Rapid preparation food product

Abstract

A production method for producing a food product comprising one or more stuffed pasta units and a condiment, wherein the stuffed pasta comprises: -a stuffing; and -a sheet of dough; wherein the stuffing is wrapped externally by the sheet of dough and comprises the following steps: - Processing a dough comprising at least one type of flour and egg; - Extruding the dough processed to form the sheet of dough; - Adding the stuffing to the sheet of dough; - Forming the stuffed pasta into the desired shape; - Pre-cooking the stuffed pasta; - Drying the stuffed pasta; - Cooling the stuffed pasta; - Adding the condiment. Method for cooking the food product instantaneously.

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION

[0002] RAPID PREPARATION FOOD PRODUCT

[0003] The present invention relates to a production method for producing a food product.

[0004] The present invention, in particular, is part of the food sector of pasta and its derivatives.

[0005] Pasta is typically understood to be a product obtained from wheat flour or other flours or mixtures of flours, and from a source of humidity to form a dough. The dough is then spread into sheets or extruded to form the end product having the desired format.

[0006] Pasta is thus generally understood to be a plurality of products, with geographical variations according to varieties and the preferred mix of ingredients.

[0007] In the prior art, types of dried pasta and fresh pasta are known; dried pasta is defined as a type of pasta that, after being extruded into the desired shape, is subjected to drying before being packaged. This type of solution enables packaged pasta to be kept for long periods of time at ambient temperature.

[0008] Nevertheless, dried pasta requires a lengthy cooking process that varies according to the shape of the pasta and the use of dedicated instruments such as saucepans and colanders and a direct source of heat like a stove or hob. If, moreover, the pasta is accompanied by a condiment, the preparation process is more laborious.

[0009] In the prior art, solutions are known that enable pasta cooking times to be reduced: the cooking time can in fact be reduced by partially dehydrating the pasta or subjecting the dried pasta to a pre-cooking process before packaging the pasta.

[0010] These solutions on the one hand do reduce cooking times but on the other hand they require the pasta to be stored in the refrigerator at a temperature that is thus less than ambient temperature: the presence of humidity inside the dough in fact makes the product deteriorate more rapidly. Storage duration and storage conditions thus constitute the main limits of products made from pre-cooked pasta.

[0011] A further solution that is known in the industry consists of subjecting the pasta to a lyophilisation process before packaging so as to extend product storage life even outside the refrigerator. The product obtained by lyophilisation can then be rehydrated subsequently by adding hot water to the packaged product.

[0012] The prior-art lyophilisation process nevertheless has limits that are not insignificant.

[0013] Firstly, both the lyophilisation process and subsequent cooking must be properly calibrated in terms of time and temperature in order to obtain optimum storage conditions and subsequent cooking conditions for a given type of product, in this case, for a given type of pasta.

[0014] Further, lyophilisation processes are known in the industry for pasta having water and wheat flour as main ingredients. Lyophilisation and cooking methods are therefore calibrated on this type of pasta, being unsuitable for other types.

[0015] The types of pasta excluded from prior-art lyophilisation processes include the different formats of egg pasta and stuffed egg pasta. These latter products come in various shapes, depending on geographical area and local culinary tradition.

[0016] The different types of egg pasta are in fact at most subjected to a process of partial dehydration or packaging in a protected atmosphere that extends product storage life to a limited extent. They must also be stored in a refrigerator. Further, these processes shorten cooking times only partially and require cooking instruments like saucepans and direct sources of heat to be used.

[0017] Further, product deterioration, together with the use of ingredients closely linked to the geographical area of origin, makes the product less or hardly sourceable outside the geographical area of origin. The object of the present invention is accordingly to offer a pasta-based product, in particular based on stuffed pasta, and a method for producing and cooking this product that is able to overcome the obvious limits of the prior art.

[0018] Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent in the following detailed description of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] The object of the present invention is, firstly, a food product.

[0020] The food product preferably comprises one or more units of stuffed pasta; the food product further comprises a condiment.

