Frozen Food Product

Abstract

The present invention provides a process for the manufacture of frozen instant cooking pasta from elongated dried pasta products that substantially retains the pre-processing length of the dried pasta comprising the steps of: (i) dividing an elongated dried pasta products into one or more portions, each portion having a desired mass; (ii) loading each portion of pasta into one of a plurality of separate dosing devices; (iii) re-hydrating each portion of pasta within a dosing device; (iv) quenching the re-hydrated pasta resulting from step (iii); (v) freezing. Further embodiments are directed to the apparatus that is necessary for carrying out this process and the frozen product achieved.

1 - 19 . (canceled)  
   
   
       20 . A frozen pasta nest obtainable by the steps of: 
 (i) dividing an elongated dried pasta product into portions, each portion having a desired mass;    (ii) loading a portion of pasta into one of a plurality of separate dosing devices;    (iii) re-hydrating the portion of pasta within a dosing device;    (iv) quenching the re-hydrated pasta resulting from step (iii);    (v) and freezing the quenched, re-hydrated pasta 
 wherein during step (iii) each portion of pasta is positioned vertically in a dosing device such that as re-hydration occurs the pasta softens and falls to the base of the device where it forms a nest, wherein the frozen pasta nest has a toroidal shape.  
   
   
   
       21 . The frozen pasta nest according to  claim 20  comprising less than 30 grams of re-hydrated elongated dried pasta.  
   
   
       22 . The frozen pasta nest according to  claim 20  wherein the frozen pasta nest is re-heatable in less than 5 minutes.  
   
   
       23 . The frozen pasta nest according to  claim 20  wherein the elongated dried pasta is selected from one or more of spaghetti, linguine, tagliatelle and bucatini.  
   
   
       24 . The frozen pasta nest according to  claim 20  wherein the dried pasta product is spaghetti.  
   
   
       25 . The frozen pasta nest according to  claim 20  wherein the frozen pasta nest is enrobed with oil.  
   
   
       26 . A packaged frozen product comprising one or more frozen pasta nests of a re-hydrated elongated dried pasta product according to  claim 20.