JP2021041982A - Packaged food and cooking method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a packaged food having a long best-by date, not requiring preparation for microwave heating and capable of venting steam generated during the microwave heating, and a cooking method thereof.SOLUTION: A packaged food 10A for being heated in a microwave includes a tray 1, a food 4 placed on the tray 1, a lid member 2 covering the tray 1 together with the food 4, and a bottom member 3 covering the tray 1 and the food 4 so as to sandwich them with the lid member 2. The tray 1 and the food 4 are vacuum-packed by the lid member 2 and the bottom member 3 in a state where the lid member 2 and the bottom member 3 are sealed. A steam seal portion 5a is formed at the lid member 2 and the bottom member 3, capable of being peeled off by steam generated between the lid material 2 and the bottom material 3 during microwave heating so that the steam is allowed to escape.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a packaged food product and a cooking method thereof. For example, the present invention relates to a packaged food product for heating in a microwave oven and a cooking method thereof, which can be placed in a microwave oven and heated in a packaged state.

Packaged foods for heating microwave ovens (for example, lunch boxes, rice bowls, curry rice, etc.) sold at convenience stores and the like have a relatively short expiration date, so food loss is a problem. If the contents are sealed and packaged in a highly aseptic state, the contents are less likely to deteriorate, so that the expiration date becomes longer and it becomes a measure against food loss. From this point of view, Patent Document 1 proposes a packaged food in which the contents are separated into cooked rice and additive foods to eliminate the air in the container as much as possible and the contents are kept in a highly sterile state.

Utility Model Registration No. 3050780

In the case of packaged foods for microwave oven heating sold at convenience stores, etc., microwave oven heating is often performed in the store, so it is required to minimize the preparation work, preparation time, etc. before setting in the microwave oven. .. In addition, when the packaged food is microwave-heated, the water contained in the contents evaporates with the heating, and the pressure inside the container increases due to the generated steam, so that the container does not break and the contents do not scatter. It is also necessary to let the steam escape out of the container. However, the packaged food proposed in Patent Document 1 requires a lot of labor and time to prepare for microwave oven heating (for example, transfer of cooked rice and additive food), and microwave oven heating is required to release steam to the outside of the container. It is also necessary to open part of the container before.

The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a packaged food having a long best-by date, no preparation for microwave oven heating, and capable of removing steam during microwave oven heating. The purpose is to provide the cooking method.

In order to achieve the above object, the packaged food of the first invention is a packaged food for heating in a microwave oven.
A tray, a food placed on the tray, a lid material for covering the tray together with the food, and a bottom material for sandwiching the tray and the food between the lid materials are provided.
The lid material and the bottom material are sealed, and the tray and the food are vacuum-packed by the lid material and the bottom material.
It is characterized in that at least one of the lid material and the bottom material is formed with a steam venting mechanism for releasing steam generated between the lid material and the bottom material by microwave oven heating.

The packaged food product of the second invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, the lid material and the bottom material are made of a soft laminated film.

The packaged food product of the third invention is characterized in that, in the first or second invention, the sealing state between the lid material and the bottom material is composed of a sealing portion having an easy peeling property.

The packaged food product of the fourth invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to third inventions, it has a concave shape in which the tray fits into the bottom material.

In the packaged food of the fifth invention, in any one of the first to fourth inventions, the lid material has a laminated structure including at least a nylon layer and a polypropylene layer, and the bottom material is the lid. It is characterized by having a laminated structure including at least an easy peel layer and a nylon layer from the material side.

In the packaged food of the sixth invention, in any one of the first to fourth inventions, the lid material has a laminated structure including at least a nylon layer and an easy peel layer, and the bottom material is the same. It is characterized by having a laminated structure composed of at least a polypropylene layer and a nylon layer from the lid material side.

In the packaged food of the seventh invention, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the steam venting mechanism is a tray as a part of a sealing portion for sealing the lid material and the bottom material. It is characterized in that it has a steaming seal portion having a shape protruding to the side, and the steaming seal portion is configured to be peelable by the steam.

