Container for microwave cooking of food products containing liquids

A container for use in microwave cooking in an oven operating at a microwave wavelength, said container having a bottom portion essentially defining a torus in bottom plan view, said torus having an effective circumference greater than a whole number of half wavelengths and an effective diameter, measured according to the dielectric constants of the contents of said container, sufficiently large to have an antiresonant effect, a side panel extending from said bottom portion and a cover receiving lip structure extending about and defining an end opening opposite the bottom portion, said side panel extending about a central axis through the bottom portion and end opening and comprising:

• said bottom portion having a central segment and an outer segment, a substantially spherical section defining the central segment and having an apex on the central axis, the apex being disposed toward the end opening;
• said substantially spherical section having a substantially circular base intersecting a plane extending normal to the central axis, the outer segment having a base portion extending downward from said substantially circular base and away from the end opening along a first bottom radius and in a direction away from the central axis to a bottom panel, said bottom panel being substantially circular and extending away from the central axis along a plane extending substantially normal to the central axis to a second bottom radius and then extending upwardly along said second bottom radius away from said bottom portion and toward the end opening to the side panel;
• said side panel having an exterior and having a continuous inner wall face intersecting a plane extending normal to the central axis along a substantially circular line and having a larger radius at the end opening than at the bottom portion whereby the inner wall face is tapered away from the central axis as the side panel extends upwardly from the bottom portion toward the end opening, said inner wall face having a sufficient slope to permit the gradual dissipation of pressure built up from boiling the contents of said container to reduce the frequency of bumping.