Abstract:
A method of coating a wide variety of foodstuffs with tasty marshmallow material simply by enclosing foodstuffs with marshmallows in the same container that permits gaseous venting, but otherwise secures the enclosed foodstuffs. Microwaving the container for one minute or less causes the marshmallow, responding to the microwaves, to radically expand many times its original size. The expanding marshmallow quickly and conveniently coats the secured foodstuffs in the container with a layer of marshmallow material to produce a tasty food treat. The addition of a stick or other handling means is highly desirable, as is a means of easily extracting the food treat from the enclosure and aids in keeping hands clean while eating the food treat.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 119 to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/712,150 entitled “Microwave Cooking Container,” which was filed on Oct. 10, 2012, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       SEQUENCE LISTING OF PROGRAM 
       [0003]    Not Applicable 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The present invention relates to the method of making food snacks and more particularly to making snacks in a microwave safe cooking container using marshmallows that greatly expand when exposed to microwave radiation coating the contents of the container with marshmallow. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    In today&#39;s busy life, many people don&#39;t have time to make snacks from scratch and settle for buying ready to eat snacks. People save time, but the trade off invariably includes extras in the snack that people would prefer not to eat such as artificial colorings and preservatives. People would prefer making snacks themselves and controlling the ingredients, but even making simple snacks like popcorn balls or Rice Krispies® treats typically takes 20 to 30 minutes of prep and cooking time. Plus the chore dirties multiple dishes, uses multiple ingredients and may requires the use of a stove and possibly a candy thermometer. Besides buying ready to eat snacks such as popcorn balls or Rice Krispies® treats one can make snacks the conventional ways using a stove or oven and spend lots of time prepping and cooking. For example, recipes for making popcorn balls requires combining sugar, water, corn syrup, vinegar, salt in a pot on the stove where the ingredients need to be heated to 255 degrees (hard ball stage). Recipes for Rice Krispies® treats require combining butter and marshmallows heated in a pot until everything is melted and then add the Rice Krispies®. Mix and place the mixture in battered pan and serve when cold. There are a number marshmallow related snack making devices in the prior art such as the “Microwave Food Stabilizing Device” (U.S. application Ser. No. 12/134,034) that makes the popular “S&#39;mores” snack. The device works in the microwave and uses the microwaves to heat up the S&#39;more&#39;s sandwich consisting of Graham crackers, chocolate bar and marshmallow. A holding device is used to prevent the marshmallow from expanding beyond the S&#39;mores sandwich. Another marshmallow snack making device found in the prior art is the “Marshmallow toasting device”, (U.S. Pat. No. 3,744,403). The electric device attempts to toasts the marshmallows like it was cooked outside on an open fire, but without burning and cooking evenly. The listed solutions don&#39;t allow snacks to be made in one minute or less, will dirty more than one dish, may require the use of a stove and other specialized equipment such as a candy thermometer. From the prior art listed, the “Microwave Food Stabilizing Device” makes a S&#39;mores snack quickly in the microwave oven, but the design is limited to making only S&#39;mores and the marshmallow restraining arm teaches away from the proposed method and device that wants the marshmallow to expand and fill the cooking container coating the entire contents with marshmallow. Where as the “Marshmallow toasting device” uses heat for toasting, not a microwave oven, so the marshmallow being toasted does not expand nor expected to operate like the proposed method and device. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    A delectable marshmallow based snack may be produced following the method of placing at least one marshmallow into a microwave safe container and placing at least one other foodstuff like popped popcorn, Rice Krispies®, nuts, and other snack-food ingredients in the same container. The container opening is closed with a lid that permits gaseous venting, but otherwise secures the enclosed foodstuffs. The closed container is placed into a microwave oven and cooked for one minute or less. The microwaves cause the marshmallow to radically expand around the secured foodstuffs coating each piece with marshmallow material producing a delectable snack like a Rice Krispies® treat in under a minute. 
         [0007]    Thus it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for making a marshmallow based snack in one minute or less. 
