Patent Application
20140242222
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to frozen pizzas. Particularly, the present invention relates to a frozen pizza devices and methods.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Pizza is a widely consumed food item in the United States. Annual pizza revenue for the year 2012 was about $32 billion, and ninety three percent of Americans eat at least one slice of pizza per month. There are about 70,000 pizzerias in the United States and 65% of them are independent firms. Pizza crusts range from thin to thick, and 61% of Americans prefer thin crust.
Despite the subjective nature of food preference and taste, there is general acceptance that pizza procured where the product is freshly prepared, such as at a pizzeria, and immediately consumed after baking, is especially desirable, and that next best is where the pizza is not immediately eaten after it is baked, but rather at another place, such as the consumer's home where it has been carried out by the consumer, or delivered to the consumer.
Considered less desirable than such fresh pizzas are those that are preserved by freezing, and later prepared for eating. This manner of pizza consumption may be necessitated when freshly baked pizza is not locally available or cannot be conveniently procured at the very time when pizza is desired. A number of factors contribute to making frozen pizza less desirable than fresh pizzas. As might be expected in the culinary arts, pizzas prepared and baked in an artisan manner as may occur at restaurants attentive to ingredients, preparation, and baking, are likely to be more pleasing to eat. Frozen pizzas, on the other hand, are typically manufactured in an industrial manner using automated equipment. Further, freezing imposes the need for preparation by the consumer. Considerable time is required for the consumer to prepare the pizza where the frozen pizza is to be baked, in some instances even exceeding the time to drive to a pizzeria or have a hot pizza delivered.
There are numerous available frozen pizzas that are widely sold at supermarkets and other food outlets. Examples include: “Tony's Cheese Crispy Crust Pizza” produced by the Schwan Food Company, Bloomington, Minn.; “DiGiorno For One Traditional Crust Frozen Pepperoni Pizza” distributed by Nestle USA, Northbrook Ill.; “Bellatora Ultra Thin Crust Pizza” prepared by Bernatello's Pizza, Inc., of Maple Lake, Minn.; “Trader Giotto's Pizza 4 Formaggi Handmade Four Cheese Pizza” distributed and sold exclusively by Trader Joe's, Moravia, Calif.; “Red Baron Classic Crust” Pepperoni Pizza distributed by Schwan's Consumer Brands, Inc, Bloomington, Minnisota; “Totino's Party Pizza” distributed by General Mills Sales. Inc, Minneapolis, Minn.; “Jeno's by Totino's Pizza for One” distributed by General Mills Sales. Inc, Minneapolis, Minn.; “Sabatasso”s Pizzeria Pizza Singles, Thin Crust” distributed by Schwan's Consumer Brands, Inc. Bloomington, Minn.; and “Kirkland Signature Pepperoni Pizza, Rising Crust” distributed by Costco Wholesale Corporation, Seattle, Wash.
The aforementioned frozen pizzas are provided with instructions for consumer preparation by one of two methods: baking, or microwave heating. Frozen pizza instructions typically instruct the consumer to heat a conventional oven to between 350-450 degrees Fahrenheit, and this may take from about 20-25 minutes depending upon the particular oven and the advised temperature. Once the oven is heated, the consumer is instructed to bake the pizza at full recommended heat for a time period ranging from 7 to 25 minutes. The process of baking a frozen pizza therefore takes from about 25 to 45 minutes.
To exemplify this, the aforementioned Tony's pizza instructs heating the oven to 400° F. and cooking on a rack for 12-14 minutes. Therefore, a total preparation time of over 30 minutes. The aforementioned DiGiorno pizza instructs heating the oven to 450° F. and placing the pizza directly on the center rack of the oven to bake for 17-19 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Instructions for the aforementioned Red Baron Pizza are to heat the oven to 400° F. and cook the pizza for 17-19 minutes. Similarly, Kirkland Pizza instructions are to heat oven to 425° F. and bake for 22-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and edges are golden brown, where total preparation time is likely to exceed 40 minutes.
Presently available frozen microwave pizzas can be ready for serving considerably more quickly than those instructed for baking. To illustrate this, the cooking instructions that are provided with above noted Tony's pizza instructs the consumer to microwave the pizza on high for 3.5 to 4 minutes until the center is melted. Above noted DiGiorno pizza instructs the consumer to microwave the product from 3.5-5.5 minutes according to the strength of the microwave oven: 5 minutes and 30 seconds at 600-800 watts, 4 minutes and 30 seconds at greater than 800 and up to 1100 watts, or 3 minutes and 30 seconds at greater than 1100 watts. If the cheese is not melted, the consumer is instructed to continue cooking the pizza in 30 second intervals.
