Abstract:
A food tray device for maintaining food warm or cold is disclosed. The food tray device has a support and a disposable tray portion or container. The container generally does not need to be sturdy enough to reliably carry food without the support. Optionally the support and container may have holes for limited venting of the tray interior while maintaining the moisture content of the food.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention relates to a food tray device and method that may be used to keep food heated or cooled. The food tray device and method of the present invention is particularly suited for use in heated compartments used in quick-service restaurants to store cooked food product, for example. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Quick-service restaurants face a number of conflicting factors when striving to efficiently provide fast, good tasting, and safe food. First, customers expect to receive their food quickly, with a minimum of delay and with predictable and constant high quality. Moreover, the rate of customer demand varies over time, with some periods, such as lunch and dinner times, having extremely high rates of customer demand. However, the kitchens of many quick-service restaurants are of limited size and/or production capacity and thus necessarily have a limited number of food cooking devices. 
     To meet the often competing factors of quick service and consistent high quality, it is advantageous for a crew person to cook a relatively substantial amount of food product in bulk and store the cooked food product in food trays while another crew person transfers food from the trays to a sandwich bun or individual portion sized container, for example, to fill customer orders. Typical food products that are of most interest to have readily available for crew persons include sandwich fillings such as hamburger patties, breaded fish fillets, Canadian bacon, pork sausage, eggs, and breaded chicken patties, for example, as well as other products, such as chicken nuggets, biscuits, muffins, and hotcakes. 
     Because these prepared food products, e.g., sandwich fillings, are not being served immediately upon preparation, it is important to store the food product so as to optimally maintain the appearance, taste, temperature and texture of the food product, as well as minimize bacterial contamination of the stored food product. 
     A need exists for an improved food tray and a method of using the food tray that optimizes, without any significant adverse effects, the appearance, taste, temperature and texture of the pre-cooked bulk food products, as well as minimize bacterial contamination of such stored food products. In addition, a need also exists for a food staging device that promotes efficient food handling and use of space within the kitchen of the quick-service restaurant. 
     Additionally, prior art food trays were required to be periodically cleaned and dried, such as after about every four hours of use. In quick-service restaurants having extended opening hours during which food is served throughout the day, food trays may be cleaned as many as five or six times per day. During the time of cleaning, the trays are unavailable for holding cooked food. Thus, there is a need for a food tray that is more efficient. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention, a device which is an improved food tray and a method is provided, typically for use in connection with a food storage compartment, and preferably in a heated pass-through compartment, for holding ready-to-serve food products. When used in combination with a compartment of desirable configuration, the food tray device is particularly useful for storing over an extended period of time various types of food products including cooked sandwich fillings such as, for example, hamburger patties, fish fillets, Canadian bacon, pork sausage, eggs, chicken patties, chicken fillets as well as other types of food, including chicken nuggets, biscuits, muffins, and hotcakes. The appearance, taste, temperature and texture of the stored food items may be maintained over extended storage periods while also minimizing risk of bacterial contamination. In addition, the trays do not require extended cleaning and drying times. 
     In one aspect of the invention, a tray for holding cooked food portions at an elevated temperature is provided. The tray has a tray portion or container and a support. Typically, the tray portion substantially fits within the support, which substantially surrounds the sidewalls of the tray portion or container. The container has an open top, a bottom and a sidewall structure. The bottom and the sidewall structure of the container define an interior volume for containing the cooked food portions. The support has an open bottom. The container is removably disposed in the support and the container extends through the open bottom for allowing an external heated surface to contact the bottom of the container. The support is rigid compared to the container. Preferably, the container is supported by (1) an outwardly expanding top edge of the sidewall structure on the top of the support, and (2) an indentation in the sidewall structure. Typically, the container is a thin-walled plastic thereby requiring only a relatively small amount of material for construction and thus can be used as a disposable container. In this manner, washing or cleaning of the container is avoided during normal (disposable) use. Thus, the tray portion or container need not be capable of being able to carry or reliably carry food therein as a self-supporting structure without bending or otherwise collapsing or otherwise failing, in the absence of the support, such as if grasped at one end while filled or substantially filled with a food product without the support. Typically, the container is a thin-walled disposable container as described above. 