         [0008]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for making a marshmallow based snack with one or more foodstuffs. 
         [0009]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for making a marshmallow based snack crunchy or chewy by varying the cook time and/or marshmallow count. 
         [0010]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for making a marshmallow based snack that uses the expanding marshmallow to “carry along” other flavorings such as Caramel to the contained foodstuffs. 
         [0011]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for making a marshmallow based snack that is entertaining due to the interesting expanding marshmallow behavior that occurs when marshmallow is exposed to microwaves. 
         [0012]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for making a marshmallow based snack that automatically coats the contained ingredients with a coating of marshmallow without any external mixing of the foodstuffs and marshmallow. 
         [0013]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for making a marshmallow based snack where the cooking container may also be used as a serving container with or without a handling device. 
         [0014]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for making other types of snacks such as small cakes in the same cooking container. 
         [0015]    It is another object of the present invention that the cooking container permits gaseous venting. 
         [0016]    It is another object of the present invention that the cooking container be microwave safe and be strong enough to deal with forces and heat generated by the expanding marshmallow during the cooking process 
         [0017]    It is another object of the present invention that the cooking container be transparent so users can watch the expanding marshmallow as it coats everything in the container 
         [0018]    It is another object of the present invention that the cooking container have a reserved place for a marshmallow to maximize the viewing time of the interesting expanding marshmallow behavior that occurs when marshmallow is exposed to microwaves. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0019]    A complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the accompanying drawings, when considered in conjunction with the subsequent, detailed description, in which: 
           [0020]      FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of an assembled push up snack making container; 
           [0021]      FIG. 1B  is an exploded view of a push up snack making container; 
           [0022]      FIG. 2A  is a perspective view of a push up snack making container partially assembled showing a marshmallow inside; 
           [0023]      FIG. 2B  is a perspective view of a push up snack making container partially assembled showing popped popcorn inside; 
           [0024]      FIG. 2C  is a perspective view of an assembled push up snack making container with marshmallow and popped popcorn inside; 
           [0025]      FIG. 2D  is a perspective view of a push up snack making container rotated 180 degrees with the base removed providing access to the cooked snack; 
           [0026]      FIG. 3A  is a perspective view of an assembled sphere snack making container; 
           [0027]      FIG. 3B  is an exploded view of a sphere snack making container; 
           [0028]      FIG. 3C  is a perspective view of an assembled sphere snack making container with snack size reducer installed; 
           [0029]      FIG. 4A  is a perspective view of a sphere snack maker container partially assembled showing a marshmallow inside; 
           [0030]      FIG. 4B  is a perspective view of a sphere snack maker container partially assembled showing popped popcorn inside; 
           [0031]      FIG. 4C  is a perspective view of an assembled sphere snack maker container with marshmallow and popped popcorn inside; 
           [0032]      FIG. 4D  is a perspective view of a sphere snack making container rotated 180 degrees with the bottom removed providing access to the cooked snack; 
           [0033]      FIG. 5A  is a perspective view of a multiple spheres holder with assembled microwave popcorn cooking enclosure; 
           [0034]      FIG. 5B  is a perspective view of a multiple spheres holder with microwave popcorn cooking bowl removed; 
           [0035]      FIG. 6A  is a perspective view of a tray snack making container with lid separated; 
           [0036]      FIG. 6B  is a right perspective view of a tray snack making container with lid separated; 
           [0037]      FIG. 7A  is a perspective view of a tray snack making container with marshmallow inside; 
           [0038]      FIG. 7B  is a perspective view of a tray snack making container with popped popcorn inside; 
           [0039]      FIG. 8A  is a perspective view of an assembled tray snack making container with marshmallow and popped popcorn inside; 
           [0040]      FIG. 8B  is a perspective view of a tray snack making container with lid removed providing access to the cooked snack; 
           [0041]      FIG. 9A  is a perspective view of a tray snack making container with no cup and lid separated; 
           [0042]      FIG. 9B  is a right perspective view of a tray snack making container with no cup with marshmallow inside and lid separated; 
           [0043]      FIG. 10A  is a perspective view of an assembled pod cooking chamber with a glass vessel; 
           [0044]      FIG. 10B  is a perspective view of a pod cooking chamber disassembled with marshmallow inside; and 
           [0045]      FIG. 11A  is a perspective view of a pod cooking chamber disassembled with marshmallow inside and popped popcorn inside the glass vessel; 
           [0046]      FIG. 11B  is a perspective view of an assembled pod cooking chamber with marshmallow inside and popped popcorn inside the glass vessel. 
