WO2018025548A1 - Packaged frozen food - Google Patents

Abstract

The packaged frozen food (1) comprises: a container body (2) comprising two container elements (20), (20); and frozen food (3) separately packaged in the container elements (20). Each of the two container elements (20), (20) has a bottom part (21), a peripheral wall (22), an upper opening (23), and a flange part (24), and the upper opening (23) is sealed with a cover body (4). The two container elements (20), (20) are integrally joined in a separable manner through a flange section (24C) located between the upper openings (23), (23) and formed symmetrically on both sides of the flange section (24C). The peripheral wall (22) is inclined with respect to the vertical direction (Z) so that the horizontal cross-sectional length of the container element (20) gradually increases from the bottom part (21) towards the upper opening (23).

Description

Frozen food in containers

The present invention relates to a frozen food in a container that can be cooked by a microwave cooker such as a microwave oven while being contained in the container.

In recent years, against the backdrop of the spread of household refrigerators and the expansion of food distribution at freezing temperatures, there has been an increase in the sales of frozen foods that can be eaten simply by cooking using a microwave oven. In addition, due to the development of freezing technology, the types of frozen foods are diversified, and not only main ingredients such as rice and noodles, but also food sets where rice and side dishes are nicely arranged, or spaghetti and curry rice with sauce Frozen foods of so-called ready-to-eat foods are sold, such as foods composed of main ingredients and supplementary ingredients such as sauce, sauce and sauce.

However, when frozen foods with a food set or main ingredient on which a secondary ingredient is placed are cooked in a microwave oven, the heating efficiency of the microwave oven varies depending on the type and amount of ingredients. In many cases, uneven heating occurs. For example, if microwave heating is performed so that the whole food is warmed, partial heating may occur, resulting in scorching and drying, and microwave heating so that such an overheated portion does not occur. As a result, a part with insufficient heating was generated, and an unheated part in a frozen state was sometimes generated without being even thawed.

As a prior art that can solve the problem of heating unevenness in microwave cooking of frozen foods, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses that a part of the outer surface of a bottom part of a container in which frozen foods are stored has a microplate such as an aluminum plate. Disposing a wave blocking member is disclosed. Patent Document 2 discloses disposing a heating element, such as an aluminum thin film, that generates heat by microwave irradiation at the center of the inner surface of the bottom of a container in which frozen food is stored. Since the containers described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have a special configuration, special care is required at the time of production or heating of a microwave oven. There is a demand for a technique that can prevent heating unevenness in microwave cooking of frozen foods with a simpler container configuration. The containers described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 each have only one frozen food storage unit, and are not configured to store a plurality of types of frozen foods so as not to be mixed with each other.

Patent Document 3 discloses a container having a plurality of food storage chambers and capable of individually storing a plurality of types of foods including frozen foods in each storage chamber. The container specifically disclosed in FIG. 1 of Patent Document 3 includes a container body having six storage chambers each having a substantially rectangular upper opening in a top view, and a cover sheet for sealing each upper opening. These six storage chambers are connected to each other via a flange that protrudes horizontally from the opening edge of the upper opening of each storage chamber. In addition, the flange portion is provided with a separation auxiliary portion extending over the entire length of the container body in the short direction, and the six storage chambers are divided into three storage chamber groups by the separation auxiliary portion. By cutting the container body at the auxiliary portion, a storage chamber group consisting of a set of two storage chambers can be separated from the container body. According to the container described in Patent Document 3 having such a configuration, a plurality of types of frozen foods with different cooking times by the microwave oven can be individually stored in each storage room group that can be separated. It is said that the frozen foods of vegetables and the frozen foods of meat or fish shellfish that have been difficult to be stored in one container because of being different can be stored together in one container. Patent Document 3 does not describe the problem of uneven heating in microwave cooking of frozen food, and naturally does not describe the means for solving it.

JP 2002-209564 A JP 2014-226105 A Japanese Patent No. 5807798

An object of the present invention is to provide a frozen food in a container in which frozen foods are individually accommodated in a plurality of container elements integrated so as to be separable, and even if the frozen foods are collectively microwave-cooked, heating unevenness is unlikely to occur. About providing.

