The latest breakthrough in microwave cooking is a special packaging that allows microwaved food to be ‘steam cooked’ under controlled pressure. This type of cooking is having an impact in hospitals and staff canteens while providing a vending solution for out of hours hot food provision. Caterers are finding the special packaging improves food quality and nutritional value over traditional microwaved meals.
Samsung have been involved in these developments as its heavy and ‘super-heavy’ duty commercial microwave ovens, distributed in the UK by Apuro, are particularly suitable for this type of cooking. With outputs from 1100 Watt to 1850 Watt the Samsung microwaves are bigger than standard microwaves, they have 35% more usable cavity volume than comparable compact microwave ovens of a similar size. This increases the size of packaging that can be placed in the oven and subsequently increases catering capability.
The new packaging is very simple to use. Plated meals, multi-portion or vending packs are heat sealed with lids or in bags and placed in a microwave oven for 4 to 6 minutes. The water molecules in the food are heated by the microwaves generating steam pressure. A special steam release valve in the packaging balances the steam pressure and prevents the breakdown of the food.
Dishes cooked in this way are ‘steamed’ rather than microwaved and are both appetising and nutritious. They retain the full flavour of the food without any loss of texture or appearance. It also enables ‘differential cooking’ i.e. a variety of products can be placed in the same package and cooked at the same time.
All the Samsung microwaves have five power settings and dual-magnetron top-feeding microwave distribution to ensure an even cooking pattern. An easily removable air filter and one-piece dishwasher-proof roof liner are fitted for ease of cleaning although the new steam packaging ensures that the inside of the oven remains relatively clean.
“We see this new packaging becoming increasingly popular in the commercial environment,” says David Watts of Apuro. “It is so simple to operate and implement. All it requires of the operator is to press a button on the microwave and the rest is fully automatic. And importantly, as the Samsung microwaves do not require any special installation techniques, there is also a short project lead-in time for any establishment wanting to change over to this method.”
Other benefits of the new ‘steam packaging’ include excellent cost control as there is precise portion control and so no waste, also meals can be cooked at anytime on a supply on demand basis. This type of packaging is being developed for the foodservice market as a lead on from retail experience.
Apuro is a division of the Cranham Group plc and is an ISO 9001:2000 accredited company. For more information on the company’s range of products contact Apuro on 0121 744 0968 or visit www.apuro.co.uk
Note for editors:
There are two distinct Samsung microwave models for all three power outputs: one with programmable touch controls and one with manual dial controls. The touch control models have a 30-programme facility for regular menu items or self-service vending. To track usage a counter records how often each programme is activated, while a programme lock allows simple one-touch operation – especially useful for cooking with the new steam packaging. All of the Samsung microwaves (even the ‘super heavy’ model) run off a 13-amp plug.