Food products having handheld holders, food holders, and methods of serving foods
A chilled food product comprising a generally flat holder, a foldable food supported on the holder which food comprises a generally flat dough-based material supporting at least one edible filling or topping, and a removal wrap containing the holder and the food. The holder comprises a base, first and second sides adjacent the base, and a pair of lines of weakness between the base and the first and second sides, respectively, wherein the lines of weakness facilitate folding of the sides of the holder and the foldable food into a folded food product after cooking the unwrapped chilled product. The cooked folded food can be handheld in a comfortable manner via the holder. The holder also can incorporate means to aid increasing the exposure or repositioning of the cooked folded food while contained in the holder for eating convenience. Holders having flaps or slots to improve access to held foods also are provided. A method of serving packaged chilled food products incorporating the holder also is provided.
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This invention relates to food products, food holders, and more particularly to food products having food holders to facilitate their consumption.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONSandwich products, such as pita bread sandwiches (e.g., gyro sandwiches), are popular handheld foods, which do not require eating utensils. Preassembled frozen sandwiches are often sold at retail locations and can be cooked or warmed up by customers on-site using a rapid heating oven, such as a microwave oven, provided at the same location. These retail locations include convenience stores having stand-up food preparation capabilities in which frozen foods can be sold, cooked onsite, and then eaten on-site or off-site by customers. Freezing the sandwiches increases the product's shelf life and helps preserve the freshness of the product until defrosted and cooked. Heating the sandwiches not only defrosts the food items but also makes them more savory for the customer.
Frozen folded sandwich products often do not have a uniform thickness, and thus can be difficult to efficiently store in shipping boxes or in retail freezers provided on-site at retail locations as their shapes are not conducive to vertical stacking. Also, a consumer may find it uncomfortable to directly grasp a heated sandwich. In addition, a warmed sandwich may contain juices, fillings, or condiments, which are more apt to transfer or drip onto the consumer's hand if directly held. These problems may be aggravated if a consumer wants to transport and eat the cooked sandwich outside the retail location where it was purchased and cooked.
There is a need for arrangements by which refrigerated or frozen sandwiches or other food items can be more conveniently stored and cooked, and, after being cooked, consumed by hand in a more tidy, comfortable and portable manner.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe invention relates to food products and food holders useful with them. In one embodiment, a chilled food product comprises a generally flat holder, a foldable food comprising a generally flat dough-based material supporting at least one edible filling or topping wherein the foldable food is supported on the holder, and a removal wrap containing the holder and the food, wherein the holder comprises a base, first and second sides adjacent the base, and a pair of lines of weakness between the base and the first and second sides, respectively, and wherein the lines of weakness facilitate folding of the sides of the holder and the foldable food into a folded sandwich type product after cooking the unwrapped chilled product. The holder may be thermally insulative and may be made of an inexpensive disposable, recyclable material, such as corrugated paperboard. The foldable food item may be a pizza, or a sandwich, such as a gyros sandwich or other pita-based sandwich configured similarly to a frozen pizza in its unfolded flat position to facilitate storage, transport, handling and/or retail sale of both sandwiches and pizzas together.
The holder is adapted to be reconfigured from an initial flat orientation into a folded orientation. The initial flat holder orientation is advantageous as a support surface upon which an open sandwich may be assembled thereon and as a support during freezing, packaging, storage and cooking. The folded holder orientation is advantageous as it concomitantly effects folding of the cooked food item and acts as a container allowing the cooked food item to be handheld in a comfortable and convenient manner during consumption. The need for a consumer to directly contact a hot food is eliminated, and transfer or drippage of food filling or topping material(s) to consumer's hand or clothes is reduced. Also, the chilled (e.g., frozen or refrigerated) food products comprising the flat holder and open food item assemblies of embodiments herein have a convenient shape for packaging and stacking during handling, storage and retail display of the chilled food products.
In other embodiments, a holder is provided which can be used in the chilled food product, in which the holder has an integral flap portion and/or slot allowing a consumer to manually push or slide the folded food item towards the opposite end of the holder to increase the exposure of the food item while still held in the holder for added eating convenience. The holder also can have perforated fold lines which also can be manually torn, allowing a part or parts of the holder to be manually bent away from the folded food item, or manually removed from the holder, to increase the exposure of the folded food item contained in the remaining portion of the holder for added eating convenience.
