CA1333024C - Shaped grain casseroles and carriers - Google Patents

Abstract

A shaped grain casserole product comprising rice and/or other cereal grains that has a surface crust and an interior appearance of whole grains or parts of whole grains wherein the rice and/or other cereal grains are fully cooked, hydrated and gelatinized.
The product is suitable for reheating by the consumer by means of a toaster, hot air oven, microwave oven and deep fat frying.

Description

SHAPED GRAIN CASSEROLES AND CARRIERS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Casseroles are usually a combination of food ingredients that are oven-baked in a baking dish. Some are made with vegetables, pasta, and rice, while others are made with pasta, such as macaroni, and cheese. However, these casseroles are usually served spooned out of the baking dish, and then eaten with a fork. They are not a free-standing unit which can be picked up and hand-held while being consumed.

In my U.S. Patent #3,711,295, I disclose a procedure for making a Shaped Rice Product that has a surface that is harder than its center and a center texture that ordinarily appears to have a "homogeneous consistency". Figure 1 of U.S. Patent #3,711,295 clearly shows a rice product that looks like an artificial french fried potato-like product and has a texture that is homogeneous in consistency.

In my U.S. Patent #3,961,087 I disclose a procedure for cooking and starch complexing rice. In that procedure, dry powdered mono-glycerides are mixed with the other dry ingredients. This dry mixture is added to and cooked together in water with the rice at the boiling temperature. When dry powdered monoglycerides are boiled in water, they form a precipitate rather than complex the rice starch in the grains.

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1.

A notice of Allowance has been received by applicants-on-an application that is directed to a shaped rice product that is ideal for microwave oven preparation. In that product, the grains have centers that are not fully cooked and hydrated. These grain centers become fully cooked and fully hydrated when the product is reheated in the microwave oven. ~ -A microwave oven is a unique reheating appliance. It can cookthe frozen rice grains in the center of the frozen units at the same time that it cooks the product's crust. In fact, the micro-wave oven reheating technique simultaneously provides sufficient heat and energy to properly fully cook and fully hydrate all the rice grain centers at all the locations in the product.

The problem is that although the shaped rice products with not fully cooked grains are ideal for the microwave oven, they cannot be prepared in a toaster. The heating pattern for toasters is com-pletely different than the heating pattern provided by the micro-wave oven. If a toaster is used to fully cook the centers of the frozen partially cooked grains, the toaster would have to go through several cycles and would eventually burn the product's outer surface crust by the time the grain centers were fully cooked. This is because the heating elements in the toaster provide intense heat only to the product's outer surface. The frozen grains in the center of the units become warm by conduction. So under normal toasting conditions, the frozen rice grains become warm but not hot enough for the sufficient length of time required to actually cook and gelatinize the centers of the rice grains. When frozen shaped 2.

rice ~roducts with frozen grains that are not fully cooked are reheated in a toaster, the frozen grains in the center of the unit become warm but continue to remain not fully cooked, and therefore, the product that is served is not very satisfactory in either taste or texture.

My invention incorporates equipment and procedures for making free-standing grain and grain with pasta casserole and carrier products. A carrier is a casserole with a cup-like cavity.
Said casserole and carrier products are made from grains or grains and pasta; said finished product has a surface crust and a center that has the appearance of cooked grains or grains and pasta, and said grains are fully cooked, hydrated, and gelatinized and can be quickly reheated from the frozen state even with a toaster or toaster oven.

