US20080069485A1

Movatterモバイル変換

Info

Publication number: US20080069485A1
Application number: US11/903,188
Authority: US
Inventors: David W. France; Sharla Kurz; Natalie Roesler; Steven R. Baker; Anna Miskovsky
Original assignee: Conagra Foods RDM Inc
Current assignee: Conagra Foods RDM Inc
Priority date: 2006-09-19
Filing date: 2007-09-19
Publication date: 2008-03-20
Also published as: CA2663663A1; WO2008036382A3; WO2008036382A2; EP2086849A4; EP2086849A2; MX2009002992A

Abstract

The storing device comprises a segment of a mesh material and an end for securing the mesh material. The secured mesh material is suitable for storing various items. The food product comprises a cooking apparatus and a foodstuff. The cooking apparatus comprises a steam permeable component for steam cooking a foodstuff. The cooking apparatus may further comprise a bag and/or a packet for steaming the foodstuff. The cooking apparatus allows concurrent steaming of the steam permeable component and the packet and/or the bag for steaming the foodstuff to substantial simultaneous steaming completion.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS CROSS-REFERENCE

The present application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/845,786, filed Sep. 19, 2006 and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/918,610, filed Mar. 16, 2007. Said U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/845,786 and said U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/918,610 are herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The disclosure generally relates to the field of mesh bags, and more particularly to a food product comprising an apparatus for storing and cooking foodstuff, such as a steam cooking apparatus.

BACKGROUND

Numerous food products are available to consumers. Food products consumers may choose from include frozen, refrigerated, and shelf stable items. The food products may include whole meals, main courses, sides, and desserts.

SUMMARY

The disclosure is directed to a storing device, a food product, and a cooking apparatus.

The storing device comprises a segment of a mesh material; and an end for securing the segment of the mesh material. The segment of the mesh material is suitable for being filled with items without releasing the items.

The food product comprises a cooking apparatus and a foodstuff. The cooking apparatus comprises a steam permeable component for steam cooking a foodstuff. The cooking apparatus may further comprise a bag and/or a packet for steaming the foodstuff. The cooking apparatus allows concurrent steaming of the steam permeable component and the packet and/or the bag for steaming the foodstuff to substantial simultaneous completion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The numerous advantages of the disclosure may be better understood by those skilled in the art by reference to the accompanying figures in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view illustrating a food product;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view illustrating a food product, wherein the cooking apparatus of the food product comprises a steam permeable component, a packet, and a bag;

FIGS. 3A,3B, and3C are isometric views illustrating cooking apparatuses;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view illustrating how foodstuff cooked in a cooking apparatus may be assembled;

FIG. 5 is an isometric view illustrating how foodstuff cooked in a cooking apparatus may be assembled;

FIG. 6 is an isometric view illustrating a food product, wherein the cooking apparatus of the food product comprises a steam permeable component and a packet;

FIG. 7 is an isometric view illustrating of a food product, wherein the cooking apparatus of the food product comprises a rigid steam permeable component with openings;

FIG. 8 is an isometric view illustrating a food product, wherein the cooking apparatus of the food product comprises a rigid steam permeable component with compartments;

FIG. 9 is an isometric view illustrating a food product, wherein the cooking apparatus of the food product comprises a rigid steam permeable component with compartments;

FIG. 10A is an exploded view illustrating a configuration of a food product, a metal steaming basket, a pot, a lid, and a heating device for steam cooking the food product;

FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional side view illustrating a food product placed on a metal steaming basket in a pot for steam cooking the food product; and

FIG. 11 is an exploded view illustrating a configuration of a food product, a metal steaming basket, a pot, a lid, and a heating device for steam cooking the food product, wherein the food product comprises a seasoning container with seasonings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring generally toFIGS. 1,2,4, and6 through9 afood product100 is shown. Thefood product100 comprises acooking apparatus101 and afoodstuff102. Thefood product100 may further comprise anouter container114, aseasoning container138 filled with seasoning, and a dry sauce container filled with a dry sauce. Thecooking apparatus101 may steam cookvarious foodstuff102 to substantial simultaneous completion quickly, while preventing overcooking.

