GB2346795A

GB2346795A - Food tray

Info

Publication number: GB2346795A
Application number: GB9903749A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Christopher Martyn Jo Simmonds
Original assignee: Marks and Spencer PLC
Current assignee: Marks and Spencer PLC
Priority date: 1999-02-18
Filing date: 1999-02-18
Publication date: 2000-08-23
Anticipated expiration: 2019-02-18
Also published as: GB9903749D0; GB2346795B

Abstract

A tray for packaging and heating a plurality of food items comprises a plurality of food item locations, each location comprising:<BR> ```a locating means for the food item, which may comprise a plurality of tabs (2) excised from the base (1) of the tray and folded upright to surround the food item,<BR> ```one or more air vents (6) adapted to lie underneath the food items, and<BR> ```a support means adapted to maintain the food item over said air vent or vents (6) with sufficient clearance to allow air to circulate round the food item when the food item is in place, which support means may comprise a plurality of domed projections (4). Each location may further comprise a recessed portion (5) adapted to lie under the food item. The tray may be made of aluminium and the food may be pastry or bakery goods.

Description

Food T This invention concerns trays that can be used both for packaging and for reheating of food items.

There is currently available in shops and supermarkets a large range of convenience foods and party foods, many of which are designed to be heated or reheated in the packaging in which they are purchased. However, with many foods containing pastry, such as vol-au-vents, sausage rolls, pizza slices, and so on, it has not been possible to design packaging that achieves this aim. The reason is that, during reheating, such products evolve moisture, and, if this does not escape properly, the product has a tendency to become soggy during reheating, creating a texture that is unpleasant for the consumer. Therefore, currently, such goods are sold in packaging from which they must be removed and placed on a separate baking tray for heating. However, it would be much simpler, and more convenient for the user, if such products could be heated in the tray in which they were packaged and sold.

It is therefore an object of the current invention to provide a tray for packaging food items such as pastry goods and bakery goods, that will also serve as a tray in which such food items can be reheated.

The traditional aluminium tray is unsuitable for this, because air cannot circulate beneath the food item, causing the pastry to become soggy during re-heating. A more recent kind of aluminium tray is designed for cooking of meat products (primarily steaks) in order to give a'barbecue'type of appearance once the steak is cooked. This tray has a ridged base, with slots arranged on the tops of the ridges, but these slots will largely be covered by the product during heating, so they do not contribute effectively to air circulation around the product.

According to the invention, there is provided a tray for packaging and heating a plurality of food items, comprising a plurality of food item locations, wherein each location comprises: a locating means for the food item, one or more air vents adapted to lie underneath the food item, and a support means adapted to maintain the food item over said air vent or vents with sufficient clearance to allow air to circulate round the food item when the food item is in place.

By'food items'is meant particularly those food items, such as pastry goods and bakery goods, that are sold cooked, but are to be reheated, while retaining their crispness, before being served, and that would normally be transferred to a separate baking tray for the reheating. Examples are vol-au-vents, sausage rolls, and small pizza slices.

Such a tray has the advantage that food items to be heated before being served do not have to be individually removed from their packaging and placed on a baking tray before being heated. Furthermore, because air can circulate efficiently around the food items during heating, problems with sogginess during heating, associated with pastry goods and similar food products, are largely removed. Such a tray would normally be used in conjunction with an outer packaging for transportation and display purposes, and, in the home, the consumer simply removes the tray from the outer packaging, and places the tray in a hot oven.

According to a preferred embodiment, each location further comprises a recessed portion adapted to lie under the food item, thereby increasing the clearance. Some or all of the air vents may lie within this recessed portion. This recess provides for improved circulation of the air around the food items during heating.

The locating means loosely holds the food items in place, thereby reducing damage during transportation, and creating a pleasing appearance of an array of food items once the tray is removed from its outer packaging. Thus each individual item has its own defined compartment within the tray. One way of creating the locating means is to excise a plurality of tabs from the base of the tray, folding them into an upright position to surround the food item. Thus a loose cradle effect is created, sufficient to prevent the items from rubbing against each other and becoming damaged during transport. This particular embodiment also has the advantage that the slots remaining in the base of the tray function as further air vents, thereby increasing the air circulation.

The support means raises the food item from above the level of the base of the tray, thus providing clearance for circulating air. There are several ways in which this can be achieved, but one way is to create a plurality of domed projections, upon which the food item can rest. Alternatively, the support means may comprise upstanding linear ribs, upon which the food item can rest.

Preferably, the tray is made of aluminium or an alloy thereof. This has the advantage that the support means (whether domed projections or linear ribs), and any recessed portion, can be created by deformation of the base of the tray. Also, the air vents, and the locating means, can easily be excised from the base of the tray.

The base of the tray is preferably substantially flat.

The invention will now be further described with particular reference to one particularly preferred embodiment, it being understood that this is in order to illustrate, and not to limit, the scope of the invention.

In the Figures: Figure 1 shows a conventional aluminium packaging tray.

Figure 2 shows a prior art tray that is primarily designed for cooking of meat products, showing a ridged base, with slots on top of the ridges.

Figure 3 shows a plan view of the base of a tray according to the current invention.

Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of one of the positions, along the line A-A in Firgure 3.

Figure 5 shows the same as Figure 4, with a vol-au-vent in place.

This embodiment of the invention is an adaptation of the conventional packaging tray (Figure 1), and the sides of the tray are analogous. However, the base of the tray is substantially modified.

The base (1) is provided with a number of positions, each designed to hold a single item, such as a vol-au-vent (7). Figure 3 shows an arrangement of such positions in the base (1), in this case six in a tray. Each position is defined by four tabs (2), excised from the base (1) of the tray, and folded upright, thereby holding the vol-au-vent (7) in place during use. The resulting excisions (3) also function as secondary air vents, and contribute to the air circulation during heating. Each position has four domed projections (4), upon which the vol-au-vent (7) sits. Underneath, there is a dished recess (5), which increases the clearance of the vol-au-vent from the base of the tray.

Two air vents (6) are located on this dished recess.

From the cross-sectional views in Figure 4 and Figure 5, it can be seen that, because of the domed projections (4) and the dished recess (5), the vol-au-vent (7) is held substantially clear of the base of the tray. The vol-au-vent (7) is supported by the tabs (2), so that it will not rub against the side of the tray, or an adjacent vol-au-vent, during transport, thereby protecting it from damage. The positioning of the air vents (6) in the dished recess (5) and below the vol-au-vent (7) allows for easy air circulation around the vol-au-vent during heating.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A tray for packaging and heating a plurality of food items, comprising a plurality of food item locations, characterised in that each location comprises: a locating means for the food item, one or more air vents adapted to lie underneath the food item, and a support means adapted to maintain the food item over said air vent or vents with sufficient clearance to allow air to circulate round the food item when the food item is in place.
2. A tray according to Claim 1, each location further comprising a recessed portion adapted to lie under the food item, thereby increasing the clearance.
3. A tray according to Claim 2, wherein air vents lie within the recessed portion.
4. A tray according to any of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the locating means comprises a plurality of tabs excised from the base of the tray and folded upright to surround the food item.
5. A tray according to any of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the support means comprises a plurality of domed projections.
6. A tray according to any of Claims 1 to 5, made from aluminium or an alloy thereof.
7. A tray according to any of Claims 1 to 6, containing food items to be heated before being served.
8. A tray containing food items according to Claim 7, wherein the food items are pastry or bakery goods.
9. Use of a tray according to any of Claims 1 to 6 to package food items to be heated before being served.
10. Use according to Claim 9, wherein the food items are pastry or bakery goods.