The present invention is a frozen food in a container for microwave cooking, comprising: a container body including two container elements; and a frozen food individually accommodated in each container element. Respectively, a bottom portion on which the frozen food is placed, a peripheral wall standing up from the periphery of the bottom portion, an upper opening located above the bottom portion, and an opening edge of the upper opening toward the outside in the horizontal direction. And the upper opening is sealed by a lid, and the two container elements are separated through the flange located between the upper openings. The container element is formed so as to be integrated and symmetrical with the flange portion interposed therebetween, and the peripheral wall of the container element gradually increases in length as the width of the horizontal cross section of the container element extends from the bottom to the top opening. Inclined with respect to the vertical direction to increase It is a container containing frozen food that you are.

The frozen food in a container according to the present invention has a configuration in which frozen foods are individually housed in a plurality of container elements that are integrated so as to be separable. The non-uniformity of heating does not occur easily, and the handleability is excellent. According to the frozen food in a container of the present invention, two types of frozen foods having the same food type but different seasonings, specifically, for example, two types of pasta dishes having different sauces are handled in an integrated manner. It is possible to enjoy two tastes in one meal.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an embodiment of the frozen food in a container according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a state in which the frozen food contained in the container shown in FIG. 1 is separated into container elements. FIG. 3 is a top view schematically showing the top surface of the container body in the frozen food contained in the container shown in FIG. 1. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a cross section taken along the line II of FIG. 3, that is, a cross section along the short direction of the container element. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a cross section taken along line II-II in FIG. 3, that is, a cross section along the longitudinal direction of the container element. FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing another embodiment of the frozen food in a container according to the present invention. FIG. 7 is a perspective view schematically showing the upper surface side of the container main body in the container-frozen frozen food shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a cross section taken along line III-III in FIG. 7, that is, a cross section along the short direction of the container element.

Hereinafter, the frozen food in a container according to the present invention will be described based on its preferred embodiment with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the frozen food 1 in a container according to the present embodiment includes a container body 2 including two container elements 20, 20, and a frozen food 3 individually accommodated in each container element 20. Is provided.

3 to 5 show the container body 2. The two container elements 20, 20 constituting the container body 2 are respectively positioned above the bottom 21 on which the frozen food 3 is placed, the peripheral wall 22 rising from the periphery of the bottom 21, and the bottom 21. It has the upper opening 23 and the flange part 24 extended toward the horizontal direction outward from the opening edge part of this upper opening 23. As shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, for the purpose of improving the strength of the container element 20, irregularities are provided on the peripheral wall 22, and steps are provided at the corners of the flange portion 24. The frozen food 3 is accommodated in the internal space of the container element 20 defined by the bottom portion 21 and the peripheral wall 22 via the upper opening 23 and is taken out from the internal space via the upper opening 23.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper opening 23 of each container element 20 is sealed with a lid 4. The lid 4 is detachably anchored to the flange portion 24. In the present embodiment, the same number of lids 4 as the plurality of upper openings 23, that is, two lid bodies 4 individually seal the plurality of upper openings 23, and the plurality of upper openings 23 and the plurality of lid bodies 4 are 1 There is a one-to-one correspondence. The lid 4 is not particularly limited as long as it can prevent leakage of the moisture of the contents to the outside. For example, a resin film such as a packaging wrap, a resin plate such as a fitting lid, etc. Shaped member. The lid body 4 in the present embodiment is a transparent resin film, and is joined to the flange portion 24 by fusion or adhesive so as to be peelable. The flange portion 24 surrounds the upper opening 23 of each container element 20 in a top view of the container body 2 as shown in FIG. The flange portion 24 functions not only as an anchoring portion of the lid 4 that closes the upper opening 23 but also as a handle when the container element 20 is gripped with fingers. The width W1 (see FIG. 3) of the flange portion 24 is not particularly limited, but is usually about 8 mm to 20 mm.

The two container elements 20 and 20 are detachably integrated with each other through a flange portion 24 located between the upper openings 23 and 23, and are individually separated as shown in FIG. can do. That is, the flange portion 24 located between the two container elements 20 and 20 (hereinafter, this flange portion 24 is also referred to as “central flange portion 24C”), as shown in FIG. The cut-off portion 25 having a low strength and can be easily broken by hand in plan view has a center in the width direction Y (a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X) of the center flange portion 24C along the upper opening 23. It extends over the entire length of the central flange portion 24C, and the container body 2 is cut at the separating portion 25, so that two independent container elements 20, 20 can be obtained as shown in FIG. . The cut-off portion 25 can be formed by, for example, perforation processing that intermittently cuts the forming material of the flange portion 24.

