Frozen foods and associated packaging allow consumers to store foods in a dormant state for later preparation, such as in a microwave, on a stove, or with another heat source. The process of freezing vegetables or other food products can maintain high nutritive value of the food, while providing consumers with convenient preparation options.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key and/or essential features of the claimed subject matter. Also, this Summary is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter in any manner.
Aspects of the disclosure pertain to a single-use pre-packaged frozen food product configured for roasting the food product in a microwave oven having a sealed pouch configured to receive a frozen food within the sealed pouch. In an aspect, the sealed pouch includes a susceptor material lining an interior surface configured to interface with the frozen food during microwave cooking, which can facilitate roasting, crisping, browning, or otherwise cooking of the frozen food. Coverage of the susceptor material can vary, with higher coverage generally providing greater surface area to interface with the frozen food.
The sealed pouch includes one or more vents through the pouch to permit moisture to exit the sealed pouch during microwave cooking. If too much moisture is retained in the sealed pouch during cooking, then the food may not showcase desirable levels of crispiness, browning, or the like, due to moisture reabsorption by the food. While a larger surface area for the one or more vents generally permits more moisture to be released from the sealed pouch during cooking, the more surface area occupied by the vents, the less surface area that is available to the susceptor, reducing the ability of the sealed pouch to interface with the food from multiple points of contact.
The type, amount, and preparation of the food present in the sealed pouch can influence the ability of the sealed pouch to roast, crisp, brown, or otherwise cook the food during microwave operation. For instance, the amount of moisture to be vented during microwave cooking is related to the moisture content of the frozen food and the quantity of the frozen food in the sealed pouch. If the quantity of food is sufficiently large, if the moisture content of the food is too high, or combinations thereof, then the sealed bag may retain too much moisture during the microwave cooking, where the vents may be unable to remove sufficient amounts of moisture to promote desired levels of crispiness, browning, or the like. The preparation of the food prior to introduction to the sealed pouch can also affect the likelihood that the susceptor can contact the food from multiple points of contact. For instance, the food can be included in an amount such that the food can be arranged in a substantially single layer on the bottom of the sealed pouch during microwave cooking such that the susceptor on the bottom of the sealed pouch and the top of the sealed pouch can interact with multiple points of contact on multiple individual pieces of food (e.g., to brown multiple surfaces of respective food pieces). The food can be portioned such that the pieces of food are substantially uniform to promote alignment and arrangement into the substantially single layer on the bottom of the sealed pouch during microwave cooking. If one or more pieces of the food has a substantially different height or width, then that piece of food can push against the top of the sealed pouch, creating a tenting effect that moves the susceptor out of contact of the top surface of pieces of food that surround the outlier piece(s).
The sealed pouch can be formed from a flexible material defining a plurality of inflatable segments in a rectangular array having a susceptor on an interior surface of the sealed pouch. During microwave cooking, moisture is released from the frozen food, and potentially from material forming the sealed pouch, and inflates the inflatable segments, causing the susceptor on the interior surface to be pushed into contact with the food. The susceptor/food contact occurs from each of a top orientation (e.g., from the inflatable segment pushing the top of the interior surface downwards against the food) and a bottom orientation (e.g., from the food resting on the bottom of the interior surface) during microwave cooking which heats the susceptor through absorbance of the microwave energy emitted from the oven. Moisture is released through the vent permitting the frozen food pieces to roast within the pouch.