3.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the object of the present invention to provide a shaped cereal grain product that can be properly reheated even in an apparatus such as a toaster or toaster oven; said fully cooked product, when cut open, exposes a center that has the appearance of cooked grains.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a free-standing shaped rice casserole product having identifiable natural food pieces such as vegetables, fruits, meats, poultry, nuts, fish, onions, ham, diced apples, raisins, shrimp, sesame seeds, dispersed together with rice grains and/or other cereal grains that are fully cooked.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a shaped hot breakfast cereal stick product that can be heated in a toaster or microwave oven and hand-held when eaten said product comprising broken or whole cereal grains such as rice, wheat, oats, buckwheat, corn, barley, rye, millet, sorghum, having a surface crust and a center comprised of grains that are fully cooked.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide unique frozen free-standing casserole products consisting of a mixture of cooked pasta pieces and fully cooked cereal grains such as rice having a soft center and a surface crust that completely surrounds the cassrole, said crust becoming both crunchy from the pasta pieces and crispy from the cereal grain pieces.

4.

1 33302~

It is another object of the present invention to provide a free standing carrier product that contains fully cooked rice grains and/or other grains in the finished product, said carrier is a casserole with a cup-like cavity that could later, after reheating, be topped or filled with food.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a shaped grain casserole that has a crust and also has two layers;
one layer being comprised of fully cooked cereal grains with a given color and flavor; the second layer being comprised of fully cooked cereal grains with a different color and flavor.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a casserole unit that can be picked up and hand-held while being consumed.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a new granola type bar product that can be heated in a microwave or toaster oven and served hot, said product having a surface crust and a center comprised of cereal grains that are fully cooked, dispersed together with particles of food such as fruits and nuts.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a nugget-sized product that has a surface crust and a center that contains chunks of food such as chicken, vegetable, mushrooms, etc., dispersed together with fully gelatinized grains of rice.

5.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is an illustration of a circular shaped casserole before the crust was formed, depicting the appearance of cooked grains and pasta pieces.

Figure 2 is an illustration of a rectangular shaped toaster or microwave granola type bar product before the crust was formed, depicting the appearance of different cereal grains and food chunks in the texture.

Figure 3 is an illustration of a rice carrier before the crust is formed, said carrier is a casserole having a cup-like cavity.

Figure 4 illustrates the rice carrier after the crust is formed, having the cooked rice grains in the interior.

Figures 5A, 5B, and 5C illustrate steps for producing casserole and carrier shapes.

Figure 6 illustrates a forming apparatus for forming a sheet comprised of cereal grains and cutting said sheet into shaped units.

Figure 7 illustrates a forming apparatus for forming casserole shapes that have multiple cooked grain layers.

6.

s 5 ~ r DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention relates to a casserole or carrier shaped grain or grain and pasta product that has a surface crust surrounding the entire surface of the unit which allows it to be a free-standing unit, said product being able to be hand-held while being consumed. A carrier is a casserole with a cup-like cavity that can later be topped or filled with food. The casserole and carrier products can~be reheated from the frozen state even with reheating appliances such as a toaster or toaster oven because they contain grains in the finished product that are fully cooked and hydrated and the starch in the grains is fully gelatinized.

To more simply describe my invention, we refer to it as a shaped cereal grain product. However, it is understood that it may consist of rice, or rice and other cereal grains, or grains and pasta, as more fully described herein after.

In the first step, the grains or grains and pasta pieces are fully cooked in water or in steam, or they can be dry-toasted and then cooked until the centers of the grains become fully gelatinized. When the rice is cooked in water, the cooking takes place in a stationary or continuous cooker (not illustrated but well known in the art and readily available in the market) that gently agitates the grains or grains and pasta pieces throughout the cooking process.

Another way to cook the rice is with a continuous steam cooker that provides both hot water and steam directly onto the product, 7.

said continuous steam cooker is not illustrated but well known in the art and readily available in the market.

The grains or grains and pasta can also be fully cooked in water and/or steam until their centers are fully gelatinized while at the same time, the starch in the grains is complexed with a starch complexing agent.

The following procedure is used when the grains or grains and pasta are cooked and their starch complexed with 190 F - 200 F water in a batch cooker.

First, about 200 to 300 pounds of water are heated to a temperature of about 160 F. Then, a pre-blend of a~out one pound of starch complexing agent, such as glycerol mono-stearate, and about one quarter pound vegetable oil is dispersed in the hot water. The temperature is then in-creased to about 190 F - 200 F before one hundred pounds of dry, whole or broken grain rice or grains and pasta pieces are added and cooked.