     In another aspect of the invention, an apparatus for holding previously cooked food portions at an elevated temperature is provided. The apparatus has at least one heated doorless compartment, a cabinet for housing the at least one compartment therein, and at least one tray placeable into the at least one compartment. The compartment has an upper compartment surface and a heated lower surface. The cabinet includes at least one cabinet opening for inserting and removing the previously cooked food portions into and out of said compartment. The tray has a container and a support. The container has an open top, a bottom and a sidewall structure. The bottom and the sidewall structure define an interior volume for containing the cooked food portions. The support has an open bottom and the container is removably disposed inside the support. The apparatus also has a means for supporting the tray in the compartment so that the bottom of the container is in contact with the heated lower surface and the top edge of the tray is spaced from the upper compartment surface. 
     In a third aspect of the invention, a method of storing a cooked food item is provided. The method includes providing a container having an open top, a bottom and a sidewall structure, the bottom and the sidewall structure defining an interior volume and providing a support having a support opening. Next, the container is placed into the support opening thereby forming a tray and the cooked food item is placed in the tray to at least partially fill the interior volume. Next, the tray having the cooked food therein is placed into a compartment having a heated surface so that the bottom of the container contacts the heated surface to maintain the temperature of the food in a desired elevated temperature range. 
     In a fourth aspect of the invention, a method of handling cooked food portions to be incorporated into a sandwich in a restaurant is provided. The method includes providing a container having an open top, a bottom and a sidewall structure, the bottom and the sidewall structure defining an interior volume and providing a support having a support opening. Next, the container is placed into the support opening thereby forming a tray and the cooked food item is placed in the tray to at least partially fill the interior volume. Next, the tray having the cooked food therein is placed into a compartment having a heated surface so that the bottom of the container contacts the heated surface to maintain the temperature of the food in a desired elevated temperature range. Then, the cooked food portion is removed from the tray and a sandwich is assembled using the cooked food portion from the tray. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a tray holding cooked food portions; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the first embodiment of the tray holding cooked food portions; 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of the first embodiment of the tray supported by the support; 
         FIG. 4   a  is an enlarged view of the first embodiment of the tray inside a cabinet;  FIG. 4   b  is an enlarged view of a portion of  FIG. 4   a;    
         FIG. 5  is a side view of the container of a second embodiment of a tray; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the support of the second embodiment of the tray; 
         FIG. 7  is an exploded view of the second embodiment of the tray; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the tray being inserted into a cabinet; 
         FIG. 9  is a broken away side view of the first embodiment of the tray inside a cabinet; 
         FIG. 10  is an exploded view of a third embodiment of the tray; and 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the third embodiment of the tray. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Food Tray 
     Referring to the Figures generally, two principal embodiments of the inventive tray are described herein. The first embodiment tray  100  is shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , and the second embodiment is shown in  FIGS. 5-7 . Tray  100  is composed of a disposable container or tray portion  102  and a support  104 . Disposable container  102  has an open top  106 , a bottom  108  and a sidewall structure  110 . Bottom  108  and sidewall structure  110  are not perforated so that liquids or crumbs will not fall through. Bottom  108  and sidewall structure  110  define an interior volume  112  for containing cooked food portions stored therein, in this case being six (6) hamburger patties HP, stacked two high. Disposable container  102  is removably disposed in support  104 . Disposable container  102  extends through an open bottom  114  of support  104  allowing bottom  108  to contact a heated surface which will be discussed in greater detail later. 
     Sidewall structure  110  of disposable container  102  has opposing end walls  122   a  and  122   b  and opposing sidewalls  124   a  and  124   b . Sidewall structure  110  has rounded reinforced corners  126 . Corners  126  have a reinforcing groove  128  or a plurality of grooves (not shown). Groove  128  does not extend throughout the length of sidewall structure  110  and is preferably substantially limited to the region of each corner  126 . Groove  128  is preferably substantially parallel to bottom  108  so as to extend from an end wall  122  to a sidewall  124  by a direct path. Groove  128  may be at any height. Preferably, groove  128  is closer to a lip  130  than to bottom  108 . 
     Lip  130  is one of several structures for supporting disposable container  102 . Lip  130  is an outwardly expanding top edge of sidewall structure  110 . Another supporting structure is indentation  132  in sidewall structure  110 . As shown indentation  132  is at the junction of the sidewall structure  110  and bottom  108 , but there could be a second or alternative indentation (not shown) located at a different height in sidewall structure  110 . Preferably indentation  132  extends substantially along the length of sidewalls  124   a  and  124   b . Preferably, indentation  132  extends substantially along the length of endwalls  122   a  and  122   b . Most preferably, indentation  132  extends substantially along the entire length of sidewall structure  110 . Corresponding structures in the support for supporting the container are discussed later. 
