FR2464654A1 - Block of cheese with surface grooves to guide knife - for cutting block into individual portions for buffet party etc. - Google Patents

Abstract

A block of cheese esp. formed to facilitate cutting into a number of individual portions. One face of the block is channeled with straight grooves which intersect to outline each of a set of small, individual portions. The grooves provide knife guiding channels so that each individual portion is cut to conform to the outline presented by its surrounding grooves. The grooves are pref. in two sets of equally spaced, parallel channels. The two sets intersect to form a grid of outlined polygons each corresp. to an individual portion. The cheese is pref. processed cheese and the block is formed by running molten cheese into a mould. The mould base has straight raised ribs which form grooves in the ribs which form grooves in the top face of the moulded block, ie. the block being inverted after the demoulding. The cheese pref. contains additions of supplementary food prods. such as savoury chopped meats, nuts, olives etc. The supplementary prods. are distributed so that each cut portion will take the same proportion. The grooving facilitates the task of cutting savoury cheese bites for cocktail parties, buffets etc. All bites are the right size and contain the same ingredients.

Description

The present invention relates to a new presentation given to food dairy products and more especially cheeses.

The invention relates to a form for ensuring the cutting by the user of a unit block of cheese into individual portions.

The invention relates more particularly to cheeses into which is introduced a food additive retaining its individuality and intended for consumption with the cheese by associating the taste and aromatic properties of the two foods thus combined.

Many varieties of cheese are thus known, in particular melted cheeses, with which foods of various natures are associated; we thus know cheeses with nuts, almonds, fruits such as raisins; in reality, the developments of these "marriages1, are unlimited and we can associate with cheese very diverse elements such as meats, pieces of cut ham, aromatic plants, olives etc ...

These cheese compositions have the advantage of renewing the traditional taste of cheese and allow numerous taste associations, capable of arousing the curiosity and interest of the consumer.

These compositions may in particular be of interest, in addition to family consumption, for the consumption of solid food products accompanying aperitif drinks; but these cheese compositions also have an interest in decorating a "buffet" where each guest takes directly from the table the individual portions of food products that have chosen their choice.

Cheeses of this type are presented in the form of a unitary block which must then be cut out if we want to define individual portions each corresponding to a medium bite.

But it is difficult in this case for the user, that is to say for the hostess or for people preparing a buffet to ensure the presentation of such portions which must have a homogeneous appearance, that is to say say to be substantially all of the same size and shape and each have the same percentage of additive elements associated with the portion of cheese.

To remedy this drawback, unit portions are already known which are already precut and which each correspond to an individual portion comprising, on a cheese base, incorporated additive elements; but these portions corresponding to a "bite" are pre-packaged and it is therefore necessary for the consumer, after having taken the portion, to remove the protective sheet (generally aluminum foil) which coats the portion of cheese this operation, without presenting particular difficulty is nonetheless sometimes delicate given the necessarily soft consistency of the cheese and the lack of "holding" of the portion in the hand. In addition, it is in practice necessary to use both hands to proceed which is not always convenient, for example in the case of a buffet where people hurry near the table which exposes the portions of solid food, generally holding their glass with one hand, do not consequently having only one hand for gripping the portion of food product chosen.

The present invention overcomes these drawbacks and makes it possible to provide users with blocks of cheese capable of being cut into unit portions, each of the blocks containing a determined proportion of an additive which gives the portion the taste properties. chosen originals.

The cheese block according to the invention being preserved in the form of a unitary block, therefore does not present any particular problem as regards its conservation; it is in fact understood that the portions, if they were precut, should either be preamplified individually, which represents the drawbacks described above, or then exposed to rapid degradation given the large surface area of each portion exposed to the air.

However, the block according to the invention, which has reached the consumption stage, will be easily cut up by the user into unit portions which will have all the desired properties, namely perfect homogeneity in presentation and especially in composition.

To this end, the invention relates to a piece of cheese to be cut into individual portions, characterized in that the piece comprises on one of its faces rectilinear grooves, all of the grooves delimiting the edges of the individual portions to be cut and thus offering a cutting line facilitating the drawing and the passage of the knife during the cutting operation by the user.

Preferably, the piece of cheese according to the invention comprises at least two sets of grooves, the grooves of each set being arranged parallel to each other at regular intervals, these sets of grooves delimiting a network of polygons each of which corresponds to an individual portion , obtained by cutting the cheese following all the grooves.

The invention relates more particularly to a cheese of the melted dough type, characterized in that the grooves have come from molding, the cheese having been poured into a mold, the bottom of which has ribs in relief, thus forming, when the cheese is overturned, the indentation of the grooves.

The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing and preparing a cheese as defined above and characterized in that a mold is used, the bottom of which comprises a network of raised ribs, the cheese being poured into said mold and thus having, after solidification, the hollow imprint of said ribs.

According to a variant, the cheese has grooves obtained by surface sampling, according to a plurality of grooves defining each of the grooves, the grooves being screened according to a regular network.

The invention relates more particularly to a cheese of the type comprising food additives incorporated into said cheese, characterized in that the distribution of these additives is provided throughout the block of cheese in a regular manner and following the weft of the network of grooves precut, so that each unit portion defined by said grid comprises an identical proportion of the additive product.