The pasta pieces can be in different shapes, such as vermicelli rods, noodle-shaped pasta pieces, pasta pieces shaped like rice grains, and macaroni shaped rice pieces, etc.

The following grains can be used singularly or in a blend, as whole grains, and/or as broken grains:
white rice, brown rice, par-boiled rice, wheat, soy, millet, corn, oats, barley, rye, buckwheat, and sorghum.

8.

The pre-blend of monoglycerides and vegetable oil is useful because without it, the monoglycerides by themselves, can form a precipitate in the boiling water instead of forming a complex with the starch in the grains. Foods with high levels of fat, such as butter, can be used instead of some of the veg-etable oil to make the pre-blend.

Other starch complexing agents that can be used include:

acetylated monoglyceride, glyceryl monostearate, glyceryl monopalmitate, glycerol monolaurate, glyceryl monomyristate, glyceryl monoarachidate, glyceryl monooleate, gl~ceryl monolinoleate, calcium stearoyl-2-lactylate, sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate, polyoxyethylene monostearate, sodium stearoyl-fumarate sucrose fatty acids, and succinylated monoglycerides.

The cereal grains or cereal grains and pasta are cooked at about 190 F - 200 F and gently blended until just about all the water and complexing agent is absorbed into the grains.
Then, the heat to the cooking kettle and the mixer, not illustrated but well known in the art and readily available in the market, are turned off so the grains or grains and pasta can contir.ue to absorb the remainder of the liquid until their centers become just about fully cooked.

9.

When the centers of the grains become fully cooked, the flavor, which is a mixture of flavor and/or food pieces and/or water, -and which is at a cooler temperature than the cooked grains, is added to the cooking kettle to both flavor the grains and to immediately reduce the temperature of the cereal grains to about 170 F. ~he formulas listed in examples 1,2,3,4 and 5, illustrate a few of the flavor blends that can be added to the grains or pasta and grains.

If the hot rice grains were not cooled, they would remain at about 190 F - 200 F even if they were already discharged from the cooker. Rice at 190 F - 200 F will continue to cook and eventually the surface of the grains becomes overcooked and pasty. This problem is especially evident when the rice is already fully cooked and fully hydrated in the cooker because fully cooked rice has a soft and fragile texture which can easily become mashed or develop into a uniform consistency like the texture of french fried potatoes rather than retain a granular appearance.

There are two categories of flavors that are added to the cooked grains and/or pasta;
1. Herb and Spice Flavors: This category consists of soluble and dispersible ingredients such as salt, butter, cheese, monosodium glutamate, soysauce, honey, herbs, spices, and flavors.
2. Natural Food Pieces: Natural food pieces such as mushrooms, shrimp, vegetables, fruits, nuts, sesame seeds, onions, apples, raisins, and diced poultry or ham can be dispersed together with the soft fully cooked cereal grains.
In addition to the flavors listed above, two ingredients, dextrose and sodium acid pyrophosphate, well-known in the art and readily available in the market place, are used to help control the golden brown surface color of the shaped grain or pasta and grain products. Sodium acid pyrophosphate not only improves the products' texture when it reacts with the amylose of the starch, but also chelates the heavy metals and prevents the products' surface color from becoming excessively dark.
Some dextrose is needed to help develop the products' surface color when the crust is later developed.

The next step is to cool the grains further so that they can become more firm in texture and better withstand the subsequent shaping operation. The grains are cooled until their temperature is lower than about 170 F, preferably lower than about 150 F
but higher than the freezing temperature. The cooling process commences when the flavor is added to the fully cooked grains.

11 .

The grains are now cooked, cooled, and ready for the shaping or forming operation.

Three shaping or forming techniques can be used for producing the product's shape while retaining the appearance of the grains in the finished product.

