Granted Patent B2

US 8,658,952 · App. 12/766,983 · Granted Feb 25, 2014

Abstract

Claims (23)

1. A method of heating, browning, and/or crisping a food item in a microwave oven, comprising:

placing a food item on a microwave heating construct, the food item having a surface that is desirably at least one of browned and crisped,

wherein the microwave heating construct comprises a first panel and a second panel in a facing, contacting relationship with one another, the first panel and the second panel each having an interior side and an exterior side, wherein the first panel and the second panel are joined to one another along respective opposite side edges such that an unjoined area is defined between the interior sides of the first panel and the second panel, the unjoined area being in communication with an open peripheral edge of the construct,

wherein the first panel and the second panel each comprise a microwave energy interactive material operative for converting at least a portion of impinging microwave energy into thermal energy, and the first panel includes an aperture in communication with the unjoined area between the first panel and the second panel,

wherein placing the food item on the microwave heating construct comprises placing the food item on the exterior side of the first panel so that the surface of the food item is proximate to the microwave energy interactive material of the first panel, and so that the food item overlies the aperture so that the surface of the food item is in communication with the unjoined area between the first panel and the second panel; and

exposing the food item positioned on the exterior side of the first panel of the microwave heating construct to microwave energy within the microwave oven, so that during the exposing

the microwave energy interactive material converts at least a portion of the microwave energy into heat,

the heat is transferred to the food item to brown and/or crisp the surface of the food item, and

the surface of the food item is in communication, by way of the aperture, with the unjoined area between the first panel and the second panel.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second panel includes an aperture in communication with the unjoined area between the first panel and the second panel.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aperture is substantially circular in shape.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aperture is substantially elongate in shape.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aperture extends in a direction oblique to the opposite side edges.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the microwave energy interactive material has an optical density of from about 0.17 to about 0.28.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the open peripheral edge of the construct comprises a open end of a pair of opposite open ends of the construct.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the first panel is spaced from the second panel.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein placing the food item on the exterior side of the first panel moves a first portion of the first panel into contact with the second panel, while a second portion of the first panel remains spaced from the second panel.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein during the exposing:

moisture is released from the food item, and

at least a portion of the moisture is carried away from the food item, through the aperture.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein during the exposing:

moisture is released from the food item, and

at least a portion of the moisture is carried away from the food item through the aperture and the unjoined area between the first panel and the second panel of the construct.

Assignments (10)