Patent Description:
Currently, there is a market for pre-cooked, packaged food. For example, busy people, restaurants, and the military desire the convenience provided by such products. Typically, such food items are cooked and then packaged, usually being either chilled or frozen for travel to their ultimate destination. As an example, pot roast, turkey and gravy, or meatloaf can be cooked and then packaged prior to chilling for transport to a grocery store, where the food item is stored and displayed in a refrigerated case.

These examples are typically prepared using high heat cooking methods, such as baking in an oven. Other examples of high heat cooking methods include grilling or broiling. These high heat methods often result in food that is unevenly cooked and lose some of their natural juices. While such results may be desirable for foods such as a medium rare steak, for many foods a more even cooking is desirable. In addition, subsequent to cooking and prior to packaging, the opportunity exists for the cooked food to come into contact with bacteria prior to packaging, thereby potentially contaminating the food, and at least limiting the shelf life of the food.

Additionally, the ability to provide a high-quality, consistent product often relies an the culinary skill of the end user. Without proper training, consistent desired results are difficult to achieve. <CIT> describes a method of making a food product includes forming a first food component; providing a filling to the first food component; forming a second food component and providing the second food component on the first food component and the filling wherein the first food component is in contact with the second food component at least about their respective peripheries; sealing the first and second food components and the filling within a packaging and applying a vacuum to the packaging; cooking the first and second food components and the filling within the packaging to bond the first and second food components together. Further state of the art for the present invention is described in <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT> and <NPL>.

Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a process via which a consistent, high quality food product can be delivered without significant culinary skill an the part of an end user.

The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention are achieved by providing a method of preparing a food item according to claim <NUM>, including the steps of placing a first food element in a package base, placing a second food element in the package base, adding a package top to create a package, and drawing the first food element around the second food element by vacuum sealing the package. The method also includes the step of forming a food item in which the first food element substantially envelops the second food element by cooking the first and second food elements in the sealed package. Each food element retains its identity after cooking.

The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention are also achieved by providing a vacuum-sealed, multi-component, sous-vide-cooked food item, including a first food element forming a structural envelope around a second food element that was not fully cooked prior to being enveloped during vacuum packing.

Additional and/or other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in the description that follows, or will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

The above and/or other aspects and advantages of embodiments of the invention will be more readily appreciated from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, of which:.

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. The embodiments described herein exemplify, but do not limit, the present invention by referring to the drawings. As will be understood by one skilled in the art, terms such as up, down, bottom, and top are relative, and are employed to aid illustration, but are not limiting.

The invention is defined by the subject-matter of the claims.

Additionally, although many people can be involved in the described processes to produce and use the described food items, for brevity, they are collectively described as a single user. One skilled in the art will appreciate however, that embodiments of the present invention are not limited to a single user.

Sous-vide cooking is a method of sealing food in an airtight container (generally a plastic bag) and cooking the food in the sealed container in a water bath with a well-regulated temperature. In sous-vide cooking processes, the inside and outside of the food item cook to substantially the same level and the food maintains its natural juices.

Generally, the sous-vide cooking temperature is much lower than temperatures normally used for cooking. For example, in high heat cooking methods, such as roasting or broiling in an oven, or grilling, temperatures of <NUM>-<NUM>° C (-<NUM>-<NUM>° F) or higher are common, whereas with sous-vide cooking, typical temperatures for cooking meats are about <NUM>° C (-<NUM> -<NUM>° F) and typical vegetable cooking temperatures are slightly higher.

<FIG> illustrate a method of preparing a pre-cooked, multi-component food item in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. According to one embodiment, the fully-cooked, multi-component food item is sous-vide cooked.

In step <NUM>, a user forms a package base <NUM> into a predetermined shape, preferably by vacuum forming a plastic sheet into the predetermined shape. One skilled in the art will understand that other materials can be employed for the package base <NUM>. The plastic is preferably food-grade plastic, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE). More preferably the plastic is free of phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA).

According to one embodiment, the predetermined shape is a cup-shape <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>. As described in greater detail below, however, embodiments of the present invention are not limited to such cup-shapes.

In step <NUM>, the user places a first food element <NUM> in the package base <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>. According to the invention, the first food element consists of cheese. According to one embodiment, the first food element <NUM> is a liquid. Preferably the first food element <NUM> is pasteurized, but uncooked prior to being introduced into the package base <NUM>.

Pasteurization is a process of heating a food to a certain temperature (generally around <NUM>° C (-<NUM>° F), for a period of time, and then cooling the item subsequent to removing it from the heat. The goal of pasteurization is to kill most of the harmful germs (so that they are unlikely to cause illness) without major chemical alteration of the food. In contrast, cooking causes a chemical alteration of the food.