1. Casseroles 10 like that illustrated in Figure 1, comprised of cooked rice grains 12 or mixed with pasta pieces 14 or carriers 16, as illustrated in Figure 3 which are casseroles with cup-like cavities 18 that could be later filled with food can be formcd into shapes by the technique illustrated in Figures 5f~, 5B, and 5C.

2. Different sized and shaped nuggets, sticks and bars like the rectangular shaped granola type bar product 20 like that illustrated in Figure 2 are formed into shapes by cutting a sheet of grains with forming equipment illustrated in Figure 6 that is well known in the art and is readily available in the market.

3. Different sized and shaped nuggets, sticks and bars like the rectangular shaped granola type bar product 20 comprised of cooked grains 22 and food pieces 23 can also be formed with Double Rol]. Fcrmers (well kro~n in the art and readily available in the market) that have large diameter rolls and teflon coated die holes.

Three shaping techniques are now discussed in more detail:
Figures 5A, 5B, and 5C illustrate the steps of one of the techniques used to produce a carrier shaped product 16.
12.

In the first step illustrated in Figure 5A, the cooled, fully cooked rice grains 24, are volumetrically measured and then deposited into the cylinder 26 while the piston 28 moves a die plate 30 in the "up" position. In the second step illustrated in Figure 5B, the piston 28 moves down into the cylinder 26 and reshapes the fully cooked rice grains 24 into the selected shape such as a carrier shape 32. Finally, in the third step illustrated in Figure 5C, the bottom plate 34 is moved to the side so the piston 28 can push the formed shape 32 out of the cylinder 26. When rice carriers are formed compressed air or other means may have to be provided to separate the carrier shapes 32 from the die plate 30. The object is to form the units with a minimum amount of shear so the deposited units retain the grain and cavity shaped appearance as illustrated in Figure 5C.

One means of forming rectangular shaped units, as illustrated in Figure 2, that have the appearance of cooked cereal grains in the product's center is to use a forming device well known in the art and readily available that incorporates large diameter, double roll formers to push cooled, fully cooked rice grains through a die with die holes. The rolls should have at least a 4 inch diameter. Larger diameter rolls are even better because they reduce the churning between the two rolls; and the die holes should be coated with teflon or other material that reduces friction.

Another way to make shapes from fully cooked and cooled grains or grains and pasta pieces that will retain the grain and/or 13.

pasta piece appearance in the finished product, as illustrated in Figure 1, is by forming a sheet of grains and then cutting the sheet into the desired shape. A forming device 36 for making rectangular shapes by this technique is illustrated in Figure 6. In the first step, the rice grains that have been previously fully cooked and cooled 38 are compressed between a double-roll former (not illustrated) or two converging conveyors 40 and leave the converging conveyors 40 as a sheet 42 which still retains the appearance of the cooked grains. The sheet 42 which is conveyed on a belt conveyor 44 is then reduced to the proper thickness with a compression roll 46. The sheet with the desired thickness 48 is first cut into strips 50 with rotary cutters 52. Then the strips 50 are cut into the desired lengths with a guillotine cutter 54 resulting in a rectangular shaped product 56. Both cutting devices are well known in the art and readily available in the market.

A shaped grain casserole product that has a surface crust and a center that has two layers with different grains or colors and flavors in each layer, can also be made by the technique illustrated in figure 7, providing the grains are fully cooked, hydrated, and gelatinized so they can be quickly reheated from the frozen state even with a toaster or toaster oven.