     Generally, the interior volume  112  is substantially rectangular or square in cross-section. Interior volume  112  is typically not perfectly rectangular or square due to the structures discussed above and because sidewall structure  110  preferably slopes inwardly from top to bottom to permit disposable containers  102  to nest inside each other, but can be as desired. Typically, the angle between sidewall structure  110  and bottom  108  omitting indentation  132  is between 105 and 90 degrees, more typically between about 100 and 91 degrees, and still more typically between about 98 and 93 degrees. Generally, sidewalls  124   a  and  124   b  are longer than endwalls  122   a  and  122   b,  preferably by a factor of 2 or more and more typically by a factor of 3 or more, but can be as desired. 
     Support  104  has a top  134 , bottom  114  and sidewall structure  138 . Top  134  has an opening  140  allowing disposable container  102  to be inserted into and removed from support  104 . Top  134  has a recessed surface  142  for receiving lip  130 . Bottom  114  is open. Bottom  114  is typically considered open if at least 90% of bottom  114  is open and/or so that bottom  108  can extend through bottom  114  to contact a heated surface. In addition to lip  130 , disposable container  102  is supported by various support structures of support  104 . One preferred support structure is a ledge  144 , which engages indentation  132 . An alternative or additional support structure is one or more joists (not pictured) running from sidewall  146   a  to sidewall  146   b  of sidewall structure  138  or from endwall  148   a  to endwall  148   b  of sidewall structure  138 , for example and allowing disposable container  102  to extend between joists to contact a heated surface. A fourth support structure is sidewall structure ledge  150 . A corresponding indentation in disposable container  102  is not illustrated. Ledges  144  and  150  may extend along the entirety or a portion of support sidewall structure  138 . Preferably, ledges  144  or  150  extend substantially along the length of sidewalls  146   a  and  146   b . Preferably, ledges  144  or  150  extend substantially along the length of endwalls  148   a  and  148   b.    
     Support  104  is preferably reusable while disposable container  102  is preferably disposable. While disposable container  102  is self-supporting, it preferably does not support the weight of food when disposable container  102  is held at one end without buckling. In contrast, support  104  is intended to be reused many times and is capable of supporting disposable container  102  when filled with food products without the support deforming. Consequently, support  104  is rigid relative to disposable container  102 . Bottom  108  and sidewall structure  110  of disposable container  102  are preferably thin walled and thus flexible and have a high coefficient of heat transfer, higher than that of support  104 . One or both of disposable container  102  and support  104  are preferably integrally formed from plastic, but alternatively may be formed from any other suitable “food safe” material. Suitable materials include polystyrene, polycarbonate, polyethylene, polypropylene, stainless steel, aluminum or other materials as desired. For example, in one embodiment, support  104  is about 2 inches high, about 4⅝ inches wide across the top opening, about 3⅛ inches wide across the bottom opening, about 18 ⅝ inches long across the top opening and about 17⅛ inches long across the bottom opening and has a weight of about 10.4 ounces and is made of polycarbonate and has a thickness of about 0.0625 inches and disposable container  102  is about 2.2 inches high, about 4.5 inches wide across the top opening, about 3¾ inches across the bottom, about 18.5inches long across the top opening, about 17- 13/16 long at the bottom and a lip  130  width of 7/16 inches, has a weight of about 1.1 ounces and is made of polystyrene. Thus, disposable container or tray portion  102  can be fabricated from a very small amount of material and thus can be disposably and economically used in and can be a thin-walled container having a wall thickness, for example, of less than about 0.035 inches in one embodiment and can be a thin-walled container having a wall thickness of less than about 0.025 inches in another embodiment. 
     Support  104  has one and preferably two longitudinal extents  151  a and  151   b , which are each generally horizontally disposed on support  104  at the longitudinal ends thereof such that food tray  100  can be easily grasped by a crew person and maneuvered in and out of a compartment having substantially planar upper and bottom surfaces as will be discussed in further detail below. Additionally, support  104  typically includes a lip  152  which extends substantially around the entire periphery of support  104 , including longitudinal extents  151   a  and  151   b.    