Steaming may be accomplished using a number of devices including a stovetop cooking appliance,metal steaming basket110 placed in a pot112 (as illustrated inFIGS. 10 and 11), electric steamer, infrared microwave oven, microwave steamer apparatus, commercial steamer, steam cabinet, or the like, generally referred to as steamers. Similarly, the term steaming refers generally to heating, defrosting, or cooking with steam.

Thecooking apparatus101 may comprise a steampermeable component103, as illustrated inFIG. 3A. Thecooking apparatus101 may further comprise abag122 and/or apacket118, as illustrated inFIGS. 3B and 3C. The cooking apparatus may comprise a plurality of steampermeable containers103. The cooking apparatus may comprise a steam permeable component and a plurality of bags and/or a plurality of packets. The cooking apparatus may comprise a plurality of steam permeable components and a plurality of bags and/or a plurality of packets.

The steampermeable component103, thebag122, and thepacket118 may each individually be referred to as a “component” or collectively as “components”. The components of thecooking apparatus101 may be sized to accommodate the amount offoodstuff102 desired and to fit into the steamer.

The steampermeable component103 may comprise a segment ofmesh material104, afirst end106, and asecond end108 for sealing, as illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 3A. Afoodstuff102 may be packed into the segment ofmesh material104 and thefirst end106 and/or asecond end108 may be sealed to form the steampermeable component103 for containing thefoodstuff102. Thefoodstuff102 may be placed in the mesh material under refrigeration and/or freezer temperatures. The seated steampermeable component103 may be placed in a steamer to steam thefoodstuff102 without releasing thefoodstuff102 into the steamer. Once steaming is complete, the steampermeable component103 may be cut open to serve the steamedfoodstuff102.

The width and diameter of the steampermeable component103 may vary based on the flexibility of themesh material104 and howmuch foodstuff102 is in the steampermeable component103. The steampermeable component103 may be made of a mesh material that is sized from 10 to 60 cm in length to accommodate 6 to 96 ounces offoodstuff102. The steampermeable component103 may be continuously connected circumferentially and secured at thefirst end106 and/or thesecond end108 using ultra sonic sealing, heat sealing, induction sealing, ties, binders, or another method as desired. The structure of the steampermeable component103 may be flexible and the steampermeable component103 may conform to the steamer or theouter container114. The steampermeable component103 may be rigid and may not generally conform to the steamer orouter container114.

Themesh material104 may facilitate the flow of steam into the steampermeable component103 to permeate thefoodstuff102, as well as allowing for accumulated moisture (or condensed steam) to drain out from the steampermeable component103 instead of pooling inside the steampermeable component103 while steaming. Themesh material104 may thus ensure that thefoodstuff102 is steamed, which produces a consistent, high quality result. By facilitating drainage of condensed steam from the steampermeable component103, themesh material104 may also ensure that thefoodstuff102 is not boiled, which may cause a loss of nutrients and color in thefoodstuff102.

Themesh material104 may be a small aperture lightweight plastic netting including materials, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, nylon, low density polyethylene, medium density polyethylene, high density polyethylene, the like, or blends thereof. Themesh material104 may also comprise ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) to improve the binding of themesh material104 when melted. Themesh material104 in the steampermeable component103 may comprise about 50% high density polyethylene, about 30% polypropylene copolymer, and about 20% EVA blend. Themesh material104 may have at least 7 kg of tensile strength. Themesh material104 may have a strand count of at least 200, such as a strand count of 208.