In the packaged food of the eighth invention, in any one of the first to sixth inventions, the steam bleeding mechanism comprises a notch formed in a half-cut state on the surface of the lid material, and the steam causes the packaged food. It is characterized in that the notch is configured to be openable.

The cooking method of the ninth invention is to cook a packaged food product according to any one of the first to eighth inventions by heating it in a microwave oven in an unopened state kept in a vacuum-packed state. It is a feature.

According to the present invention, since the tray and the food are vacuum-packed by the lid material and the bottom material, long-term storage is possible. Therefore, since the expiration date is long, it is a measure against food loss. Moreover, since it can be placed in a microwave oven and heated in a vacuum-packed state, preparation for microwave oven heating is not required. In addition, since at least one of the lid material and the bottom material is formed with a steam venting mechanism for releasing steam generated between the lid material and the bottom material by microwave oven heating, steam venting during microwave oven heating is also possible. It is possible. Therefore, it is not necessary to open a part of the package before heating in the microwave to discharge the steam, which is convenient.

The schematic diagram which shows the packaged food which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The schematic diagram which shows the packaged food which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. The process chart which shows the vacuum packaging of the packaged food which concerns on 1st Embodiment, and steam removal at the time of microwave oven heating. The process chart which shows the vacuum packaging of the packaged food which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, and steam removal at the time of microwave oven heating.

Hereinafter, the packaged food according to the embodiment of the present invention, the cooking method thereof, and the like will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the same parts and corresponding parts of the embodiments and the like are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted as appropriate.

The schematic diagram of FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of the packaged food 10A according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 1, (A) is a plan view of packaged food 10A, and (B) is a sectional view taken along line AA'of (A). Further, the schematic diagram of FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of the packaged food 10B according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 2, (A) is a plan view of the packaged food 10B, and (B) is a sectional view taken along line BB'of (A).

In the packaged foods 10A and 10B for heating in a microwave oven, the tray 1 is placed between the tray 1, the food 4 placed on the tray 1, the lid material 2 that covers the tray 1 together with the food 4, and the lid material 2. It also includes a bottom material 3 that sandwiches and covers the food 4. Further, the lid material 2 and the bottom material 3 are sealed, and the tray 1 and the food 4 are vacuum-packed by the lid material 2 and the bottom material 3. The food 4 assumed here is cooked rice, delicatessen (hamburger steak, etc.), curry rice, and the like. The packaged foods 10A and 10B have a configuration in which the food 4 can be microwave-heated while being packaged together with the tray 1 as the contents.

The tray 1 has a storage space 1s having a depth in which the entire food 4 placed on the tray 1 is stored. The tray 1 is provided with a bottom portion 1b, a side surface portion 1c, and a flange portion 1f as main components, and is formed so that an opening 1a for taking in and out the food 4 faces the bottom portion 1b. The opening 1a and the bottom portion 1b have a quadrangular shape, the flange portion 1f is formed so as to project outward from the peripheral edge of the opening 1a, and the bottom portion 1b and the flange portion 1f are parallel to each other and the side surface portion 1c. It is connected by. Although the opening 1a has substantially the same size as the bottom portion 1b, the side surface portion 1c may be tapered so that the opening 1a is larger than the bottom portion 1b.

The tray 1 is an elastically deformable resin molded body made of a thermoplastic resin such as polypropylene (PP), and the bottom portion 1b, the side surface portion 1c, and the flange portion 1f are integrally formed by a molding method such as injection molding or vacuum molding. It is formed to be thin (for example, thickness: 0.45 mm). Examples of the material of the tray 1 include PP / EVOH (3%) / PP, PP containing a filler (the filler is composed of an inorganic substance such as lime), and the like (EVOH: ethylene / vinyl alcohol copolymer). ).