     In addition, support  104  preferably has handle portions  154   a  and  154   b  at opposing ends adjacent longitudinal extents  151   a  and  151   b . Each handle  154  preferably has one or more depressed peripheral areas  156   a ,  156   b ,  156   c  and  156   d.  Support  104  includes at least one movable stop member, and preferably includes two movable stop members  158   a ,  158   b . Movable stop member  158   a  is located on longitudinal extent  151   a  and movable stop member  158   b  is located on longitudinal extent  151   b.    
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 1-4 , each movable stop member  158   a ,  158   b  preferably includes a tongue  160   a ,  160   b  and an upturned portion  162   a ,  162   b . Preferably, each movable stop member  158   a ,  158   b  is defined by a U-shaped void  164   a ,  164   b . Upturned portions  162   a ,  162   b  include inclined portions  166   a ,  166   b  which face disposable container  102 , radiused top edges  168   a ,  168   b , and substantially vertical rear portions  170   a ,  170   b . As such, movable stop members  158   a ,  158   b  can easily be depressed from an extended position to a retracted position and thereafter return to an extended position when abutted against a fixed surface. Preferably, movable stop members  158   a ,  158   b  are integrally formed with support  104  from plastic or any other suitable “food safe” material. As shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , upturned portions  162   a ,  162   b  of stop members  158   a ,  158   b  extend vertically above longitudinal extents  151   a  and  151   b  of support  104 . Alternatively, movable stop members  158   a ,  158   b  may include any other structure which enables movable stop members  158   a ,  158   b  to move from an extended position to a retracted position and return to the extended position. Reference is made to U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2006/0045943, which is hereby incorporated by reference, for a more complete description of the general construction and operation of moveable stop members  158   a ,  158   b . Additional desired features of tray  100  are discussed later especially as they relate to food staging device  500 . 
     In a second embodiment, food tray  200  is provided as illustrated in  FIGS. 5-7 . Food tray  200  may be identical to food tray  100  except that food tray  200  is vented. For convenience, the reference numerals for food tray  100  are the same as the item numbers for food tray  200  for similar items except that the item numbers for food tray  100  begin with  1  while item numbers for food tray  200  begin with  2 . Thus, food tray  200  has a container  202  with sidewall structure  210  and support  204  with support sidewall structure  238 . In addition, support  204  has moveable stop members  258   a,    258   b  with upturned portions  262   a ,  262   b  having a radiused top edge  268   a ,  268   b.    
     Venting is provided by support openings  272   a - f  in support sidewall structure  238  and container openings  274   a - f  in container sidewall structure  210 . Openings  272   a - f  and  274   a - f  in combination provide venting passageways  276   a - f  between container interior volume  212  and the exterior atmosphere. Typically, one to ten openings are located in both sidewall structures  210  and  238 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 5-7 , three openings  272   a - f  and  274   a - f  are positioned in a spaced relationship along the length of each of sidewalls  224   a ,  224   b  and  246   a ,  246   b . By spacing openings  272   a - f  and  274   a - f  along sidewalls  224   a ,  224   b  and  246   a ,  246   b , various regions within interior volume  212  of container  202  are all relatively proximate to one of openings  272  and  274 . 
     Each of support openings  272  at least partially overlaps with at least one of container openings  274  to form a passageway  276 . Preferably, each of container openings  274  is substantially aligned with one of support openings  272 . Additionally, preferably each of openings  272  is of approximately the same size, and the same number of openings  272  appears on each of sidewalls  246   a ,  246   b . Similarly, preferably each of openings  274  is of approximately the same size, and the same number of openings  274  appears on each of container sidewalls  224   a ,  224   b.    
     In a typical quick-service restaurant, cooked food items, such as hamburger or chicken patties HP, are placed in a tray and then stored in a food holding heated storage device until used to make sandwiches. Typically, an open top tray is desired to allow convenient removal of a hamburger patty to meet the speed demands of a quick-service restaurant. During storage, the cooked food tends to progressively lose desired moisture and taste properties as the atmosphere of the interior is vented out the open top of a prior art container. Known approaches to reduce the rate of the loss of juice and taste properties of the food product have included limiting the amount of venting, particularly from the open top of the tray. It has been unexpectedly found that a limited amount of venting through a tray&#39;s sidewall does not increase the rate of loss of desired food quality, but instead acts to maintain superior taste quality for food held in the tray for extended periods of time, such as about 60 minutes or more for cooked hamburger patties HP, for example, stored at 160° F. 
