Much is known about the effort involved in developing a recipe; the nuances of seasoning, selection of protein to match heat performance, and, of course, the balance of sauce viscosity. Yes, this takes many iterations, but one would be surprised to learn that something far more impactful on the finished cooked product – something often overlooked by manufacturers – is the shape of the ovenable tray in which the product is cooked.
The shape of the tray impacts the finished cooked product. This is a subtlety often lost on food development professionals. For Ovenable Trays, visit southerncrosspackaging.com/ovenable-trays
Oven heat is delivered to the product via three distinct modes of heat transfer: tray material, base radiative energy from the oven walls, convected air within the oven cavity, and finally, convected air within the oven cavity, heating the product. The mode and magnitude of heat transfer can be influenced by the shape of the tray. For example, shallow trays will expose more surface area to radiant heat, while deep trays will do the opposite. Also, the geometry of a rectangular tray will create many corners, where radiative heat will be applied in two directions simultaneously.
The depth of the tray also influences the moisture and temperature effects during cooking. For example, products cooked in a deep tray will create a more humid environment due to the escape of steam from the product, as a result of its moisture content. This will suppress browning, keeping proteins tender. Shallow trays allow less moisture to escape, resulting in a drier, more aggressively browned product, despite being cooked from the same recipe using the same oven programme.
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