In various aspects, the sealed pouch includes opposing end seals and a longitudinal seal (e.g., a fin seal, a lap seal, etc.) to form the segmented material and susceptor material into the pouch shape and to provide openings to introduce frozen food to the interior and/or to provide regions to open the sealed pouch following the microwave cooking operation. The sealed pouch can include perforations or scoring to provide one or more regions that a consumer can tear portions of the sealed pouch to facilitate removal of the food. The one or more vents can be arranged to conform to an orientation of one or more of the seals of the pouch and one or more segments of the segmented material. For instance, the one or more vents can be positioned on a top surface of the sealed pouch, with the bottom surface being supported by the microwave oven, with the vent(s) spaced a sufficient distance from the seal to promote a chimney effect of moisture released during cooking. If the vent is spaced too closely to an end seal, then moisture released tends to expand the interior volume of the sealed pouch away from the food, causing the susceptor on the top surface to avoid contact with the food, thereby removing food/susceptor contact through multiple orientations and reducing the ability to roast, crisp, brown, or otherwise crisp the food. In an aspect, the sealed pouch can include a vent through a top surface of the sealed pouch extending lengthwise adjacent the longitudinal seal with at least two edges of the vent aligning with the rectangular array of inflatable segments where the at least two edges do not intersect an inflatable segment of the plurality of inflatable segments. For example, the vent can be arranged between rows of inflatable segments along the longitudinal seal. Alternatively or additionally, the sealed pouch can include one or more vents through an upper surface of the sealed pouch extending substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal seal with at least two edges of the vent aligning with the rectangular array of inflatable segments where the at least two edges do not intersect an inflatable segment of the plurality of inflatable segments. For example, the vent can be arranged between rows of inflatable segments transverse or orthogonal from the longitudinal seal.
The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures.
Features of the detailed description can be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the combinations set forth herein; rather, these combinations are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope. Among other things, the features of the disclosure can be embodied as frozen food packages and single-use pre-packaged frozen food packages for roasting the food in a microwave oven. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.
Microwave food packages are available in various configurations and compositions. For example, microwaveable pouches can be used to thaw and cook or reheat frozen foods. The pouches can be provided with vents to remove moisture expelled from the frozen foods during the microwave cooking/reheating process, which can provide a steamed food product without rupturing the pouch during the microwave process. Some microwave food packages include a susceptor material or layers thereof to absorb microwave energy and provide specific areas of heat to facilitate cooking or heating of foodstuff in proximity to the susceptor. Such configurations can facilitate roasting, crisping, browning, or otherwise cooking of the frozen food. Venting of moisture during a roasting process affects the quality of the food following cooking. If the microwave food package is unable to vent or otherwise separate the food from the released moisture, the food can absorb or soak in the moisture, resulting in undesirable texture, reduction in roasting, crisping, or browning, or other attributes that can be unappealing to consumers.
However, the configuration of vents through the material of the sealed pouch influences the ability of a susceptor to contact the food within the sealed pouch in unexpected manners. For instance, if the vent is positioned too closely to a sealed edge of the sealed pouch, then moisture released during the microwave process tends to expand the interior volume of the sealed pouch away from the food as steam is released through the vent. The removal of steam close to the sealed edge can cause the susceptor on the top surface to avoid contact with the food as the sealed bag expands or puffs outward and upward, thereby removing food/susceptor contact at the top of the sealed bag, which negatively impacts the ability to roast, crisp, brown, or otherwise crisp the food. Additionally, the surface area of the vents influences the amount of moisture released from the sealed bag during microwave cooking, but also removes surface area available for the presence of a susceptor material at the void occupied by the vent. If too much moisture is retained in the sealed pouch during cooking by having relatively small vent surface area, then the food may not showcase desirable levels of crispiness, browning, or the like, due to moisture reabsorption by the food. While a larger surface area for vents generally permits more moisture to be released from the sealed pouch during microwave cooking, the more surface area occupied by the vents, the less surface area that is available to the susceptor, reducing the ability of the sealed pouch to interface with the food from multiple points of contact.