     An additional advantage of tray  200  with replaceable container  202  is that different containers  202  can have openings  274  that are optimal for different specific foods while support  204  does not change. This advantage is particularly useful if new foods with different optimal openings  274  are introduced in a restaurant. Container  202  may be marked with an indicia (not shown) indicating the food that is optimally stored in container  202 . 
     Typically, openings  274  are circular in shape and have about the same diameter. Preferably, this diameter is in the range of about 5/16 inch to about 1¼ (5/4) inches, to provide a total cross-sectional opening area in the range of about 0.3 square inches to about 4.9 square inches for each opening  274 . As an alternative, openings  274  may be of a non-circular shape, preferably the cross-sectional area of each of such openings is also in about the same range of about 0.3 square inches to about 4.9 square inches. Openings  274  are preferably also spaced upwardly from container bottom  208  so that any juices that may escape from food contained within tray  200  do not leak out of an opening  274 . Openings  274  are also positioned downwardly from the top  206  to maintain structural integrity of container  202 . 
     Openings  272  can be in any desired configuration, including as a slit opening extending along the length or a portion of the length of the sidewalls. Openings  272  can also match openings  274  by location. However, support openings  272  may be larger than container openings  274  for flexibility purposes so that support  204  is suitable for use with different containers  202  having different openings  274  for different foods as discussed earlier. As shown in  FIGS. 5-7 , support openings  272  are of the same size and shape as container openings  274 . 
     More specifically, the desired food quality retention can be accomplished in accordance with the present invention by providing passageways  276  that have a total cross-sectional area (i.e. the sum of the total cross-sectional area of all passageways  276  at their narrowest point) that is selected in relationship to (i) the volume of interior space  212 , (ii) the inner surface area of sidewall structure  210  and/or (iii) the weight of the food that is maintained in tray  200 . Preferably, the ratio of the total cross-sectional area of passageways  276  in square inches to the size of interior volume  212  in cubic inches will be in the range of from about 1:2100 to about 1:13; more preferably the ratio is in the range of from about 1:140 to about 1:40; and most preferably the ratio is about 1:90. Preferably, the ratio of the total cross-sectional area of passageways  276  to the surface area of sidewall structure  210  is in the range of about 1:120 to 1:7, more preferably the ratio is in the range of about 1:80 to about 1:20; and most preferably the ratio is about 1:50. The surface area of sidewall structure  210  for the above ratio is the inner surface area of sidewall structure  210  rather than the outer surface. Preferably, the ratio of the total cross-sectional area of passageways  276  in square inches to the weight of the food held in tray  200  in pounds is in the range of about 1:30 to about 1:0.2, more preferably 1:1.85 to about 1:0.5, and most preferably about 1:1.35. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the area of each container opening  274  is equal to the area of each support opening  272 . As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the total cross-sectional area of passageways  276   a - f  is six times the cross-sectional area of a single container opening  274  or a single support opening  272  or  6  times Tr times the radius of opening  274  or opening  272  squared (6πr 2 ). If container opening  274  is smaller than support opening  272  but everything else is the same as illustrated in  FIG. 6 , then the total cross-sectional area of passageways  276   a - f  is six times the cross-sectional area of a single container opening  274  or 6 times π times the radius of opening  274  squared. If container openings  274  and support openings  272  only partially overlap then only the overlapping areas count towards the total cross sectional area of passageways  276   a - f.    
     In a third embodiment, tray  300  has a support  304  and container  202  as shown in  FIGS. 10-11 . Tray  300  has adjustable passageways  376   a - f  as illustrated in  FIG. 11 . For convenience, the item numbers for support  204  are the same as the item numbers for support  304  for similar items except that the item numbers for support  204  begin with  2  while item numbers for support  304  begin with  3 . Support  304  has a choke or slide member  380  mounted to support body  305  for reciprocal back-and-forth movement relative to support body  305 , to thereby allow adjustment of the size of passageways  376 . Slide member  380  may be formed of a unitary construction and may be molded of the same plastic or other food-safe material that is used to form tray  300 . Alternatively, slide member  380  may be formed in two or more parts that are securely joined together. 
