Food holding cabinet assembly
View Patent ↗A holding cabinet assembly for holding pre-processed food products and a process for maintaining the product appearance of a pre-processed food product for a predetermined amount of time includes a steamer assembly and a cabinet housing coupled to the steamer assembly. As a result of controlling and maintaining the temperature of the water in the steamer assembly and air in the food cabinet housing, the relative humidity of the food cabinet housing is maintained at a substantially fixed value. In this holding cabinet assembly, compartments are arranged in the housing with each compartment including an openable and closeable drawer. A carrier insert is adapted to be removably supported in each of the drawers with each carrier insert being capable of holding pre-processed food products whereby the food products in the carrier inserts can be conditioned at the fixed relative humidity of the food cabinet housing.
1. A food holding cabinet assembly for holding pre-processed food products comprising:
a steamer assembly capable of containing a water reservoir;
first heater means for heating water in the water reservoir and maintaining the water in the water reservoir at a first substantially fixed temperature;
a cabinet housing coupled to said steamer assembly and having air circulated therein;
second heater means for heating air passing through the cabinet housing and maintaining the air in the cabinet housing at a second substantially fixed temperature so as to maintain a substantially fixed relative humidity within said cabinet housing;
a plurality of compartments arranged in said housing with each compartment having an openable and closeable drawer; and
a carrier insert adapted to be removably supported in each of said drawers, each said carrier insert capable of holding a plurality of said pre-processed food so that said pre-processed food products in said carrier inserts are conditioned at the substantially fixed relative humidity of said food cabinet housing so as to maintain the product appearance of the pre-processed food products.
2. The food holding cabinet assembly of claim 1 wherein said pre-processed food products are selected from the group consisting of cooked baked goods and toasted baked goods.
3. The food holding cabinet assembly of claim 1 wherein said pre-processed food products are toasted hamburgers buns.
4. The food holding cabinet assembly of claim 1 wherein the first fixed temperature of the water in said water reservoir is within the range of between approximately 130° to 180° F.
5. The food holding cabinet assembly of claim 1 wherein the first fixed temperature of the water in said water reservoir is approximately 150° F.
6. The holding cabinet assembly of claim 1 wherein the second fixed temperature of the air passing through said cabinet is within the range of between approximately 125° to 150° F.
7. The food holding cabinet assembly of claim 1 wherein the second fixed temperature of the air passing through said cabinet is approximately 135° F.
8. The food holding cabinet assembly of claim 1 wherein the relative humidity in the cabinet is fixed at approximately 70%.
9. The food holding cabinet assembly of claim 1 wherein first and second heater means are separately controlled.
10. The food holding cabinet assembly of claim 1 and further including control indicating means for indicating the relative freshness of the pre-processed food products in each of the plurality of compartments of the cabinet housing and for sequencing the selection of the pre-processed food products in each of the plurality of compartments of the cabinet housing.
11. The food holding cabinet assembly of claim 10 wherein said control indicating means including a product quality timer being placed adjacent to each compartment of said cabinet which has colored light indicators for sequencing the selection of the pre-processed food products in each of the plurality of compartments of the cabinet housing.
12. The food holding cabinet assembly of claim 1 wherein each of said carrier inserts can hold up to ten hamburger buns.
13. The food holding cabinet assembly of claim 1 wherein each of said carrier inserts includes drainage means for promoting drainage of moisture form the pre-processed food products held in each of said carrier inserts.
14. The food holding cabinet assembly of claim 13 wherein said drainage means includes a plurality of rows of open slits provided on a supporting surface of each of said carrier inserts.
15. The food holding cabinet assembly of claim 14 wherein adjacent rows of said plurality of rows of said open slits are substantially offset from one another.
16. The food holding cabinet assembly of claim 14 wherein alternate rows of said plurality of rows of said open slits are substantially aligned with one another.
17. The food holding cabinet assembly of claim 14 wherein each said open slit in the plurality of rows of open slits is approximately 2 inches long and one-eighth of an inch wide.