The shape is formed after a second sheet of cooked and cooled grains 60 is layered on top of a first sheet of cooked and cooled grains 58. The combination of the first and second sheets 62, can be cut into different shapes. Figure 7 illustrates a forming device 63 that illustrates how rectangular shapes are cut from the sheets. Cooked and cooled grains 64 are compressed into the first 14.

grain sheet 58 either with a double roll former (not illustrated) or with the first converging vertical belt conveyor 66. The gap between the belts 68 is adjustable so the sheet thickness at the exit can be controlled.
The first sheet 58 is deposited onto the horizontal belt conveyor 70 that moves the sheet to the second converging vertical belt conveyor 72. Cooked and cooled grains 74 are compressed into the second grain sheet 60 either with a double roll former (not illustrated) or with the second converging vertical belt conveyor 72. The gap between the belts 76 is adjustable so the sheet thickness at the exit can be controlled. The second grain sheet 60 is layered on top of the first sheet 58 and both are moved on the horizontal belt conveyor 70 to the compression roll 80 that compresses both layers into one layer 62.
The rotary cutters 82 and the guillotine cutter 84 are then used to cut the two layered sheet 62 into strips 85 and then into the desired sized units 86.

When the duel textured casseroles are made, one of the cooked grain layers usually is made with a less expensive flavor-blend while the other cooked grain layer is made with more expensive food pieces and provides the casseroles with a more desirable and rich taste and appearance.

Once the casserole and carrier shapes are made, they are heated with hot oil or hot air until a crust forms on their surface. Figure 3 illustrates a grain carrier, VLS:jj 15 ~ 333024 which is a casserole with a cup-like cavity that could be later filled with food before a crust was formed. Figure 4 illustrates the same grain carrier after a crust 88 was formed on its surface. The carrier 90 is cut in half to better illustrate the surface crust 88 the cup-like VLS:jj 15a X

cavity 92 and the fully cooked grains 94 in the product's interior.

There are two techniques for forming a crust: a) oven baking, and b) fat frying.

Oven baking accomplishes two objectives: a) it develops a crust on the surface of the units which hold the cereal grains within the desired shape, and b) it assures that the starch in the centers of the grains becomes fully gelatinized before the units are frozen.
Fully cooked, hydrated, and gelatinized grains are important, especially for units that are suitable for preparation in a reheating appliance such as a toaster.

A second method for both preparing the crust on the surface of the units is by frying the shaped units in hot fat or fat substitute. When this is done, the units are first separated and then fried at about 400 F until the crust forms and the grain centers become fully gelatinized. When the casseroles are removed from the fat, they have to be defatted.

The units that have a large surface area such as the circular shaped casseroles illustrated in Figure 1, and the carriers that are casseroles with a cup-like cavity, illustrated in Figure 3, are very difficult to drain because the hot fat on the top of the casserole or inside the carriers' cavities won't drain properly unless the units are placed on their ends during the fat drainage operation. Blown hot air and vibration can help facilitate the removal of most of the excess fat from the units' surfaces.
16.

The next step in the process is rapidly freezing the casserole/
carrier products. Freezing can be done with either cold air, liquid nitrogen, or liquid carbon dioxide. It is desirable to freeze the units to about 0 F. Freezers are well-known in the art and are readily available in the market and are not illustrated. Finally, the frozen casseroles are packaged and stored frozen.

When the shaped casserole and carrier products are later thawed by the consumer, their surface crusts become about as soft as their centers. If the product is reheated on a steam table, the surface crust will continue to remain about as soft as its center. However, if the unit is reheated with a hot air oven, microwave oven, or fryer, the surface crust will change and become more firm or crisp. These fully cooked and gelatinized products can even be reheated from the frozen state with a pop-up toaster or toaster oven.

17.

~ EXAMPLE 1 1 333024 HAND-HELD GRAIN CARRIERS

This example describes a new rice product that has a cavitv that can be filled or topped with food chunks and/or sauces, and hand-held while being consumed. It also teaches a new process for making said product.

Traditional rice dishes or entrees cannot be hand-held because they consist of a helping of cooked rice placed on a plate, and covered with a sauce. These rice dishes have to be eaten with a fork as the individual rice grains are scattered all over the plate.

The hand-held rice carriers illustrated in Figure 4 have a cavity that can be filled with food chunks such as ham and eggs, cheese, chunks of fruits, beef, chicken, and/or sauces such as chicken a la king, etc. Figure 3 illustrates a rice carrier before the crust is developed on its surface. Figure 4 illustrates a rice carrier that has a surface crust and depicts the fully cooked rice grains in the center of the product.