       
    
    
       [0047]    For purposes of clarity and brevity, like elements and components will bear the same designations and numbering throughout the Figures. 
       DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0048]    In accordance with the present invention, a delectable marshmallow based snack may be produced following the method of placing at least one marshmallow  12  into the base  14  of the container followed by the placement of at least one other foodstuff such as popped popcorn, Rice Krispies®, nuts, and other snack-food ingredients in the same container. The top  40 , which permits gaseous venting and includes a plunger  36  assembly as shown in  FIG. 1B , is attached to the container so the contained foodstuffs  24  are secured inside the container and cannot leave while cooking. The container is then moved to the microwave oven where it is cooked for a measured period of cooking time such as one minute or less. After cooking is complete, the container is rotated 180 degrees so the top  40  is now on the bottom. The base  14  is removed and the plunger  36  is pushed up to serve the just made snack. Making the container composed of multiple components that connect together using threading  20 , friction-fit and other connection methods will allow for the described functionality. 
         [0049]    While in the microwave oven, marshmallow, when exposed to microwaves forcefully expands in all directions, releases steam and liquefies at the same time. Placing a marshmallow in a vented container and applying microwaves, the expanding marshmallow coupled with the release of steam quickly moves towards the vents to escape. By placing foodstuffs, secured from leaving the container, in between the marshmallow and the vents forces the expanding marshmallow to fill in the gaps surrounding each foodstuff piece thereby coating each piece. As the expanding marshmallows coats the foodstuffs and given enough foodstuffs, the force and available marshmallow material is greatly reduced so only steam exits the vents. A side benefit of the expanding marshmallow is the process is visually entertaining as the foodstuffs get enveloped by the expanding marshmallow. One can also add an additional flavor to a snack by placing an additional foodstuff such as caramel in the container (not shown) in close proximity of the marshmallows. When the container and its contents are exposed with microwaves, the caramel liquefies becoming a flavoring agent that is carried by the gas and liquid of the expanding marshmallow where it is intermixes and coats the other foodstuffs. 
         [0050]    Varying the cooking time can change the texture of the snack, making the snack more chewy or more crunchy. A longer cooking time causes the marshmallow to behave more like melted sugar that hardens when cooled thereby producing a crunchier snack. A short cooking time causes the marshmallow to stay mushy producing a chewier snack. Any sizes of marshmallows can be used in the steps to produce a tasty snack such as jumbo, regular and miniature. The use of miniature marshmallows or relatively small chunks of marshmallow can be directly intermixed with the foodstuffs and using a shorter cooking time can result in less marshmallow expansion and a resulting food snack that contains visible chucks of melted marshmallow intermixed in the foodstuffs. 
         [0051]    Referring to  FIGS. 1A and 1B  shows a Pushup  46  style snack making container composed of multiple components that works for both cooking and serving a cooked snack. All parts are composed of known microwave oven safe materials such as plastics, silicones or glass.  FIG. 1A  shows the assembled container.  FIG. 1B  shows the container is made up of components that include a base  14 , sleeve  38 , plate  42 , plunger  36  and top  40 . The sleeve  38  is shown to be transparent to show the entertaining cooking process of the contained snack materials being enveloped while cooking. The sleeve  38  is attached to the base  14  by threading  20  it into the base  14  for a secure fit. Other attaching methods are possible besides threading  20  such as a clamp or make the sleeve  38  interlock with the base  14 . The top  40  is similarly attached to the sleeve  38 . The plunger  36  is attached to a plate  42  that contains one or more vent slots  44  that permits gaseous venting to pass through while cooking a snack. The plunger  36  and plate  42  assembly slides up and down through the top  40  providing a push-up style serving ability that can push up the cooked snack for eating. The top  40  contains one or more vents  22  to also permit gaseous venting to exit the container while cooking a snack. 