A method of serving packaged frozen or refrigerated food products incorporating the food holder is also provided.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. Similarly numbered elements in different figures represent like features unless indicated otherwise.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to
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The scored blank 101 is particularly useful for holding a food item developed in a folded pita or pizza format, and the like. In one embodiment, the scored blank is generally circular in shape, although other blank shapes also may be used. The circular shape generally has a diameter suitable for retaining and folding of a food item supported thereon as described herein while being hand-held. The circular shape, for instance, may have a diameter of approximately 4 to 8 inches (102 to 203 mm). In a preferred embodiment, the shape of the blank generally corresponds to the peripheral shape of a food item to be supported and folded thereon. For instance, a square-shaped sandwich or pizza also may be supported upon a square-shaped blank having approximately the same dimensions.
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As indicated, at least one sandwich filling or pizza topping, as applicable, is deposited on the upper exposed surface 46 of the bread or crust layer 44. For example, in preparing gyros sandwiches, seasoned precooked meat slices, shredded lettuce, tomato slices, and Tzatziki (yogurt cucumber) sauce may be applied to the top exposed surface of pita bread. For preparing a pizza product, tomato sauce, cheese, vegetable topping, and/or a meat topping, and so forth, may be applied onto a flat pizza crust, which preferably is a circular or square-shaped crust having a diameter suitable for being held by hand when folded in half. These unfolded food assemblies 40 are also referred to herein as “open sandwiches.”
The food item 40 and supporting blank 101 are then packaged, such as by placing and enclosing the food item/blank assembly (40/101) within a plastic wrapping bag 48. The blanks and open sandwiches or other comparable food items can be conveniently packaged, for example, with conventional packaging equipment and arrangements used for packaging of frozen pizzas. The packaged food item and blank assembly (40/101) may then be frozen rapidly to provide a frozen food product, which is maintained under freezing conditions during handling and storage to preserve the food product until unwrapped and cooked for consumption.
After removing the packaging wrap of the frozen food product, the frozen food item and holder blank are placed in heating device, preferably a rapid heating oven, such as a microwave oven, and heated up while still supported on the blank. Once heated, the holder acts a container to aid holding of the food item as it is eaten and/or transported, and helps to protect the consumer's hand from the heated food product. In particular, after heating the food item on the flat holder, the combination is removed from the oven and the holder is manually folded from opposite sides at a pair of the parallel scores lines. This folds the blank and also the food item in a corresponding manner. The arrangement of fold lines assures that when folded, the blank will fold about both of the parallel fold lines, instead of about only one of them. The resulting folded blank provides a food holder having a generally horizontal base portion which separates the folded angled sides of the blank. The intervening spacing formed above the base portion and between the inner faces of the sides of the holder accommodates the folded food item. This arrangement permits the user to compress the sides of the holder from the outside of the holder by hand to grip the food item in place with a single hand while holding and eating it without unduly squeezing or distorting it (see
The food holder blank 101 is made of a foldable material, which is sufficiently heat-tolerant to withstand the thermal conditions associated with reheating the sandwich, pizza or other food item supported on it. For example, the foldable material may be paperboard, such a mono-layered paperboard, or corrugated paperboard (commonly referred to as cardboard). Corrugated paperboard is generally preferred because it sufficiently stiff, yet foldable, as well as being a relatively good thermal insulating material due to the fluted structure thereof defining interior air pockets. Also, the food holder blank 101 also may include a susceptor layer or film. That is, the blank 101 may have a multi-layer construction comprising a paperboard layer or cardboard portion, and a microwave susceptor layer (e.g., a thin metal layer) provided on an exposed side of blank which will face the food item, in order to facilitate heating of a food item supported on the blank when it is cooked or heated in a microwave oven.