Subsequently, in step <NUM>, and as shown in <FIG>, the user places a second food element <NUM> in the package base <NUM>. According to the invention, the second food element is meat (for example, sausage, beef (such as hamburger), ham, Bacon, turkey, or chicken), Preferably, the second food element <NUM> is pasteurized, but uncooked prior to being introduced into the package base <NUM>. It will be understood by one skilled in the art, however, that the first and second food elements can be pasteurized after a vacuum sealing step (step <NUM>, subsequently-described in greater detail).

Additionally, it will be understood that it may not be desirable for all the natural juices of a food element, such as the second food element <NUM>, to be included in a final, cooked food item. Or, it may be desirable for the exterior of one of the food elements to undergo a Maillard reaction (browning). Accordingly, at least one of the food elements can be cooked or par-cooked prior to placing the food element in the package base <NUM>.

Next, as shown in <FIG>, the user adds a package top <NUM> (step <NUM>) to form a package <NUM>. Preferably the package top <NUM> is a plastic sheet, but one skilled in the art will understand that other materials can be employed for the package top <NUM>. The plastic is preferably food-grade plastic, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE). More preferably the plastic is free of phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA). In sous-vide cooking, the package, and in particular, a plastic package, provides a barrier between the water and the food and allows efficient heat transfer from the water to the food.

Subsequently, in step <NUM>, the user vacuum seals the package <NUM> (<FIG>). This vacuum sealing not only draws air out of the package, but also draws the first food element <NUM> around the second food element <NUM>. The vacuum sealing can also draw the first food element <NUM> into voids of the second food element <NUM>. Vacuum sealing is known to those skilled in the art, and further description is omitted for brevity.

Following the vacuum sealing, the user cooks the first and second food elements <NUM> and <NUM> in the sealed package <NUM> (step <NUM> and <FIG>), using, for instance, a sous-vide cooking method and a cooker <NUM>, to form a fully-cooked food item <NUM>. The user can also use steam to cook the first and second food elements <NUM> and <NUM> in the sealed package <NUM>.

As another example, the first food element <NUM> can be pasteurized cheese, and the second food element <NUM> can be par-cooked, pasteurized hamburger meat. The hamburger meat can be par-cooked using, for example, a sous-vide cooking process, and can reach its final temperature during the enrobing process that forms the fully cooked food item.

The cheese should be large enough to be able to surround the hamburger. Alternatively, two slices of cheese can be used, for example, a first large piece of cheese in the bottom of the package base, and a second smaller piece on top of the hamburger. After vacuum sealing, the contents of the package <NUM> are cooked in a water bath at <NUM>° C (<NUM>° F) for approximately <NUM> minutes. As a result of the cooking, the cheese forms a structural envelope around, and substantially encases or enrobes the cooked hamburger meat.

As a further example, the first food element <NUM> can be pasteurized cheese, and the second food element <NUM> can be uncooked, pasteurized hamburger meat. One skilled in the art will understand that raw meat should be cooked in accordance with standards of the U. Food and Drug Administration to have a safe internal temperature, as subsequently discussed in greater detail. Sous vide cooking, however can be employed, for example, to cook hamburger meat to have a red or pink center if desired.

The cheese should be large enough to be able to surround the hamburger. Alternatively, two slices of cheese can be used, for example, a first large piece of cheese in the bottom of the package base, and a second smaller piece on top of the hamburger. After vacuum sealing, the contents of the package <NUM> are cooked in a water bath at <NUM>° C (<NUM>° F) for approximately <NUM> minutes. Subsequently, the contents of the package <NUM> are cooled to a temperature below the melting point of the cheese. As a result, the cheese forms a structural envelope around, and substantially encases or enrobes the hamburger meat.

Then, the contents of the package <NUM> are be cooked in a water bath to bring the hamburger meat to the desired internal temperature, but at a temperature below the melting point of the cheese. For example, the user can cook the contents of the package <NUM> in a water bath at <NUM>° C (<NUM>° F) for approximately <NUM> minutes. Thus, the structural integrity of the cheese envelope is maintained, and the hamburger meat is cooked inside, retaining the natural juices. Although meat of differing fat contents can be employed without departing from the scope of the present invention, when using very lean meat, retention of all of the juices results in a desirably moist food item. Thus, embodiments of the inventive process can produce a lower-fat food item that is still desirably moist.

Similar processes, not pertaining to the invention, can be employed to provide other food items, such as a chili cheese dog (in which the cheese-enrobes chili and the hot dog),enrobed omelets (such as spinach and feta cheese enrobed in egg white, sausage and cheese enrobed in egg, roasted tomatoes and artichokes enrobed in egg, and chicken taco enrobed in egg and shaped in a triangle as subsequently described in greater detail), and other cheese-enrobed elements or combinations (such as roasted tomato and artichoke patty, turkey chili patty, beef chili patty, Latin spice patty, chicken tacos shaped in a triangle, beef short rib fricassee patty, and a thin-shaved roast beef (Philly)). One skilled in the art will understand, however, that embodiments of the present invention are not limited to these examples.

