Multi-Compartment Meal Tray for Steam Cooking and Texture Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current cooking methods, including fast food and prepared meals, lack nutritional value and often result in uneven cooking and ingredient degradation, while existing microwave containers fail to separate food components effectively, leading to undercooked or overcooked results.

Innovation Solution

An ovenable cooking apparatus with separate compartments for different food components, allowing steam from a lower compartment to cook upper compartment contents, maintaining ingredient integrity and allowing for customizable meal assembly post-cooking.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If food components are mixed together in a single container for cooking, then cooking time is reduced and convenience is improved, but cooking uniformity deteriorates and ingredient integrity is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecooking timeVSAvoidcooking uniformity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The cooking apparatus is divided into multiple separate compartments, each designed to hold specific food components. This segmentation allows different foods to be cooked simultaneously in separate sections while maintaining uniform cooking conditions, thus improving both cooking efficiency and cooking uniformity without compromising ingredient integrity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Stability of the object's composition

If a separator is configured to latch into place for use with the container, then structural stability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to difficulty in accessing and removing the separator

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructural stabilityVSAvoidease of separator removal

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The separator is designed with dynamic characteristics that allow it to transition between a stable latched position during cooking and an easily removable position after cooking. The separator can be quickly released and removed from the container without requiring complex tools or procedures, thus maintaining both structural stability and ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Quantity of substance

If all food ingredients are frozen in a large mass for foodservice preparation, then storage efficiency is improved, but cooking time increases and food quality deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage efficiencyVSAvoidcooking time

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The frozen food mass is divided into multiple separate compartments, each containing specific ingredients. This segmentation allows for more efficient thawing and cooking processes, reducing overall cooking time while maintaining storage efficiency. Each compartment can be processed independently, improving food quality and reducing the risk of overcooking or undercooking individual ingredients.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

4Ease of operation

If food components are cooked together in a mixture, then convenience is improved, but texture quality deteriorates due to loss of crispiness and ingredient degradation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecooking convenienceVSAvoidtexture quality

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The cooking apparatus uses separate compartments to maintain physical separation of food components during cooking. This segmentation preserves the texture and quality of individual ingredients, particularly maintaining crispiness of certain foods, while still providing the convenience of simultaneous cooking. After cooking, components can be easily assembled into the final dish.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This solution enables healthier, more nutritious meals with improved texture and flavor, as food components are cooked uniformly and separately, reducing cooking time and preserving the crispiness of ingredients.

Implementation Method 1

the first food component in the first compartment is heated until at least a portion of the first food component boils

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSteam generation through boiling: Boiling

Implementation Method 2

the steam is utilized to cook the second food component in the second compartment

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSteam cooking: Evaporation

Data Source

PatentUS8850964B2Cooking method and apparatus

Publication Date: 2014.10.07 CONAGRA FOODS RDM INC

AI summary

An ovenable cooking apparatus for facilitating the cooking of food components while maintaining the separateness thereof includes a first container for holding a first food component, and a second container for holding a second food component. The separation of the first food component from the second food component maintains the surface area for the first and second food components to facilitate heating of the first and second food components. The first food component may have a liquid based content for producing steam when heated, and one or both of the first container and the second container may define a passage for providing airflow and steamflow for contacting the second container and/or the second foodstuff and heating or steaming the second food component. Additionally, the second container may be steam impermeable for cooking bread and the like.