[0021] The stuffed pasta comprises in turn a stuffing wrapped externally by a sheet of dough. The stuffing can comprise one or more ingredients and take on different textures.

[0022] The sheet of dough is preferably a dough comprising one or more types of flour, mixed together with a source of humidity. The food product according to the present invention preferably but not exclusively comprises a sheet of dough made from wheat flour and egg.

[0023] Egg is defined as both the yoke and the egg white, or either the yoke or the egg white.

[0024] Other flours or other ingredients designed to provide humidity can be advantageously used to constitute the sheet of dough of the food product. The food product, as mentioned above, also comprises a condiment. Condiment is typically defined as an element accompanying the stuffed pasta. Sauces and broths are examples of condiments. Various variations in the sauce and broths are known in the food industry; other types of condiment are moreover not excluded.

[0025] In a first embodiment, the food product thus comprises the stuffed pasta and a sauce as a condiment.

[0026] In a second embodiment, the food product comprises the stuffed pasta and a broth as a condiment.

[0027] In a third preferred but non exclusive embodiment, the food product comprises a regional speciality, i.e. tortellino, as a stuffed pasta and a broth as a condiment; tortellino is defined as a typical speciality of region Emilia-Romagna, in which the sheet of dough comprises wheat flour and egg and the stuffing is meat-based.

[0028] The food product, according to the present invention, is obtained by a production process.

[0029] The object of the present invention is thus also a production method for producing the food product, in which the food product, as disclosed previously, comprises the stuffed pasta and the condiment.

[0030] The production method according to the present invention, in particular, uses a plurality of machinery and work processes in order to form the food product from the chosen raw materials. Further, the production method according to the present invention comprises further processing steps, intended to cause pre-cooking of the food product and to create storage conditions that are an improvement on the equivalent prior art.

[0031] In detail, the production method for producing the food product comprises the steps disclosed in the following paragraphs.

[0032] Firstly, selected raw materials are combined and worked to obtain a dough; the aforesaid raw materials are preferably but not exclusively wheat flour and egg. These raw materials are the basic ingredients of the dough. Other raw materials usually used in the pasta industry can be introduced in addition to or instead of the raw materials mentioned.

[0033] During formation of the dough, the ingredient proportions are taken into account; further, during formation of the dough, the times and temperature of the dough processing are taken into account. The aim of the dough formation step is to obtain a dough that is not only optimum from the taste point of view but acquires specific features that make the dough workable in the subsequent production steps. Specific characteristics in the dough formation step are defined as, for example, but not exclusively, an appropriate level of humidity of the dough and a sufficient development of the protein lattice of the wheat flour, or of another type of flour used, inside the dough.

[0034] Once it is obtained, the dough is extruded; in particular, the dough is extruded to form sheets of dough of a set thickness; preferably, the dough is extruded in the form of sheets of dough of reduced thickness. The sheets of dough obtained are cut into sections: each section constitutes the sheet of dough of a unit of stuffed pasta. In other words, the sheet of dough of each unit of stuffed pasta is obtained by cutting sections of a set dimension from the sheets of dough formed by extrusion.

[0035] The dough extruded into thin sheets of dough is then transmitted to a subsequent station in which the stuffing is added: the excess sheet of dough is removed here.

[0036] The method according to the present invention thus comprises a step of forming the units of stuffed pasta: at the end of the forming step, the stuffing is wrapped by the sheet of dough. In this step, the stuffed pasta takes on the desired format. Depending on the type of stuffed pasta, the dimensions of the sheet of dough, the shape of the sheet of dough, the ingredients of the stuffing and the quantity thereof are variable. With reference to the preferred but not exclusive embodiment of the food product after the forming step, the sheet of dough comprising wheat flour and egg is wrapped and folded around the meat stuffing, in order to form a tortellino.

[0037] Intuitively, it is possible to apply the process to other types of stuffed pasta, combining different types of stuffing and sheets of dough and conferring the desired specific final shape.

[0038] In other words, the method according to the present invention enables not only the dough parameters and the quantities of ingredients to be adapted but also the type of final shape that it is intended to obtain for each type of stuffed pasta.