The lid material 2 and the bottom material 3 are made of a deformable soft laminated film suitable for vacuum packaging. A sealing portion 5 having an easy peel (EP) property forms a sealing state between the lid material 2 and the bottom material 3 on the outer peripheral portions of the lid material 2 and the bottom material 3. That is, the lid material 2 and the bottom material 3 form a sealing portion 5 at the outer peripheral portion by heat sealing with the EP layer (sealant layer having EP property) of the lid material 2 or the bottom material 3. Further, the lid material 2 and the bottom material 3 have a thickness corresponding to the size of the tray 1 and the like. For example, the lid material 2 is composed of a co-extruded unstretched film having a thickness of 80 to 100 μm, and the bottom material 3 is composed of a co-extruded unstretched film having a thickness of 200 to 250 μm. Further, if the symmetry of the laminated structure is weak, it is easy to curl, so that the lid material 2 and the bottom material 3 are preferably made of a laminated film having a symmetric structure (for example, a symmetric laminated structure of two types and three layers).

The food 4 is vacuum-packed with the lid material 2 and the bottom material 3 to enable long-term storage, and the packaged foods 10A and 10B are frozen and stored to enable further long-term storage. Since nylon (NY) is excellent in piercing resistance, impact resistance, and bending resistance, it is preferable to use nylon for the lid material 2 in freezing storage. Further, even when the product is distributed in a frozen state, it is preferable that the lid material 2 and the bottom material 3 have an oxygen barrier property when they are stored in a chilled state at a store. Examples of nylon having an oxygen barrier property include EVOH-based co-extruded ONY and MXD nylon-based co-extruded ONY (ONY: biaxially stretched nylon). Further, a barrier film such as transparent VMPET (transparent vapor-deposited polyethylene terephthalate) or EVOH may be provided.

The packaged food 10A has an EP layer on the bottom material 3. In that case, specific examples of the lid material 2 include a 3-layer film of PP / NY / PP, a 4-layer film of NY / PP / NY / PP, and a 4-layer film of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) / PP / NY / PP. A two-layer film of CNY (non-stretched nylon) / PP and the like can be mentioned, and specific examples of the bottom material 3 include EP / NY / PP and the like. The packaged food 10B has an EP layer on the lid material 2. In that case, specific examples of the lid material 2 include a NY / EP two-layer film, PET / EP two-layer film, and the like, and specific examples of the bottom material 3 include a PP / NY / PP three-layer film. , PE / NY / PP three-layer film and the like.

The EP layer constituting the lid material 2 or the bottom material 3 has the functions of a cohesive peeling type, an interfacial peeling type, or a delamination type, which has easy peeling property and heat sealing property, and also has appropriate adhesive strength to the adjacent layer. It consists of a sex film (eg, a non-stretched coextruded multilayer film). Examples of the EP layer include those made of polyethylene and polypropylene (a blend of PE and PP). Specific examples of the EP layer include CMPS (registered trademark) -013C, 017C, 302C manufactured by Mitsui Chemicals Tohcello Corporation; 7601EA, 7603B, 9501A manufactured by Toray Film Processing Co., Ltd.

The packaged foods 10A and 10B are provided with a steam venting mechanism for letting steam generated between the lid material 2 and the bottom material 3 by microwave oven heating escape from the steam port 6. The steam venting mechanism of the packaged food 10A (FIG. 1) is composed of a steaming sealed portion 5a forming a part of the sealing portion 5 and an unsealed portion 5b adjacent thereto, and the steam venting mechanism of the packaged food 10B (FIG. 2). ), It is composed of a notch 7 formed in a half-cut state on the surface of the central portion of the lid material 2. By providing the steam venting mechanism, it is not necessary to peel off a part of the seal portion 5 before heating the microwave oven. Therefore, there is no need to prepare for microwave oven heating, which is convenient, and since microwave oven heating is started in an unopened state, a steaming effect by steam V can be obtained.

