A method of manufacture of a microwave or thermally reheatable or cookable food product comprising the steps of: providing a solid or solidified substrate; applying two or more coating compositions to the substrate to produce a coated substrate. At least one of the coating compositions includes ethylcellulose.

A system for cooking pieces of protein may include a flour applicator that receives the pieces of protein in an uncooked state and applies a coating of flour to outer surfaces thereof; a batter applicator that receives the pieces of uncooked protein coated with the flour from the flour applicator and applies a batter made from high-gluten flour to the coated outer surfaces thereof; a packaging machine that receives the pieces of uncooked protein coated with the batter made from the high-gluten flour from the batter applicator and seals the pieces of protein in plastic pouches; and a heating unit that receives the sealed plastic pouches containing the uncooked protein coated with the batter from the packaging machine and cooks the battered protein pieces in the plastic pouches.

A crumb is manufactured by a process including adding an aqueous flour mixture into an extruder, partially extruding the aqueous mixture through the extruder, adding an aqueous gelling agent to the extruder at a point downstream of the start of the extrusion of the aqueous mixture through the extruder to form a resultant mixture of the aqueous mixture and the aqueous gelling agent in the extruder, and extruding the resultant mixture at a temperature greater than 100 C. to form an extrudate. The extrudate is allowed to expand, dried and milled to form the crumb, which has moisture-resistant properties particularly well-suited for use on frozen, microwavable food products.

A system for cooking pieces of protein may include a batter applicator that receives a batter made from high-gluten flour and coats the batter on pieces of protein, a thermoforming packaging machine that receives the pieces of protein coated with the batter from the batter applicator and seals the pieces of protein in plastic pouches, and a heating unit that receives the plastic pouches from the thermoforming packaging machine and cooks the battered protein in the plastic pouches. A method for cooking pieces of protein may include coating a batter made from high-gluten flour on the pieces of protein; sealing the pieces of protein coated with the batter in plastic pouches; and cooking the battered protein in the plastic pouches to make cooked, battered protein pieces in which the batter is tacky after cooking. The cooked protein pieces may be removed from the plastic pouches, breaded, and flash fried.

A pre-seasoned, ready to cook or packaged frozen food product comprising a base food component such as meat or poultry, coated with a Jamaican jerk spice seasoning comprising herbs, spices and salt for a predefined period of time, followed by aseptic packaging and freezing for attaining optimum shelf life. The seasoning composition may comprise either a dry mix of spices or a wet marinade.

A frozen, microwaveable, coated food product comprising: a core of cooked edible material having a weight equal to 15-95 wt. % of the food product; a fried coating that envelops the core of edible material and has a weight equal to 5-85 wt. % of the total weight of the food product, said coating comprising at least three coating layers, including an inner crumb layer, an outer crumb layer and a batter layer that separates the inner crumb layer from the outer crumb layer; wherein both the inner crumb layer and the outer crumb layer comprise a milled farinaceous dough extrudate containing 0.05-5 wt. % of added hydrocolloid.

A frozen, microwaveable, coated food product that includes: a core of cooked edible material having a weight equal to 15-95 wt % of the food product, a fried coating that envelops the core of edible material and having weight equal to 5-85 wt % of the food product, the coating being formed from at least four coating layers, including successively: a primary aqueous coating, a bonding crumb layer and a coating crumb layer; a secondary aqueous coating layer. The secondary aqueous coating layer separates the bonding crumb layer from the coating crumb layer. The primary and secondary coatings are not flour containing batter compositions and both the bonding crumb layer and the coating crumb layer include a milled farinaceous dough extrudate containing 0.05-5 w. % of added hydrocolloid.

A method of preparing a frozen, microwaveable, coated food product that includes the successive steps of: providing a portion of a solid or solidified substrate; preparing a breaded portion comprising the portion of substrate and a crumb-based coating by the steps of: coating the portion with a first aqueous coating liquid to form a primary coated portion; applying a coating of bonding crumb to the primary coated portion to form a bonding crumb coated portion; applying a second aqueous coating liquid to the bonding crumb coated portion to form a secondary coated portion; applying a coating of coating crumb to the secondary coated portion to form a breaded portion; frying the breaded portion by contacting said breaded portion for at least 100 seconds with hot oil having a temperature of at least 150 C.; and freezing the fried coated portion.

A frozen, microwaveable, coated food product that includes: a core of cooked edible material having a weight equal to 15-95 wt % of the food product; and a fried coating that envelops the core of edible material and having weight equal to 5-85 wt % of the food product, the coating being formed from at least four coating layers, including successively; a primary aqueous coating, a bonding crumb layer, a secondary aqueous coating and a coating crumb layer. The primary aqueous coating and the secondary aqueous coating contain less than 10 wt % flour, preferably 5 wt % flour, by weight of dry matter and at least 10% cellulose ether by weight of dry matter.

A method of preparing a frozen, microwaveable, coated food product comprising the successive steps of: providing a portion of a substrate; preparing a breaded portion; frying the breaded portion by contacting said breaded portion for at least 100 seconds with hot oil having a temperature of at least 150 C.; and freezing the fried coated portion; wherein a moisture controlling metal salt is present in at least one of the coating liquids and crumbs used in the preparation of the breaded portion, said microwave absorbing metal salt being selected from metal phosphates, metal carbonates, metal hydroxides, metal citrates, metal gluconates and combinations thereof; wherein the total amount of the metal salt provided in the crumb-based coating may be at least 0.5 wt %, preferably 1 wt % to 6 wt % by weight of the dry matter contained in said crumb-based coating.