Title - A Gastronorm Pan Field of the Invention The current invention relates to Gastronorm containers wherein a silicone layer is moulded to the food receiving portion thereof as well as a process producing a Gastronorm container.

Background of the Invention In gastronomy and catering typically standard sizes of containers are used which are specified in the EN 631 standards and are referred to as Gastronorm (GN) containers. Trays and stackable stainless steel containers are used for cooking in an oven or displaying food. The standardized sizes ensure fit into service display counters, commercial ovens, clearing trolleys and chafing dishes of all types. During use these GN containers contain precooked foods where consumers can then help themselves in a buffet style.

Stainless steel is widely accepted as the material of choice - however other materials are available. GN containers made from polycarbonate and polypropylene are preferred for storage while GN containers made from melamine or ceramic are typically used for display.

Also available are accessories such as covers, drain lids and lids with cut-outs so that serving utensils can be placed into the container.

Electrical kitchen equipment such as bain maries, chafers, buffet supports or large mobile racks are available which are designed to hold the GN containers for display, storage or portability.

All of these have their own features, attributes & benefits, though none of them completely fulfil some customer requirements. In particular, the stainless steel GN containers have the following disadvantages:

1) It is problematic to provide stainless steel in different colours and designs that are durable and food safe.

2) Often, they cannot be used directly from the oven or freezer to the serving counter. 3) In particular, during long exposure to heat, food may stick to the surface of the GN container.

Attempts at producing silicone GN containers exist in the market but these require support due to the elasticity of the silicone.

The present invention provides GN containers that overcome the disadvantages of the available GN containers.

Summary

The first aspect of the invention relates to a Gastronorm container (1 ) comprising a food receiving portion (10), and an external surface (20), wherein a silicone layer is moulded to the shape of the food receiving portion. The Gastronorm container can be a Gastronorm dish, a Gastronorm pan, a Gastronorm basin or any other suitable shape or form. The food receiving portion is preferably formed by the bottom layer and the side walls of the Gastronorm container. The Gastronorm container may further comprise an edge portion which can be used to engage to a lid, a drain lid or a cover. The edge portion is preferably connected to the side walls of the Gastronorm container. The edge portion and/or the side walls of the Gastronorm container may be connected to a handle portion for lifting or moving the Gastronorm container.

The silicone layer provides a non-stick surface in the food receiving portion of the Gastronorm container and optionally to the edge portion and/or the handle portion. During display of the food or while the Gastronorm container is heated the silicone layer prevents the food from sticking to the Gastronorm container.

The silicone layer may further be moulded to the edge portion and/or the handle portion. Due to the non-stick properties of the silicone layer, food that has contaminated the edge portion and/or handle portion of the Gastronorm container can easily be removed. Further, the silicone layer ensures that the lid, drain lid or cover can be removed without sticking to the Gastronorm container. The silicone layer may be adhered to the food receiving portion and optionally to the edge portion and/or the handle portion by heating to 150°C to 200°C.

The silicone layer may be made from a silicone material as is typically used for food applications such as silicone baking trays.

The silicone layer may be prepared from a solution comprising 55 wt.% to 80 wt. of a silicone gum, 10 wt.% to 40 wt.% of silicone dioxide, 1 wt.% to 6 wt.% of a silicone additive and 0.01 wt.% to 0.5 wt.% of a release agent.

Preferably, the silicone gum may be a vinyl-terminated vinylmethylsiloxane homopolymer or vinyl- terminated dimethylsiloxane vinylmethylsiloxane copolymer. Preferably, silicone gums are colourless transparent liquids with molecular weights M _w above 400,000. Silicon dioxide is also known as silica and is a common additive in food production.

The silicone additive is preferably a silicone oil. The silicone oil may comprise a hydroxy- terminated polysiloxane, preferably a hydroxy-terminated poly(dimethylsiloxane). The silicone additive may further comprise an alkyl-terminated polysiloxane, preferably an alkyl-terminated poly(methylhydrosiloxane).

Release agents are used during moulding in order to release the moulded silicone layer from the typically cold rolled steel during processing. The release agents may be organic acids or their salts. Preferred salts of the organic acid are alkali salts, earth alkali salts or zinc salts. The preferred organic acid is stearic acid.

The solution may be milled with 1.0 to 1.5 wt.% (based on the solution) of curing agent at room temperature to form the silicone layer. Room temperature is understood as a temperature in the range of 20°C to 25°C.