Next, the above-mentioned vacuum packaging and steam removal during microwave oven heating will be described in more detail. The cross-sectional view of FIG. 3 shows the vacuum packaging step and the range heating step of the packaged food 10A according to the first embodiment, and the cross-sectional view of FIG. 4 shows the vacuum packaging of the packaged food 10B according to the second embodiment. The process and the range heating process are shown. In FIGS. 3 and 4, (A) shows a state in which the lid material 2 and the bottom material 3 are set on the tray 1 on which the food 4 is placed, and in (B), the food 4 is vacuum-packed together with the tray 1. The state (the state of (B) in FIGS. 1 and 2) is shown, and (C) shows the state in which the steam V generated by the range heating of the packaged foods 10A and 10B is discharged from the steam port 6. There is.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the lid material 2 is made of a flat laminated film, and the bottom material 3 is made of a laminated film for blister packaging having a concave shape into which the tray 1 is fitted. .. First, the food 4 is placed on the tray 1 by putting the food 4 into the storage space 1s of the tray 1. When the tray 1 on which the food 4 is placed is set in the concave portion of the bottom material 3 and the tray 1 is covered with the food 4 by the lid material 2, the lid material 2 and the bottom material 3 sandwich the tray 1 and the food 4. It will be in a state of being covered by sandwiching it.

By degassing between the lid material 2 and the bottom material 3 and heat-sealing the lid material 2 and the bottom material 3 at the peripheral portion, the sealing portion 5 is formed as shown in (B) of FIGS. 3 and 4. When formed, the food 4 is in a vacuum-packed state together with the tray 1. Since the lid material 2 has flexibility, it is deformed along the surfaces of the food 4 and the tray 1 by degassing. In the vacuum-packed packaged foods 10A and 10B, since the air between the lid material 2 and the bottom material 3 is excluded, the food 4 and the tray 1 are kept in a highly sterile state until they are opened.

When eating food 4, the packaged foods 10A and 10B shown in FIGS. 3 and 4B are set in a microwave oven in an unopened state kept in a vacuum-packed state and cooked by heating in a microwave oven. I do. When the packaged foods 10A and 10B are heated in a microwave oven, steam V is generated from the food 4 and the internal pressure between the lid material 2 and the bottom material 3 rises ((C) in FIGS. 3 and 4). As a result, the steaming effect of steam V is obtained, which enables rapid cooking of food 4 and uniform cooking.

In the case of the packaged food 10A, a pair of U-shaped steaming seal portions 5a protruding toward the tray 1 side are provided as a part of the sealing portion 5 (FIG. 1 (A)), and the steaming seal portion 5a of the packaged food 10A is provided. A pair of unsealed portions 5b are provided on the outside. The steaming seal portion 5a can be peeled off by the steam V generated between the lid material 2 and the bottom material 3 by microwave oven heating. The unsealed portion 5b constitutes a steam port 6 that opens from the sealed portion 5 toward the outside of the package. The steam port 6 is a portion that serves as a discharge path for steam V when the steam sealing portion 5a is peeled off and the lid material 2 and the bottom material 3 are connected to the unsealed portion 5b. The shape of the ventilation seal portion 5a is not limited to the U-shape, but may be a trapezoidal shape, a V-shape, or the like. Further, since the unsealed portion 5b is not always necessary to form the steam port 6, the unsealed portion 5b may be cut out from the lid material 2 and the bottom material 3 to form the steam port 6.

Since the steaming seal portion 5a protrudes toward the tray 1, the stress due to the steam V is concentrated on the steaming seal portion 5a. As a result, only the air-permeable seal portion 5a is peeled off at the seal portion 5. At this time, the fact that the width of the ventilation seal portion 5a is narrower than the width of the seal portion 5 has an advantageous effect on the peeling of the ventilation seal portion 5a. When the stress due to the steam V concentrates on the steaming seal portion 5a and the peeling of the steaming seal portion 5a starts, the space between the lid material 2 and the bottom material 3 leads to the unsealed portion 4a. As a result, high-pressure steam V flows from the inside of the package into the steam port 6 and is exhausted from the steam port 6 to the outside of the package (FIG. 3 (C)). In this way, since the steam seal portion 5a is provided so as to form the steam port 6 leading to the outside, the steam V is exhausted by causing the steam seal portion 5a to peel off due to the increase in internal pressure due to microwave oven heating. The mechanism can be easily realized. Since this steam venting mechanism is arranged on the outside of the flange portion 1f on the upper part of the tray 1, when the steam V is exhausted from the steam port 6, leakage of the food 4 from the steam port 6 is prevented.

