Abstract: A food item is wrapped with plastic film or other dielectric substrate having a very thin coating thereon which controls the microwave conductivity when the package is placed within a conventional microwave oven. The plastic film or other substrate and its coating conform to a substantial surface portion of the food item. The coated plastic film or other substrate converts some of the microwave energy into heat which is transmitted directly to the surface portion so that a browning and/or crispening is achieved. The coating has the additional capability of modifying the microwave field configuration so as to further enhance the heating of the food surface immediately adjacent the film in which the food is packaged. The microwave energy not converted into heat by the coated film passes through the film to dielectrically heat the single food item as is normally done when cooking with microwaves.

Abstract: The food package includes a flexible wrapping sheet of dielectric material, such as polyester or paperboard, capable of conforming to at least a portion of the article of food's shape. The dielectric wrapping sheet has a flexible metallic coating thereon, such as aluminum, in the form of a relatively thin film or relatively thick foil, the coating being subdivided into a number of individual metallic islands or pads separated by criss-crossing non-metallic gaps provided by exposed dielectric strips on the wrapping sheet. When the food package is placed in a microwave oven, some of the microwave energy passes through the wrapping sheet so as to dielectrically heat the food item, but a lesser amount of the microwave energy is converted into thermal energy by the metallic coating so as to brown or crispen that portion of the food adjacent thereto.

Abstract: Apparatus is provided which moves a column of nested, uniformly shaped chips into a reservoir thereby forming a loop array. The loop array of snack chips is then transferring from the reservoir into a package.