[0039] The formed stuffed pasta is then subjected to pre-cooking. Pre-cooking is defined as the process that enables the stuffed pasta to be partially cooked. Preferably, but not exclusively, the pre-cooking step is performed by administrating steam flowing at controlled pressure into a chamber containing the units of stuffed pasta. Pre-cooking advantageously causes hydration of the protein lattice that developed during the dough-making step. The pre-cooking step, advantageously, makes cooking times for the stuffed pasta shorter for the end user, who purchases the aforesaid food product. Further, the pre-cooking step makes the sheet of dough and thus the stuffed pasta more digestible.

[0040] Once the stuffed pasta is pre-cooked, excess humidity is dried off and it is cooled. The steps of drying and cooling the stuffed pasta are performed in order to make the product less degradable over time. In other words, the drying and cooling steps advantageously cause an extension of the storage life for the stuffed pasta and consequently for the food product.

[0041] In a first embodiment, the drying step causes partial dehydration of the units of stuffed pasta.

[0042] In a further embodiment, the drying step, combined with cooling, in particular with freezing, causes lyophilisation of the units of stuffed pasta.

[0043] The processing method comprises the further step of adding the condiment.. The condiment is preferably but not exclusively added in dehydrated form. Preferably, the condiment is added in lyophilised form.

[0044] The food product obtained by the disclosed process advantageously enables a product to be obtained that is based on stuffed pasta that has a more extended storage life than prior-art stuffed pasta. In particular, the food product, comprising the partially dehydrated stuffed pasta and the partially dehydrated condiment, can be stored in the refrigerator for about 60 days. Even more advantageously, the food product, comprising the stuffed pasta and the lyophilised condiment, can be stored outside the refrigerator for an even longer time.

[0045] Thus advantageously, the food product, owing to the pre-cooking step, can be cooked by the end consumer with very short cooking times.

[0046] Thus advantageously, the food product obtained with the method disclosed above enables the end consumer to finish cooking by decreasing the quantity of energy used for this purpose.

[0047] Advantageously, the production method for producing the food product enables a packageable and transportable product to be obtained in view of the improved stability and decreased degradability thereof.

[0048] The food product can in fact be packaged in a container comprising a containing portion and a cover portion. The cover portion is preferably of the type that is at least partially removable from the containing portion; also preferably, the cover portion is further repositionable on the containing portion after being at least partially removed.

[0049] The food product, packaged in the container, owing to the greater stability thereof, can thus be stored and transported easily: a further advantage of the food product and of the production method for producing the product according to the present invention is that, especially in the case of products of the local tradition, the food product can be more easily found even outside the geographical area.

[0050] As detailed in the preceding paragraphs, the production method according to the present invention enables the end consumer of the food product to limit cooking times significantly. In particular, the food product is designed to be cooked instantaneously. Owing to the pre-cooking step and owing to the correct dehydration or lyophilisation process, complete cooking of the food product can be obtained in a short time; for example, the time necessary for obtaining complete cooking of the food product corresponds to about 2-3 minutes.

[0051] A further object of the present invention is thus a method for cooking the food product instantaneously, in which the food product, as disclosed, comprises the stuffed pasta and the condiment in a partially dehydrated or lyophilised form according to the processing method comprising the previously disclosed steps.

[0052] The instantaneous cooking method that is the subject-matter of the present invention comprises the following steps.

[0053] -Preheating a liquid until it reaches an optimum cooking temperature; preferably, but not exclusively, the liquid is water; nevertheless, other liquids can be used. The optimum cooking temperature varies according to the type of food product, in particular on the basis of the type of stuffed pasta. Preferably, but not exclusively, the optimum temperature is near boiling temperature. Preferably, but not exclusively, the optimum temperature is 90 degrees;

[0054] -Removing at least partially the cover portion from the containing portion of the container;

[0055] -Pouring inside the containing portion containing the food product a set quantity of the liquid preheated to the optimum cooking temperature;

[0056] -Repositioning the cover portion on the containing portion;

[0057] -Waiting for a set cooking time; the set cooking time is, for example but not exclusively, 2-3 minutes;

[0058] -Removing the cover portion of the container.