While allowing a shorter preparation time compared to baking, the crust resulting from microwave heating tends to be less crisp when compared to baked pizzas, either freshly baked pizza or frozen pizzas that require baking. Rather than a chewy crust with a crisp outer layer that can result from baking, microwaved crusts tend to be soggy, spongy, doughy, and unevenly cooked. The unsatisfactory crusts of microwave pizzas are the subject of numerous innovations that attempt to improve upon them.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,283,424 issued to Bone et al. discloses frozen pizza crust suitable for microwave cooking. Bone et al. point out that: “ . . . most if not all pizza attempted to be cooked in a microwave oven have been characterized by . . . an extremely unpalatable, often soggy crust” and teach a composite crust with a first layer of cracker-type dough material with 5% or less moisture and a second baked bread dough crust having a moisture content of 20-40% where the drier layer is capable of absorbing water vapor generated in microwave cooking.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,627,242 issued to McPherson, et al. similarly points out that microwaved cereal products such as pizza crusts are generally not pleasing to the palate. McPherson et al. further state that it is difficult to generate a crisp or brown outer crust and that microwave heating is generally uneven. McPherson et al. state that it is for this reason that susceptors are often required, but even the use of susceptors can lead to uneven heating and/or uneven crisping of pizza crust. McPherson et al. teach an alternative to ordinary dough, namely a pizza crust comprising mesophase-gel, which when baked in a microwave oven rises in a manner similar to conventional baked-oven pizza crust. The resulting crust is described as having a firm texture and being palatable.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,519,195 issued to Keefer, et al. discloses the employment of susceptors, which are devices that incorporate material that absorbs microwave energy to become heated, to improve upon microwave cooking. The disclosure, however, points to disadvantages of heating a susceptor to high temperature to attempt to heat a food surface: risk of overheating, of breakdown of the material of the susceptor and even generation of toxic products, and teaches preventive modifications.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,204,492 issued to Zeng et al. discloses that food cooked in a microwave oven generally does not exhibit the texture, browning, or crispness that are acquired when food is cooked in a conventional oven. Zeng et al. also point to using a susceptor material that is a thin metallized film that heats with microwave focusing heat on the food. The disclosure again points to hot and cold spots, potential for fire, and arcing with these devices that their invention seeks to overcome with the placement and pattern of metallic segments.
Despite such attempts to improve upon preparation of frozen pizza using a microwave oven, the present state of the art may best be reflected in the instructions provided with presently sold microwave pizzas recommending baking rather than microwave heating for best results or to achieve a crisp crust. “Tony's Pizza for One” recommends: “Microwave on high 2 minutes 30 seconds to 3 minutes 15 seconds . . . ” and “Oven instructions: (recommended for best results) pre-heat oven to 425° F. . . . ” Similarly, “Microwavable Tony's Crispy Crust Pepperoni Pizza” includes microwave instructions, but adds: “Oven Instructions for a Crisp Crust.” Kroger brand “Classic Crispy Crust 3 Minute Microwave Pizza” has instructions to microwave the pizza and conventional oven directions that state: “for a crisp crust, bake pizza directly on oven rack.” “Sabatasso's Pizzeria Singles Thin Crust” comes with microwave instructions and also conventional oven instructions that are: “Recommended for a crisper crust.”
The strength and distribution of microwave energy is known to vary from oven to oven, and it is acknowledged that microwave cooking is spacially uneven and that heat application may vary in accordance with placement of a foodstuff in the microwave. Non-uniform heating of frozen pizza allowing pathogen persistence has been associated with food-borne illness.
What is therefore needed is a frozen pizza that can be more quickly prepared by the consumer than present frozen pizzas instructed for baking, and that has a crust that is more akin to baked pizza, and preferably pizzeria-type baked pizza than to the crust of present frozen microwave pizzas.