The two container elements 20 and 20 are formed symmetrically with a central flange portion 24C located between the upper openings 23 and 23 therebetween. That is, the two container elements 20 and 20 are the same in shape and dimensions of each part. Here, “symmetrically formed” is not limited to the form in which the two container elements 20, 20 having the same shape and the same dimensions without any difference are formed symmetrically with the central flange 24 </ b> C interposed therebetween. Although the shape and / or dimensions of each part are different from each other if strictly observed, when a person skilled in the art observes the entire appearance of the two container elements 20 and 20, they are symmetrical with respect to the central flange part 24C. The form which can be judged without a sense of incongruity when it is formed is included. The latter form is typically caused by so-called manufacturing errors, and the shape of the two container elements 20, 20 and / or the dimensions of each part may unintentionally differ from each other.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the upper opening 23 of each container element 20 has a rectangular shape having a longitudinal direction X and a transverse direction Y orthogonal thereto in plan view. In the present embodiment, not only the upper opening 23 but also the bottom 21 has a rectangular shape in plan view similar to the upper opening 23, and the peripheral wall 22 rising from the periphery of the bottom 21 is formed by the bottom 21 (upper opening 23). A pair extending in the longitudinal direction X and another pair extending in the short direction Y are included.

In the present embodiment, the central flange portion 24C located between the two container elements 20 and 20 and connecting the two container elements 20 and 20, that is, two symmetrically formed container elements 20 and 20 are symmetrical to each other. The central flange portion 24C forming an axis extends along the long side of the upper opening 23 having a rectangular shape in plan view. That is, the two container elements 20 and 20 are integrated such that their long sides in a plan view are close to each other in parallel, that is, they are connected in series in the lateral direction Y.

As one of the main characteristics of the frozen food 1 in a container according to the present embodiment, the above-described configuration, that is, “a configuration in which two container elements 20 and 20 in which frozen foods 3 are individually accommodated are integrated in line symmetry. Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the peripheral wall 22 of each container element 20 gradually increases as the length of the horizontal cross section of the container element 20 increases from the bottom 21 toward the upper opening 23. Thus, the point which inclines with respect to the perpendicular direction Z is mentioned.

In the present embodiment, the peripheral wall 22 is upward from the bottom 21 and outward of the container element 20 in a cross-sectional view along the vertical direction Z (the depth direction of the container element 20) as shown in FIGS. An extending straight line is formed, and an angle (inclination angle) θ between the peripheral wall 22 and the vertical direction Z is uniform in each part of the peripheral wall 22. Both the bottom portion 21 and the upper opening 23 have a rectangular shape in plan view, and both are in a similar relationship. That is, each of the two container elements 20 and 20 has an inverted quadrangular truncated pyramid shape in which the other portion excluding the flange portion 24 gradually increases in length from the bottom portion 21 toward the upper opening 23. .

As described above, the peripheral wall 22 of each container element 20 is an inclined wall that is inclined to the outer side of the container element 20, so that the frozen food 3 is individually accommodated in the two container elements 20, 20. Even if these are cooked simultaneously with a microwave cooker such as a microwave oven, uneven heating of the frozen food 3 is unlikely to occur, and the two frozen foods 3 and 3 can be heated well at the same time. Can cook food. If the peripheral wall 22 of the container element 20 is not such an inclined wall but a vertical wall parallel to the vertical direction Z, the case where the two container elements 20 and 20 are simultaneously heated by a microwave oven will be described later. As shown in Comparative Example 1, heating unevenness of the frozen food 3 cannot be prevented, and thawing unevenness may occur.

