. According to the illustrated embodiment, steamer lid 218 is seated on top of a top flange 220 of steamer insert 210. According to alternative embodiments, steamer lid 218 may be secured with one or more clips, fasteners, etc. Steamer lid 218 may define a pressure relief aperture 222 and a pressure relief valve 224 may be operably coupled to steamer lid 218 over pressure relief aperture 222. Pressure relief valve 224 may be any suitable type of valve or device that opens at a target pressure to release air and facilitate an improved steam cooking process.

According to an example embodiment, steamer insert 210 and steamer lid 218 may be formed from a metallic material, such as stainless steel. In this manner, microwave energy generated by microwave heating assembly 130 may not penetrate into food cavity 212 and the food items may be shielded from such microwave energy. Bottom wall 214 and/or sidewalls 216 may be perforated to include a plurality of apertures 226 to facilitate the introduction of steam into food cavity 212. Other constructions of steamer insert and steamer lid 218 are possible and within the scope of the present subject matter.

In addition, bottom wall 214 may be positioned at or above target fill line 206, thereby suspending food cavity 212 above the water to prevent saturating or soaking the food items being steamed. For example, steam cooking container 202 may define one or more standoffs or a support shoulder 228 for supporting steamer insert 210 at the desired vertical position. In this regard, top flange 220 of steamer insert 210 may rest on support shoulder 228 of steam cooking container 202. According to alternative embodiments, one or more support structure or legs may extend from steam cooking container 202 or steamer insert 210 to position food cavity 212 above the target fill line 206.

Referring still to FIGS. 3 through 5, steam cooker assembly 200 may further include a support insert 230 positioned at a bottom of water reservoir 204. According to the illustrated embodiment, steamer insert 210 may be positioned above support insert 230 or may be seated directly on top of support insert 230. As best shown in FIG. 4, support insert 230 may define a recess 232 that is generally configured to receive a sensing assembly 234, which will be described in more detail below. Specifically, support insert 230 may include support flanges 236 that receive sensing assembly 234 and suspend it above a bottom wall of steam cooking container 202. In addition, support insert 230 may define a plurality of dimples, recesses, or grooves in its sidewall, e.g., to capture heated water.

According to an example embodiment, support flanges 236 may support sensing assembly 234 within recess 232 such that a heating gap 238 is defined between sensing assembly 234 and steam cooking container 202. In this regard, heating gap 238 is a space defined between sensing assembly 234 and steam cooking container 202 and/or between sensing assembly 234 and target fill line 206. Notably, heating gap 238 may be sized such that microwave energy does not penetrate through the water to reach sensing assembly 234, thereby reducing the likelihood of damage or inoperability of sensing assembly 234.

Notably, when heating gap 238 is appropriately sized, substantially all of the microwave energy is absorbed within heating gap 238 (e.g., such that there is negligible interaction with sensing assembly 234). Accordingly, heating gap 238 may generally define a gap length 240 that is measured between steam cooking container 202 and sensing assembly 234. According to exemplary embodiments, gap length 240 may be between about 5 millimeters and 40 millimeters, between about 10 millimeters and 30 millimeters, or about 20 millimeters. It should be appreciated that gap length 240 may vary while remaining within the scope of the present subject matter. For example, the desirable gap length may vary based on the intensity of microwave energy or based on any other suitable factors.

According to the illustrated embodiment, steam cooker assembly 200 may further include a lid assembly 250 that is removably mounted to steam cooking container 202 over water reservoir 204, e.g., to provide selective access to the plurality of food cavities 212. Specifically, according to the illustrated embodiment, lid assembly 250 includes a container lid 252 that is seated on steam cooking container 202 and defines a central opening 254. In addition, a lid cap 256 is positioned over central opening 254. Lid cap 256 may be removably received onto container lid 252, e.g., via a snap-fit mechanism.

According to example embodiments, lid assembly 250 may define one or more vent holes 258 that are hidden to maintain attractive appearance while allowing minimal moisture to vent. This may prevent pressure build-up, excessive evaporation, cavity condensation, and door fogging. According to the illustrated embodiment, vent holes 258 are defined between container lid 252 and lid cap 256, e.g., at the corners thereof. These vent holes 258 may define a tortuous path from water reservoir 204 to an ambient environment. For example, vent holes may wind between internal passageways of container lid 252 and/or lid cap 256 and may not provide direct line of sight into water reservoir 204, thereby permitting moisture evacuation while minimizing spillage.

According to exemplary embodiments, steam cooking container 202, steamer insert 210, support insert 230, and lid assembly 250 may be formed from any suitable materials and have any suitable construction to improve the steam cooking process. For example, according to exemplary embodiments, all of these components may be injection molded with a food-grade polymer material. Alternatively, these features may be formed from glass, food grade plastic, silicone, stainless steel, ceramic, glass, etc. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that various features of steam cooker assembly 200 may be formed from any suitably rigid material. For example, according to exemplary embodiments, steam cooking container 202, steamer insert 210, support insert 230, and lid assembly 250 may be formed by injection molding, e.g., using a suitable plastic material, such as injection molding grade Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT), Nylon 6, high impact polystyrene (HIPS), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), or any other suitable blend of polymers. Alternatively, according to the exemplary embodiment, these components may be compression molded, e.g., using sheet molding compound (SMC) thermoset plastic or other thermoplastics. According to still other embodiments, portions of steam cooker assembly 200 may be formed from any other suitable rigid material.

Referring now FIGS. 4 and 5, sensing assembly 234 will be described in more detail. Sensing assembly 234 may be configured as a stand-alone measuring device that may be utilized with steam cooker assembly 200 to measure one or more various parameters associated with operation of steam cooker assembly 200. For example, sensing assembly