     Slide member  380  has a first end  382 , a second end  384 , a first side  386  and a second side  388  that together provide an inner perimeter surface  390  which defines a mounting opening  392 . Mounting opening  392  is configured and sized to correspond to the upper portion of outer perimeter of sidewall structure  310  of support  304  along which slide member  380  is slideably mounted. Mounting opening  392  is made somewhat longer than the length of sidewall sides  346   a ,  346   b  to provide clearance space for longitudinal movement relative to support body  305 . 
     To mount slide member  380  to support body  305 , slide member sides  386 ,  388  are manually spread apart to temporarily provide clearance over slide supports  394 . Slide supports  394  may be integrally formed with support sidewall sides  346   a ,  346   b  respectively, and outwardly protrude from sides  346   a ,  346   b , respectively. Slide  380  is inserted over the sidewall structure  310 , until the top surface  396  of slide  380  abuts against the bottom surfaces of extents  351   a ,  351   b  and with slide sides  386 ,  388  having cleared supports  394 . Slide member sides  386  and  388  are then released from their spread-apart position to slideably secure slide member  380  on support  304 . In addition to securing slide member  380 , supports  394  act as guides along which slide member  380  can slide. Tray lip  352  may also include a downwardly extending flange  397  to direct slide member  380  into proper alignment during mounting, and to additionally guide slide member  380  as it is longitudinally slid relative to support body  305 . 
     Slide member  380  has apertures  398   a - f  through slide member sides  386  and  388 . As slide member  380  is moved back and forth through its stroke, the position of apertures  398   a - f  relative to sidewall structure openings  372   a - f , respectively, is changed to thereby adjust the amount of venting of container interior volume  212  through sidewall openings  274   a - f.    
     Preferably, slide member  380  provides a simultaneous and equivalent size adjustment of all venting passageways  376   a - f . This can be accomplished by locating openings  372  and apertures  398  in an arrangement such that when slide member  380  is mounted to support body  305 , openings  372  and apertures  398  are spaced a like distance apart. Stated another way, the locations for the center points of openings  372   a - f  and the center points of apertures  398   a - f  are chosen so as to provide for a substantially equal distance between the respective center points of openings  372   a - f  and apertures  398   a - f  when slide member  380  has been mounted to support body  305 . This arrangement allows all of passageways  376   a - f  to be simultaneously fully closed, fully opened, or variably opened the same percentage amount as slide member  380  is longitudinally slid relative to support body  305 . 
     Openings  372  and apertures  398  are preferably also arranged to provide convenient positioning of slide  380 . Passageways  376  are formed by support openings  372 , slide apertures  398 , and container openings  274 . Generally, support openings  372  and container openings  274  are of the same size and coincide. Preferably, passageways  376  are caused to be in the fully opened position when the stroke of slide member  380  is terminated in a first direction, and providing for a fully closed position for passageways  376  when the stroke of slide member  380  is terminated during movement in the opposite direction. Stated another way, when slide member  380  is moved to a position where slide member first end  382  abuts sidewall structure first end  348   a  to terminate further movement in that direction, openings  372   a - f  and apertures  398   a - f  are fully aligned and passageways  376   a - f  are fully opened. When slide member  380  is moved the full extent in the opposite direction to a point where second slide end  384  abuts tray sidewall structure second end  348   b , openings  372   a - f  and apertures  398   a - f  are fully unaligned, i.e., slide member  380  is at the fully choked position, substantially closing off passageways  376   a - f . Such arrangement allows a user to reliably and quickly move slide member  380  to fully opened or fully closed positions without closely inspecting the alignment of slide member apertures  398  relative to openings  372 . Alternatively, the movement of the stroke of slide member  380  may be terminated by having slide member  380  contact other points on support  304 . 
     Sidewall structure  310  has an upper portion  404  that has an outwardly projecting rim  406  having an outer surface  408  with a radiused bottom edge  410 . Slide member  380  has an inwardly depending radiused flange  412  having an inner surface that slideably mates with radiused bottom edge  410  of rim  406 . The mating of rim bottom edge  410  and flange  412  helps prevent foreign particles from entering between slide member  380  and rim  406 . Such entrance of foreign particles is undesirable because it could interfere with the sliding motion of slide member  380 , or allow foreign particles to find their way into interior volume  212  of container  202  via openings  274 . 
