Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Packaged or wrapped product – Having consumer oriented diverse utility
Patent
1987-04-29
1989-06-13
Weinstein, Steven
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Packaged or wrapped product
Having consumer oriented diverse utility
426113, 426394, 426412, 426393, 383 67, B65D 3336, B65D 6530
Patent
active
048391808
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to heatpacks for food, to be used in forming an integral part of the packaging, and also facilitate serving of food, such as pre-cooked or prepared meals.
Heating food from a frozen state is becoming an increasingly valuable method in both the catering and the domestic kitchen, using any type of oven. A particular advantage is offered by microwave ovens, because of their ability to defrost and cook food from the frozen state in a relatively short time, and this is particularly advantageous in the case of reheating a pre-cooked meal, when the time required becomes very short. However, there is a tendency for a pre-prepared meal so treated to overheat at its edges and form a dried ring around the dish before the centre is sufficiently hot, which is most unattractive. Thus, to ensure good presentation, it is necessary to transfer the hot meal from the heating dish to a clean pre-warmed plate before serving, removing the dried portions in the process, which can be time-consuming, especially as the components of the meal need to be reassembled in an attractive array, if the maximum culinary effect is to be achieved. In the case of a thermal oven the meal may be heated on a suitable dish or tray for convenience, and then transferred to a serving plate.
In the case of a packed food that has been stored in a refrigerated or a chilled condition, and is to be served cold, the pack serves to retain and protect the contents during the period required to bring it to room temperature after removal from a storage refrigerator or freezer, and the context of this Specification can be termed a "heating period".
One object of the present invention is to facilitate the serving of prepared food, particularly cooked meals defrosted and reheated on the serving plate, thus enabling an attractive meal to be rapidly served in a convenient manner, whilst avoiding some of the problems normally encountered.
Where used with a microwave oven the food can be defrosted and prepared for serving on its serving plate, as heat induced into the food by the microwave radiation will warm the plate by thermal conduction during the defrosting and heating of the food. In the case of a thermally-heated oven it is normally more convenient to use an oven dish, because a serving plate could become too hot, and therefore it may remain necessary to transfer the heated meal on to a warmed plate for serving, but this process can also be facilitated in exemplary embodiments of the invention.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention there is provided a heatpack base sheet comprising a number of tongues of foil or film of a material suitable for use with predetermined foodstuffs, said base sheet being provided to retain chilled or frozen food contained in a heatpack pouch formed using said base sheet, but opening freely to permit the passage of said food through the resultant hole onto a serving plate when said food has been heated as required.
According to another aspect the present invention consists in a method of serving food comprising the steps of arranging food in an appetising array on a thin base sheet of film or foil that is formed in accordance with the first aspect, the food being arranged to cover the tongue or tongues, and then wrapped in a pouch formed using said base sheet, subsequently heating said pouch as necessary, and when ready for serving, lifting the pouch to allow the contents to pass through the opening and lie in an attractive predetermined array on said plate.
Partially enclosing the meal in a foil or film cut in such a fashion, with a hole beneath the meal large enough to allow easy removal of such a meal, yet small enough to prevent seepage during reheating, assists even heating, and prevents the formation of a ring of burnt food on the plate. If only a single tongue is provided, then it will be formed by a narrow cut extending around three-quarters of the periphery of the base member, to lie contiguous with a marginal zone forming part of a completed heatpack pouch, or constituting an integral part t
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Standerwick Antony J.
Standerwick Antony R.
Farley Walter C.
Weinstein Steven
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