Present cooking methods for frozen pizza are not entirely satisfactory and each method, i.e. baking or microwaving, has at least one significant shortcoming. Baking a frozen pizza is time consuming. Individuals may not wish to wait for the time required to bake a frozen pizza to satisfy a craving for pizza, or in some instances, may not have enough time to bake a frozen pizza. It is unwise, however, for a consumer to shortcut recommended preparation instructions, as cooking instructions provided with packaged frozen pizzas by their various manufacturers, packagers, and distributors relate to the state of preparation of the pizza before it is frozen. Present frozen pizzas often contain components that are not sufficiently cooked for consumption before the pizza has been frozen. Care to follow instructions is especially important to avoid food-borne illness when the frozen pizza contains a meat topping.
The drawback of frozen pizzas that consumers reheat by microwave is that the crusts lack the texture and crispness of baked pizzas. The alternative cooking methods described above also have shortcomings. The provision of a portion of crust with a cracker layer to imitate the crispness of ordinary baked pizza cannot be expected to result in a crust having the same texture and crispness of conventional baked pizza, especially a pizzeria-type pizza, but rather to result in a cracker-like imitation. The use of chemical additives to emulate natural foods is undesirable.
The present invention solves these problems by providing a frozen pizza preparation package and method that allows for rapid preparation of frozen pizza compared to baking and achieves a more crisp pizza crust compared to microwave pizzas that are presently available to an ordinary consumer, that is, one who is not expert in the art of pizza preparation or pizza baking.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a frozen pizza that can be quickly prepared by a consumer, preferably in less than five minutes to quickly satisfy a craving for pizza, and that has a crisp crust after preparation.
It is another objective to enable a consumer to quickly prepare a pizza that is more closely akin to a pizzeria-type pizza than has been heretofore possible.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a consumer with a frozen pizza preparation package and teach a method that allows a consumer convenient and rapid preparation of such a pizza.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a consumer with a pizza with a baked crust that has then been frozen and instructions that allow the consumer to approximate or reestablish the texture and crispness of the crust before it was frozen.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a consumer with a prebaked pizza that is then frozen and instructions that allow the consumer to approximate or reestablish the taste, texture, and crust crispness of the very pizza before it was frozen, preferably where the pizza is a pizzeria-type pizza, and most preferably where the pizza is a handmade pizzeria-type pizza.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a consumer with a prebaked, and then frozen pizza, and with instructions that enable the consumer to improve upon its pre-frozen culinary qualities by virtue of being crisped twice.
The present invention achieves these and other objectives by providing a pizza rapid preparation package. The pizza rapid preparation package includes a pizza that has been prebaked, and then frozen, and instructions for such pizza to be quickly reheated and then crisped by the consumer.
The term “fresh pizza” means a pizza that has not been frozen.
The term “pizzeria-type pizza” means a pizza that is made and sold at pizzerias and consumed hot from the oven or delivered, having a crisp crust that is either thin or thick, but preferably thin.
The term “handmade pizzeria-type pizza” means a pizza made with attention to preparation and preferably baked directly on a heated stone in a pizza oven as is known in the art.
The term “topping or toppings” means any of sauces (for example, tomato sauce), cheeses (examples being mozzerella and parmesan), meats (examples being pepperoni, bacon, hamburger, and sausage), vegetables (examples being onions, mushrooms, and peppers), and other food ingredients, alone or in combination that are known in the art to be layered onto pizza crust.
The term “prebaked” means a pizza having a crust and toppings such that the pizza is suitable to eat prior to its being frozen.
The term “prebaked frozen pizza” is herein used to refer to a prebaked pizza that is then frozen.
The terms “thin crust pizza” and “thick crust pizza” has those meanings as ordinarily understood by consumers of pizza and by one of ordinary skill in the art of pizza making.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the frozen pizza preparation package includes a prebaked frozen pizza, and microwave-crisping sequence instructions. The microwave-crisping sequence instructions include a heating step employing a microwave oven, followed by a crisping step in a crisping appliance. One example of a crisping appliance includes, but is not limited to, a stovetop skillet or pan to crisp the crust of the microwave-heated pizza on a stovetop.
In preferred embodiments, the package contains means to safely transfer the pizza between heating and crisping devices to avoid touching heated surfaces. In its most preferred embodiment, the pizza will have been a handmade pizzeria-type pizza, made and baked using artisan methods prior to freezing.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the frozen pizza preparation package includes a prebaked frozen pizza, a transfer substrate, and microwave-crisping sequence instructions. The microwave-crisping sequence instructions prescribes a heating step employing a microwave oven followed by a crisping step, and the employment of the transfer substrate to move the pizza from the microwave oven to the crisping appliance.
