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An automated food preparation system is described. It allows precise, automated control of the food preparation process, and has the ability to perform an automated cleanup. It comprises at least one manipulator to process and move ingredients, a control system, an autonomously accessible ingredient

An automated food preparation system is described. It allows precise, automated control of the food preparation process, and has the ability to perform an automated cleanup. It comprises at least one manipulator to process and move ingredients, a control system, an autonomously accessible ingredient storage system, and at least one cooking receptacle.

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1. A food preparation system comprising: a housing comprising a wall having a surface;a control subsystem configured to control a plurality of food preparation processes capable of preparing a meal comprising a variety of foods based on user selection of the foods;a plurality of ingredient storage c

1. A food preparation system comprising: a housing comprising a wall having a surface;a control subsystem configured to control a plurality of food preparation processes capable of preparing a meal comprising a variety of foods based on user selection of the foods;a plurality of ingredient storage containers comprising dry ingredient storage containers and liquid ingredient storage containers;a storage module configured to store the ingredient storage containers and a variety of ingredients contained within the ingredient storage containers for an extended period;an ingredient manipulator configured to access and remove a plurality of ingredients from the ingredient storage containers, as commanded by the control subsystem;a cooking receptacle disposed within the housing, the cooking receptacle being configured to cook ingredients placed therein by the ingredient manipulator;a dish and food transfer area that comprises an internal access door, an external access door, and shelves for trays; anda cleaning subsystem configured to clean the cooking receptacle and the surface of the wall of the housing. 2. The food preparation system recited in claim 1, further comprising a central food preparation and cooking module with attachable modular components selected from a group consisting of: oven compartment module, grill module, refrigerated ingredient storage module, non-refrigerated ingredient storage module, greenhouse module, dishware storage module, dish and food transfer module, and dummy module. 3. The food preparation system recited in claim 1, wherein the ingredient manipulator is further configured to use an attachable tool. 4. The food preparation system recited in claim 1, wherein the cooking receptacle has a configuration selected from the group consisting of: fixed-in-place configuration, fixed-in-place with a removable liner configuration, and tiltable fixed-in-place configuration. 5. The food preparation system recited in claim 1, wherein the cooking receptacle comprises an electric heating element to provide heat to the contents of the cooking receptacle. 6. The food preparation system recited in claim 1, wherein the cooking receptacle comprises a lid that is pivotable between an open position to enable access to ingredients within the cooking receptacle and a closed position to enable greater control of the environment within the cooking receptacle and to prevent introduction of contaminants to the cooking receptacle. 7. The food preparation system recited in claim 1, further comprising external connections to couple to one or more of: water mains, wastewater disposal system, electrical system, internet. 8. The food preparation system recited in claim 1, further comprising a trash compartment configured to store trash generated during the food preparation process. 9. The food preparation system recited in claim 1, wherein the storage module comprises a rotating circular shelf on which the ingredient storage containers are stored. 10. The food preparation system recited in claim 1, wherein the storage module is further configured to maintain the ingredients stored in the ingredient storage containers at refrigerated temperatures. 11. The food preparation system recited in claim 1, wherein the ingredient storage containers are selected from the group consisting of: small meat and vegetable storage containers, reusable dry ingredient storage containers, viscous ingredient storage tubes, and small powdered spice containers. 12. The food preparation system recited in claim 1, further comprising environmental sensors selected from the group consisting of: a hyper-spectral sensor, a multi-spectral digital imager, a video sensor, an audio sensor, a temperature sensor, and a humidity sensor. 13. The food preparation system recited in claim 1, further comprising a dishware storage module configured to store dishes and utensils. 14. The food preparation system recited in claim 1, wherein the dishware storage module comprises a rack positioned on a rotating carousel, the rack being configured to store dishes on edge. 15. The food preparation system recited in claim 1, wherein the cleaning subsystem is also configured to clean attachable tools associated with the food preparation system. 