Patent Application
20190218013
The disclosed systems and methods generally relate to the fields of food products and preparation, and specifically to products and methods of microwaveable single serving egg food products.
Many single serving microwaveable food products are known. Each presents different challenges. For some products, there is a consumer preference for browning and crispness, which has been challenging to achieve in the past with microwave heating. For others, such as popcorn, there is a concern that while some portion of the product will receive too much heating (e.g., already popped kernels) other portions may not receive enough (e.g., unpopped kernels).
Egg products have proven particularly difficult in the single serving convenience microwave preparation space. Use of fresh eggs dramatically limits shelf life, and reduces convenience significantly if the eggs are provided in-shell. Powdered egg products are known but are typically provided in larger bags, tins or jars, generally for institutional use, incorporation into baked goods and other recipes, and for emergency rations. Such large containers reduce convenience by requiring a user to spoon out the appropriate quantity of product before using, and open containers typically reduce shelf life for the remaining egg product.
Furthermore, microwave preparation of egg products often produces results that do not have satisfying texture or otherwise have undesirable mouthfeel. In particular, microwave cooking is known to give eggs a rubbery texture, typically attributed to uneven heating that results in some portions being overheated. Overheating is known to cause proteins in the egg to change in a manner that removes moisture from the overheated portion (thereby facilitating yet more overheating) and changing the texture of the product.
It would be desirable to have a product and method providing convenient, single-serving microwaveable eggs that have improved characteristics over known products and methods.
Embodiments disclosed herein include provision of a convenient, single-serving microwaveable egg product that includes a microwaveable container with a removable seal, in which a single serving portion of egg crystals is included. The container is marked with a fill line to indicate the amount of water to add for appropriately reconstituting the eggs from the crystals. A lid is also provided for portability of the prepared food product.
Also disclosed herein is a method of using the product that includes removing the seal, adding water to the fill line and mixing the water and the crystals until they are fully dissolved. Optionally, shaking or beating the mixture to introduce air and produce a fluffier product can be done at this point. The container is then placed in the periphery of a microwave oven platter and heated for an initial period, where the oven tends to be hotter. The contents are further mixed and the container is moved to a central position of the microwave oven platter, where the oven tends to be cooler, for a second period, with a further mixing step midway through this second period. Placing the container at the periphery of the platter initially allows for the cold liquid mixture to heat up quickly, cutting down overall cooking time and thus enhancing convenience. Moving the container to the center in the second period, combined with mixing the content midway to distribute heat and moisture, slows down the heating process, avoiding overcooking and the undesirable rubbery texture. Once cooking is complete, one more mixing is performed to break up the egg products before consumption.
The figures depict embodiments for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles described herein.
A removable seal 104 keeps the egg crystals isolated from humidity, air exchange, insects and the like in order to maintain shelf life of the product. In practice, it is found that packaging the crystals 102 in the container 101 under normal food processing atmospheric conditions is suitable to yield a commercially reasonable shelf life of approximately 12 to 18 months. Should longer shelf life be desired, packing under moderate vacuum, low moisture, or inert gas (e.g., nitrogen) may be employed, as well as other known shelf life enhancing techniques.
In one embodiment, container 101 is implemented using a conventional coated paper hot cup, e.g., Visstun model H9U2, on which instructions and a fill line 103 is printed. The use of fill line 103 adds to convenience by removing the need for any measuring cup, etc. for adding water. In some embodiments, rather than printing fill line 103 it is embossed on container 101 so that it is more readily visible from the inside of the cup.
In some embodiments, seal 104 is a simple coated paper seal that is removable but not resealable on container 101. In most cases, it is assumed that a user will have a fork or other such utensil available for consuming the product, and such utensil can also be used to mix the egg and water.
In some embodiments, a lid 105 is also provided. In some embodiments, lid 105 merely provides for some retention of heat and protection of the cooked food for portability, etc. In these embodiments, a standard plastic lid (e.g., Visstun VKU2NF) is used. In other embodiments, however, different lids may be more appropriate. For example, a single reusable lid may be provided with a multipack of filled containers 101, such that there is less waste involved in use of product 100. In some embodiments for such situations, lid 104 is a silicone or other washable, microwave-safe lid that fits snugly over the top of container 101 to allow mixing by shaking, etc. as described above in connection with seal 104, thus obviating any need for seal 104 to be used during preparation.
Referring now also to
Since it is known that overheating of eggs during cooking causes a rubbery texture and undesirable organoleptic properties to result from structural changes in egg proteins, it is desirable to use less intense heating toward the end of the cooking process.
Both convenience and quality of the cooked eggs are found to be enhanced by the following method. After the user adds water up to the fill line, the user is directed to mix the egg crystals and water. As mentioned above, this can be achieved through use of a utensil such as a fork or spoon. Whisking or beating, whether with a fork a whisk, or some other utensil that helps to introduce significant air to the mixture, is optional and leads to a fluffier product. Alternatively, mixing by shaking as discussed above achieves similar results. Referring still to
After this initial heating, the user is instructed to again mix the partially heated egg/water mixture in preparation for a second stage of cooking. For this second stage, the container 101b is moved to a more central location on platter 202, where heating is likely to be not as intense. In one embodiment, this final stage of heating is for a period of 20 seconds. The user is instructed to once again mix the contents mid-way through this stage to redistribute heat and moisture and to further reduce the likelihood of any particular portion being overheated. After final heating, the user is instructed to mix the cooked eggs to break up the cooked eggs, for instance by fluffing with the fork or other eating utensil, to once again reduce the likelihood of any overheated portions, and also to make the food product more like conventionally cooked scrambled eggs, which preferentially do not adhere together as a single mass. Mixing the cooked eggs also redistributes any remaining liquid so that the overall texture of the cooked eggs is creamy.
In this manner, a convenient single-serve microwaveable egg food product provides a nutritious and enjoyable product that can be quickly prepared, without utensils if desired, in its own to-go packaging.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62618380 | Jan 2018 | US |
