. This abnormal loss not only increases maintenance costs, but may also cause secondary faults such as electrical short circuits, further affecting the reliability of the equipment.

Temperature control failure can also interfere with the kitchen ecosystem. Modern kitchen appliances generally use linkage control technology. When the temperature of the electric steamer is abnormal, it may affect the range hood, dishwasher and other equipment linked to it. For example, excessively high steam temperature may trigger the overheating protection mechanism of the range hood, causing the exhaust system of the entire kitchen to be paralyzed. This chain reaction not only reduces the efficiency of kitchen use, but may also cause electrical interference between equipment, affecting the overall operational safety and user experience.