When the rice carrier is heated from the frozen state on a steamtable~
the thin, skinlike surface crust becomes as soft as the rice grains in the center of the carrier. Carriers with a more crisp surface crust can be developed when the frozen product is reheated with a microwave oven, hot-air oven, toaster, or deep-fat fryer. Rice carriers that have a crisp surface can be filled with food and hand-held while being consumed.

18.

Rice carriers can be flavored and colored with cheeses, herbs, and spices. This example lists the ingredients in a butter-onion flavored rice carrier before the crust was formed.

BUTTER-ONION FLAVORED RICE CARRIER

INGREDIENTS PER CENT
WATER 72.85 LONG GRAIN WHITE RICE 22.00 BUTTER 1.00 DRY ONIONS 1.00 SALT 1.00 SPICES AND HERBS 1.00 GLYCEROL MONOSTEARATE . 0.20 DEXTROSE 0.70 MSG 0.20 TOTAL100.00 19 .

HAND-HELD HOT CEREAL PRODUCTS

This example describes a new hot cereal that can be heated in a toaster or microwave oven and hand-held when eaten.
It also teaches a new process for making said product.

Traditional hot cereal products made with dried granules or flakes of oats, rice, or wheat become hot, thick, and viscous when hydra-ted and have to be eaten with a spoon. This is the normal and traditional way hot cereals are eaten.

The new type of hand-held hot cereal discussed in this patent can be made with just one type of cereal, such as oats, or wheat, or rice, or a blend of several cereals. Example 2 lists the ingredients in a two cereal product (rice and oats) before the crust is formed.

FRUIT AND FIBER FLAVORED HAND-HELD HOT CEREAL STICKS

INGREDIENTS PER CENT
WATER 71.00 MEDIUM GRAIN WHITE RICE15.00 STEEL CUT OATS 7.00 OAT BRAN 2.25 APPLE SLICES, DEHYDRATED2.75 HONEY 1.00 VEGETABLE OIL 1.00 TOTAL100.00 20.

~ 333û24 SHAPED PASTA AND RICE CASSEROLES

This example describes a new rice product that combines both pasta pieces and rice grains to form a free-standing shaped casserole unit that can be hand-held while being consumed.
When reheated from the frozen state with a toaster, microwave oven or hot air oven, the surface of the casserole becomes both crunchy from the pasta pieces and crispy from the cereal grains. The pasta pieces can be flavored and colored to provide a colorful casserole appearance.
This patent also teaches a new process for making said product.

Traditional casseroles are a combination of food ingredients such as pasta with cheese, or Spanish rice with vegetables, that are oven-baked in a baking dish. These traditional casseroles are spooned out of the baking dish and eaten with a fork and are unlike the new free-standing units illustrated in Figure 1 that can be picked up and hand-held while being consumed.

The hand-held shaped pasta and rice casserole illustrated in Figure 1 has an exterior skin-like crust and a center comprised of pasta pieces and rice grains that are fully gelatinized. In the example the casserole has chunks of vegetables, mushrooms, and ¢hicken disperesed together with the rice grains and pasta pieceS.

21.

1 333~24 A shaped pasta and rice casserole type product is first made by producing the pasta pieces with an extruder, such as a Buhler Press, (not illustrated but well-known in the art), into a dough and cold-formed into the pasta piece shapes. The pasta pieces are then either dried to be used at a later time, or used immediately in the next step.

A hundred and fifty pounds of long grain par-boiled rice is added to and cooked in a mixture of 400 pounds of water and two pounds of glycerol monostearate/oil blend. The rice is qently stirred to prevent the grains from being damaged. Fifty pounds of the dried pasta pieces are then added and the blend is .fully cooked. The heat to the cooker is turned off when just about all of the surface water is absorbed. Then vegetable and mushroom pieces and poultry chunks are added with water and disperesed into the fully cooked rice and pasta pieces to flavor and immediately cool the mixture.
The mixture is further cooled, shaped into a casserole shape, fat-fried at 400 F or oven-baked at 500 F until a crust develops on the casserole's surface. Finally, the product is frozen rapidly and packaged.