         [0052]    Referring to  FIGS. 2A ,  2 B,  2 C and  2 D shows the snack making process using the Pushup  46  container.  FIG. 2A  shows the step of a partial assembled Pushup  46  container where a fluffy confectionary such as a marshmallow  12  has been placed into the base  14 . A single marshmallow  12  is shown, but multiple or different sized marshmallows could be used.  FIG. 2B  shows the step of a partial assembled Pushup  46  container where the sleeve  38  has been filled with one or more foodstuffs  24  such as popped popcorn though the foodstuffs  24  could include others such as Rice Krispies®, nuts, and other snack-food ingredients. Additional marshmallow  12  pieces could also be intermixed with the foodstuffs  24  to make a more chewy, marshmallowy snack.  FIG. 2C  shows the step of the assembled Pushup  46  container containing both the marshmallow  12  and foodstuffs  24 . The container takes the next step of being cooked in a microwave oven allowing the marshmallow  12  to expanded coating the contained foodstuffs  24  with liquefied marshmallow  12 . The time needed in a typical microwave oven for a four ounce snack is about 30 seconds.  FIG. 2D  shows the resultant step of rotating the Pushup  46  container with the cooked snack, removing the top  40  of the container and pushing up on the plunger  36  making the snack available for eating. The steps just outlined allows one to make a tasty snack in seconds, but the order of the steps and/or number of steps serve only as guideline to make a snack. For example, you might eliminate the initial marshmallow placement step and just include miniature marshmallows intermixed with the foodstuffs that get placed into the container on the next step. 
         [0053]    Given the container is microwave safe and has a venting means it is possible to cook other types of food snacks without marshmallows such as a small cake. Making cakes in the microwave oven are well known in prior art and the proposed step would be to simply replace the marshmallow  12  with cake batter and eliminate the addition other foodstuffs  24 . It would be possible to add a few chocolate chips on top  40  of the batter for a tastier snack. The container would be closed and placed in a microwave oven to cook for one minute or less. 
         [0054]    An alternate embodiment makes a delectable marshmallow  12  based snack in a sphere  48  type container that dissembles allowing it to become a serving container. Referring to  FIGS. 3A ,  3 B and  3 C shows a Sphere  48  style snack making container that works for both cooking and serving a cooked snack. All parts are composed of known microwave oven safe materials such as plastics, silicones or glass.  FIG. 3A  shows the assembled container.  FIG. 3B  shows the container is made of components that include a bottom  50 , cover  16 , cap  34  and stick  10 . The cover  16  and bottom  50  are shown to be transparent to show the entertaining cooking process of the contained snack materials being enveloped while cooking. The bottom  50  is attached to the cover  16  by threading  20  them together for a secure fit. Other attaching methods are possible besides threading  20  such as a clamp or make the cover  16  interlock with the bottom  50 . The cap  34  is similarly attached to the cover  16 . The cap  34  contains one or more vents  22  to permit gaseous venting to exit the container while cooking a snack. A hole in the cap  34  is also provided for a stick  10  to pass though. The stick  10  holds the marshmallow  12  in place in the sphere  48  bottom  50  and serves as a handle for greater convenience in holding and eating the snack.  FIG. 3C  shows the container assembled with a reducer  28  disk that has been added on to the stick  10  and placed in the Sphere  48  cover  16 . The reducer  28  disk prevents foodstuffs  24  from filling up the cover  16  resulting in a smaller size snack. The reducer  28  disk has one or more vent slots  44  that permits gaseous venting. 