The configuration of the vents can also influence the ability of a susceptor to contact the food within the sealed pouch dependent on the material used to form the sealed pouch. For example, in various aspects, single-use pre-packaged frozen food products are described that include a sealed pouch formed from a flexible material defining a plurality of inflatable segments having a susceptor on an interior surface with seals formed through the flexible material. During microwave cooking, the inflatable segments receive steam released from food into a cavity causing the inflatable segments to inflate, which in turn pushes the susceptor towards the interior of the sealed pouch into contact with the food. In aspects, the inflatable segments are arranged in a pattern, such as a rectangular array, where the positioning of vents relative to the pattern can influence the ability of the susceptor to contact food. For instance, while the vent occupies a surface area, it was determined that an area beyond the surface area occupied by the vent can be negatively affected based on the pattern of the inflatable segments relative to the vent positioning. If the vent intersects, pierces, or otherwise ruptures an inflatable segment, the surface area of that segment may not be pushed toward the interior due to an inability of that segment to inflate through the presence of the vent. In various aspects, vents are included that align with the pattern of the inflatable segments to minimize or otherwise reduce segment rupturing. Further, if too much moisture is removed (e.g., through too large a surface area for the vent), then insufficient amounts or pressure of moisture can be available to inflate the inflatable segments.
Referring generally to
In various aspects, the vent 104 includes a vent cover 106 to cover and seal the vent 104 in a closed configuration while the vent cover 106 is positioned over the vent 104. For example, the vent cover 106 can be positioned over the vent 104 to maintain a sealed interior during storage of the microwave food package 100 (e.g., in frozen storage) until the consumer is ready to introduce the microwave food package 100 to a microwave oven. In various aspects, the vent cover 106 is sealed to the vent 104 and detachable through a perimeter of perforations 108 (e.g., laser perforations through one side of the pouch 102), scoring, or other structure to hold the vent cover 106 in a removable state with respect to the vent 104 during storage, transportation, and the like. During use, a consumer can puncture the pouch 102 at the perforations 108 to remove the vent cover 106 and expose the interior of the pouch 102 to the external environment (e.g., microwave oven interior) via the vent 104 for moisture removal during microwave cooking.
The pouch 102 can be provided in various styles to facilitate frozen storage and subsequent roasting, crisping, browning, or otherwise cooking of the frozen food. For example, the pouch 102 can be configured as one or more of a stand-up bag (e.g., having a base supporting sidewalls extending vertically), a gusseted bag (e.g., having one or more inwardly-oriented sidewall gussets, gusseted base, etc.), a bag with expandable quilted segments (e.g., expanding inwardly during microwaving to contact the food therein), a rectangular bag, a rounded bag, an irregular bag, or the like. For instance, the pouch 102 is shown in a generally rectangular configuration with a bottom panel 110 configured to be supported by the microwave surface, a top panel 112 configured to be facing upwards during microwave cooking, and one or more seals to secure the bottom panel 110 and the top panel 112. Such a configuration permits a layer of the frozen food to be arranged across the bottom panel 110 to facilitate contact with the susceptor on the interior of the bottom panel 110 and on the interior of the top panel 112 to promote roasting, crisping, browning, or otherwise cooking of the frozen food through multiple points of contact of the susceptor surfaces with individual food pieces.
The pouch 102 includes opposing end seals 114, 116 connecting edges of the bottom panel 110 and the top panel 112 and a longitudinal seal 118 (e.g., shown as a fin seal) running across the top panel 112 extending between each of the opposing end seals 114, 116. The vent 104 is formed through the top panel 112 to be positioned at the top of the pouch 102 when seated within the microwave oven for cooking. The seals 114, 116, 118 can be formed through one or more sealing techniques including, but not limited to, heat sealing, ultrasonic sealing, adhesive seals, or the like, or combinations thereof In various aspects, one or more of the seals 114, 116, 118 can be configured to open to permit removal of the cooked food following microwave cooking. For example, a consumer can pull one or more of the seals 114, 116, 118 open following microwave cooking, one or more of the seals 114, 116, 118 can be configured to open during the microwave cooking process (e.g., by having a thinner seal area than other seals of the pouch 102), or combinations thereof, to permit removal of the cooked food without tearing of the pouch 102. Alternatively or additionally, the pouch can include a perforated portion to facilitate tearing of the pouch 102 to access the cooked food (e.g., via tear strip 120).
