Packaged Frozen Ready-Made Meal

Abstract

Packaged frozen ready-made meal including a flared receptacle made of a rigid material permeable to microwaves, containing a first frozen food component at the bottom, a second frozen food component having a substantially plate-like shape, having a substantially fluid consistency at a temperature above 0° C., and a closure element, wherein the second frozen food component having a substantially plate-like shape is engaged in the manner of a plug with the internal wall of the receptacle, spaced apart from the first frozen food component.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates in general to the technical field of frozen ready-made meals.[0002]More particularly, the present invention relates to a packaged frozen ready-made meal, suitable for heating in a microwave oven, comprising at least two food products intended to come into contact with one another at the time of consumption.[0003]The present invention also relates to a method for the production of the frozen ready-made meal of the invention.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0004]To meet the needs of an ever-growing number of consumers who do not always have the time or the means necessary for preparing a hot meal in a conventional manner, the food industry has long been making available various packaged food products suitable for being rapidly cooked, heated or reconstituted, thus allowing the preparation of hot meals in little time and with the aid of few pieces of equipment or kitchen tools.[0005]Such products are usually referred to as “ready-mad...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention is a packaged frozen ready-made meal that includes a flared receptacle containing two food components, one of which is a cereal-based frozen food and the other a tomato-based condiment. The receptacle is designed to allow the two food components to mix and cook in the microwave. The meal also includes a closure element made of a rigid plastic material that seals the receptacle and allows for controlled pressure and heating. The closure element has holes that allow for the release of steam during heating. The meal can also be stored in a cardboard container to prevent excessive heating and scalding. The invention solves the problem of a separate lid and provides a convenient support stand for the container. The method for producing the packaged ready-made meal involves introducing the first food component and then the second food component into the flared receptacle in a spaced apart manner.

Problems solved by technology

This solution has the drawback, however, of producing a meal which is often disappointing from an organoleptic point of view, because the prolonged contact between the various components of the product during production of the ready-made meal and during its subsequent thawing and heating causes migration of the water from one component to the other, which causes a deterioration in its texture and flavour.

Moreover the product may be unevenly heated, with certain parts of the product which are overcooked or too dry or even burnt, having been exposed to heat for an excessively long time, and with other parts having been exposed for too short a time, for example the innermost parts, which are still cold and in certain cases even still frozen at the time of consumption.

Moreover the possible need to remove films or even only to mix the product during or after heating obliges the consumer to perform a number of preparation steps with a consequent waste of time, the need to soil kitchen tools and the risk of staining clothes or of soiling the work surfaces and the surfaces of the oven.

This solution, though more satisfactory compared to that described previously, suffers from the drawback of requiring a somewhat complex and therefore relatively costly packaging.

Moreover it can happen that, owing to production defects or simply owing to chance, the hole does not allow the easy passage of the fluid condiment, for example in the case wherein the hole becomes clogged at the passage of the condiment.

Moreover such packaging is not suitable for use with sauces including granulated ingredients as the latter could clog the hole.

This entails a limitation in the range of recipes which are suitable for being used in association with this packaging.

Although it may be satisfactory from an organoleptic standpoint, this solution appears, however, somewhat work-intensive in that it involves the consumer performing numerous operations during the entire preparation of the ready-made meal.

Moreover, in order to perform these operations, the consumer is forced to interrupt the heating process, with the result that there will be two heating steps.

This, as well as being demanding on the consumer who must actively attend to the preparation of the ready-made meal, also entails a slowing-down of the preparation time of the ready-made meal with consequent additional disadvantage for the consumer.

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