         [0055]    Referring to  FIGS. 4A ,  4 B,  4 C and  4 D shows the snack making process using the Sphere  48  container.  FIG. 4A  shows the step of a partial assembled Sphere  48  container where a fluffy confectionary such as a marshmallow  12  has been placed into the bottom  50 . A single marshmallow  12  is shown, but multiple or different sized marshmallows could be used. A stick  10  is shown piercing the marshmallow  12  and standing up.  FIG. 4B  shows the step of a partial assembled Sphere  48  container where the bottom  50  has been filled with one or more foodstuffs  24  such as popped popcorn though the foodstuffs  24  could include others such as Rice Krispies®, nuts, and other snack-food ingredients. Additional marshmallow  12  pieces could also be intermixed with the foodstuffs  24  to make a more chewy, marshmallowy snack.  FIG. 4C  shows the step of the assembled Sphere  48  container containing both the marshmallow  12  and foodstuffs  24 . The container takes the next step of being cooked in a microwave oven allowing the marshmallow  12  to expanded coating the contained foodstuffs  24  with liquefied marshmallow  12 . The time needed in a typical microwave oven for a four ounce snack is about 30 seconds.  FIG. 4D  shows the resultant step of rotating the Sphere  48  container with the cooked snack downward and removing the bottom  50  of the container. Once the bottom  50  has been removed the snack is available for eating while holding on to the stick  10  to keep your hands clean. The steps just outlined allows one to make a tasty snack in seconds, but the order of the steps and/or number of steps serve only as guideline to make a snack. For example, you might first add the foodstuffs  24  into the container and then add the marshmallow  12  before cooking. 
         [0056]    Referring to  FIGS. 5A and 5B  shows a holder  52  that is able to hold multiple Sphere  48  shaped snack containers. The holder  52  is composed of known microwave oven safe materials such as plastics, silicones or glass. Besides holding multiple Sphere  48  shaped snack containers the holder  52  contains a microwave popcorn  24  cooker consisting of a pan  54  and removable bowl  56 . 
         [0057]    An alternate embodiment makes a delectable marshmallow  12  based snack in a simple tray  66  type container. The container includes a reserved spot just for the marshmallow  12  allowing the snack shape not be affected by the actions of the marshmallow  12 . 
         [0058]    Referring to  FIGS. 6A and 6B  shows a Tray  66  style snack making container that works for both cooking and serving a cooked snack. All parts are composed of known microwave oven safe materials such as plastics, silicones or glass. The container is composed of a form  30 , cup  32  and lid  18 . The form  30 , cup  32  and lid  18  are shown to be transparent to show the entertaining cooking process of the contained snack materials being enveloped while cooking. The lid  18  is attached to the form  30  with a simple stretch fit where the lid  18  is a flexible material like silicone that is stretched over the form  30  for a secure fit. Other attaching methods are possible besides stretch such as a clamp or make the lid  18  interlock with the form  30 . The lid  18  contains one or more vents  22  to permit gaseous venting to exit the container while cooking a snack. 
