Multi-compartment cooking tray and methods related thereto
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Solution Overview
Problem
Microwaveable food products with disparate cooking parameters and water content often result in unsatisfactory texture and taste when cooked together, as existing multi-compartment trays require complex user instructions and handling procedures.
Innovation Solution
A tray with separate compartments, one equipped with a crisping susceptor for higher temperature cooking and the other without, connected by a hinge allowing for easy transfer of cooked food items to combine textures, featuring sloped sidewalls for facilitated ejection and a sealing flange for easy handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If multiple food products with disparate cooking parameters are packaged together in a single compartment, then packaging simplicity is improved, but cooking quality and texture are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging is divided into multiple separate compartments, each designed to accommodate different food products with disparate cooking parameters. This segmentation allows each food item to be cooked independently under optimal conditions while maintaining a simplified single-packaging structure, thereby resolving the contradiction between packaging simplicity and cooking quality.
2Reliability
If separate compartments are used for different food products, then cooking quality is improved, but user handling complexity is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple compartments designed for different cooking functions are merged into a single integrated packaging unit that can be cooked together in one microwave cycle. The compartments are positioned and dimensioned to allow simultaneous heating without requiring users to separate, transfer, or manually manipulate the different food products, thus maintaining cooking quality while simplifying user handling.
3Loss of time
If food products are cooked together in the same compartment, then cooking time is reduced, but texture and moisture control are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging is segmented into multiple compartments that allow different food products to be cooked simultaneously in one microwave cycle while maintaining separate micro-environments for each food item. This segmentation enables precise control over texture and moisture for each product type without requiring separate cooking operations, thus reducing total cooking time while maintaining texture control precision.
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
Enables cooking of multiple food items to desired textures and moistures simultaneously, preventing sogginess and ensuring crispy results without manual handling of hot food, enhancing the mouthfeel and taste of meal combinations.
Implementation Method 1
a crisping susceptor is disposed within the cavity of the first compartment
Data Source
AI summary
A tray for cooking different food products is provided. The tray includes a first compartment and a second compartment. A hinge extends between the first compartment and the second compartment such that the first compartment is able to be moved relative to the second compartment for causing a content within the first compartment to move into the second compartment. The tray further comprises a crisping susceptor disposed within one of the compartments.