Various blanks are provided for forming sleeves, containers, and other constructs for heating, browning, and/or crisping of a food item in a microwave oven, and for holding and/or transporting the food item after heating. The various blanks, sleeves, containers, and other constructs may include a removable portion defined by one or more lines of disruption that enable the removable portion to be separated from the remainder of the blank, sleeve, container, or other construct.

A container for holding a food product. The container can comprise a flange comprising a central panel. An opening can extend in the central panel. The container further can comprise a sidewall comprising at least a panel foldably connected to the central panel and a denesting feature extending outwardly from the sidewall. The denesting feature can be for engaging a nested container positioned below the container in a stacked arrangement and for forming a denesting gap between the flange and the nested container.

A container for holding a food product. The container can comprise a flange comprising a central panel. An opening can extend in the central panel. The container further can comprise a sidewall comprising at least a panel foldably connected to the central panel and a denesting feature extending outwardly from the sidewall. The denesting feature can be for engaging a nested container positioned below the container in a stacked arrangement and for forming a denesting gap between the flange and the nested container.

A method of forming a container from a blank. The method can comprise obtaining a blank having a wall portion, a flange portion, and a coating on at least a portion of the flange portion. At least one score line can extend at least partially in the flange portion, and the coating can at least partially cover the at least one score line. The method further can comprise forming the container from the blank by forming a wall of the container from the wall portion and forming a flange of the container from the flange portion. The flange can extend from the wall. The forming the container further can comprise forming the at least one score line into at least one pleat in at least the flange. The coating can at least partially cover the at least one pleat to form a substantially continuous sealing surface on the flange.

Microwaveable packages having composite susceptors and methods for using same are provided. In a general embodiment, composite susceptors for cooking microwaveable foods (12, 14) in a microwave oven are provided. The composite susceptors may include, for example, a first layer that is a standard microwave susceptor (30) and a second layer (32) comprising mobile charges, wherein the second layer is at least substantially metal free. The second layer comprising mobile charges can both shield the standard susceptor from microwaves, and act as a conductor to increase the conductivity of the standard susceptor. The composite susceptors of the present disclosure provide improved surface heating patterns that are similar to surface heating patterns of conventional ovens, while also providing the benefits of microwave cooking.

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.

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, an opening extending in the central panel, and a sidewall comprising a plurality of panels. Each panel of the plurality of panels can be foldably connected to the central panel, and at least one panel can be foldably connected to the central panel along the opening. A bottom wall can comprise at least first and second bottom panels foldably connected to respective panels. The second bottom panel at least partially overlaps the first bottom panel so that the second bottom panel extends along the inner surface of the base layer, and the first bottom panel extends along the inner surface of the base layer at least via a cutout in the second bottom panel.

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.

A tray for holding one or more food products includes a plurality of panels including a central panel, a plurality of compartment flaps foldably connected to a respective panel of the plurality of panels, and a plurality of end flaps foldably connected to a respective panel of the plurality of panels, the plurality of compartment flaps and the plurality of end flaps are overlapped to form a plurality of compartments of the tray.

Processes and systems that enhance the heating of packaged foodstuffs and other items in various microwave heating systems are described herein. The foodstuffs may be contained in a package including one or more energy control elements that interact with microwave energy in order to alter the effect that microwave energy has on the foodstuff. These energy control elements can enhance or inhibit microwave energy and a single package may include one or more energy control elements. In some cases, the energy control element may respond differently to different types of microwave energy. As a result, some packages described herein may exhibit different absorption or reflectance characteristics when exposed to microwave energy while being pasteurized or sterilized in a larger-scale microwave heating system than when the package is reheated in an at-home microwave oven prior to consumption or use.