         [0059]    Referring to  FIGS. 7A ,  7 B,  8 A,  8 B,  9 A and  9 B shows the basic snack making process using the Tray  66  container.  FIG. 7A  shows the step of a partial assembled Tray  66  container where a fluffy confectionary such as a marshmallow  12  has been placed into the cup  32  below the form  30  bottom. A single marshmallow  12  is shown, but multiple or different sized marshmallows could be used.  FIG. 7B  shows the step of a partial assembled Tray  66  container where the form  30  has been filled with one or more foodstuffs  24  such as popped popcorn though the foodstuffs  24  could include others such as Rice Krispies®, nuts, and other snack-food ingredients. Additional marshmallow  12  pieces could also be intermixed with the foodstuffs  24  to make a more chewy, marshmallowy snack.  FIG. 8A  shows the step of the assembled Tray  66  container containing both the marshmallow  12  and foodstuffs  24 . The container takes the next step of being cooked in a microwave oven allowing the marshmallow  12  to expanded coating the contained foodstuffs  24  with liquefied marshmallow  12 . The time needed in a typical microwave oven for a four ounce snack is about 30 seconds.  FIG. 8B  shows the resultant step of removing the lid  18  from the form  30 . Once the lid  18  has been removed the snack is available for eating. The steps just outlined allows one to make a tasty snack in seconds, but the order of the steps and/or number of steps serve only as guideline to make a snack.  FIG. 9A  shows a Form  30  container and an open screen  68  in place of a solid lid  18  with vent  58  holes. The use of an open screen  68  will secure the foodstuff in the form  30  and allow more venting if additional marshmallows are used.  FIG. 9B  shows the form without the cup  32  to hold the marshmallow  12  as shown in  FIGS. 6A and 6B  is not used in this embodiment. Instead, the marshmallow  12  is placed on the form  30  back as shown and the remaining steps followed. 
         [0060]    An alternate embodiment makes a delectable marshmallow  12  based snack using an marshmallow  12  cooking container that sprays liquefied marshmallow  12  toward or into a vessel  62  containing other foodstuffs  24 . Referring to  FIGS. 10A ,  10 B,  11 A and  11 B shows a snack making setup consisting of a Pod  60  shaped container with a movable vent  58  in the shape of a hose that can be directed into a vessel  62 . All parts are composed of known microwave oven safe materials such as plastics, silicones, ceramics or glass. The container and vessel  62  are transparent to show the entertaining cooking process of the expanding marshmallow  12  and spraying of the expanded marshmallow  12 . 
         [0061]      FIG. 10A  shows the snack making setup consisting of a pod  60  shaped container made up of two pieces, the pod top  72  and the pod base  70  with appropriate threading  20  so the two pieces can be closed together for an air tight fit. The movable vent  58  exits the pod top  72  and permits venting from inside the container which can be directed.  FIG. 10B  shows the step of the partial assembled pod  60  container split into two pieces where a fluffy confectionary such as a marshmallow  12  has been placed into the pod base  70 . A single marshmallow  12  is shown, but multiple marshmallows or different sized marshmallows could be used. One can add additional flavors to the snack by using a flavoring agent such as a caramel that liquefies when heated by microwaves. Placing the caramel in the container (not shown) in close proximity of the marshmallows where the caramel becomes a flavoring agent that is carried by the gas and liquid of the expanding marshmallow  12  as it sprays onto the foodstuffs  24  contained in the vessel  62  when the contents of container are exposed to microwaves.  FIG. 11A  shows the step of a partial assembled pod  60  and the vessel  62  that has been filled with one or more foodstuffs  24  such as popped popcorn though the foodstuffs  24  could include others such as Rice Krispies®, nuts, and other snack-food ingredients. Additional marshmallow  12  pieces could also be intermixed with the foodstuffs  24  to make a more chewy, marshmallowy snack.  FIG. 11B  shows the step of the assembled Pod  60  container containing the marshmallow  12  and foodstuffs  24  placed into the vessel  62 . The container takes the next step of being cooked in a microwave oven causing the marshmallow  12  to expanded in the pod  60  spraying liquefied marshmallow  12  through the movable vent  58  onto the foodstuffs  24  contained in the vessel  62 . The time needed in a typical microwave oven for a four ounce snack is about 30 seconds. After the microwave use, the vessel  62  can be removed from the microwave and the newly created snack eaten. The steps just outlined allows one to make a tasty snack in seconds, but the order of the steps and/or number of steps serve only as guideline to make a snack. For example, you might first add the foodstuffs  24  into the vessel  62  and then add the marshmallow  12  into the pod  60  before cooking. 
         [0062]    Since other modifications and changes varied to fit particular operating requirements and environments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention is not considered limited to the example chosen for purposes of disclosure, and covers all changes and modifications which do not constitute departures from the true spirit and scope of this invention.