     Support body  305  includes a passageway opening gauge  418  for use in setting the size of passageway openings  376  and to indicate the position of slide member  380  relative to openings  372 . Gauge  418  includes a mark or line  420  on slide member  380 , and a plurality of spaced apart calibrated marks or lines  422   a - c  on support body  305 . When line  420  is vertically aligned with line  422   b , slide member  380  has been moved to a predetermined partially opened condition for passageways  376 , for example ½ open. When line  420  is vertically aligned with line  422   a , slide member  380  has been positioned so that passageways  376  are fully closed. Vertical alignment of line  420  and line  422   c  indicates that slide member  380  has been positioned to the fully opened position for passageways  376 . 
     Lines  420  and  422   a - c  may be integrally formed in slide member  380  and support body  305 , respectively, such as in the form of a ridge or groove, or may be provided in other manners, such as lines printed onto the surfaces of support body  305  and slide member  380 . Indicia may also be provided to indicate the extent passageways  376  are open or closed, such as indicia adjacent lines  422   a - c  with a notation of “closed,” “½,” and “opened,” respectively. Additional calibrated lines  422  may also be provided, if desired, to indicate additional settings for passageways  376 , i.e., ¼ opened, ¾ opened, etc. 
     In a further aspect of the invention, support  305  is provided with a mechanism  426  to secure slide member  380  at a selected position. Support body  305  is provided with an outwardly projecting detent or lug  430 , while inner surface  390  of first side  386  of slide member  380  has three spaced apart indentations or recesses  432   a - c . As slide member  380  is moved to a fully opened position for passageways  376 , lug  430  moves into recess  432   c . In this position, lug  430  cooperates with recess  432   c  to secure slide member  380  at the fully opened position. This engagement prevents slide member  380  from inadvertently being moved away from the selected fully opened position during the handling of tray  300 . Pushing or pulling on handles  433   a  or  433   b  with a moderate force, however, causes lug  430  to disengage from recess  432   c  to allow slide member  380  to be selectively moved to the partially opened position, or to the fully closed position, as desired. In the partially opened position, slide member  380  is secured in position by cooperation of lug  430  engaging recess  432   b . When slide member  380  has been moved to the fully closed position, slide member  380  is maintained in position by lug  430  engaging recess  432   a . Support  304  may be provided with additional intermediate locking settings (not shown) for passageways  376  by providing additional recesses  432  positioned between recesses  432   a  and  432   c.    
     A recommended setting guide  436  may also be provided to indicate recommended slide member positions based on the food type to be held in tray  300 . Recommended setting guide  436  may be in the form of a sticker adhered to support body  305  or to slide member  380 . Alternatively, recommended setting guide  436  may be molded integrally with support body  305  and/or slide member  380 . Recommended setting guide  436  includes indicia indicating one or more food types, for example “HP”  438  for hamburger patty and “CHK”  439  for chicken breasts. Also included are visually readable graphical depictions  440  and  442  showing the recommended spacing of openings  372  relative to apertures  398  for a selected food type. 
     In an alternative embodiment not shown, rather than having a single slide member  380 , support  304  has mounted thereto two separate slide members, one for sidewall  346   a  and one for sidewall  346   b.    
     Food Staging Device 
     In another aspect of the invention, a food staging device  500  is provided. As shown in  FIGS. 8-9 , food staging device  500  has a plurality of heated compartments  502   a - d  for storing at least one, and preferably a plurality of food trays in accordance with the present invention.  FIGS. 8 and 9  show food staging device  500  with food trays  100 . 
     Each of compartments  502   a - d  is bounded by an upper compartment surface  518   a - d  and a lower compartment surface  520   a - d . Preferably, upper surfaces  518   a - d  are heated. Preferably, lower surfaces  520   a - d  are heated. Upper heated compartment surfaces  518   a - d  and lower compartment surfaces  520   a - d  are preferably constructed from a material having a high thermal conductivity and preferably are constructed from anodized aluminum. Moreover, each of upper heated compartment surfaces  518   a - d  and lower heated compartment surfaces  520   a - d  are substantially flat and substantially horizontal to provide uniform heat transfer to any one of food trays  100   a - d  stored therein and to enable easy sliding of any one of trays  100   a - d  along the surface of lower heated compartment surfaces  520   a - d . Steam is not used to directly heat food, such as hamburger patties HP, in trays  100 . 
