Steam-ready packaging is the package format of choice for brand owners looking to deliver that "gourmet" eating experience in under 5 minutes. For foods that lend themselves to steam cooking like fresh vegetables, certain fish and seafood, and ready meals or "Home Meal Replacements (HMR's), Fresh Wave Steam Film delivers "next generation" cooking results by enhancing a food's natural flavor, texture, and nutritional profiles.

Unlike many competitive steam cooking technologies that utilize "delamination" or "steam channel" film technologies, Fresh Wave utilizes a patented "micro porous" technology for venting steam from the package. This "micro porous" technology results in more "evenly cooked" foods in typically shorter cooking times versus traditional cooking methods and competitive steam film technologies.

By regulating how much steam can vent the package through the "micro pores," more steam is retained in the package to help cook food from the "outside-in." Microwave technology cooks food from the inside-out, so this "dual action, 2-way cooking" allows for more rapid cooking and retention of a food's natural flavor, texture, and nutritional value. In addition, our "micro porous" venting strip in our 2-way venting non-barrier film allows for "HIGH OTR" (oxygen transmission) ideal for many fresh vegetables needing higher (18.5 - 21%) internal package oxygen levels to ensure optimal shelf life. See Breathable OTR Specific Lidding Films for additonal information.

Steam Cooking Guidelines

There are multiple variables at play in arriving at "ideal cooking times" for steam cooking applications. Some of these variables, in no particular order, include: food type, net weight of food, state of food (raw vs. pre-cooked, fresh vs. frozen), recipe components, package head space, microwave wattage, and desired "doneness" of food