Themesh material104 may be extruded, woven, perforated, or molded to include openings sized between 1 millimeters and 10 millimeters. Themesh material104 may be extruded in a tube configuration. The tube configuration ofmesh material104 may be stretched to about 420 millimeters wide. The mesh thickness may range from 50 micrometers to 400 micrometers. The opening size and mesh thickness may be varied as the sizing of thefoodstuff102 varies. The openings may generally be sized to be smaller than thefoodstuff102 so thefoodstuff102 may not escape into the steamer during steaming.

Themesh material104 may be in close contact with thefoodstuff102, and may be thus certified to meet FDA regulations for food contact. Themesh material104 may also be inert to thefoodstuff102, and odors or colors from themesh material104 may not affect thefoodstuff102.

The melting point and softening point of themesh material104 may exceed the maximum temperature reached in the steamer during the steaming process so themesh material104 may withstand heating without deforming or melting to thefoodstuff102. The mesh material may also be designed to withstand freezing, refrigeration, and/or ambient temperatures.

A segment of the mesh material may also be utilized in a storing device. The storing device may also comprise an end for securing the segment of the mesh material. The storing device may be utilized to store items, such as foodstuff and/or processed food items. Processed food items may comprise candy, snack foods, such as chips, dip, breakfast bars, and crackers, and other suitable food item that have undergone some type of cooking, mixing, and/or chemical change without departing from the scope and intent of the disclosure.

The steampermeable component103 may be rigid, such as acontainer115, as illustrated inFIG. 7. Thecontainer115 may haveopenings116 that allow steam to enter thecontainer115. Theopenings116 may include steam access ports, pores, perforations, apertures, holes, slits, outlets, slots, vents, gaps, or the like. Thecontainer115 may be rigid or deformable in structure and may take the shape of a pocket, carton, bag, sack, tube, tray, or the like. Theopenings116 may be combined with thecontainer115 to allow steaming of thefoodstuff102.

Thecontainer115 may be in the shape of a cylinder or tube as illustrated inFIGS. 8 and 9. Thecontainer115 may have acompartment136. Thecompartment136 may be steam permeable. Thecompartment136 may be non-steam permeable. The non-steampermeable compartment136 may be utilized for heating afoodstuff102 with steam.

The steampermeable component103 may comprise various types offoodstuff102, such as protein, vegetables, fruit, and/or starch. The steampermeable component103 may comprise a combination of at least two vegetables, protein, or starch.

Thepacket118 may be formed of a polymer and/or a polymer blend material and may contain afoodstuff102, such as asauce120. Thepacket118 may have moderate O₂and moisture vapor transmission rate (MTVR) barrier properties (e.g., an O₂barrier property of less than 5.0 CC per 100 square inches per 24 hours at 73° F. with 0% room humidity and a MTVR barrier property of less than 1.0 gm H₂O per 100 square inches per 24 hours at 100° F. with 90% room humidity). Thepacket118 may have a seal strength of 30 PSI at 300° F. Thepacket118 may comprise an oriented polyethylene terephthalate (OPET) layer, a boilable adhesive layer, and a nylon-linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) layer. Thepacket118 may utilize a CURLAM® (Grade 8180-K) protective packaging film produced by the Bemis Company at 2200 Badger Avenue, P.O. Box 2968, Oshkosh, Wis. 54903-2968. Thepacket118 may be sealed to prevent the release of thefoodstuff102, such as asauce120, during steaming and may include a pre-cut notch or other suitable opening mechanism to make thepacket118 easy to open.

Thepacket118 may be contained within thebag122 and/or the steampermeable component103. Thepacket118 may be dissolvable (e.g., edible material). Thedissolvable packet118 may release afoodstuff102, such as asauce120 into abag122 with noopenings130 that contains afoodstuff102, such asstarch132 like pasta. The dissolvable packet may contain asauce120 that has been frozen into cubes, pieces, chips, and/or chunks. However, thefoodstuff102, such as asauce120, may be separate from theother foodstuff102 until assembled for consumption.

The sizing of thepacket118 depends on coordination with thefood product100 so that the steampermeable component103,packet118, andbag122 are all capable of concurrent steaming. The dimensions of thepacket118 may range from 2 cm to 20 cm in width and 2 cm to 20 cm in length.

