A cooking utensil for flavoring a whole bird with salt includes a salt block configured to fit into the body cavity of a bird and a base pan having a salt block holder for holding the salt block in an upright position on the base pan. A whole bird can be placed over the upright salt block in the pan such that the salt block inserts into the body cavity of the bird. The cooking utensil holds a whole bird upright and at the same time adds salt flavor to the bird as it is being cooked.

A cooking utensil for flavoring a whole bird with salt includes a salt block configured to fit into the body cavity of a bird and a base pan having a salt block holder for holding the salt block in an upright position on the base pan. A whole bird can be placed over the upright salt block in the pan such that the salt block inserts into the body cavity of the bird. The cooking utensil holds a whole bird upright and at the same time adds salt flavor to the bird as it is being cooked.

This invention is directed to a composition and application of marinades that contain, as key active ingredients, a combination of organic salts derived by fermentation of sugars. The resulting all natural marinades substantially improve cook yield, juiciness, flavor, and color in meat and in seafood, in a surprisingly effective way.

Compositions and methods for stabilizing moisture in muscle foods using natural, phosphate-free ingredients are described.

Compositions and methods for lowering counts of pathogenic microorganisms in food products such as ready to eat meat and poultry products are disclosed. In various embodiments, the compositions and methods comprise antimicrobial compositions with one or more essential oils added.

Apparatus and associated methods relate to producing jerky by marinating and cooking a sliced piece of meat in a period of time less than 1 hour. In an illustrative example, the sliced piece of meat may marinate for a time between 3 minutes to 5 minutes. The sliced piece of meat may then cook for 30 minutes, for example, at a temperature of about 350-degrees Fahrenheit. The sliced piece of meat may include a dimension between about 1/7 and about 1/9 of an inch. Advantageously, a user may fully prepare a sliced piece of tender jerky in less than 1 hour.

Moisture is retained in cooked or thawed food by adding to the food an aqueous suspension of animal muscle protein obtained from animal muscle tissue. The aqueous suspension is obtained by mixing comminuted animal muscle tissue with a food grade base to form an aqueous basic solution of animal muscle protein. The basic solution is mixed with a food grade acid to precipitate the protein in an aqueous composition. The precipitated protein then is comminuted to form an aqueous suspension of comminuted animal muscle protein.

The present invention relates to a method for aging meat using whole grain barley and aged meat using the same, and more particularly, to a method for aging meat using whole grain barley and aged meat using the same wherein a first layer of whole grain barley, a layer of meat, and a second layer of whole grain barley are filled sequentially into a vacuum packing material, thereby allowing the meat to be surrounded completely with the whole grain barley, then vacuum-packed, and finally aged in a low temperature aging refrigerator through wet aging.

A process and an apparatus for controlling temperature loss and shrinkage of meat after an animal is slaughtered for food. Shrinkage is controlled by compressing the meat during cooling, the compression offsetting a natural tendency of the meat to contract and providing a measure of control over the shaping of the meat. Apparatus for the process includes one or more rigid rings for placement around the meat. Each ring is wrapped with a thread secured rigidly to one side of the ring and secured movably to the other side such as to allow the length of thread on the second side of the rigid ring to form at least one winding around the meat. As the meat cools, the thread shrinks, applying the thermal contraction of the thread along the ring to constrict the winding around and thus longitudinally elongate the meat.

One aspect of the present invention pertains to a method of marinating food. Another aspect of the present invention pertains to an apparatus for marinating food.