From the viewpoint of more surely exhibiting such operational effects, the inclination angle θ (see FIGS. 4 and 5) of the peripheral wall 22 is preferably 5 to 25 degrees, and more preferably 7 to 20 degrees. If the inclination angle θ of the peripheral wall 22 is too small, unevenness in heating or thawing of the frozen food 3 in the container element 20 is likely to occur in microwave cooking, and a problem may also arise in terms of handling of the container body 2. For example, when the container body 2 is manufactured or distributed, a plurality of empty container bodies 2 that do not contain contents are used for the bottom 21 of the container element 20 of one container body. When the inclination angle θ of the peripheral wall 22 of the container element 20 constituting each container body 2 is too small when the container body 2 is stacked so as to be inserted into the upper opening 23 of the container element 20, It is difficult to separate the container main bodies 2 individually. Further, as another problem caused by the inclination angle θ of the peripheral wall 22 being too small, in particular, as a method for manufacturing the container body 2, one resin sheet having a uniform thickness is heated and softened to be molded into a predetermined shape. When the press molding method or the like is employed, the thickness of the sheet becomes thin, and there is a problem that the impact resistance of the container body 2 is weakened. On the other hand, when the inclination angle θ of the peripheral wall 22 is too large, the depth D (see FIGS. 4 and 5) of each container element 20 becomes shallow, particularly when the container body 2 is manufactured by a press molding method or the like. Since the element 20 has a shallow tray shape, the filling amount of food into the container element 20 is reduced, and the food filled in the container element 20 may easily leak from the container element 20.

From the viewpoint of more reliably causing heating unevenness and thawing unevenness of the frozen food 3 in each container element 20, the ratio of the length between the long side and the short side of the upper opening 23 having a rectangular shape in plan view is L1. : L2 (see FIG. 3), preferably 1: 0.6 to 0.95, more preferably 1: 0.7 to 0.9. From the same viewpoint, the ratio between the length L1 of the long side of the upper opening 23 having a rectangular shape in plan view and the depth D of the container element 20 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) is preferably L1: D, preferably 1. : 0.2 to 0.4, more preferably 1: 0.25 to 0.35.

The length L1 of the long side of the upper opening 23 is preferably 6 cm or more, more preferably 8 cm or more, and preferably 25 cm or less, more preferably 22 cm or less.
The length L2 of the short side of the upper opening 23 is preferably 5 cm or more, more preferably 7 cm or more, and preferably 15 cm or less, more preferably 12 cm or less.
The depth (maximum depth if the depth is not constant) D of the container element 20 is preferably 2 cm or more, more preferably 2.5 cm or more, and preferably 7 cm or less, more preferably 6 cm or less.

From the same viewpoint, the maximum length L3 (see FIG. 3) of the container body 2 is preferably 10 cm or more, more preferably 14 cm or more, and preferably 30 cm or less, more preferably 25 cm or less.
Further, the minimum length L4 (see FIG. 3) of the container body 2 is preferably 8 cm or more, more preferably 10 cm or more, and preferably 30 cm or less, more preferably 25 cm or less.
The maximum delivery length L3 is the delivery length of the portion with the longest delivery length in the container body 2, and corresponds to the entire length in the longitudinal direction X in the present embodiment. The minimum delivery length L4 is the delivery length of the portion with the shortest delivery length in the container body 2, and corresponds to the entire length in the short direction Y in this embodiment.
If the passing length of the container body 2 is too large, the volume of the container element 20 becomes too large, particularly when the container body 2 is integrally microwave cooked without being separated into individual container elements 20, If the frozen food 3 in the container element 20 may be unevenly heated or thawed, and if the length of the container body 2 is too short, the volume of the container element 20 becomes too small. There is a possibility that a time difference required for thawing in microwave cooking of the frozen food 3 may increase between one and the other of the two container elements 20 and 20.

Further, according to the knowledge of the present inventors, the center 2C (see FIG. 3) in the plan view of the container body 2 and the center 20C in the plan view of each container element 20 constituting the container body 2 (see FIG. 3). If the separation distance L5 is not in an appropriate range, when the two container elements 20 and 20 are cooked at the same time, uneven heating of the frozen food 3 tends to occur. In this regard, in the present embodiment, as described above, the two container elements 20 and 20 having a rectangular shape in plan view are connected in series in the lateral direction Y, and these container elements 20 and 20 are connected in the longitudinal direction X. Compared with the configuration connected in series with each other, the separation distance L5 is shortened and within an appropriate range, so that uneven heating is less likely to occur compared to such a configuration. The separation distance L5 is preferably 3 cm to 12 cm, more preferably 4 cm to 10 cm. Further, from the viewpoint of setting the separation distance L5 to an appropriate length, the width W2 (see FIG. 3) of the central flange portion 24C that is located between the two container elements 20 and 20 and connects them is preferably It is 5 mm to 40 mm, more preferably 8 mm to 30 mm.

