Apparatus for preserving cooked food palatability

An apparatus for preserving the palatability of a cooked food product having a predetermined volume, the apparatus comprising:

• a food holding cabinet having a plurality of food holding compartments, at least one of the food holding compartments including a heating element that maintains a temperature of the food holding compartment at an elevated, food holding temperature of 140° F. or greater;
• a food holding tray disposed within one of the food holding compartments;
• and
• an encapsulated environment device disposed within the food holding tray, the encapsulated environment device being made from a material impermeable to liquids and gases emitted from a cooked food product that is disposed within the encapsulated environment device, the cooked food product displacing a first volume,
• wherein an interior volume of the encapsulated environment device encloses the cooked food product within a predetermined headspace volume, the headspace volume being greater than one hundred percent of the first volume but less than one-thousand percent of the first volume.

A method of preserving the palatability of a cooked food product, the method comprising:

• cooking a food product, the food product displacing a first volume;
• placing the food product into an encapsulated environment device, the encapsulated environment device being made from a material impermeable to liquids and gases emitted from the food product, an interior volume of the encapsulated environment device enclosing the cooked food product within a predetermined headspace volume, the headspace volume being greater than one hundred percent of the first volume but less than one-thousand percent of the first volume;
• and
• maintaining the food product at an elevated temperature of at least 140° F. within the encapsulated environment device.