A packaged food product with a seasoning disk is provided. The food product includes potatoes. The seasoning disk includes seasoning and fat that is in solid form at the food product's anticipated normal storage temperature. The fat includes milkfat.

A heating cooker to manage surface and inside temperatures of food. A heating portion heats inside of a heating space where the food material is placed. At least one processor controls the heating portion to perform driving for high-temperature heating after performing driving for low-temperature heating. During the driving for low-temperature heating, the heating portion may heat the inside of the heating space such that an average increase velocity of a reference temperature of the food material is lower than an average increase velocity of the reference temperature of the food material during the driving for high-temperature heating. During the driving for high-temperature heating, the heating portion may heat the inside of the heating space such that an average increase velocity of the reference temperature of the food material is higher than the average increase velocity of the reference temperature of the food material during the driving for low-temperature heating.

Sensor stations and related systems and methods to monitor and measure properties of food products in food processing structures such as cure rooms, smokehouses, ovens, and related structures. The sensor stations allow real-time, local collection of product properties and their surrounding environmental conditions in order to improve efficiency, reduce product waste and guesswork, and to provide data-based analysis for decision making. Sensor stations can be mounted to food supports and can be in electronic communication with each other and with intermediate nodes that provide a connection to other external computing devices that provide analysis and alerts to users and technicians. Various non-destructive modeling systems for determining water activity and pH of changing products are also provided.

A device utilizes charcoal for cooking food, and is adapted for lighting the charcoal by placement on a conventional gas grill. The device includes a food-receiving plate/grill, a charcoal platform, and an ash platform/tray. The device is adapted so that, with the ash tray removed and the device resting on the gas grill, heat from the gas flames ignites the charcoal resting on the charcoal platform. Upon the ignition of the charcoal, the gas grill may be turned off, the ash tray may be inserted into the device underneath the charcoal platform to catch the charcoal ash, and the device may remain on the gas grill or be moved to another table/surface as the charcoal-only cooking proceeds. The charcoal platform may be stationary in one location, or movable to multiple locations, between the bottom extremity of the device and the food-receiving grill member(s) at the top of the device.

A connected oven, including a set of in-cavity sensors and a processor configured to automatically identify foodstuff within the cooking cavity, based on the sensor measurements; and automatically operate the heating element based on the foodstuff identity.

In a method for cooking food in a container, in particular in a bag, the container, during heating, is opened at a particular overpressure of the medium and closed when the overpressure drops. A closing device is connected to the container and equipped with a pressure relief valve by means of which the container is opened at a particular overpressure of the medium and closed when the overpressure drops. The closing device includes at least one inner elongate retaining element and at least one sleeve body which surrounds the retaining element. The container is provided with an opening, and fed between the retaining element and sleeve body and through a longitudinal slit in the sleeve body. The retaining element and its surrounding sleeve body form the pressure relief valve. Optimal cooking of the food introduced into the container is achieved and fast preparation of the food is possible.

Disclosed herein is a composition comprising two edible components, one being a previously-baked but no-longer-fresh product such as a packaged cookie, the other being a high-concentration sugar solution such as a syrup, the two components being combined in a prescribed ratio and geometrical configuration such that when processed by heating in a microwave oven for a prescribed time, said time being typically less than 30 seconds, the enhanced cookie so produced has the superior taste, smell and mouthfeel of a fresh oven-baked cookie, thereby allowing the rapid production of such enhanced cookies one at a time or a few at a time for personal consumption, or on-demand in a fast-food service environment.

Disclosed herein is a composition comprising two edible components, one being a previously-baked but no-longer-fresh product such as a packaged cookie, the other being a high-concentration sugar solution such as a syrup, the two components being combined in a prescribed ratio and geometrical configuration such that when processed by heating in a microwave oven for a prescribed time, said time being typically less than 30 seconds, the enhanced cookie so produced has the superior taste, smell and mouthfeel of a fresh oven-baked cookie, thereby allowing the rapid production of such enhanced cookies one at a time or a few at a time for personal consumption, or on-demand in a fast-food service environment.

A grilling insert is adapted for use in a barbecue grill having a recessed cooking chamber. The grilling insert comprises a double-wall thermal barrier and a radiant heat chamber. The double-wall thermal barrier is adapted for extending across the recessed cooking chamber of the barbecue grill, and for dividing the cooking chamber into direct-heating and indirect-heating cooking sections. The radiant heat chamber is formed adjacent the double-wall thermal barrier, and is designed for holding loose combustible material within the direct-heating cooking section of the barbecue grill. The cooking temperature in the direct-heating cooking section is relatively high, and is reduced in the indirect-heating cooking section by the double-wall thermal barrier.

In variants, a method for individual heating element control can include: identifying food within a cook cavity of the cooking appliance, determining a set of cooking instructions associated with the food, the cooking instructions including a different model for each heating element subset, dynamically determining control instructions for each heating element subset based on the respective model, and controlling each heating element subset based on the respective control instructions.