The microwave food package 100 can include a susceptor material (e.g., shown as reference character 400 in
The size and location of the vent 104 provides a unique combination of functionalities to the microwave food package 100 that acts in combination with the inflatable segments 122 that support the susceptor 400 and with the type, amount, and preparation of the food present in the sealed pouch 102 to facilitate a single-use pre-packaged frozen food product configured for roasting the food product in a microwave oven. The size of the vent 104 generally determines the amount of steam or moisture released from the food that can pass out of the sealed pouch 102. If the vent 104 is too large, then insufficient amounts of susceptor 400 are provided on the interior surface of the sealed pouch 102 and the amounts of steam held within the sealed pouch can be insufficient to inflate one or more of the inflatable segments 122, leading to undesirable roasting characteristics. If the vent 104 is too small, then insufficient amounts of steam or moisture are permitted to exit the sealed pouch during microwave cooking, leading to excess moisture being retained in the sealed pouch 102, which is available for reabsorption of the food, leading to undesirable texture or cooking/reheating characteristics. The vent 104 can be sized to occupy a surface area from about 1.5% to about 2.5% of a total interior surface area of the interior surface of the sealed pouch 102. In aspects, the term “total interior surface area” excludes areas of the interior surface occupied by the seals 114, 116, 118. For example, the vent 104 can occupy a surface area from about 1.5%, 1.55%, 1.6%, 1.65%, 1.7%, 1.75%, 1.8%, 1.85%, 1.9%, 1.95%, 2.0%, 2.05%, 2.1%, 2.15%, 2.2%, 2.25%, 2.3%, 2.35%, 2.4%, 2.45%, or 2.5% to about 1.5%, 1.55%, 1.6%, 1.65%, 1.7%, 1.75%, 1.8%, 1.85%, 1.9%, 1.95%, 2.0%, 2.05%, 2.1%, 2.15%, 2.2%, 2.25%, 2.3%, 2.35%, 2.4%, 2.45%, or 2.5% of a total interior surface area of the interior surface of the sealed pouch 102. In implementations, the vent 104 can occupy an interior surface area of the top panel 112 from about 3.0% to about 5.0% of the interior surface area of the top panel 112 (e.g., the total interior surface area minus the interior surface area of the bottom panel 110). For example, the vent 104 can occupy an interior surface area of the top panel 112 from about 3.0%, 3.1%, 3.2%, 3.3%, 3.4%, 3.5%, 3.6%, 3.7%, 3.8%, 3.9%, 4.0%, 4.1%, 4.2%, 4.3%, 4.4%, 4.5%, 4.6%, 4.7%, 4.8%, 4.9%, or 5.0% to about 3.0%, 3.1%, 3.2%, 3.3%, 3.4%, 3.5%, 3.6%, 3.7%, 3.8%, 3.9%, 4.0%, 4.1%, 4.2%, 4.3%, 4.4%, 4.5%, 4.6%, 4.7%, 4.8%, 4.9%, or 5.0% of the interior surface area of the top panel 112.