In working with samples of prebaked pizza that were frozen just after baking, it was found that a microwave step must be included in the preparation process in order to accomplish the very quick preparation that is intended by the present invention. No other method tried suffices to quickly thaw and sufficiently heat the pizza. It was found that heating an approximately 80 grams of frozen pepperoni pizza in a 1000 watt output microwave oven for less than one minute (i.e. about 40 seconds) sufficiently reheated frozen toppings of tomato sauce and pepperoni, and melted frozen cheese topping. The same was found for heating approximately 200-300 grams of the same frozen pizza for about two minutes using the same oven. It was further found that no other ordinary cooking method was sufficient to thaw and heat frozen pizza in such rapid manner. In comparison, it has been found that other means such as conventional home oven baking requires a great deal more time; approximately 15 minutes to heat an oven to 350-450° F. and 12-15 minutes to sufficiently thaw and heat up this small amount of frozen pizza.
In experimenting with stovetop preparation, it was found that it takes at least 8-10 minutes to thaw and reheat the frozen cheese and pepperoni toppings on about 80 grams of prebaked frozen pizza in a stovetop skillet, even if the skillet is covered. When the pizza is placed directly on the skillet to achieve maximal heat, it was found that it was more likely than not for the bottom of the crust to burn before the toppings are sufficiently heated. Turning the pizza topping side down to more quickly heat that surface provided a result that is messy and unacceptable. Attempts were made to try and improve upon this by varying the stovetop cooking conditions, such as raising the pizza away from the pan bottom or adjusting the heat, but have found that either the bottom burns before the toppings melt and heat to a sufficient temperature or it takes excessively long to melt and heat the toppings (layers of tomato sauce, cheese, and pepperoni).
The prebaked frozen pizza of these experiments is a thin crust pizza that was made with somewhat moist dough and baked directly on a brick pizza oven floor before freezing. In some preparations, a coal fire was employed. It was found that microwaving approximately 80 grams of frozen pepperoni pizza in a 1000 watt output microwave oven for about 40 seconds sufficiently heated frozen toppings of tomato sauce and pepperoni, and melted frozen cheese topping. The same was found for heating approximately 200-300 grams of the same frozen pizza for about two minutes using the same oven. It is anticipated that lager pizzas having a thick crust, yet sized to fit into a microwave oven, and/or the use of a less powerful microwave oven, would require proportionally more time, but not exceeding about 7 minutes. We have found no other ordinary cooking method sufficient to thaw and heat a_frozen pizza in such rapid manner.
The crust that resulted after microwave heating, however, was best characterized as soggy, and clearly not as crisp as it was before it was frozen. Lifting the edges of the pizza after it was reheated in the microwave caused the pizza to sag. Further, neither the crust nor toppings were as evenly reheated as might be desired.
To improve upon this, supplemental means to evenly reheat the pizza and to crisp the crust were sought. Heating on an open stovetop pan at high heat was now found to be effective, reproducibly resulting in more even cooking of the pizza and in achieving sought-after crust crispiness. Moreover, a surprisingly short period of open skillet heating was found to produce the desired outcome: about 30-90 seconds for a thin crust pizza weighing from about 75-300 grams. It is anticipated that crisping larger pizzas having a thick crust, or crisping at lower heat might require more time, but not more than about 3 minutes.
It was expected that subjecting a reheated frozen pizza to high direct skillet heat would cause the crust to burn as quickly as might occur when ordinarily baking fresh pizza, and that there was little leeway between crisping the crust and burning it. In contrast to expectation, stovetop heating at high heat could be surprisingly continued for a period past when the crust was sufficiently crisped without the crust burning. It is hypothesized that the vaporization of water in the crust during the preceding microwave step, while producing undesirable sogginess, also serves a protective function and prevents the crust from burning during the subsequent step of pan crisping. Regardless of the reason, the unexpected latitude for crisping a microwave-reheated, prebaked frozen pizza on a stovetop pan or skillet without burning it, even though the crust had been previously baked, suggested a reliable preparation method for lay individuals and commercial viability. That is, it was demonstrated that a frozen pizza that could be reliably and rapidly prepared to be both hot and crispy could be made available to a consumer by providing a pizza that is prebaked prior to its being frozen, therefore requiring reheating and little, if any, time-consuming cooking, providing a pizza size that is commensurate with ordinary microwave ovens and cooktop pans, and providing instructions teaching a rapid microwave reheating-crisping sequence to prepare the frozen pizza.