16. The food preparation system recited in claim 1, wherein the cleaning subsystem is controlled by the control subsystem. 17. A food preparation system comprising: a housing comprising a wall having a surface;a control subsystem configured to control a plurality of food preparation processes capable of preparing a meal comprising a variety of foods based on user selection of the foods;a plurality of ingredient storage containers comprising dry ingredient storage containers and liquid ingredient storage containers;a storage module configured to store the ingredient storage containers and a variety of ingredients contained within the ingredient storage containers for an extended period;an ingredient manipulator configured to access and remove a plurality of ingredients from the ingredient storage containers, as commanded by the control subsystem;a cooking receptacle disposed within the housing, the cooking receptacle being configured to cook ingredients placed therein by the ingredient manipulator;a cleaning subsystem configured to clean the cooking receptacle and the surface of the wall of the housing,wherein the control subsystem is further configured to optimize recipe quality by:obtaining taste ratings from users through a user interface for recipes prepared using the food preparation system,communicating the recipe and user taste ratings with other food preparation systems that have prepared similar recipes and receiving ratings from other users,varying the recipe by combining different variations of highest rated versions of the recipe the next time the recipe is prepared, andrepeating the process each time the recipe is prepared to improve the recipe. 18. A food preparation system comprising: a housing comprising a wall having a surface;a control subsystem configured to control a plurality of food preparation processes capable of preparing a meal comprising a variety of foods based on user selection of the foods;a plurality of ingredient storage containers comprising dry ingredient storage containers and liquid ingredient storage containers;a storage module configured to store the ingredient storage containers and a variety of ingredients contained within the ingredient storage containers for an extended periods;an ingredient manipulator configured to access and remove a plurality of ingredients from the ingredient storage containers, as commanded by the control subsystem;a cooking receptacle disposed within the housing, the cooking receptacle being configured to cook ingredients placed therein by the ingredient manipulator;a cleaning subsystem configured to clean the cooking receptacle and the surface of the wall of the housing; anda rotating attachable tool rack configured to hold attachable tools for use by the ingredient manipulator. 19. A food preparation system comprising: a control subsystem configured to control a plurality of food preparation processes capable of preparing a meal comprising a variety of foods based on user selection of the foods;a plurality of ingredient storage containers comprising dry ingredient storage containers and liquid ingredient storage containers;a storage module configured to store the ingredient storage containers and a variety of ingredients contained within the ingredient storage containers for an extended period;an ingredient manipulator configured to access and remove a plurality of ingredients from the ingredient storage containers, as commanded by the control subsystem;a cooking receptacle configured to cook ingredients placed therein by the ingredient manipulator;a cleaning subsystem configured to clean the cooking receptacle utilizing water; anda rotating attachable tool rack configured to hold attachable tools for use by the ingredient manipulator. 20. The food preparation system recited in claim 19, further comprising a dish and food transfer area that comprises an internal access door, an external access door, and shelves for trays. 21. A food preparation system comprising: a housing comprising a wall having a surface;a control subsystem configured to control a plurality of food preparation processes capable of preparing a meal comprising a variety of foods based on user selection of the foods;a plurality of ingredient storage containers comprising dry ingredient storage containers and liquid ingredient storage containers;a storage module configured to store the ingredient storage containers and a variety of ingredients contained within the ingredient storage containers for an extended period;an ingredient manipulator configured to access and remove a plurality of ingredients from the ingredient storage containers, as commanded by the control subsystem;a cooking receptacle disposed within the housing, the cooking receptacle being configured to cook ingredients placed therein by the ingredient manipulator; anda cleaning subsystem configured to clean the cooking receptacle and the surface of the wall of the housing, the cleaning subsystem comprising cleaning tools operated by a cleaning manipulator. 22. The food preparation system recited in claim 21, wherein the cleaning manipulator and the ingredient manipulator are integrated into a same device.