In addition, from the viewpoint of more effectively suppressing heating unevenness and thawing unevenness of the frozen food 3 by setting the amount of the frozen food 3 in each container element 20 to an appropriate range, the long side of the upper opening 23 in each container element 20 The ratio between the length L1 (see FIG. 3) and the separation distance L5 (see FIG. 3) is preferably in the range of 1.5 to 2.5 as L1 / L5. From the same viewpoint, the ratio between the length L2 of the short side of the upper opening 23 (see FIG. 3) and the separation distance L5 in each container element 20 is preferably in the range of 1 to 2 as L2 / L5. .

Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in each container element 20, the inner surface of the bottom 21 and the inner surface of the peripheral wall 22 are smooth curved lines that protrude toward the outer side of the container element 20. Where connected, according to the knowledge of the present inventors, such a configuration is 1) 2 in comparison with a configuration in which both inner surfaces are connected with a sharp angle without being connected with a smooth curve. When the container elements 20 and 20 are cooked at the same time by microwave cooking, heating of the frozen food 3 is less likely to occur. 2) Impact resistance of the frozen food 3 is improved. 3) The container body 2 slips on the production line of the container body 2. It becomes difficult. From the viewpoint of ensuring such an effect, the inner surface of the bottom portion 21, the inner surface of the peripheral wall 22 and the connecting portion preferably have a radius of 0.5 cm to 20 cm, particularly 1 cm to 15 cm.

The material for forming the container body 2 (container element 20) may be any material having microwave permeability and heat resistance and water resistance that can withstand microwave heating of the frozen food 3. For example, polyethylene terephthalate And heat-resistant plastics such as crystallized polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene, polyethylene, and polystyrene, paper coated with a heat-resistant and water-resistant coating, and composite materials thereof.

The container body 2 (container element 20) can be manufactured in accordance with a conventional method. For example, an injection molding method in which a heat-melted material is injected and injected into a mold, and cooled and solidified to form a predetermined shape. Although it is good, from the viewpoints of preventing microwave reduction during microwave cooking, improving the thawing efficiency, etc., the sheet-shaped forming material with a uniform thickness is heated and softened, and is closely attached to the mold and formed into a predetermined shape. The method is preferable, and specific examples include a press molding method, a vacuum molding method, and a compressed air molding method.

The frozen food 3 may be of any type as long as microwave cooking represented by microwave heating is possible. For example, noodles, rice, meat, seafood, vegetables, fruits, soup, various side dishes ( Gyoza, hamburger, etc.). Specific examples of the frozen food 3 include curry and rice, beef bowl, doria, Tianjin rice, rice porridge, rice cooked rice, risotto, etc. (steamed rice with ingredients); Noodles such as garnished noodles; stew, sauces with ingredients, soup with ingredients, soups with sauces, sauces, etc .; gratin and lasagna. In addition, the state of the frozen food 3 before freezing is not particularly limited, and is, for example, heated, cooked, semi-heated, semi-cooked, unheated, uncooked, seasoned, or seasoned It may be a state where a plurality of these various state ingredients are mixed.

The frozen food 3 may be the same or different in type and / or composition between the one contained in one of the two container elements 20 and 20 and the one contained in the other. In the present embodiment, the total two frozen foods 3 and 3 individually accommodated in each container element 20 are not the same food. That is, both the frozen foods 3 and 3 are the same type of food (spaghetti), but seasoning, specifically, the types of sauces on the noodles are different from each other.

