Conagra, Inc.

David H Scherpf

Matthew W Lorence

William E Archibald

Brian D Hopkins

Steven W Kirkvold

Andrew Hampton

David Patterson

Shona H Jonson

Semyon Mogilevsky

A free-flowing, coated, frozen food and a method for making the same are disclosed. Discrete pieces of a free-flowing frozen food are introduced into a coating vessel where they are agitated to expose their surfaces and to maintain their free-flowing state throughout the coating process. A liquid coating material is sprayed onto the free-flowing pieces to cause coating material to adhere and the temperature at the surfaces of the frozen food pieces to rise. The surfaces of frozen food pieces are then recooled with a cryogen. The spraying and recooling steps are repeated until a thorough, even coating is built up on the discrete pieces of free-flowing food.

Process for making free-flowing, coated, frozen food

A container for food includes a paper-based substrate, and at least one grease and moisture resistant coating applied in liquid form to the paper-based substrate. The liquid coating is preferably formed from an aqueous-based dispersion of acrylic-based material. The liquid coating remains resistant to grease and moisture issuing from food at temperatures in the range of about -20.degree. F. to 425.degree. F.

Food trays and the like having press-applied coatings

Disclosed is a method for the production of a frozen, instant mashed potato product for dispensing onto ovenable trays transported by a high-speed frozen food packaging line. A slurry including a fat-containing ingredient or a fat-substitute and water is heated to a temperature above the gelatinization temperature of potato starch but below the boiling point of the slurry. Next, the heated slurry is mixed with dehydrated potato solids using a combination of a high-speed mixing element and a low-speed scraping element both located inside a closed mixing chamber. Hydration of the potato solids is then completed under static conditions. The thus formed mashed potatoes are dispensed into an ovenable product container. The container is further packaged and the mashed potato products frozen.

Method for preparing and packaging a frozen instant mashed potato product

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Omaha, NE, United States of America

David H Scherpf