18. A food holding cabinet assembly for holding pre-processed food products comprising:
a food holding cabinet including a plurality of compartments maintained at a fixed relative humidity with each compartment including an openable and closeable drawer; and
a plurality of carrier inserts adapted to be removably supported in a corresponding one of said drawers, each said carrier insert capable of holding a plurality of said pre-processed food products whereby the pre-processed food products are subjected to said fixed relative humidity of said food holding cabinet so as to maintain the physical characteristics of the pre-processing for a predetermined amount of time; and
wherein each of said drawers can be independently opened irrespective of the remaining drawers so that the pre-processed food products in the closed drawers are not exposed to exterior conditions.
19. A food holding cabinet assembly for holding pre-processed food products comprising:
a food holding cabinet including a plurality of compartments maintained at a fixed relative humidity with each compartment including an openable and closeable drawer; and
a plurality of carrier inserts adapted to be removably supported in a corresponding one of said drawers, each said carrier insert capable of holding a plurality of said pre-processed food products whereby the pre-processed food products are subjected to said fixed relative humidity of said food holding cabinet so as to maintain the physical characteristics of the pre-processing for a predetermined amount of time; and wherein each of said carrier inserts includes drainage and air flow means for promoting drainage of moisture from the pre-processed food products held in each said carrier insert and for promoting circulation of air flow around said pre-processed food products.
20. The food holding cabinet assembly of claim 19 wherein each of said drainage and air flow means includes a plurality of rows of open slits extending in a direction generally perpendicular to the direction of opening/closing of the drawer into and out of the food housing cabinet.
21. The food holding cabinet assembly of claim 20 wherein adjacent rows of said plurality of rows of open slits are substantially offset from one another.
22. The food holding cabinet assembly of claim 20 wherein alternate rows of said plurality of rows of open slits are substantially aligned with one another.
23. The food holding cabinet assembly of claim 20 wherein each of said open slit in the plurality of rows of open slits is approximately 2 inches long and one-eighth inch wide.
24. A food holding cabinet assembly for holding pre-processed food products comprising:
a food holding cabinet including a plurality of compartments maintained at a fixed relative humidity with each compartment including an openable and closeable drawer;
a plurality of carrier inserts adapted to be removably supported in a corresponding one of said drawers, each said carrier insert capable of holding a plurality of said pre-processed food products whereby the pre-processed food products are subjected to said fixed relative humidity of said food holding cabinet so as to maintain the physical characteristics of the pre-processing for a predetermined amount of time; and wherein each said carrier insert includes a back wall angled from horizontal at approximately 41.5° so that each pre-processed food product leans against the adjacent food product in said carrier insert so that the weight of each pre-processed food product is distributed.
25. A food holding cabinet assembly for holding pre-processed food products comprising:
a food holding cabinet including a plurality of compartments maintained at a fixed relative humidity with each compartment including an openable and closeable drawer; wherein each drawer includes air flow openings provided in a bottom wall and side walls connected to said bottom wall to promote air flow within said drawer; and
a plurality of carrier inserts adapted to be removably supported in a corresponding one of said drawers, each said carrier insert capable of holding a plurality of said pre-processed food products whereby the pre-processed food products are subjected to said fixed relative humidity of said food holding cabinet so as to maintain the physical characteristics of the pre-processing for a predetermined amount of time.
26. A food holding cabinet assembly for holding pre-processed food products comprising:
a steamer assembly including a water reservoir which is maintained at a first substantially fixed temperature;
a cabinet housing mounted on said steamer assembly and having air circulated therein, said air in said cabinet housing being maintained at a second substantially fixed temperature so as to maintain a substantially fixed relative humidity within said cabinet housing;
coupling means for coupling said cabinet housing to said steamer assembly; and
a plurality of compartments arranged in said housing with each compartment including a separately openable/closeable drawer with each said drawer capable of storing a plurality of pre-processed food products therein so that said pre-processed food products in said drawers are conditioned at the substantially fixed relative humidity of said cabinet housing so as to maintain the product appearance of said pre-processed food products.
27. The food holding cabinet assembly of claim 26 wherein said coupling means includes a pair of rails provided on top of said steamer assembly on which a corresponding pair of coupling members of said food cabinet housing slidable ride so that said food cabinet housing is slidably movable between a first operative position, wherein said food cabinet housing is mounted on said steamer assembly, and a second cleaning position, wherein said food cabinet housing is moved off said steamer assembly so that an interior portion of said steamer assembly is exposed for cleaning.
28. The food holding cabinet assembly of claim 27 wherein a steam baffle plate separates said steamer assembly and said food holding cabinet.