Patent Application
20060289517
The present invention relates generally to food technologies. More specifically, the present invention relates to microwave platforms for producing food products and methods of using same.
Markings such as grill marks give food a cooked appearance that consumers enjoy. Typically, grill marks on food products are associated with outdoor gas or charcoal grills when various food products such as meat and vegetables are cooked on a rack over a heat source. As one portion of the food is cooked more or less than another section of the food due to the rack, grill marks develop to distinguish the two sections. In a similar manner, indoor ovens or stoves may also be used to generate grill marks in food with the proper cookware.
Due to convenience and a reduction in time for food preparation, many people use microwave ovens to cook food products. Microwave ovens use microwaves (e.g. radio waves) to heat food. These radio waves are within a frequency range that causes them to be absorbed by molecules of water, fats and sugars in foods. These molecules become excited and give off heat. In microwave cooking, the radio waves penetrate the food and excite water and fat molecules pretty evenly throughout the food. Unlike conventional ovens and grills, there is heat everywhere all at once because the molecules are all excited together, and with some exceptions, foods cook quickly and evenly in microwave ovens. Unfortunately, consumers are not able to achieve similar aesthetically pleasing grill marks while using a microwave oven to cook food products.
It is therefore desirable to improve the aesthetic appearance of microwavable food products.
The present invention generally relates to the preparation of food. More specifically, the present invention relates to technologies that improve the aesthetic appearance of food, for example, the generation of grill marks on a microwavable food product.
In an embodiment, the present invention provides a microwave platform for generating grill marks on a microwavable food product, the microwave platform comprising a microwave susceptor, wherein the microwave susceptor defines at least one opening and wherein the microwave susceptor is capable of causing marks to be formed on the product when the product is microwaved.
In an embodiment, the microwave platform further comprises a base member attached to the microwave susceptor.
In an embodiment, the base member comprises a corrugated tubular member having flutes.
In an embodiment, the flutes comprise sinuous fluting.
In an embodiment, the microwave platform defines a plurality of slits.
In an embodiment, the slits have a width ranging between about 1/16 to about ¼ inch.
In an embodiment, the slits have a shape selected from the group consisting of straight, serpentine and combinations thereof.
In an embodiment, microwave platform has a height ranging between about 1/16 to about ½ inch.
In an embodiment, microwavable product is a dough-based product.
In an embodiment, the microwave platform has a shape selected from the group consisting of round, oval, polygon and combinations thereof.
In an embodiment, the microwave platform has a round shape with a diameter ranging between about 5 to about 12 inches.
In another embodiment, the present invention provides a microwave platform comprising a microwave susceptor and a corrugated tubular member having flutes for containing insulated air, the tubular member attached to the microwave susceptor to form the microwave platform, wherein the microwave platform defines a plurality of slits and wherein the microwave platform is capable of causing grill marks to be formed on the dough-based product when the dough-based product is microwaved.
In another embodiment, the present invention provides a method comprising: providing a microwave platform comprising a microwave susceptor and a base member attached to the microwave susceptor to form the microwave platform, wherein the microwave platform defines at least one opening; placing the microwavable product on the microwave platform; and microwaving the microwavable product at a sufficient power and time to generate marks on the microwavable product.
An advantage of the present invention is to improve the aesthetic appearance of microwavable food.
Another advantage of the present invention is to provide grill marks in microwavable food, especially dough-based products
Still another advantage of the present invention is to improve the overall quality of microwavable food.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention are described in, and will be apparent from, the following Detailed Description of the Invention and the figures.
The present invention generally relates to food technologies that improve the aesthetic appearance of food. More specifically, the present invention relates to microwave platforms for generating marks, for example, such as grill marks on food products and method of using same.
As illustrated in
The microwave susceptor 20 can be, for example, a metalized film that attracts microwave energy and transmits waves into heat which causes food product touching the susceptor 20 to cook more rapidly than the product not touching the susceptor 20. This may result in microwaved food products that are crisper and darker in the areas touching the susceptor 20 and lighter in the areas not contacting the susceptor 20 (i.e. the product part over the susceptor opening). Thus, the microwave susceptor 20 can generate grill marks on food products, especially dough-based products such as bread as illustrated in
In an embodiment, the microwave susceptor 20 may comprise a 48 gauge metalized (aluminum) Polyester film with an optical density of 0.26+/−0.03. The metalized film of the susceptor 20, for example, may be laminated to a 10 point or higher (thickness) paperboard or cup stock.
In an embodiment illustrated in
The base member 30 can comprise, for example, a corrugated tubular member 30 having flutes 40 for containing insulated air. The flutes 40 may comprise sinuous fluting or any suitable shape.
The susceptor 20 may be laminated or attached by adhesive to the corrugated medium 30 which can be, for example, a 17 lb Bleached (or unbleached) Kraft, B-flute. A, B, C, E and F flute can be used depending on the desired elevation of the platform.
As illustrated in
The microwave platform 10 may include one or more additional bases or supports above or beneath the base member 30 to provide structure support, height and/or rigidity to the microwave platform 10. The additional bases may be made of any suitable shape and material for their intended purposes.
The microwave platform 10 may also have any suitable height H for use in a microwave. Preferably, the microwave platform 10 has a height ranging between about 1/16 to about ½ inch.
The microwave platform 10 may have any suitable shape for use in a microwave. For example, the microwave platform 10 may have a round shape or oval shape. The microwave platform 10 may also have a polygon shape such as a triangle, square or rectangle.
The microwave platform 10 may have any suitable length for use in a microwave. Preferably, the microwave has a round or square shape with a diameter D or length, respectively, ranging between about 5 to about 12 inches.
In an alternative embodiment for generating marks on a microwavable product, the present invention provides a method comprising: providing a microwave platform 10 comprising a microwave susceptor 20, wherein the microwave platform 10 defines at least one opening; placing the microwavable product on the microwave platform 10; and microwaving the microwavable product at a sufficient power and time to generate marks on the microwavable product. In an embodiment of the method, the microwave susceptor 20 may include a base member 30 attached to the microwave susceptor 20 to form the microwave platform 10
It should be understood that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and without diminishing its intended advantages. It is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.
