Reheatable Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Maltodextrin Coating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional reheatable food products prepared in toasters or microwaves from frozen or refrigerated states often fail to maintain taste and eating characteristics, lacking effective methods for uniform reheating and moisture retention.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a butter mixture with maltodextrin and breadcrumbs, applied to bread surfaces, grilled to create a crispy exterior, then frozen and reheated using a combination of toasting and microwaving to restore freshness and flavor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If conventional reheating methods are used on frozen or refrigerated food products, then cooking speed is improved, but taste and eating characteristics deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a butter mixture coating to the bread surface before freezing, which serves as a preliminary protective action. This coating contains maltodextrin and breadcrumbs that create a barrier layer, preventing moisture loss and maintaining texture during subsequent freezing and reheating processes, thus preserving taste and eating characteristics while enabling quick reheating
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the physical and chemical parameters of the bread surface by applying a butter mixture with specific composition (butter, maltodextrin, breadcrumbs) and controlling its application parameters (spread to edges, specific amounts). This parameter change creates a protective surface layer that maintains product quality during rapid reheating from frozen or refrigerated states
2Reliability
If a butter mixture with maltodextrin and breadcrumbs is applied to bread surfaces, then moisture retention and texture are improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functional ingredients (butter for fat content, maltodextrin for moisture retention, breadcrumbs for texture) into a single butter mixture that is applied together. This merging of materials and functions into one coating step simplifies the manufacturing process while achieving multiple objectives: moisture retention, texture improvement, and taste enhancement
Solution Approach 2:
The butter mixture serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a moisture barrier, provides structural support during freezing, enhances taste, and creates the desired crispy exterior upon reheating. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate treatments and maintains manufacturing simplicity while achieving superior product quality
3Manufacturing precision
If the butter mixture is spread to edges of the bread surface, then uniform heating and crispy exterior are improved, but material usage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the butter mixture specifically to the first surface of each bread slice and spreads it to the edges, creating a localized coating where it is most needed for heat distribution and crispy exterior formation. The filling surfaces do not require the same coating, so the butter mixture is applied selectively rather than uniformly across all surfaces, optimizing both heating uniformity and material efficiency
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
The method ensures a crispy exterior, enhanced heat transfer, and moisture retention, resulting in a fresh-tasting product with improved texture and flavor, as demonstrated by a blind taste test preferring the method's reheatable grilled cheese sandwich over a comparable product.
Implementation Method 1
grilling the food product until the first surfaces are golden brown
Implementation Method 2
the reheating includes microwaving the food product for 15 to 60 seconds
Implementation Method 3
the reheating includes toasting the food product for at least one cycle
Data Source
AI summary
A method for producing a reheatable food product includes mixing butter, maltodextrin and breadcrumbs so as to form a butter mixture, obtaining a first slice of bread and a second slice of bread, spreading the butter mixture onto a first surface of the first slice of bread and a first surface of the second slice of bread, applying 5 g to 70 g of a filling to the second surface of the first slice of bread, positioning the second slice of bread on the filling such that the second surface of the second slice of bread is adjacent thereto to form the food product, grilling the food product until the first surfaces are golden brown, and compressing the food product to a thickness of 0.56 inches to 0.75 inches while grilling, freezing the food product to a frozen state, reheating the food product.