Thebag122 may contain afoodstuff102, such as astarch123, and may be steamed concurrently in the steamer with thepacket118 and/or the steampermeable component103. Thebag122 may be formed of a polymer and/or a polymer blend. Thebag122 may haveopenings130. Thebag122 may comprise a 100 gauge Mylar with OL22 sealant coating made by Dupont Ag & Nutrition at 7000 NW 62^ndAvenue, Johnston, Iowa 50131.

Theopenings130 may facilitate the flow of steam into thebag122 to steam thefoodstuff102, such as astarch123. Similarly, the sizing of thebag122 depends on coordination with thefood product100 so that the steampermeable component103,packet118, andbag122 are all capable of concurrent steaming. Thebag122 may be sized from 10 to 20 cm in width and 10 to 20 cm in length, and may hold between 100 and 300 g offoodstuff102, such as astarch123. Theopenings130 may be sized from 0.25 millimeters to 2 millimeters in diameter and spaced 1 to 15 millimeters apart. The diameter of theopenings130 depends on the size of thefoodstuff102, such as astarch123, and will be small enough to retain thefoodstuff102 during cooking. Thebag122 may comprise110 openings with about 1000 micron diameters per square inch. Thebag122 may comprise 330 openings with about 700 micron diameters per square inch. Theopenings130 of thebag122 may be made by a laser technique, a high energy plasma technique, a flame technique, a gamma technology technique, a vacuum technique, or a hot needle technique.

Thebag122 may contain a starch, such as a pre-cooked white rice that has been individually quick frozen. The rice may be pre-cooked to coordinate a uniform cooking requirement with thefoodstuff102. Thebag122 may contain about 6 oz to about 10 oz of rice.

Thebag122 may contain astarch123 that does not require the moisture provided byopenings130. Thebag122 may not containopenings130 and may be sealed during steaming. Thebag122 may contain a starch, such as pre-cooked mashed potatoes, pre-cooked pasta mixed with sauce, or the like. However, when thefood product100 comprises rice andsauce120, the rice andsauce120 may be stored and cooked in separate components. Thebag122 may comprise about 10 oz to about 14 oz of potatoes and/or pasta. Thebag122 may be contained in the steampermeable component103.

Thecooking apparatus101 may not include abag122, as illustrated inFIG. 6. Thefood product100 may not contain abag122 even if thefoodstuff102 of thefood product100 comprises a starch. Thestarch123 may be contained in the steampermeable component103 with and/or without other types offoodstuff102.

Thefoodstuff102 is contained within thecooking apparatus101 of thefood product100 and may include at least one of a protein, a vegetable, a fruit, astarch123, or asauce120. This list is not restrictive. It is appreciated that other types of foodstuff may be utilized without departing from the scope and intent of the disclosure. The protein may comprise beef, poultry, fish, seafood, tofu, and/or any other protein as desired. The vegetables may comprise carrots, onions, green beans, corn, asparagus, peas, peppers, zucchini, potatoes, water chestnuts, mushrooms, and/or any other vegetable as desired. The fruits may comprise apples, avocado, bananas, strawberries, cherries, lemons, limes, mangoes, oranges, peaches, papaya, pineapple, plums, raisins, cantaloupe, and/or any other fruit as desired. Thesauce120 may include a range of flavors and ingredients for tasteful coordination with the theme of thefood product100. Sauce types may comprise alfredo, gravy, garlic, sweet and sour, basil pesto, asian, sesame, and/or other suitable sauces as desired. Thestarch123 may include rice, pasta, bread, potatoes, and/or other edible starch as desired. It is contemplated thatcertain foodstuff102 may be applicable to more than one of the listed types offoodstuff102, such as potatoes, which may be classified as a vegetable and/or astarch123.