As opposed to a sauce or a marinade, subsequent to the cooking, the first food element substantially structurally envelops the second food element, and is self-supporting or self-coherent. Preferably, after cooking, the first food element does not ooze, and is not leathery.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that the internal temperature of certain food products reach certain levels to be "safe. " For example, the FDA recommends that ground meat and meat mixtures of beef, pork, veal, and lamb should reach an internal temperature of <NUM>° C (<NUM>° F) and that fresh beef, pork, veal, and lamb should reach an internal temperature of <NUM>° C (<NUM>° F). Similarly, poultry should reach an internal temperature of <NUM>° C (<NUM>° F). According to one embodiment, when enrobing one or more of these elements in, for example, cheese, the elements can be cooked or par-cooked to bring the element to or near to its recommended "safe" internal temperature prior to enrobing because the heat transfer required to melt the cheese is less than that required to bring the element from a refrigerated state to its recommended "safe" internal temperature.

After the cooking, and while still sealed in the package <NUM>, the user can chill the food item <NUM> (step <NUM> and <FIG>). According to one embodiment, the user refrigerates the food item <NUM>. According to another embodiment, the user freezes the food item <NUM>. The user can then ship the food item <NUM> (step <NUM>), for example, to a restaurant, a grocery store, or a home.

Subsequently, and while still sealed in the package <NUM>, the user can re-heat the food item (step <NUM>) using, for example, an oven, a microwave oven, or a water bath, for example, a pot of warm or hot water, or a sous-vide cooker. Subsequent to the reheating (or merely subsequent to the cooking step, without the chilling, shipping, and re-heating steps) the user can remove the food item <NUM> from the package <NUM> (<FIG>), and placed an or in an edible food delivery item <NUM>, such as a bun, bread, a biscuit, a taco shell, a tortilla, a pancake, or flat bread (<FIG>) for eating. Thus, an embodiment of the inventive process produces a food item that is ready for the edible food delivery item <NUM> in a single step.

For edible delivery items <NUM> such as a taco shell or a soft tortilla, the second food <NUM> element can be pre-shaped to a specific desired shape prior to insertion into the package base <NUM>. Alternatively, the mold employed during the step of forming the package base (step <NUM>) can form a mold for the second food element <NUM>, such that during the vacuum sealing step (step <NUM>), the second food element <NUM> is formed to the desired shape. For example, as shown in <FIG>, the package base <NUM> can be formed with a triangle or V-shape <NUM>, so that the resulting food item can conveniently be placed in a hard taco shell. Similarly, as shown in <FIG>, the package base <NUM> can be formed into a substantially cylindrical tube <NUM>, so that the resulting food item can conveniently be placed into a soft tortilla, which the user can then fold around the food item.

According to one embodiment, a process in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention can be used multiple times to achieve a desired end food item. For example, as previously-described, the first food element can be an uncooked, pasteurized egg, and the second food element can be uncooked, pasteurized sausage meat. After vacuum sealing, the user cooks the contents of the package <NUM> in a water bath at <NUM>° C (<NUM>° F) for slightly less time: approximately <NUM> minutes. As a result of the cooking, the first and second food elements <NUM> and <NUM> retain their identity in the mostly-cooked food item; the mostly-cooked egg forms a structural envelope around, and substantially encases the mostly-cooked sausage patty.

Then the user places a third food element, such as cheese into a second package base, removes the mostly-cooked food item from the package, and places it in the second package base, on the cheese, and then either folds over the cheese, or uses a second piece of cheese on top. During the subsequent vacuum sealing after adding a package top to form a second package, the cheese is drawn around the mostly-cooked food item. Then, the user cooks the third food element and the food item, for example, in a water bath at <NUM>° C (<NUM>° F) for approximately <NUM> minutes to form a second food item. In the second food item, the first, second, and third food elements retain their identity, and upon cooling below the melting point of the cheese, the third food element (cheese) forms a structural envelope around, and substantially encases the first food item (egg encasing the sausage).

Claim 1:
A method of preparing a food item, comprising the steps of:
placing a first food element in a package base; the first food element consisting of cheese;
placing a second food element in the package base on top of the first food element, the second food element being meat;
adding a package top onto the package base to create a package;
withdrawing air from the package with a vacuum to seal the package and draw the first food element around the second food element by vacuum sealing the package;
forming a food item in which the first food element forms a structural element around and substantially encases the second food element by cooking the first and second food elements in the sealed package, each food element retaining its identity after cooking.