Food containers for use in packaging, storing, transporting, cooking, and/or serving food contents are provided. The food container can include a pan defining a receptacle. The pan can include one or more side walls, a base, and a lip. The lip can include a thickness sufficient to support the weight of the pan and food contents. The food container may include a lid disposed over the opening into the pan. The lid can be shaped to receive a base of an adjacent pan.

A container for holding a food product. The container can comprise a base layer and a liner at least partially attached to an inner surface of the base layer, a flange comprising a central panel of the base layer, an opening extending in the central panel, and a sidewall comprising at least a panel foldably connected to the central panel along the opening.

An object is to provide a microwave container configured to precisely discharge vapor from a vapor-discharging part to avoid any vapor discharge from the remaining portions, and the microwave container includes: a container main body having an opening in its upper portion; a flange part formed to extend outwardly from the opening of the container main body; and a heat-seal part in a rib shape formed over the entire periphery of an upper surface of the flange part and heat-sealed to a film-shaped lid member for sealing the opening, wherein the heat-seal part includes a first heat-seal part for discharging vapor generated in the container main body by breaking the heat seal with the lid member when the vapor reaches a predetermined pressure, and a second heat-seal part wider than the first heat-seal part.

A food tray has a lower tray containing a first food product and an upper tray nested stably at least partly inside the lower tray, with the upper tray containing a second food product. An air permeable interface is provided between the upper tray and lower tray to allow venting of steam from the lower tray during cooking. A cover is provided for the food tray. Each of the lower tray and the upper tray are formed of a material that is suitable for use in a microwave or conventional oven. Various constructions may be used to create the air permeable interface, such as lugs, ledges and lips. The upper tray may sit above the lower tray. The trays are nested loosely for ease of removal of the upper tray from the lower tray. Various configurations of cover may be used such as a sleeve, carton or lid. The upper tray may contain the higher value food product.

The present invention relates to a packaging for storing and/or cooking a food product, the packaging comprising a container for holding the food product, and a cover removably fastened to an upper rim of the container characterized in that the cover comprises a weakening line forming a spiral. Further aspects of the invention are the cover as well as the packaged food product.

Methods and apparatus for manufacturing a microwavable food container include: forming a wire mesh over a mold comprising a mirror image of the microwavable food container; immersing the wire mesh in a fiber-based slurry bath; drawing a vacuum across the wire mesh to cause fiber particles to accumulate at the wire mesh surface; and removing the wire mesh including the accumulated fiber particles from the slurry bath; wherein the slurry comprises one or more of a moisture barrier, an oil barrier, and a vapor barrier.

Methods and apparatus for vacuum forming and subsequently applying topical coatings fiber-based food containers. The slurry includes one or more of an embedded moisture barrier, vapor barrier, and oil barrier, and the topical coating comprises one or more of a vapor barrier, a moisture barrier, an oil barrier, and an oxygen barrier. For food containers having deep sidewalls, a spray coating system includes a first nozzle for applying a full cone spray pattern to the bottom surface of the container, and a second nozzle for applying a hollow cone spray pattern to the inside surfaces of the side walls.

Packaged product (20) comprising a food product (24) to be cooked in a cooking device (10), the packaged product (20) comprising identification means (21) providing information to and readable by the cooking device (10) related to a plurality of steps to be applied for cooking the food product (24) according to a predetermined profile, such that, in particular the duration, the selection of the heating mode and the power level of each of the heating mode, optionally and additionally a cooling mode, are set for each one of these steps according to the type of product to be cooked. The heating mode for each step is selected amongst one or a combination of microwave heating, infrared heating, hot air convection or hot air impingement, the cooling mode being applied by one or a combination of sub-pressure cooling or air ventilation.

Disclosed are disposable containers, such as a stand-up pouch, for heating food in a microwave oven and while automatically dispensing sauce onto the food. Methods and apparatuses for making sauce packets and disposable containers are also disclosed.

A pouch container (1) for a food product, a filled container, and a method of filling are described. The container (1) comprises a sheet containment material configured surroundingly and sealingly to define a food containment volume, at least one closure seam (7) provided within the volume between paired opposing surfaces of the said sheet containment material to divide the containment volume into two food compartments (8,9) suitable to contain food product in use, wherein the said closure seam (7) has a pressure sensitive apertured portion (14) adapted to be closed at ambient pressure but to open when an internal pressure differential between the compartments reaches a predetermined point.