The sauce and/or the starch may comprise additives (e.g., saffron and butter), seasonings/flavorings (e.g., garlic, salt, pepper, and/or mint), and/or particulates of foodstuff. The particulates of foodstuff may comprise small pieces of fruits, vegetables, and/or meat. The particulates may be dried and/or precooked.

Thesauce120 may have a water content ranging from 70% to 95% by weight so that thesauce120 may be easily poured out of thepacket118 after steaming. Similarly, the viscosity of thesauce120 may be selected to allow easy pouring from thepacket118 without excessive sticking. Thesauce120 may have a boiling point that at least substantially exceeds 100 degrees Celsius. This may prevent a boiling of thesauce120 within thepacket118 and a build up of pressure during steaming. Thesauce120 may be 5% to 50% of theentire food product100, or 75 to 425 milliliters. Thesauce120 may be frozen, shelf stable, and/or refrigerated during storage and shipping and may be heated and/or defrosted in the steamer to be ready for consumption at the same time as theother foodstuff102. Moreover, thesauce120 may be cooked, pre-cooked, or uncooked during storage and shipping and may be ready for consumption at the same time as theother foodstuff102 after steaming.

Thesauce120 may be made by the consumer. Thefood product100 may comprise a dehydrated or dry mix sauce (e.g., a dry sauce). The dry sauce may be contained in a dry sauce container, which is not steamed. Thedry sauce120 may be added to the water utilized for steaming after steaming to form the sauce. After steaming, the water utilized for steaming may add extra flavor to the sauce retained from contact with thefoodstuff102 during steaming. Moreover, thefood product100 may not contain asauce120.

The food product may comprise seasonings contained in aseasoning container138, as illustrated inFIG. 11. The seasonings in theseasoning container138 may be added to thefoodstuff102 as desired before and/or after steaming. The seasoning container139 may be made of a polymer, polymer blend, paper, foil, paper laminate, foil laminate, cheesecloth type material, or any other suitable material for storing the seasoning without departing from the scope and intent of the disclosure. The seasonings in theseasoning container138 may be added to the water utilized to steam thefoodstuff102 prior to steaming to add flavor and/or aroma to thefoodstuff102 during steaming. The seasonings may be added while in theseasoning container138 or may be removed from theseasoning container138 and added to the water.

Thefoodstuff102 may be seasoned before packaging in thecooking apparatus101 as desired, and may include grill marks. Thefoodstuff102 may be individually quick frozen to preserve the nutritional value, color, and texture of thefoodstuff102. Individual quick freezing may also ensure thefoodstuff102 moves freely within thecooking apparatus101 and does not form a single frozen block or an aggregate of clumps. Thefoodstuff102 may be able to shift freely within thecooking apparatus101. This may further help the steaming process by allowing free access of steam to thefoodstuff102. However, thefoodstuff102 may be suitable for storage at refrigeration temperatures or ambient temperatures.

Thefoodstuff102 may be sized or cut into small pieces and/or may be whole in form. Thefoodstuff102 may be raw, pre-cooked, and/or cooked. Sizing, pre-cooking, and cooking may provide a shorter steam time.

To cook the foodstuff, thecooking apparatus101 comprising a steampermeable component103, apacket118, and astarch bag122 may be removed from anouter container114 and placed in a steamer, as illustrated inFIG. 2.

Thefoodstuff102, such as a protein and a vegetable separate from asauce120 and astarch123, may be steamed concurrently without intermixing and may finish heating/cooking at substantially the same time. The components may be removed from the steamer and cut open for assembly on afirst plate126 and asecond plate128, as illustrated inFIGS. 4 and 5. Thefoodstuff102 may be arranged and proportioned according to the preferences of the consumer. The components may be staggered and placed in the steamer at different intervals to provide additional steam time forcertain foodstuff102 and not for others.

