A tray supporting individual thermally insulated casseroles of food portions for serving complete meals such as entree food to be cooked and frozen and chilled side dish food. The entree and individual side dish food portions are each placed in separate casseroles in chilled or frozen condition. Each casserole thermally encloses the separate food portions and the thermal insulation of the casserole and the initial low temperature levels of the chilled or frozen food retains the food in the casseroles without degradation or pathogenic effects for storage periods up through several hours and retains the side dish food without pathogenic degeneration during the time the entree food is cooked in separate casseroles.
This application is a continuation-in-part of application, Ser. No. 173,414 filed Aug. 20, 1971 and which has now matured into U. S. Pat. No. 3,736,981. The application Ser. No. 173,414 shall hereafter be referred to as "the co-pending application."
A food service system for serving a standard meal to a group of people. The various food items that go together to make up the standard meal are prepared, and meals are assembled by placing the food items on trays so that each tray is one meal for one person. The tray has wells for receiving dishes containing the food items, and some of the wells have electrical contacts connected to contacts on the handle of the tray. A heated food item is placed in a dish having an electric heater that can be energized from the contacts in the well of the tray. A group of the trays is placed into a carrier, and supported on rails by the handles of the trays. The rails are connected to a power supply so that the foods in the electrically heated dishes in the wells having electrical contacts will be heated, and others will not be heated. The carrier is ventilated to remove excess heat to prevent heating the cold foods.
A food warming device (21) in which a plate (22, 22a) has an electrical resistance heating element (26, 26a) mounted to a bottom wall (24, 24a) thereof and an electrical switch (23) is mounted in a support surface (31) below the plate (22). The switch (23) includes a movable element (41) which is mounted for movement between a first position electrically coupling the switch (23) to terminal assembly (32, 32a) on the plate (22) and closing the switch (23) and a second position electrically uncoupling the switch (23) from the terminal (32) on the plate (22) and opening switch (23). The movable element (41) is preferably gravity biased toward the open position, and a magnet (44) is mounted to one of the plate (22) and the movable element (41) to displace the movable element (41) against gravity biasing from the second position to the first position when the plate (22 ) is placed on the support surface (31) proximate the switch (23). The terminal (32) on the plate (22) preferably includes a bimetallic strip (54) which acts as a contact member and current control device for regulation of the heat generated by the resistance heating element (26, 26a). A serving counter (81) incorporates the food warming device (21).
A food serving system for delivering prepared meals to locations remote from the point of preparation, such as to patients in hospitals and nursing homes, which includes a mobile cart having its own low voltage rechargeable power pack that may be utilized to make the cart self powered. The cart has a tier of racks for carrying removable, generally flat, individual, food serving trays. The trays may be disposable or reusable. Each tray is provided with one or more thermally isolated heat transfer devices which may be energized when the tray is placed on a rack in the cart. The trays are constructed to carry conventionally styled, removable dishes, bowls, cups, etc., that may be either disposable or reusable, and the dishes and bowls containing foods to be maintained at a reduced or elevated temperature are placed on the heat transfer devices. The heat transfer devices are intended to maintain the food in the dishes and bowls at the desired serving temperature for extended periods without affecting the temperature of the foods and beverages in other dishes, bowls and cups on the trays, so that when the cart is moved about the hospital they remain at their desired temperatures and the individual trays may be brought to the patients with the different foods and beverages at their separate selected temperatures.
Apparatus for reheating meal trays standing by in a refrigerated housing to permit individual heating of the trays. The apparatus includes a heating support receiving the trays of which an area remains always cold and of which an area is intended to reheat a plate contained in the tray. This heating support includes electric resistance elements which are covered with a horizontal insulating heat barrier. By introducing the tray, the thermal barrier is pushed by a buffer, which thermal barrier is retracted in the heating support by compression of springs which, after removal of the tray, expand and reposition the thermal barrier to cover the electrical resistance elements, thereby avoiding residual calories heating the plate to effect the refrigerated atmosphere of the housing. This residual heat is evacuated outside the housing through a vent which was covered by a protrusion on the heat barrier obstructing the vent while the barrier was pushed by the tray.
A serving dish having a heater, and a method for assembling the dish. An electric heater including a resistance element enclosed in a heat conducting and electrical insulating material is adhesively bonded against the bottom of a serving dish of ceramic or the like. Holes through the material covering the resistance element provide for electrical contact with the resistance element, and these holes are filled with solder. A bottom plate of stainless steel or other electrically conductive sheet is adhesively bonded over the heater, and the bottom plate is heated to melt the solder and cause the solder to fuse to the bottom plate. The entire bottom plate has its edges sealed by a silicone rubber sealant or the like to encapsulate the heater. The resulting dish has a bottom plate to give a neat appearance, the bottom acting as electrical contacts to energize the heater and heat the contents of the serving dish.
