Food Products For Multifunction Pressure Cookers

Abstract

Described herein are food items that are configured to facilitate cooking or heating in multifunction pressure cookers with increased efficiency. In some embodiments, a food item may be frozen, and may be a single, unitary, integral one-piece block or chunk that is heated by itself in the cooker. Also disclosed herein are processes associated with the above-described combination, such as methods of preparing, packaging, and heating of food products. Also disclosed are containers and molds that can be used to form frozen food products with a shape and structure corresponding to inner cavities of heating devices. In some cases, containers or molds can also serve as packaging for one or more of storage, shipping, retail display, sale and consumer handling of frozen food products.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A packaged frozen food product configured for cooperation with a particular multifunction pressure cooker having a receptacle that includes a cavity with a predetermined bottom surface area and a peripheral surface having a predetermined diameter, comprising:
 a package;   a food item disposed within the package, the food item having a bottom surface area substantially equal to that of the cavity, and a diameter slightly less than or equal to that of the peripheral surface of the cavity; and   instructions for heating the food item in the multifunction pressure cooker.   
     
     
         2 . The packaged frozen food product of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions are printed on the package, and wherein the food item includes a concave bottom portion to facilitate handling. 
     
     
         3 . The packaged frozen food product of  claim 1 , wherein when the frozen food item has a diameter substantially equal to that of the cavity, such that when the frozen food item is placed in the inner cavity, there is no gap between the frozen food item and the peripheral surface of the cavity. 
     
     
         4 . The frozen food product of  claim 1 , wherein the frozen food item has a diameter slightly less than that of the cavity. 
     
     
         5 . The frozen food product of  claim 4  wherein the diameter of the frozen food item is at least about 1 mm. less than that of the cavity. 
     
     
         6 . The frozen food product of  claim 4 , wherein the diameter of the frozen food item allows interposition of at least a part of a cooking implement between the frozen food item and the cavity when the frozen food item is placed in the cavity. 
     
     
         7 . The frozen food product of  claim 6 , wherein the cooking implement comprises a trivet. 
     
     
         8 . A container comprising a cavity configured for use in molding a food item into a circular cylindrical shape during freezing so as to provide a frozen food item having a bottom surface area substantially equal to that of a cavity of a multifunction pressure cooker, and a diameter slightly less than or equal to that of the cavity. 
     
     
         9 . The container of  claim 8  comprising a polymeric pouch configured to be placed in a mold when freezing the food item. 
     
     
         10 . The container of  claim 8  comprising a bottom wall and a peripheral wall, the peripheral wall having a rim extending outward about its upper periphery to facilitate handling, wherein the bottom wall has a convex upper surface so that the molded frozen food item will have a concave bottom portion. 
     
     
         11 . A method of using a packaged frozen food product comprising a solid, one-piece unitary frozen food item having a predetermined diameter, a package containing the food item, and instructions for preparation, the method comprising:
 transferring the frozen food item from the package to a cavity of a multifunction pressure cooker having a diameter equal to or slightly greater than that of the food item such that the bottom of the frozen food item covers or substantially covers the bottom of the cavity, in contact therewith; and   heating the food item in the cavity.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the package has at least one flexible wall, and wherein transferring the frozen food item from the package to the cavity comprises manually deforming a flexible wall of the package to push the frozen food item out of the package.