Even if the two frozen foods 3 and 3 in the container body 2 are somewhat different from each other in kind and / or composition, microwave cooking is performed once by the configuration of the container body 2 (container element 20) described above. Even in this case, it is possible to effectively prevent such heating unevenness and thawing unevenness. Examples of the combination of the two frozen foods 3 and 3 in the container body 2 include combinations of the same kind of food but different seasonings. The “same type of food” as used herein means foods having a common category such as noodles and rice. Specifically, the combination of the two frozen foods 3, 3 can be, for example, two types of spaghetti with different sauces on the noodles. In this case, by making the amount of spaghetti as the frozen food 3 accommodated in each container element 20 half of the usual amount for one serving, the container-frozen that can enjoy two tastes in one meal Food is obtained.

From the viewpoint of more reliably preventing uneven heating and thawing unevenness of the frozen food 3 by microwave cooking, the mass of the frozen food 3 contained in each of the two container elements 20 and 20 is preferably 110 to 300 g, More preferably, it is 120 to 260 g, more preferably 150 to 220 g. By setting the mass of the frozen food 3 in each container element 20 within such a range, in combination with the configuration of the container body 2 (container element 20) described above, heating unevenness and thawing unevenness of the frozen food 3 are effective. The heating temperature difference for each container element 20 is reduced. In particular, the mass of the frozen food 3 in each container element 20 is within the above range, and the mass difference rate of the frozen food 3 between one container element 20 and the other container element 20 is within 15% by mass. More preferable. The mass difference rate of this frozen food is calculated by the following formula. In the following formula, P1 is the weight (g) of the frozen food having a relatively large mass, and P2 is the mass (g) of the frozen food having a relatively small mass.
Weight difference ratio of frozen food (mass%) = {(P1-P2) / P1} × 100

The frozen food 1 in the container of this embodiment stores the food in a state before freezing in each container element 20 of the container main body 2, seals the upper opening 23 with the lid 4, and then freezes the container main body 2. Can be manufactured. Such a freezing method may be quick freezing or slow freezing, but quick freezing is more preferable from the viewpoints of resistance to aging after thawing and quality maintenance.

The frozen food 1 in a container of the present embodiment can be stored frozen for a long time even if it is as it is, but it is preferable to pack it because it can prevent contamination during frozen storage. For packaging such frozen food 1 in a container, known means such as sealed packaging, packaging bags, packaging boxes, etc. can be applied. Since moisture evaporation can be suppressed, it is preferable from the viewpoint of maintaining quality. Packaging of the frozen food 1 in a container can be performed at any timing before and after the freezing process of the container body 2, that is, the freezing process for obtaining the frozen food 3.

The frozen food 1 in a container of the present embodiment is ready for eating by being cooked by a microwave cooker such as a microwave oven as it is, that is, in a state of being accommodated in the container element 20. When the frozen food 1 in a container is microwave-cooked, it can be microwave-cooked while maintaining the form of the container body 2 without being separated into individual container elements 20, 20, It is also possible to separate them into individual container elements 20 and 20 and then microwave them together. In any method, two kinds of foods can be cooked simultaneously by one microwave cooking, and the handling property is excellent.

Hereinafter, a frozen food 1A in a container, which is another embodiment of the frozen food in a container according to the present invention, will be described with reference to FIGS. Regarding other embodiments to be described later, constituent parts different from the above-described frozen food 1 in a container will be mainly described, and the same constituent parts will be denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted. For the components that are not particularly described, the description of the frozen food 1 in a container is applied as appropriate.

In the frozen food 1A in a container shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the central flange portion 24C, which is a portion located between the two container elements 20 and 20 in the flange portion 24, is more than the other portions of the flange portion 24. It is located near the bottom 21. More specifically, in the container main body 2A constituting the frozen food 1A, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the position of the flange portion 24 in the vertical direction Z (the depth direction of the container element 20), that is, from the bottom portion 21. The height H (see FIG. 8) is partially different. More specifically, the central portion of the central flange portion 24C in the short direction Y (excluding both ends in the short direction Y) is a flange portion. Compared with the other parts of 24, the height H from the bottom part 21 is low. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 6, the cover 4 in the frozen food 1 </ b> A is a single object having a size capable of covering the entire upper portion of the container main body 2 </ b> A. The portion 24C is anchored to the other portion of the flange portion 24 having a relatively high height H without contacting a portion having a relatively low height H. With the above configuration, a space 26 (gap) is formed between the lid body 4 and a portion having a relatively low height H in the central flange portion 24C. This space 26 has a volume capable of storing frozen food, and FIG. 6 shows a state in which a part (noodles) of the components of the frozen food 3 is stored in the space 26. In the frozen food 1 </ b> A shown in FIG. 6, the frozen food 3 contained in the two container elements 20, 20 is a spaghetti having noodles, and the spaghetti that is a common component of both the frozen foods 3, 3. The noodles are continuously arranged over the other container element 20 across the space 26 from the one container element 20.

