Conventional Ovens
In cooking, the conventional oven is a and is used for and heating. Food normally cooked in this manner includes , and baked goods such as , and other .In the past, cooking ovens were fueled by or . Modern ovens are fueled by or . In order to provide faster, more-even cooking, use a small fan to blow hot air around the cooking chamber. These are the most common types of household ovens, and are used every day by men and women to cook all sorts of meals, desserts, breads, and many other types of food.
As food is heated in an oven, an insulation barrier forms on the surface of the food, caused by the heat exchange between the hot air and the cold food and by the evaporation of moisture in the food. This insulation slows the cooking process.
A conventional oven blows away this insulation layer and replaces it with fresh hot air, so the heat transfer is faster and more efficient. This process is best accomplished when the food is uncovered.
Another explanation of this process is that moving air speeds up the heat transfer that occurs when hot and cold air collide. In cold climates, this effect is called wind-chill factor. Air movement not only intensifies the feeling of coldness, but also makes it felt more quickly.
Packaging & Labelling
Functions Of Packaging:
The main functions of packaging are to protect the product from damage and contamination by harmful micro- organisms. The product must also be protected from physical damage e.g. being dropped, crushed, and also all the damage it suffers being transported here. More delicate products such as fruit and vegetables will be damaged and bruised easily so they will need a harder and stronger container. Packaging also attracts consumers manufacturers will design products with colourful packaging and appealing pictures to attract consumers. Furthermore packaging also provides information about the products e.g. best before date, ingredients and allergies. These are essential for the consumer in case there are certain ingredients they can’t have e.g. peanuts Soya. There are now tamper proof packaging that will show if a product has been opened in case someone opens the product and drinks or eats from it, there are pop up lids for jam jars and these little circles around the bottle cap which is ripped when opened so you know whether the product has been opened.
Suitable Types Of Packaging For A Ready Mean:
A suitable type of packaging for a ready meal would be aluminium foil. This is because it is cheap, it is a container for the product it can be heated in the oven and re-heated. However it cannot go into the microwave. But aluminium foil is also a strong product and won’t be squashed as easily as cardboard or plastic. Aluminium foil is primary packaging and can also be recycled. On the other hand a secondary piece of packaging is going to be needed to inform the customer of the product.
Plastic would not be a very good piece of packaging for a ready mea because plastic is not very dense and can be damaged easily, it will also melt and burn if you was to put it in the oven or microwave. Plastic is normally used for packaging drinks and bottles and would not necessarily be a good product to package a meal in. Plastic is also recyclable.
A cardboard box would not be a suitable piece of packaging for a ready made meal, because cardboard is very weak and can be damaged and squashed very easily which would damage the product. However cardboard is cheap and does not require a secondary piece of packaging to inform the consumer about it, this benefits cardboard a lot. Because it can be easily printed on. Cardboard will also rip and tear easily and will be damaged if is in contact with water.
Environmental Concerns of Packaging:
We as manufacturers can benefit the environment by using bio-degradable products to package food. This means products that can be recycled and used again as nowadays there are concerns about the high level of pollution in the atmosphere. So to gain public support and help companies can use recyclable packaging. They should also use as little packaging as possible.
As consumers the most we can do to help the environment is recycle the packaging after we use it, there are recycle bins, bottle banks and all sorts of place for consumers to recycle goods. We can also re-use products like aluminium foil, and try an use them for as long as we can.
Labelling Regulations:
By law there are certain types of information that have to be displayed on a product. These are the description of the product, the manufacturer’s name, the name of the product, and the best before date, cooking/heating instructions, the weight and finally the storage instructions. All of these legally by law have to be on a product.