Thefood product100 may be prepared by utilizing a steamer, which may include asteaming basket110 placed in apot112, as illustrated inFIGS. 10 and 11. A pot may comprise a Dutch oven, a roasting pan, a saucepan, a saucepot, a sauteuse pan, a stock pot, or any other suitable pot or pan for utilizing asteaming basket110 and/or for steaming the foodstuff. Thesteaming basket110 may be metal and may be in a petal configuration (as illustrated inFIGS. 10 and 11) or in a colander pot type configuration. Apot112 may be filled with water to a level that is sufficient to not boil dry and not high enough to touch the food suspended above the water in thesteaming basket110. Thepot112 may be filled with about one cup to about two cups of water.

Thepot112 may be placed on a heating device, such as astove132 and thepacket118 containing a sauce may be placed in the metalsteaming basket110 and alid134 may be placed on thepot112, as illustrated inFIG. 10. The components may be positioned in the metalsteaming basket110 to minimize contact with the sides of thepot112. Thepot112 may be heated until the water boils. The steampermeable component103 and thebag122 may then be placed in the metalsteaming basket110 and thelid134 may be placed on thepot112. Thefoodstuff102 inside the steampermeable component103 and inside the bag may be loosened up before being placed in thepot112.

The steam generated by the boiling water may steam thefoodstuff102 in the steampermeable component103 and thebag122 and may heat the foodstuff, such as asauce120 in thepacket118 with steam. Thelid134 may ensure thefood product100 is cooked in a moisture rich environment, and is generally not removed during the specified cooking time. The cooking time may be from about five minutes to about one hour from the time the steam permeable component and thebag122 are placed on the metalsteaming basket110. The components may be flipped or turned over half way through the specified cooking time. The components may be flipped after six minutes and then steamed for an additional six minutes. The components may be placed in the steamer at different intervals to provide additional or reduced steaming time for eachfoodstuff102. The consumer may also look over thefoodstuff102 in the components and determine that additional cooking time may be necessary and cook thefoodstuff102 accordingly.

After the specified cooking time expires, the steam permeable component, thepacket118, and thestarch bag122 may be removed from the metalsteaming basket110.

Once thefoodstuff102, including thesauce120 and thestarch123 have been steamed, they may be “plated” or assembled, as illustrated inFIGS. 4 and 5. The steampermeable component103 may be cut open and thefoodstuff102 may be poured on to afirst plate126. Thepacket118 andbag122 may be cut open or torn open as desired and may also be poured on to thefirst plate126. The arrangement of the protein, vegetables,starch123, andsauce120 may be customized by the consumer, and varying amounts may be placed on each plate. The remainingfoodstuff102 may be assembled and plated on asecond plate128. Consumers may prefer to saturate their plate withsauce120, while other consumers may choose to omit thesauce120 altogether. The assembly and amounts of thefoodstuff102 may be dictated by the consumer's choice.

Thefood product100 may comprise thefoodstuff102 and sizing and preparation of thefoodstuff102 as listed in the compositions described in Table 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 below.

TABLE 1

Sweet and Sour Chicken Composition

Ingredient	Size Range	Pre-Cooked

chicken tenderloin	0.5-2 cm thick	Yes
medallion
sugar snap pea	2-6 cm long, 5-10 mm wide	No
carrot, julienne	0.5-1.5 cm × 0.5-1.5 cm × 3-4 cm	No
onion	1-4 cm chunks	No
red pepper strip	0.5-1 cm wide, 1-4 cm long	No

TABLE 2

Asian Beef Composition

Ingredient	Size Range	Pre-Cooked

seasoned beef strip	3-8 cm long, 1-4 cm wide	Yes
sugar snap pea	2-6 cm long, 5-10 mm wide	No
carrot, julienne	0.5-1.5 cm × 0.5-1.5 cm × 3-4 cm	No
water chestnut, sliced	1-5 cm diameter, 1-10 mm thick	No
broccoli floret	1-3 cm pieces	No

