AU2013100586A4 - Tortainer - Google Patents

Abstract

The tortainer is an edible container for the short term storage of foods, including hot foods, prepared and served for immediate consumption, produced by a process of mixing a tortilla batter of flour, salt, oil, baking powder and warm water which may be modified to produce a flavoured container to complement the taste of the foods which it contains to be rolled into a dough sheeting which is moulded, baked, cooled and nested producing a crisp edible container prior to being used immediately or packaged for later use.

Description

Page 1 of 3 Description of the invention The present invention is an edible container, known as a tortainer, prepared through a process of moulding and baking dough following the defined process. The process for making the tortainer is defined in the process chart provided and involves seven steps, Step 1 requires the mixing of dough. The dough required to make the tortainer is mixed using a combination of flour, salt, oil, baking powder and warm water which may be modified by adding flavours such as, but not limited to, herbs, spices, savoury or sweet ingredients. Flour used may be, but not limited to, plain, wholemeal, wheat, spelt, soy or grain. Oils that may be used, but not limited to, includes canola, sunflower, coconut, peanut, cotton seed, macadamia, olive or sesame seed. The dough is needed to the consistency of normal bread dough and rested before sheeting to remove any elasticity. Step 2 requires the preparation of dough sheeting. The dough can be rolled out by hand or in a machine such as a pasta maker or roller, to make sheeting of 1mm to 3mm in thickness in a preferred element. Dough sheeting of 2mm in thickness creates a product strong enough to hold hot food for consumption before the tortainer becomes soft. Step 3 requires the moulding of the tortainer to the desired dimensions. The tortainer can be moulded by using moulds such as, but not limited to two bowl or plate shape moulds, one slightly smaller than the other. The dough sheeting is placed over the larger mould and the smaller mould is inserted into the larger mould creating the desired shape ready for baking. The dough sheeting will hold its shape during the baking process and can be removed from the mould after cooling.

Page 2 of 3 The dimensions of the container can vary depending on the mould used, and can be prepared with or without lids. To obtain optimal strength, the dimensions of the containers are not limited and two examples of dimensions which provide optimal strength are shown in figure A and figure B. Dimensions for lids for the containers shown in figure A and figure B are shown in figure Al and figure B1 respectively. Step 4 requires baking the tortainer at a low heat over an extended cooking time to draw the moisture out of the dough. A cooking time of two hours but not limited to at a temperature of 100 degrees Celsius but not limited to obtains optimal results. Step 5 requires the tortainer to be cooled. When removed from the oven once the cooking process is complete, the tortainers can be cooled ready for packing. In a preferred element, tortainers would be cooled in the moulds to room temperature. They would then be removed from the moulds ready for nesting and packaging. Step 6 requires nesting of the tortainers. Once the tortainers are cooled they can be removed from the mould to be nested inside one another. In a preferred element no more than 20 tortainers but not limited to could be stacked inside one another. Once all six steps have been completed, the tortainers may be packaged in airtight packaging for optimal shelf-life and to retain their crispness, aroma, taste and freshness. When prepared following the disclosed process, the edible container retains its 5 shape, strength and crispness when holding hot foods for a period of time sufficient for the contents of the container to be consumed immediately after the container has been filled. While the nature of the container, being edible and biodegradable, necessarily results in the container losing its form over time, when prepared following the disclosed process, this does not inhibit the container's use for its 3 intended purpose being a receptacle for short term storage of hot foods for immediate consumption.

Claims (4)

1. An edible container prepared through a process of moulding and baking tortilla batter.

2. An edible container as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the container has a complementary edible lid prepared through a process of moulding and baking tortilla batter.

3. An edible container as claimed in Claim 1-2 prepared using herbs, spices, savoury or sweet ingredients.

4. An edible container substantially as herein described with reference to figures Al and A, Bl and B of the accompanying drawings and the process chart.