Patent Application
20130309368
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apples and, more particularly, to an apple with an edible filling.
2. Background Art
Apples are commonly covered with caramel, and the like, to enhance their flavor. “Caramel apples” are offered as a regular product in grocery stores and are even more popular during holiday seasons.
Typically, the apple will be dipped in melted caramel, which is thereafter solidified. Before the caramel becomes too hard, it is common to embed nuts therein. The coated apple is typically placed on a discrete piece of paper for display. To facilitate handling, a stick is directed vertically into the core. The apple can be held by the projecting portion of the stick so that the person eating the product does not have to directly engage the caramel coating.
The traditional caramel apple has a number of associated problems. First of all, the exposed caramel coating, even after solidification, remains somewhat tacky. After touching the coating, the person consuming the product must generally wash his/her hands to rid themselves of the caramel residue.
As with any apple, the person consuming the product must chew around the core, preferably without taking in the fibrous/woody carpels and seeds. Aside from the fact that most persons do not wish to eat the core components, they may nonetheless become wedged between teeth during the process of trying to separate all of the more edible, non-core portion of the apple.
Further, the treatment of the apple with another edible substance is generally limited to one that will adhere to the apple as through a melting process.
The invention is directed to the combination of: a) an apple with a top and bottom and having fibrous/woody carpels and seeds removed to produce a cavity extending from the bottom of the apple upwardly but not fully to the top of the apple so as to leave the top stem intact; and b) an edible filling added to the apple within the cavity.
According to the invention, an apple has the majority of its core removed in a strategic manner so as to produce a cavity for reception of edible materials such as granola, caramel and nuts, other fruits, trail mix, etc. Virtually any consumable product can be placed in the cavity.
The core is removed preferably from the bottom of the apple up, but in a manner so as to leave the apple's own stem intact. Typically, this will involve forming the cavity so that it terminates about ¾ of an inch from the top of the apple.
It has been found that cavity formation in this manner allows the stem to remain with sufficient integrity that it can be used to lift and reorient the apple as it is consumed. While the external surface of the cavity could additionally be coated, it is possible to leave the apple without any external application on the natural skin thereof. With this construction, the apple appears to be unmodified at its top region.
Additionally, by not applying any coating on the apple, a person eating the apple can controllably reposition the same with one hand holding the stem and the other balancing the apple at a spaced location with the other hand applied against the external skin.
The core can be removed so that the cavity is closely conformed in shape to the non-desirable core components—the fibrous/woody carpels and seeds. The cavity could be made larger and in different shapes to accommodate more filling material.
With this design, a person eating the apple can consume virtually the entire remaining apple and filling without contending with the core, leaving only the stem, which can be readily disposed of.
Thus, the apple potentially has the appearance of an unaltered apple, while being significantly more appealing by reason of the internal filling. At the same time, one does not have to contend with inserting and ultimately disposing of a stick through which the apple can be handled as it is moved prior to, and during, consumption.
The foregoing disclosure of specific embodiments is intended to be illustrative of the broad concepts comprehended by the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61621751 | Apr 2012 | US |