According to one embodiment, the food additive product is added to the surface and appears substantially in the center of the surface corresponding to the individual portion.

According to a variant, the food additive is incorporated into the mass of the cheese and it is located substantially in the center and at the heart of the mass of the individual portion of cheese.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from the description which follows and which is given in relation to a particular embodiment presented by way of nonlimiting example and with reference to the appended drawings.

FIG. 1 represents a perspective view of a piece of cheese filled with the precut grooves according to the invention.

2 shows a perspective view with partial cutaway of an alternative embodiment.

According to Figure 1 on. sees a block of cheese, for example a cheese of the melted type; this cheese constitutes a unitary block 1 which is therefore suitable for storage under normal conditions; it has two sets of grooves perpendicular to each other; namely a first set corresponding to the longitudinal grooves 2, -2 ', 2 "and the transverse grooves 3, 3', 3".

The two sets of grooves combined together define
thus a series of individual portions 4, 4 ', 5, 5' etc ...

In the example presented here the block of cheese has a
food additive in the form of walnut kernels 6, 6 ', 7, 7'.

It is thus easy for the user, when the cheese must be cut into individual portions, either for the preparation of a buffet or to offer as an aperitif, or even for
family consumption, to make cuts according to
the grooves; the latter being hollow, define grooves which facilitate the cutting movement with a knife.

It is thus easy to very quickly cut the entire block into as many individual portions as it comprises.

But we can also proceed step by step and cut the
cheese by clearing blocks either individually or by detaching a transverse row corresponding to
the family's consumption at the meal, each row then being cut into a unitary block distributed to the guests.

FIG. 2 represents a variant in which the ingredients
dients or food additives incorporated into cheese are
here drowned in the mass.

Thus, the block of cheese 8 has in its mass of
food elements, referenced 9, 9 ', 10, 10' which can
consist of any food element chosen according to
tastes ; we can thus place within each portion, as we will explain below many elements such as
nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, cashews; or
still fruits such as grapes, especially raisins; but each element can also consist of a piece
meat, such as ham; but one could imagine
many other choices such as olives, peppers, pods
garlic etc ...

In the example of Figure 2 the additive element 9, 9 'is
so drowned in the mass.

In this case it is understood that it would be difficult for the user to cut the piece of cheese into individual portions under conditions such that each portion thus cut would contain, substantially in its center, one unit of the added food ingredient.

According to the invention, this condition easily becomes fulfilled by virtue of the grooves 10, 10 'and 11, 11' respectively which are provided on one side of the cheese. These grooves define individual blocks each corresponding to a portion.

And, during manufacture, provision has been made for one of the additive elements, such as those mentioned above and positioned sensi blemént in the center of each portion, to be placed at the heart of each portion.

Thus, the user by cutting the unit portions, and following the cutting lines formed by the grooves 10, 10 'and 11, 11', will obtain mini-blocks or individual portions which are perfectly homogeneous. dimension being strictly identical from one to the other; and at the same time the user is certain to obtain at the heart and substantially in the center of each portion a unit of the food additive element incorporated
The cheese can be presented in this way and packaged in a block; it is kept in this state by the user until the date of consumption.

And the advantage of the presentation according to the invention is to facilitate the production of individual portions of a regular appearance and pleasant to the view while allowing the manufacturer to present his product in block which has the advantages of reducing the cost of packaging and avoid any individual prepacking of the portions.

Likewise, for cheeses subject to strong drying, the process significantly reduces the surface in contact with the outside until use.

Claims (8)

1.- Piece of cheese to be cut into individual portions, characterized in that the piece comprises on one of its faces rectilinear grooves, all of the grooves delimiting the edges of the individual portions to be cut and thus offering a cutting line facilitating the tracing and passage of the knife during the cutting operation by the user. 2. A piece of cheese according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises at least two sets of grooves, the grooves of each set being arranged parallel to each other at regular intervals, these sets of grooves delimiting a network of polygons each of which corresponds to an individual portion, obtained by cutting the cheese following all the grooves. 3. A piece of cheese of the melted dough type, according to claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the grooves have come from molding, the cheese having been poured into a mold, the bottom of which has ribs in relief, thus forming, when the cheese is spilled, the indentation of the grooves. 4. A method of manufacturing and preparing a cheese according to claim 3 above and characterized in that a mold is used, the bottom of which comprises a network of raised ribs, the cheese being poured into said mold and thus having, after solidification, the hollow imprint of said ribs. 5. A piece of cheese according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises grooves obtained by surface sampling, according to a plurality of grooves defining each of the grooves, the grooves being screened according to a regular network. 6.- Piece of cheese according to one of claims 1, 2, 3 and 5 of the type comprising food additives incorporated into said cheese, characterized in that the distribution of these additives is provided throughout the block of cheese regularly and following the pattern of the network of precut grooves, so that each unit portion defined by said network comprises an identical portion of the additive product. 7. A piece of cheese according to claim 6, characterized in that the food additive product is added to the surface and appears substantially in the center of the upper surface of each individual portion. 8. A piece of cheese according to claim 6, characterized in that the food additive is incorporated into the mass of the cheese and it is located substantially in the center and at the heart of the mass of each individual portion of cheese.