Packaged Meals

 What are packaged Meals?

Packaged Meals: -

Packaged meals are the meals which is full prepared meals or semi-prepared meals. These meals can be considered in both the categories because if we want to sell any product in the market it is necessary for that product that it should be full packed in airtight container in such a way that no air can enter in the package that prevent the product from spoilage. If the product is fully prepared and if air can comes in that package from anywhere then it should spoil the product by making the food item soggy and if the product of the packaged is semi-prepared and air can enter in the package from anywhere then it will spoil the package because with air the moisture can also enter in the package that result in the growth of the bacteria and the bacteria can cover the food that spoil the food completely.

The packaged meals can be considered as the best meals on the hygienic purpose because these meals can be packed and sealed in the hygienic environment so that the food is completely safe and prevent from the spoilage and can have longer shelf life. These meals are specialized designed for the convenience of the customer because these meals require minimal preparation just by adding heating and boiling water before eating. The preparation of these meals is very easy is just by adding hot and boiling water to the particular food item.

Types of Packaged Meals: -

These types of packaged meals are mostly classified on the basis of their cooking methods, preservation technique and usage. 

Ready-to-Eat Meals (RTE) Meals: -

Ready-to-Eat products are the types of packaged product that can be packed in its cooked form which means the product inside this packaged in its pre-cooked form when we purchase these types of products, we can directly eat them or just have to give slight cooking to make it hot and in a proper cooked form. Ready-to-eat meals are the type of meals that can be eaten directly without much cooking or by slightly heating. These types or products are usually in a type of fully cooked form, properly seasoned and can be preserved to maintain the taste and the nutrition. These Ready-to-Eat meals are available in many forms like every type of dish is available in the market in the Ready-to-Eat form.

Uses: -

• These types of meals are very useful for students, travelers and office worker because these meals can be prepared in quick time with just light heating. As an instance, an instant cup noodles can be ready in quick form just by adding the boiling water inside the cup and the noodle, seasoning and the spices are already be added in the packaged so we have to just add a little bit of boiling water in the cup and have to wait for 3 minutes and in just 3 minutes our hot and spicy noodles are ready to serve and eat. 
• These types of meals are mostly used in emergency or in military rations because as these types of meals can be prepared in quick time and very easily so that's why these types of meals are mostly liked by army officers because of its taste and availability of the variety of the dishes. 
• When we are outside from our home with our friends like on some trip or hiking and these meals are the perfect choice because of its taste and preparation time. 

Ready-to-Cook Meals: - 

Ready-to-Cook meals are very similar to Ready-to-Eat meals. The only difference between these two meals is that the Ready to Eat meals are the meals which can be eaten directly without any type of personalized cooking, and the Ready-to-Cook meals are the types of meals that require some cooking time because it cannot be pre-cooked as Ready-to-eat meals. These types of meals are partially prepared meals that require minimal cooking before consumption. This type of meals usually contains pre-cut vegetables, marinated meats, or pre-mixed ingredients. As an instance of marinated meats, we can get the marinated meats from the market in Ready-to-cook form, we cannot directly consume that marinated meats, to eat that marinated meat we have to prepare that meat to serve and eat.

Uses: -

• These meals are very convenient for the household when we want to be prepared the snacks or meals in quick time so we will get all the items in their ready form like marinated meat, cut vegetables and pasta kits.
• The wide variety which are available of this type of food item in the supermarkets is the Frozen Food and then frozen food is a type of food which we get fully cooked from the market but in the frozen form we have to deep fried that frozen food in the extremely heating oil and after coming from the hot deep oil our food is ready to serve and eat.
• These types of meals are ideal because these types of meals save the preparation time because this type of food item will be prepared in the quick time and it also helps to maintain the freshness of the food; we feel the freshness of the food whenever we prepare the food.

Ready-to-Heat Meals: -

These Reay-to-Heat meals are also a type of instant and packaged meals, but it is very different from Ready-to-Eat and Ready-to-Cook meals. The Ready-to-Heat meals is different from the other two because these types of meals are fully cooked meals that only need heating before eating. there is not any need to add any type of additional ingredients or no type of cooking is required we have to just heat the product in the microwave for given time and our food product is completely ready to eat. There is also wide variety collections of these meals are available to us like microwaveable curries, biryani packs, frozen pizzas, or packaged rice dishes. 

Uses: - 

• These types of meals are very good or even though the best option as a quick meal for the working professional or the students who lives in the hostels or PGs because the preparation of this meal us very easy, we just need the microwave and that is already present in our rooms while we are living in the hostels or in PG rooms.
• These types of meals are also used in airlines, railways and hospitals. especially in airlines these types of food items are widely served on long routes.
• These types of meals are also very convenient for the single-person household who don't know the cooking or for certain use whenever they don't have much time to cook and are not in a cooking mood.