A methodology and product or system configurations are provided which allow food to be directly irradiated for cooking applications which involve the impingement of direct radiant energy on food or comestible items. Cooking vessels or cook-packs are used that are optically transmissive in visible or infrared narrow wavelength bands emitted in suitable narrowband cooking or heating systems.

Provided are systems and methods for producing, packaging and dispensing cooked chunky food that may be a low acid, high water activity food having high organoleptic (e.g., flavor, texture, aroma, color, etc.), and nutritive (vitamins, nutrients, etc.) quality, and an extended refrigerated shelf-life relative to prior art refrigerated prepared foods. Example methods combine hot-filling (e.g., into microwavable self-venting hand-held pouches) immediately after cooking using low-shear transfer at suitable transfer temperature and rate through a fill/dispensing portion sized to provide for substantially unimpeded flow without textural degradation of the chunky food, followed by immediate post-fill chilling and storage under refrigerated and/or frozen conditions. Also provided are chunky foods produced by the methods, and packaging containers (e.g., microwavable self-venting hand-held pouches) suitable for easy, mess-free directed dispensing of the packaged chunky food composition from the pouch by hand, including by children, or adults.