As described above, the height H of the central flange portion 24C is lower than the other portions of the flange portion 24, so that the frozen food is accommodated in the container body 2A separately from the position above the bottom 21 of each container element 20. Since the possible space 26 is additionally provided, it becomes easy to meet the demand for a large size. However, on the other hand, as a result of increasing the integrity of the frozen food individually accommodated in each container element 20, there is a concern that heating unevenness and thawing unevenness are likely to occur in the frozen food. From the viewpoint of eliminating such a concern, the height H of the central flange portion 24C having a relatively low height H is 10% of the depth D of the container element 20 (the height H of the portion having the highest height H). The height corresponding to the above is preferable, and from the viewpoint of further improving the defrostability, 30% or more, particularly 50% or more of the depth D is preferable.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not restrict | limited to the said embodiment, In the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention, it can change suitably. For example, the planar view shape of the container element 20 or its upper opening 23 is not limited to the rectangular shape as in the above-described embodiment, and may be a triangle, a square, a pentagon or more polygon, a circle, an ellipse, or the like. However, the planar view shape of the container element 20 or its upper opening 23 has a long side (long axis) and a short side (short axis) such as a rectangle or an ellipse rather than an isotropic shape such as a square. An anisotropic shape is preferred. All the parts of only the one embodiment described above can be used together as appropriate.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples. However, the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[Example 1]
A polypropylene sheet having a uniform thickness of 0.5 mm was molded to produce a container body having the same shape as the container body 2 described above. Moreover, after commercially available dried spaghetti (manufactured by Nisshin Foods) was boiled to a yield of 230%, it was cooled by exposure to cold water, and the water was thoroughly drained to obtain boiled noodles. Each container element of the manufactured container body is filled with a predetermined amount of boiled noodles, and after placing a predetermined amount of commercially available carbonara sauce (manufactured by Nisshin Foods) on the top of each noodle mass of each boil, each upper opening Was sealed with a resin film, and then the entire container body was rapidly frozen at −35 ° C. to obtain the intended frozen food (frozen spaghetti) in the container. The dimensions of each part of the container body of Example 1 are as follows.
・ Long side length of upper opening L1: 12cm
・ Short side length L2 of upper opening: 9cm
・ Maximum delivery length of the container body L3: 22cm
・ Minimum delivery length L4 of the container body: 14cm
-Distance L5 between the center of the container body in plan view and the center of the container element in plan view L5: 5.5 cm
-Center flange width W2: 20 mm
-Depth D of container element: 3cm
・ Inclination angle θ of the peripheral wall: 10 degrees

[Comparative Example 1]
A frozen food in a container (frozen spaghetti) was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the inclination angle θ of the peripheral wall of the container element was 0 degree, that is, the peripheral wall was a vertical wall.

[Examples 2 to 11]
A frozen food in a container (frozen spaghetti) was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the dimensions (L1, L2) of the upper opening of the container element and the depth D of the container element were appropriately changed.

[Examples 12 to 18]
A frozen food in a container (frozen spaghetti) was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the inclination angle θ of the peripheral wall of the container element was appropriately changed.

[Examples 19 to 33]
A frozen food in a container (frozen spaghetti) was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the mass of the frozen food contained in each container element was appropriately changed.

[Test example]
The frozen foods in containers of each Example and Comparative Example were sealed in a polyethylene bag and stored in a freezer for 1 week, and then cooked for 3 minutes 30 seconds at an output of 500 W using a microwave oven. When cooking frozen food in a container in a microwave oven, the container body is cut at the separation part and separated into two container elements, and the two container elements are arranged in a microwave oven Cooked with Ten panelists tasted the spaghetti after heating the microwave, and the degree of spaghetti thawing was evaluated according to the following evaluation criteria. The results (average values of evaluation scores of 10 people) are shown in Tables 1 to 4 below.