The positioning of the vent 104 relative to the positioning of the seals 114, 116 also was expectedly determined to influence the performance of the sealed pouch 102 during microwave operations. For instance, it was determined that if the vent 104 is spaced too closely to one of the seals 114, 116, then moisture released from the food during microwave cooking tends to expand the interior volume of the sealed pouch 102 away from the food. The expansion of the sealed pouch 102 surfaces away from the food causes the susceptor on at least the top surface (e.g., the interior surface of the top panel 112) to avoid contact with the food, thereby removing food/susceptor contact through multiple orientations and reducing the ability to roast, crisp, brown, or otherwise crisp the food. For instance, the vent 104 can be positioned on a top surface of the sealed pouch 102, such as through the top panel 112 with the vent 104 spaced a sufficient distance from the seals 114, 116 to promote a chimney effect of moisture released during cooking. The vent 104 can be positioned on the top panel 112 with a spacing (e.g., shown as L1 in
Additionally, the size and location of the vent 104 relative to the pattern of the inflatable segments 122 can influence the functionalities of the microwave food package 100. The sealed pouch is shown in
The amount of metallization for the susceptor can vary dependent on the area of the pouch 102. For instance, the susceptor facilitates roasting, browning, and crisping of food that is in direct contact with the metal, so more metal contact areas in the interior of the bag provide more locations for roasting, browning, and crisping of the food. The interior of the pouch 102 can include metallization coverage from about 80% to about 100% of the total surface area. For example, the interior of the bottom panel 110 and the top panel 112 can include a metallized surface covering from about 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, 100% to about 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, 100% of the total interior surface area. In an example implementation, the pouch includes a metallization coverage from about 90% to about 100% of the total interior surface area. Testing of the microwave food package 100 unexpectedly revealed that if the bottom panel 110 and the top panel 112 included metallization at the seal areas, then the susceptor-on-susceptor contact can generate sufficient heat to scorch or otherwise damage the paper/plastic layers of the pouch 102. Accordingly, in aspects, one or more portions of the seal 114, the seal 116, and/or the seal 118 includes no metallization or includes a reduced amount of metallization as compared to the contact areas with the food. For example, in an aspect, the seal 118 can include no metallization to avoid scorching of the material at or adjacent to the fin seal.
The vent 104 can be arranged in the pouch 102 according to one or more vent configurations. Referring to
Referring to
The pouch 102 is shown with the food item 50 (e.g., shown as broccoli in
Testing of the microwave food package 100 revealed that smaller, uniformly cut pieces tended to roast more evenly, such as with flat slices, cubed food pieces, or the like. For instance, in implementations, the food item 50 is included in the pouch 102 an amount sufficient to arrange the individual frozen food pieces of the food item 50 as a substantially single layer on the bottom panel 110 during microwave cooking. Arranging the pieces of the food item 50 as a substantially single layer permits the susceptor 400 on the bottom panel 110 and the top panel 112 to interact with two points of contact on multiple individual pieces of food, providing a roasted, crisped, or browned characteristics to multiple sides of the food item 50. The food item 50 can be portioned such that the pieces of food are substantially uniform to promote alignment and arrangement into the substantially single layer on the bottom panel 110 of the sealed pouch 102 during microwave cooking. If one or more pieces of the food item 50 has a substantially different height or width, then that piece of food can push against the top panel 112 of the sealed pouch 102, creating a tenting effect that moves the susceptor 400 out of contact of the top surface of pieces of food that surround the outlier piece(s). In implementations, the food item 50 is prepared such that individual pieces have a longest length that has a variance of less than about 50% of an average longest length of all pieces of the food item 50 present in the sealed pouch 102. In implementations, the food item 50 is sectioned into substantially uniform pieces (e.g., having a longest length that has a variance of less than about 50% of an average longest length of all pieces of the food item 50), individually quick frozen (IQF), and coated in oil prior to introduction to the interior volume 402 of the pouch 102.
The pouch 102 can be configured in various shapes and sizes to hold varying types and amounts of food. For example, the pouch 102 can be configured to hold single-serving amounts of food in a frozen state or multi-serving amounts of food in a frozen state. In various aspects, for a single-serving-sized pouch 102, the amount of food can be at or less than about 7.5 oz. Testing of the microwave food package 100 revealed that including greater than about 7.5 oz of food in a single-serving-sized pouch 102 (e.g., with the vent 104 configuration shown in
Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.
The present application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/395,566, entitled MICROWAVE FOOD PRODUCT WITH VENT FOR ROASTING, filed Aug. 5, 2022. U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/395,566 is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63395566 | Aug 2022 | US |