Despite the subjective nature of food preference, tasters have uniformly regarded the pizzas resulting from the described frozen pizza rapid preparation method of the present invention as preferable in taste, texture, and crust crispness when compared to samples of present microwave heated pizzas prepared according to their microwave instructions that often provide soggy, bready, rubbery, and/or doughy crusts, or come out unevenly heated. Moreover, using the combined method of microwave heating and stovetop crisping of the present invention, it was found that it was possible to approximate the taste, texture, and especially crispness of the crust of a pizzeria-type prebaked fresh pizza before it was frozen.
In some instances, observers have voiced a preference for the prebaked frozen pizza after it was prepared according to the disclosed methods over the same fresh baked pizza. This was an unexpected outcome. Prebaking a pizza, freezing it, then reheating the pizza in a microwave where moisture in the toppings and crust is mobilized, and finally re-crisping the pizza on a stovetop pan may produce a set of conditions that allows the flavor of the topping(s) to seep into the crust.
In preferred embodiments, the package contains means to safely transfer the pizza between heating and crisping devices to avoid touching heated surfaces. In its most preferred embodiment, the pizza will have been made and baked using artisan methods prior to freezing.
To simplify transfer of hot pizza between two heating modalities, an optional transfer device such as a planar transfer substrate was devised to avoid the potential for touching hot pizza or another hot surface.
Hence, in another embodiment of the present invention, the frozen pizza preparation package includes a prebaked frozen pizza, a transfer substrate, and microwave-crisping sequence instructions. The microwave-crisping sequence instructions prescribes a heating step employing a microwave oven followed by a crisping step, and the employment of the transfer substrate to remove the pizza from the microwave oven to the crisping appliance.
The transfer substrate is preferably configured so it can be situated under the pizza before and during the microwave-heating step, and such that it can be used to convey the just-heated pizza from the microwave to a crisping device that is a stovetop skillet, or alternatively, a toaster oven without touching a hot surface. The crisping device has preferably been heated prior to its being needed, most conveniently when the pizza is being heated in the microwave. When the crisping step is finished, the pizza can be transferred back to the transfer substrate from which the pizza can be eaten. The pizza can instead be served on an ordinary plate. In the case of using a skillet, the pizza can be slid from the skillet onto the plate. When using a toaster oven the pizza can be transferred to a plate using the transfer substrate. Where there may have been concern about difficulty or inconvenience with a two-staged pizza preparation method, it has been found that the sequence of microwave heating and crisping is uncomplicated, can be facilitated by a transfer substrate, and that the method is desirable in providing the immediate reward of a heated pizza with a crispy crust within a very few minutes.
It is contemplated that the transfer substrate need not be elaborate in design. It is preferably constructed of microwave-compatible material to allow the transfer substrate to be microwaved with the pizza and situated for removing the pizza from the microwave oven and for positioning the pizza into the crisping device. Suitable materials that might be employed for the transfer substrate include paper or plastic or a combination of these. The incorporation of susceptor foils, while appearing unnecessary, is not precluded. Various grasping means by which the transfer apparatus can be securely grasped by a consumer to transfer the pizza without touching a hot surface are also contemplated. Alternative transfer substrate configurations that would allow the consumer to transfer the pizza without touching a hot surface are considered within the scope of the invention.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, the transfer substrate has a grasping adaption selected from the group consisting of at least one tab extending co-planar from a peripheral edge, a handle extending above the transfer substrate, an elongated tab pivotally connected adjacent a peripheral edge of the transfer substrate where the elongated tab pivots between a stored position and a grasping position, and a transverse side extending from the peripheral edge of the transfer substrate.
In still another embodiment of the present invention, the transfer substrate incorporates a material selected from the group consisting of plastic, paper, foil-coated paper, cardboard, and combinations thereof.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the frozen pizza package includes a container that unifies the pizza, the transfer substrate, and the instructions.
In another embodiment of the present invention, there is disclosed a method that involves a microwaving a prebaked frozen pizza for a predefined time, transferring the microwaved pizza to a device for crisping the crust of the pizza, and crisping the crust of the pizza. The crisping step may be performed using a stovetop pan/skillet on a stovetop, or a toaster over.