<Evaluation criteria for degree of thawing>
5 points: There is no unevenness of thawing and heating difference for each container element, and the whole is well heated and very good.
4 points: There are slight differences in thawing or heating for each container element, but the whole is heated and good.
3 points: There is uneven thawing or heating difference for each container element, and even if it is stirred, there is a slight lack of heating as a whole, and it is somewhat poor.
2 points: Unevenness of thawing or difference in heating for each container element, and even if stirred, the whole is insufficiently heated and is defective.
1 point: Unevenness of thawing or heating difference for each container element is large, and there is a part that is frozen and cannot be stirred, which is extremely poor.

As shown in Table 1, in Example 1, the peripheral wall of the container element is inclined with respect to the vertical direction so that the length of the horizontal cross section of the container element gradually increases from the bottom toward the upper opening. Compared to Comparative Example 1 in which the peripheral wall is not inclined so as to be a vertical wall, the food (spaghetti) has less uneven thawing and is uniform in microwave cooking of frozen food. The result was excellent in heatability.

In each example shown in Table 2, the dimensions (L1, L2) of the upper opening of the container element and the depth D of the container element are different from each other. From the comparison between Examples 2 to 6, it can be seen that the ratio (L1: L2) between the long side length L1 and the short side L2 of the upper opening is preferably about 1: 0.6 to 0.9. Further, from the comparison between Examples 7 to 11, the ratio (L1: D) between the long side length L1 of the upper opening and the depth D of the container element is about 1: 0.2 to 0.4. It turns out that it is preferable.

In each example shown in Table 3, the inclination angle θ of the peripheral wall of the container element is different from each other. From the comparison between Examples 12 to 18, it can be seen that the inclination angle θ of the peripheral wall is preferably about 5 to 25 degrees.

In each Example shown in Table 4, the mass of the frozen food accommodated in the container element of the container body is different from each other. Focusing on the mass difference rate of the frozen food, Examples 29 to 31 in which this exceeded 0% by mass and within 15% by mass gave better results than the other examples. From this, it can be seen that, from the viewpoint of obtaining uniform heatability in microwave cooking of frozen foods, it is better that there is a mass difference rate of frozen foods, and the mass difference rate is preferably within 15% by mass.
Further, when Examples 19 to 25, in which the masses of the frozen foods in the two container elements are the same, are compared, Example 19 in which the mass of the frozen foods contained in one container element is the smallest is The food (spaghetti) obtained by the above method has a disadvantage that a portion of overheating such as scorch was seen, and the example 25 having the largest mass is inferior to the other examples in terms of the degree of thawing. From this, it can be seen that at least when the frozen food is spaghetti, the mass of the frozen food contained in one container element is preferably 110 to 300 g in the range of Examples 20 to 24.

Claims (5)

Frozen food in a container for microwave cooking,
A container body including two container elements; and a frozen food individually contained in each container element;
Each of the two container elements includes a bottom portion on which the frozen food is placed, a peripheral wall rising from a peripheral edge of the bottom portion, an upper opening located above the bottom portion, and an opening edge of the upper opening. A flange portion extending outward in the horizontal direction, and the upper opening is sealed by a lid,
The two container elements are integrated so as to be separable via the flange portion located between the upper openings, and are formed symmetrically with the flange portion interposed therebetween.
The frozen food in a container, wherein the peripheral wall of the container element is inclined with respect to a vertical direction so that the length of the horizontal cross section of the container element gradually increases from the bottom toward the top opening. The frozen food in a container according to claim 1, wherein an angle between the peripheral wall and the vertical direction is 5 to 25 degrees. The upper opening has a rectangular shape in plan view, and the ratio of the long side to the short side of the upper opening is such that the length of the long side: the length of the short side = 1: 0.6 to 0.95. The ratio of the length of the long side of the upper opening to the depth of the container element is in the range of the length of the long side: depth = 1: 0.2 to 0.4. Or the frozen food in a container of 2. The frozen food in a container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein 110 to 300 g of the frozen food is contained in each of the two container elements. A portion of the flange portion located between the two container elements is closer to the bottom than the other portions of the flange portion, and the frozen food can be accommodated between the portion and the lid. The frozen food in a container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a space is provided.

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