TABLE 3

Garlic Shrimp Composition

Ingredient	Size Range	Pre-Cooked

raw shrimp	1-5 cm diameter	No
gemelli pasta, braided	3-4 cm long, 0.5-1 cm wide	Yes
asparagus tips	2-8 cm long	No
carrot, julienne	0.5-1.5 cm × 0.5-1.5 cm × 3-4 cm	No

TABLE 4

Home-Style Turkey Composition

Ingredient	Size Range	Pre-Cooked

turkey medallion	0.5-2 cm thick	Yes
red roasted potato	1-4 cm chunks	Yes
carrot, julienne	0.5-1.5 cm × 0.5-1.5 cm × 3-4 cm	No
onion	1-4 cm chunks	No
green bean	1-4 cm length	No
frozen cut corn	3-10 mm chunks	No

TABLE 5

Herb Baked Chicken Composition

Ingredient	Size Range	Pre-Cooked

chicken tenderloin	0.5-2 cm thick	Yes
medallion
red roasted potato, tri-cut	1-4 cm chunks	Yes
green bean	2-4 cm long	No
yellow zucchini, sliced	0.5-3 cm pieces	No
quarter
onion, diced	1-4 cm pieces	No
red pepper, diced	0.5-2 cm pieces	No

TABLE 6

Chicken Alfredo Composition

Ingredient	Size Range	Pre-Cooked

chicken tenderloin	0.5-2 cm thick	Yes
medallion
bow tie pasta	2-4 cm × 1-20 mm × 1-3 mm	Yes
broccoli, cut	1-3 cm pieces	No
carrot, bias sliced	1-3 cm long, 0.5-2 cm wide	No

TABLE 7

Basil Pesto Salmon Composition

Ingredient	Size Range	Pre-Cooked

salmon, bias cut	7-10 cm × 3-5 cm × 0.5-2 cm	Yes
rotini pasta	1-3 cm pieces	Yes
asparagus tip	2-8 cm long	No
carrot, julienne	0.5-1.5 cm × 0.5-1.5 cm × 3-4 cm	No
yellow zucchini, sliced	0.5-3 cm pieces	No
quarter
red pepper strip	0.5-1 cm wide, 1-4 cm long	No

TABLE 8

Beef Tips Portobello Composition

Ingredient	Size Range	Pre-Cooked

seasoned beef strip	3-5 cm × 2-3 cm × 1-2 cm	Yes
green bean	2-4 cm long	No
whole baby carrot	2-5 cm long, 0.5-2 cm diameter	No
penne pasta	1-3 cm pieces	Yes

Thefood product100 may provide snacks, appetizers, sides, meals desserts and/or other desired food servings/portions. Thefood product100 may be vegetarian (as illustrated inFIG. 9), vegan, kosher, and/or designed to accommodate any other desired consumption preference. The food product may be designed for an individual, a family, or the food service industry.

Thefood product100 may separate some or all of the various types offoodstuff102 allowing consumers to plate, assemble, and customize their meal according to their preferences and taste. The presentation of the meal may be more attractive and appealing when consumers can choose how to place each food ingredient and how much of each food ingredient they would like to put on their plate. By cooking the various types offoodstuff102 in a single steamer, but in separate containers to avoid intermixing, consumers are able to assemble their foodstuff as they desire.

Thefood product100 allows cooking of all thefoodstuff102 in a steamer. Steam cooking thefoodstuff102 produces a highly consistent result, because steaming prevents the overcooking of different types offoodstuff102.Foodstuff102 may also retain moisture during steaming, so the foodstuff does not dry out.

Thefood product100 may consider nutrition and health, such as towering fat and caloric content. Thefood product100 may not require the utilization of oil because thefoodstuff102 is cooked with steam. However, thefood product100 may be designed to provide the best flavor possible regardless of nutrition and health.

It is believed that the disclosure and many of its attendant advantages will be understood by the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the components thereof without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure or without sacrificing all of its material advantages. The form herein before described being merely an explanatory, it is the intention of the following claims to encompass and include such changes.