Suitable corrugated paperboard or cardboard generally comprises a corrugated medium or fluted paper layer that is sandwiched between two generally flat paper liners. Methods of manufacturing corrugated paperboard are well known in the art. For instance, a corrugated medium typically is formed in a machine, which moistens or steams a generally flat paper web to soften and make it more pliable prior to passing it between a pair of toothed corrugating metal rolls geared to run in complement to each other. The corrugating rollers impress permanent parallel flutes in the paper perpendicularly to the machine direction. The flutes typically are defined by a regular pattern of alternating ridges and grooves. The flutes often are oriented straight and parallel to each other, but may be sinusoidal. In cross section, a flute may be S-shaped, C-shaped, Z-shaped, or have any other configuration known in the art. After a corrugated medium is formed, the tips of the flutes on one side of the medium are adhered or otherwise joined to the surface of a flat paper liner to produce single-faced corrugated paperboard. Double-faced corrugated paperboard is made by adhering or otherwise joining paper liners to the flute tips on both sides of the corrugated medium. Food grade adhesives, such as food grade starch-based adhesives, preferably are used to join the component layers of the corrugated paperboard. The corrugated paperboard preferably has a thin continuous edible wax coating (e.g., paraffin wax film), or another food compatible moisture barrier coating provided on at least the food contacting side of the cardboard.
The corrugated paperboard should be sufficiently rigid and stiff such that it does not readily distort when compressive forces of a hand are applied to it, but is flexible enough that it can be folded at score or crease lines in manners described herein without tearing or rupturing.
In one non-limiting example, the corrugated paperboard is constructed of wax-coated Kraft paper liners (plain or bleached), and a corrugated medium comprising Kraft paper and has an overall board thickness suitable for supporting and folding food products in accordance with embodiments of the invention such as described herein.
The paper liners may be preprinted with instructions, logos, etc. The paper liners also may be bright white clay coated in a conventional manner before being wax coated. This minimizes porosity and improves printability.
Additional advantageous configurations of the holder are also embodied by the present invention, which are described below.
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While the invention has been particularly described with specific reference to particular process and product embodiments, it will be appreciated that various alterations, modifications and adaptations may be based on the present disclosure, and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims.
Claims
1. Chilled food product comprising a generally flat holder, a foldable food comprising a generally flat dough-based material supporting at least one edible filling or topping wherein the foldable food is supported on said holder, and a removal wrap containing the holder and the food, wherein said holder comprises a base, first and second sides adjacent the base, and a pair of lines of weakness between the base and the first and second sides, respectively, and wherein the lines of weakness facilitate folding of the sides of the holder and the foldable food into a folded food product after cooking the unwrapped chilled product.
2. The chilled food product of claim 1, wherein said holder comprises a foldable paperboard blank having a peripheral shape selected from the group consisting of circular, semi-circular, oval, and polygonal, or a combination thereof.
3. The chilled food product of claim 2, wherein said holder comprises a sheet material selected from the group consisting of cardboard and paperboard.
4. The chilled food product of claim 1, wherein said holder has at least one pair of parallel lines of weakness formed therein, said pair of parallel lines of weakness extending adjacent a given diametrical axis of said holder, and wherein said pair of parallel lines of weakness comprise a first line of weakness arranged on one lateral side of the diametrical axis and a second line of weakness arranged on the opposite lateral side of the diametrical axis.
5. The chilled food product of claim 1, wherein the first and second sides are foldable via the pair of lines of weakness sufficient to make absolute angles greater than about 45° with the base.
6. The chilled food product of claim 1, wherein the lines of weakness are selected from the group consisting of crease scored lines, cut scored lines, and intermittent perforated lines.
7. The chilled food product of claim 1, wherein said holder has at least two pair of parallel lines of weakness formed therein, said two pair of parallel lines of weakness defining non-congruent diametrical axes of said holder to facilitate folding of said holder and said food in at least two different modes.
8. The chilled food product of claim 4, said holder comprises a first food holding portion and integral arched flap portion at one end thereof, which portions merge at an additional line of weakness which is arranged in an orientation generally perpendicular to and intersecting said parallel lines of weakness, whereby the arched flap portion is manually foldable allowing a food item contained in the holder to be manually pushable towards an opposite end of the holder to expose more of the food item held in the holder.