The preferred embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in
Turning now to
Frozen pizza 100 is a prebaked pizza. This is predicated on a number of reasons. Prebaking the pizza before freezing allows the manufacturer to control how the product is prepared and baked before it is frozen. There is a range of expertise and consequently of pizza quality among pizza makers. Particular manufacturers may want their product to have characteristics that can only result from their selected techniques, ingredients, ovens, baking fuels (for example wood or coal), or proprietary skills. Prebaked pizza provides the quickest path from freezer to plate, where the intent of the present invention is to provide a quickly prepared frozen pizza, and not require time to bake an unbaked pizza.
A further rationale for the prebaked pizza of the present invention relates to preparation of the toppings, since it is unlikely to crisp pizza toppings by microwave heating, or stovetop heating. Crispness of toppings when desired, for example, pepperoni, is best accomplished by baking.
Another advantage of providing a consumer with a prebaked frozen pizza of the present invention is that this lessens the likelihood of transmitting food-borne pathogens as there is valid concern for pathogen transmission particularly with employing a microwave to heat previously uncooked frozen pizza in that some areas of the pizza might remain undercooked.
Turning now to
In the alternative, elongated tab 236 may be configured on the underside of a transfer substrate 200 to retract or extend on a track or support flanges (not shown).
Turning now to
Adaptations to avoid sticking of the pizza 100 to various surfaces such as the transfer substrate 200 are also considered. It is contemplated that a pizza 100 of the present invention that is fashioned with crust alone at its outermost periphery is preferable to one that has toppings at its periphery that might melt onto the transfer substrate 200 when the pizza 100 is microwaved. In such a case, it is contemplated that the melting of the toppings onto transfer substrate 200 will cause the pizza 100 to be more difficult to slide from the transfer substrate 200 onto the stovetop pan 510 or toaster oven 520. It is further considered that adding a layer of corn meal, semolina, or other non-stick material, as may be employed in pizzeria baking, to the pizza 100 of the present invention before it is frozen, might be optionally helpful to facilitate sliding the pizza 100 from the transfer substrate 200 or other surfaces. With regard to stovetop crisping, it has been observed that the microwave reheated, prebaked pizza 100 does not stick to a conventional non-stick pan when the pizza 100 was crisped at full heat for a short period of time (under two minutes), and that it was concluded not necessary to prepare the pan with oil or other entity to prevent sticking in this instance. Lastly, it has been conjectured that outcomes with the prebaked pizza 100 frozen in aluminum foil wrapping appear superior to the same when frozen in a plastic wrapping, an optional consideration.
It is contemplated that the elements of preferred embodiments of the present invention: a prebaked frozen pizza 100; a transfer substrate 200; microwave-crisping sequence instructions 300 that instruct a microwave heating step and a crisping step, are incorporated together with a unifying container 400 where the container has a surface 410 that displays instructions for sequential microwave heating followed by crisping of the prebaked frozen pizza 100. Preferred embodiments of the present invention include a transfer substrate 200; and include instructions that instruct utilizing the transfer substrate 200 to transfer heated pizza from the microwave oven to a crisping device.
It is further recognized that preferred pizzas intended by the present invention, and the means to produce them that necessitate artisan baking are contrary to the present prevailing convention of frozen pizzas prepared by automation. Artisan baking refers to the role of the individual and not industrial values of scale. It is a further preferred that this be reflected on the packaging of the product, by making the distinction between artisan-baked pizza that is baked in a traditional manner and pizza that is produced in an automated fashion. Further, packaging distinctions such as indicating the pizza being cooked on a heated stone and/or with a wood or coal fire are also considered desirable.
The present invention also recognizes that the production of a hand-made frozen pizza necessitates the employment of experienced pizza bakers and, in essence, comprises a method of improving food quality and encouraging employment of individuals to that purpose.
The present invention teaches devices and methods to allow a consumer to procure a frozen pizza package that can be quickly prepared to achieve a better quality of pizza than with present frozen pizzas, and especially present quickly prepared frozen pizzas.
The present invention also teaches means and methods for a pizza maker or pizzeria to provide a consumer that is either outside of shopping range, or who would find shopping at the pizza production site inconvenient, with a pizza that approximates their product.
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described herein, the above description is merely illustrative. Further modification of the invention herein disclosed will occur to those skilled in the respective arts and all such modifications are deemed to be within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/768,603, filed Feb. 25, 2013.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61768603 | Feb 2013 | US |