[0059] The steps listed above cause instantaneous cooking of the food product. Cooking the food product thus occurs preferably by rehydration of the partially dehydrated or lyophilised stuffed pasta and of the partially dehydrated or lyophilised condiment. Different optimum cooking temperatures and different optimum cooking times can be established in order to obtain cooking of a wide variety of products based on stuffed pasta.

[0060] The instantaneous cooking method according to the present invention can further comprise one or more steps of mixing the food product. For example, but not exclusively, cooking the food product instantaneously can comprise the step of Mixing the food product before the step of pouring inside the containing portion for containing the food product a set quantity of the liquid preheated to the optimum cooking temperature.

[0061] Further, or alternatively, the method for cooking the food product instantaneously can comprise the step of Mixing the food product after the step of Pouring inside the containing portion for containing the food product a set quantity of the liquid preheated to the optimum cooking temperature.

[0062] Advantageously, the method for cooking the food product instantaneously that is formed by the production method according to the present invention enables an evenly cooked product to be obtained in a short time.

[0063] Advantageously, the cooking method according to the present invention enables the food product to be cooked without using further instruments, like saucepans and direct sources of heat.

[0064] The cooking method according to the present invention, owing to the previous production process, has the advantage of maintaining at the end of cooking the taste and typical texture of the corresponding fresh product cooked according to traditional methods.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A production method for producing a food product comprising one or more stuffed pasta units and a condiment, wherein the stuffed pasta comprises:-a stuffing; and-a sheet of dough; wherein the stuffing is wrapped externally by the sheet of dough; characterised in that it comprises the following steps:- Processing a dough comprising at least one type of flour and egg;- Extruding the dough processed to form the sheet of dough;- Adding the stuffing to the sheet of dough;- Forming the stuffed pasta into the desired shape;- Pre-cooking the stuffed pasta;- Drying the stuffed pasta;- Cooling the stuffed pasta;- Adding the condiment.

2. The production method according to claim 1 wherein the condiment is at least partially dehydrated;3. The production method according to claim 2 wherein the condiment is lyophilised.

4. The production method according to claim 1 wherein the step of drying the stuffed pasta and the step of cooling the stuffed correspond to a process of lyophilisation of the stuffed pasta.

5. The production method according to claim 1 wherein the step of pre-cooking the stuffed pasta occurs with flowing steam and controlled pressure.

6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the stuffed pasta is a tortellino.

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the condiment is a broth.

8. The method for cooking a food product instantaneously, packaged in a container, having a portion for containing the food product and a cover product, comprising the following steps:-Preheating a liquid until it reaches an optimum cooking temperature;-Removing at least partially the cover portion from the containing portion of the container;-Pouring inside the containing portion containing the food product a set quantity of the liquid preheated to the optimum cooking temperature;-Repositioning the cover portion on the containing portion;-Waiting for a set cooking time;-Removing the cover portion. characterised in that the food product is of the type claimed in claims 1 - 7.

9. The method according to claim 8 comprising the step of mixing the food product before the step of pouring inside the containing portion for containing the food product a set quantity of the liquid pre-heated to the optimum cooking temperature.

10. The method according to claims 8 or 9, comprising the step of mixing the food product after the step of pouring inside the containing portion for containing the food product a set quantity of the liquid preheated to the optimum cooking temperature.

11. The method according to claim 8 wherein cooking occurs by rehydrating the stuffed pasta and the condiment of the food product.

12. The method according to claim 8 wherein the food product is packaged in a protected atmosphere in the container.

13. The method according to one of claims 8 or 12 wherein the container is at least partially recyclable.

14. The method according to claim 13 wherein the container is at least partially biodegradable.

15. A food product comprising one or more units of stuffed pasta and a condiment, characterized in that:-it is produced by the production method according to claims 1 -7; and-it is subjected to cooking through the instantaneous cooking method according to claims 8-14.