9. The chilled food product of claim 1, wherein said holder further comprises at least one perforated line arranged in an orientation generally perpendicular to and intersecting the parallel lines of weakness, said perforated line adapted to be manually rupturable to allow displacement of at least one flap portion of the holder sufficient to expose more of a folded food item held in the holder.
10. The chilled food product of claim 4, wherein said holder further includes a pair of parallel fold lines extending parallel to and further distanced from the diametrical axis than said pair of parallel lines of weakness, wherein at least one of said fold lines is adapted to allow an outer portion of a side of the holder to be bent in a direction away from the folded food to expose more of the food held in the holder.
11. The chilled food product of claim 4, wherein the lines of weakness comprise perforated lines adapted to be manually rupturable, whereby a holder portion located between the pair of lines of weakness is adapted to be manually curled towards a folded food item contained in the holder allowing the food item to be manually pushable towards an opposite end of the holder to expose more of the sandwich held in the holder.
12. The chilled food product of claim 4, wherein the food holder further comprises at least one slot opening in the blank which extends substantially parallel to the diametrical axis which is adapted to allow insertion of a finger to push a food item held in the container in a direction parallel to the diametrical axis.
13. The chilled food product of claim 12, wherein the slot is formed in a base portion of the blank located between the pair of lines of weakness.
14. The chilled food product of claim 12, wherein at least one side of the holder includes a slot opening which extends substantially parallel to the diametrical axis is adapted to allow insertion of a finger to push a food item held in the holder in a direction parallel to the diametrical axis to expose more of the food item held in the holder.
15. The chilled food product of claim 1, wherein said foldable food comprises a frozen food.
16. The chilled food product of claim 1, wherein said food is selected from the group consisting of a sandwich and a pizza.
17. The chilled food product of claim 1, wherein said holder comprises a microwave suscepting layer.
18. Food holder comprising a generally flat paperboard blank having at least one pair of parallel lines of weakness formed therein extending adjacent a given diametrical axis of said holder to define a base and first and second sides adjacent the base, wherein the sides are foldable via the pair of lines of weakness, and further including a pair of parallel fold lines extending parallel to and further distanced from the diametrical axis than said pair of parallel lines of weakness, wherein at least one of said fold lines is adapted to allow an outer portion of a side of the holder to be bent in a direction away from the folded food to expose more of a food when held in the holder.
19. Food holder comprising a generally flat paperboard blank having at least one pair of parallel lines of weakness formed therein extending adjacent a given diametrical axis of said holder to define a base and first and second sides adjacent the base, wherein the sides are foldable via the pair of lines of weakness, and further including at least one slot opening in the blank which extends substantially parallel to the diametrical axis which is adapted to allow insertion of a finger to push a food item held in the container in a direction parallel to the diametrical axis.
20. A method for serving food products, comprising:
- preparing food products comprising a generally flat, foldable corrugated paperboard holder and a foldable food supported on said holder, said foldable food comprising a generally flat dough-based material supporting at least one edible filling or topping, wherein said holder comprises a base, first and second sides adjacent the base, and a pair of lines of weakness between the base and the first and second sides, respectively, wherein the lines of weakness facilitate folding of the sides of the holder and the foldable food;
- packaging the food products in removal wrapping material, providing wrapped food products;
- chilling the wrapped food products to provide a plurality of chilled food products;
- removing the wrap from at least one said chilled food products to provide an unwrapped holder and chilled food;
- cooking the unwrapped holder and chilled food in an oven; and
- folding the holder along said plurality of lines of weakness sufficient to fold the holder and food into a folded food product from which the food is consumable.
21. The method of claim 20, wherein the chilling comprises freezing the foldable foods.
22. The method of claim 20, wherein the cooking comprises heating the unwrapped holder and chilled food in a microwave oven.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 16, 2005
Publication Date: Sep 21, 2006
Applicant: Kraft Foods Holdings, Inc. (Northfield, IL)
Inventors: Nicholas David (Chicago, IL), Paul Cogley (Chicago, IL), Angela Dodge (Schaumburg, IL)
Application Number: 11/080,470
International Classification: B65D 81/32 (20060101);