In the case of the packaged food 10B, a notch 7 in a half-cut state is provided on the outer surface of the central portion of the lid material 2 (FIG. 2). The notch 7 constitutes a steam port 6 that opens toward the outside of the package at the central portion of the lid material 2 (FIGS. 2 (B) and 4 (C)), and the lid material 2 and the bottom material are heated by microwave oven. It can be opened by the steam V generated between it and 3. The steam port 6 is a portion that serves as a discharge path for steam V when the notch 7 is opened and the lid material 2 and the bottom material 3 are connected to the outside of the package. The notch 7 can be formed by scratching the outer surface of the lid material 2 by laser processing (for example, carbon dioxide gas laser) or the like. In that case, for example, in the above-mentioned configuration in which the lid material 2 has an EP layer, it is preferable that only one layer (nylon or PET) on the outer surface of the lid material 2 is damaged in a half-cut state by laser processing.

When the heating in the microwave oven is completed, the packaged foods 10A and 10B are opened by holding the opening tab 8 of the lid material 2 ((A) in FIGS. 1 and 2) and peeling the lid material 2 from the bottom material 3. I do. Since the sealing portion 5 composed of the lid material 2 and the bottom material 3 has an easy peeling property, it is easy to open the packaged foods 10A and 10B.

According to each embodiment, as described above, since the tray 1 and the food 4 are vacuum-packed by the lid material 2 and the bottom material 3, long-term storage is possible. Therefore, since the expiration date is long, it is a measure against food loss. Moreover, since it can be placed in a microwave oven and heated in a vacuum-packed state, preparation for microwave oven heating is not required. Further, since at least one of the lid material 2 and the bottom material 3 is formed with a steam venting mechanism for releasing steam V generated between the lid material 2 and the bottom material 3 by microwave oven heating, microwave oven heating is performed. It is also possible to remove steam from time. Therefore, it is not necessary to open a part of the package before heating in the microwave to discharge the steam V, which is convenient.

1 Tray 1a Opening 1b Bottom 1c Side 1f Flange 1s Storage space 2 Lid material (laminated film)
3 Bottom material (laminated film)
4 Food (contents)
5 Seal part 5a Steaming seal part (steam venting mechanism)
5b Unsealed part (steam venting mechanism)
6 Steam port (steam vent mechanism)
7 Notch (steam removal mechanism)
8 Opening tab 10A, 10B Packaged food V Steam

Claims (9)

It is a packaged food for heating in a microwave oven.
A tray, a food placed on the tray, a lid material for covering the tray together with the food, and a bottom material for sandwiching the tray and the food between the lid materials are provided.
The lid material and the bottom material are sealed, and the tray and the food are vacuum-packed by the lid material and the bottom material.
A packaged food product characterized in that at least one of the lid material and the bottom material is formed with a steam venting mechanism for releasing steam generated between the lid material and the bottom material by microwave oven heating. .. The packaged food product according to claim 1, wherein the lid material and the bottom material are made of a soft laminated film. The packaged food according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sealing state between the lid material and the bottom material is composed of a sealing portion having an easy peeling property. The packaged food product according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the bottom material has a concave shape in which the tray fits. The lid material has a laminated structure composed of at least a nylon layer and a polypropylene layer, and the bottom material has a laminated structure composed of at least an easy peel layer and a nylon layer from the lid material side. The packaged food according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The lid material has a laminated structure including at least a nylon layer and an easy peel layer, and the bottom material has a laminated structure including at least a polypropylene layer and a nylon layer from the lid material side. The packaged food according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The steam venting mechanism has a steaming seal portion having a shape protruding toward the tray as a part of a sealing portion that seals the lid material and the bottom material, and the steam seal portion causes the steaming seal portion. The packaged food according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the packaged food is peelable. Any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the steam venting mechanism comprises a notch formed in a half-cut state on the surface of the lid material, and the notch is configured to be openable by the steam. Packaged foods listed in the section. A cooking method, wherein the packaged food product according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is cooked by microwave oven heating in an unopened state kept in a vacuum-packed state.

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