     Upper angled portions  514  and  515  in conjunction with stop members  158   a ,  158   b  cooperate to keep tray  100  within compartment  502 . Unless the user applies a force on tray  100  in excess of a threshold force which would move one of stop members  158   a ,  158   b  downwards can tray  100  be removed from compartment  502 . 
     As can best be seen in  FIG. 4   a , support  104  has a height  172  defined by the distance between top surface  174  of longitudinal extent  151   a  and a lower edge  176  of sidewall structure  138 . Height  172  does not take into account the height of movable stop members  158   a ,  158   b . Disposable container  102  has a height  178  defined by the distance between top surface  180  of lip  130  and a bottom surface  181  of bottom  108 . For each food tray  100   a - d , heights  172  and  178  are less than a height  522  of compartments  502   a - d  into which trays  100   a - d  are to be inserted. In other words, height  172  of support  104  and height  178  of container  102  are chosen so that there are predetermined distances  182  and  184 , respectively, from upper compartment surfaces  518   a - d  when trays  100   a - d  are placed within any one of compartments  502   a - d . One or both of predetermined distances  182  and  184  are preferably between about 0.00″ and 0.09″, more preferably between about 0.04″ and 0.08″, and most preferably about 0.06″. Controlling one or both of predetermined distances  182  and  184  controls vapor transfer out of the volume  112  of trays  100   a - d , thereby also controlling the fluid loss of the cooked food portions in trays  100   a - d . Such control of fluid loss is critical for cooked food stored in trays  100   a - d , such as egg products, hamburger patties, grilled chicken, pork sausage and Canadian bacon to maintain the appearance, texture, temperature, and taste thereof. 
     Generally, the height of disposable containers  102  is slightly higher than the working height of support  104 , such as at recessed portion  142  and thus there is a typically relatively small gap distance  186 . Gap  186  is the vertical distance that bottom of lip  130  is above recessed portion  142  immediately below lip  130  when tray  100  is supported by a level surface. Preferably, recessed surface  142  is the portion of longitudinal extent  151  immediately below lip  130 . Gap distance  186  is typically greater than about 0 inches to about 0.2 inches, or more, if desired. This arrangement ensures that bottom  108  of disposable container  102  will be in contact with the surface on which tray  100  is placed, such as one of lower compartment surfaces  520   a - d  of food staging device  500 . This helps to ensure good heat transfer through bottom  108  of disposable container  102 . 
     Methods 
     The invention includes methods of storing cooked food items and methods of handling cooked food portions, such as to be incorporated in a sandwich in a restaurant. The methods include providing a container having an open top, a bottom and a sidewall structure, the bottom and the sidewall structure defining an interior volume and providing a support having a support opening. Next, the container is placed into the support opening thereby forming a tray and the cooked food items or portions are placed in the tray to at least partially fill the interior volume. Preferably, the interior volume is filled to at least half full. Next, the tray having the cooked food therein is placed into a compartment having a heated surface so that the bottom of the container contacts the heated surface to maintain the temperature of the food in a desired elevated temperature range. Generally, the compartment may be one of many compartments of a food holding device, such as food staging device  500 . 
     Immediately before or after placing the tray in the compartment, a timer can be set for a predetermined time period as desired, which can be for more than 15 minutes, depending on the food. The predetermined time period can correspond to a length of time after which the food portions are not considered to have a high enough quality to serve. 
     After storage for a period of time, the cooked food item or portion is removed from the compartment. Generally, the cooked food item or portion is removed only after an order has been placed by a customer for a sandwich or meal incorporating the cooked food item. To remove the food item from the compartment, the tray is partially or completely removed from the compartment and the food item is removed from the tray. The period of time can be more than about 15, 30 or 45 minutes, for example. The period of time can be less than 4, 3, 2 or 1 hours, for example. A sandwich is assembled using the cooked food portion from the tray. 
     Once the tray has been emptied, the container may be reused if the container has been used for only a short period of time. Generally, the container will be removed from the support and a second, unused container will be placed into the support to form a new tray. The newly assembled tray can then be used for storing a cooked food item or handling cooked food portions to be incorporated in a sandwich as described above. 
     While the invention has been described with respect to certain preferred embodiments, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, it is to be understood that the invention is capable of numerous changes, modifications and rearrangements and such changes, modifications and rearrangements are intended to be covered by the following claims.