The curing agent (also known as vulcanisation agent) may be a peroxide compound. The peroxide compound may be selected from the group consisting of dibenzoylperoxide, dicumylperoxide, 2,5- dimethyl-2,5-di(tert-butylperoxy)hexane (DBPMH) and bis(dichlorobenzoyl)peroxide. The preferred curing agent is 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-di(tert-butylperoxy)hexane (DBPMH). The silicone layer may have a thickness of 1 to 3 mm.

The Gastronorm container may comprise stainless steel, polycarbonate, polypropylene, melamine, ceramics or any combination thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the Gastronorm container is made from stainless steel.

The silicone layer may include a colour pigment. In particular, in embodiments when the silicone layer is moulded to the edge portion and/or the handle portion addition of a colour pigment to the silicone layer allows for colour coding of the Gastronorm container.

The second aspect of the invention relates to a process for producing a Gastronorm container as described herein comprising the step of moulding the silicone layer to the food receiving portion of the Gastronorm container and optionally to the edge portion and/or the handle portion of the Gastronorm container.

After the silicone layer has been moulded to the food receiving portion and optionally to the edge portion and/or the handle portion of the Gastronorm container, the process may further comprise the step of heating the Gastronorm container and the silicone layer. This heating step is preferably carried out at a temperature of 150°C to 200°C.

The invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 shows a top down view of a stainless steel Gastronorm dish (1 ) with a silicone layer (10) covering the food receiving portion, the edge portion and the handle portion, whereas the external surface (20) of the Gastronorm dish (or basin) is not covered by the silicone layer. Figure 2 is a magnified cross section through a Gastronorm dish (1) showing the silicone layer (10) on the inner surface (e.g. the food receiving portion) of the Gastronorm dish (or basin) and upper surface of the edge portion (30) but not on the external surface (20) of the Gastronorm dish (or basin). Detailed Description

There is provided a gastronorm pan comprising an external silicone layer on upper surfaces of the gastronorm basin and edges wherein the silicone layer is moulded to the shape of the gastronorm dish and adhered to the gastronorm dish by heating to between 150°C and 200°C.

Preferably the silicone layer is produced by forming a solution that comprises in w/w a silicone gum at 60% to 80%, preferably 55% to 80%, silicone dioxide at 10 to 40%, a silicone additive at 1 to 6% and a release agent at 0.01 to 0.5%; this solution is milled with a vulcanisation agent at at 1.0 to 1.5% w/w and a curing agent at room temperature to form sheets that are then moulded into the shape of the upper surface of a gastronorm dish including the upper surface of the basin, edges and handles; the silicone mould is then applied onto a gastronorm dish and heated to between 150°C and 250°C . Preferably the silicone layer is between 1 to 3 mm.

Preferably the gastronorm dish is composed of steel or other durable material.

More preferably the silicone layer includes a colour pigment.

Example 1

A silicone solution according to Table 1 was milled with the vulcanisation/curing agent 2,5- dimethyl-2,5-di(tert-butylperoxy)hexane (DBPMH) at 1.0 to 1.5 wt.% at room temperature. The resulting silicone material was cut into sheets, placed inside tooling for moulding (at 180°C to 200°C for 60 seconds to 3 minutes), removed from the mould, trimmed and then the moulded silicone layer was placed on the food receiving portion of the Gastronorm dish for 4 hours at 200°C, and then allowed to cool. Table 1

Example 2

The Gastronorm dish of Example 2 has been prepared according to the process shown in Example 1 using the composition shown in Table 2.

Table 2

The following clauses refer to further embodiments of the invention: 1. A gastronorm pan comprising an external silicone layer on upper surfaces of the gastronorm basin and edges wherein the silicone layer is moulded to the shape of the gastronorm dish and adhered to the gastronorm dish by heating to between 150°C and 200°C.

2. A gastronorm dish according to clause 1 , wherein the silicone layer is produced by forming a solution that comprises in w w a silicone gum at 60% to 80%, silicone dioxide at 10 to 40% , a silicone additive at 1 to 6% and a release agent at 0.01 to 0.5%; this solution is milled with a vulcanisation agent at at 1.0 to 1.5% w/w and a curing agent at room temperature to form sheets that are then moulded into the shape of the upper surface of a gastronorm dish including the upper surface of the basin, edges and handles; the silicone mould is then applied onto a gastronorm dish and heated to between 150°C and 250°C. 3. A gastronorm dish according to any one of clauses 1 or 2, wherein the silicone layer is between 1 to 3 mm.

4. A gastronorm dish according to any preceding clauses, wherein the gastronorm dish is composed of steel or other durable material.

5. A gastronorm dish according to any preceding clause, wherein the silicone layer includes a colour pigment.

6. A process of manufacture substantially described herein with reference to the examples and figures.