Microwave heating of certain frozen foods
OwnerMelvin L. Levinsoninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Certain frozen foods, as deep fat fried foods and baked and leavened products, are, during a microwave exposure, buffered against microwave edge and spot heating by enclosing said food within a microwave-permeable, vapor-resistant, heat-resistant enclosure which can employ a vapor release means. Where, within said enclosure and around said food, a microwave-permeable, transparent-to-liquid-and-oil-under-pressure, plastic film is enclosed in a water-and-oil-absorptive, microwave-permeable material and where the defrosting, heating and subsequent cooling can be temperature monitored, where the results can be varied by using water and salt water and where baked and leavened products useful life can be extended by the timely application of water.
Claims17
For use in a microwave oven, a food package which comprises:
- a microwave-permeable, non-liquid-absorptive inner member for covering a food,
- a plurality of openings, through said inner member, of sufficient size to permit liquid, food by-products to transfer across said inner member when said liquid, food by-products are in motion due to exposure of said food to microwave radiation and of sufficient size to prevent said transfer of said liquid, food by-products when said liquid, food by-products are not in motion due to exposure of said liquid, food by-products to microwave radiation,
- a microwave-pemeable, liquid-absorptive material in contact with, at least, a part of said inner member's outside surface, and
- an outer microwave-permeable, liquid-non-permeable, non-microwave-absorptive enclosure which forms a heating chamber and encloses said inner member and said liquid-absorptive material.
For use in a microwave oven, a microwave-permeable package which comprises:
- an inner, microwave-permeable member which encloses an inner heating chamber and which is fabricated to operate at temperatures 212.degree. F. and higher,
- means to permit the release of liquid from said inner chamber during an exposure of said package to microwave radiation and to limit the return to said inner chamber of said liquid subsequent said exposure to said microwave radiation,
- an outer, microwave-permeable member which defines an outer heating chamber which completely encloses said inner heating chamber and is designed to contain vapor, liquid and oil therein, and
- a liquid and oil absorptive material interposed between said inner member and said outer member and which completely encloses said inner heating chamber.
A method of defrosting and heating, in a microwave oven, a frozen food, the steps which include:
- enclosing said food in an inner, microwave-permeable plastic film which film contains a plurality of openings of sufficient size to permit the passage across said film of liquid-and-oil by-products of said food when under pressure due to exposing said food to microwave-radiation and of sufficient size to limit the passage across said film of said liquid-and-oil when said liquid-and-oil is not under said pressure due to said exposure to microwave radiation,
- completely enclosing said food and said inner film in an outer microwave-permeable container fabricated to contain vapor, water and oil therein,
- placing a water-and-oil-absorptive material between said inner film and said outer container, and
- exposing said food to microwave radiation until said food defrosts and heats.
In a method of heating a water porous food in a microwave oven, the steps which include:
- dispersing a charge of water in the pores of said food,
- enclosing and contacting said food with an inner, microwave-permeable container so fabricated as to permit the passage of unwanted liquid by-products of said food, when said unwanted liquid by-products are in motion due to an exposure of said food to microwave energy, from the inner food contacting surface of said inner container to the outer surface of said inner container and to impede the transfer of said unwanted liquid by-products from transferring back from said outer surface of said inner container to said inner food contacting surface,
- completely enclosing said food and said inner container in an outer microwave-permeable container so fabricated to contain liquid by-products therein,
- placing a microwave-permeable, liquid-by-product-absorptive member between said inner and outer containers, and subsequently
- exposing said food, so contained, to microwave radiation in said microwave oven.
In a method of reheating, in a microwave oven, certain prepared, crusted foods, the steps which include:
- selecting a food from the group consisting of crusted-baked-and-leavened foods, deep-fat-fried fowl, deep-fat-fried pizza rolls, and deep-fat-fried egg rolls,
- enclosing said selected food in an inner, microwave-permeable, perforated, plastic film, fabricated to operate at a temperature of at least 300.degree. F., so that said film covers and contacts the surface of said selected food,
- completely enclosing said selected food, in said film, in an outer microwave-permeable container fabricated to contain vapor, water and oil therein,
- placing a water-and-oil-absorptive material between said inner film and said outer container, and
- exposing said food to microwave radiation until said food defrosts and heats.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.