This example lists the ingredients (before the crust is formed) in a pasta and rice casserole flavored with chicken, mushrooms, and vegetable chunks.

22.

SHAPED PASTA AND RICE CASSEROLES
WITH VEGETABLE AND MUSHROOM PIECES AND CHICKEN CHUNKS

PER CENT
INGREDIENTS

WATER 70~00 DRIED PASTA PIECES 8.20 LONG GRAIN RICE 15.00 DEHYDRATED VEGETABLE PIECES 1.40 DEHYDRATED MUSHROOM SLICES 1.30 DEHYDRATED CHICKEN CHUNKS 1.00 DRY ONIONS 0.30 DRY GARLIC
SALT
SPICES & HERBS 0.20 GLYCEROL MONOSTEARATE 0.21 DEXTROSE 0.70 M.S.G. 0.30 SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE 0.06 TOTAL100.00 23.

1 333~24 TOASTER OR MICROWAVE HEATED GRANOLA BARS

This example describ~s a new t~pe granola-bar product that can be heated in a microwave or toaster oven and served hot.
It also teaches a new process for making said product.

Traditional granola type bars cannot be heated in a toaster or microwave oven and consumed hot because their dry cereal components are held together with a heavy syrup binder which melts when heated in a microwave or toaster oven, causing the granola bar to completely lose its structure and fall apart.

This new type of granola type bar product, illustrated in Figure 2 can be heated in a microwave or toaster oven and served hot. The formula listed in Example 4 contains a blend of two cereals, rice and oats, which are flavored with pieces of nuts and apples.
However, hot granola bar products can also be made with just one type of cereal, such as o~ts, or wheat, or rice, or other cereals.

When several different cereals are used in the same product, they can be cooked separately so as to maximize their individual optimum textures. These individual cereals can be cooked and gelatinized in water, in steam, or they can be dry-toasted to develop a toasted flavor before being hydrated. However, if the cereals are cooked in the same system, the cereal requiring the longest cooking 24.

1 333~24 time should be started first, with the other cereals added later and sequentially so that all the cereals develop their optimum cooked textures at the same time.

The primary component of the cereal grains is starch. A small portion of this starch is leached from the grains into the water during the cooking process. As the cooking water is absorbed into the grains, the starch that is in solution coats the surface of the individual grains so that later, when they are compressed during the shaping operation, the surface starch binds the indivi-dual grains together.

When some cereals are,cooked, such as grains of wheat, there is insufficient starch on the surface of the grain particle and ad-ditional free starch has to be added to coat the grains or parti-cles so they can stick to each other when compressed. These starches and/or gums are incorporated into the flavor solution that is later absorbed by the grains. Then, the flavored and fully cooked cereal grains or particles are formed into bars that are about 2 to 4 inches long and heated either with hot air or hot oil until a thin skin-like crust developes on their surface.
The bars are then frozen and stored frozen.

This example lists the ingredients in an apple and nut flavored hot granola bar before the crust was formed.

25.

TOASTER OR MICROWAVE GRANOLA BARS ~ITH NUTS ,tND .tPPLES

INGREDIENTS PER CENT
WATER 71.75 LONG GRAIN WHITE RICE 19.00 STEEL CUT OATS 5.00 DICED APPLES, DEHYDRATED 1.00 NUTS, CHOPPED 1.00 HONEY 1.00 VEGETABLE OIL 1.0() DISTILLED GLYCEROL MONOSTEARATE0.2(~
SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE 0.05 TOTAL 100.00 26.

FULLY ~ELATINIZED RICE GRAIN AND FOOD CHUNK NUGGETS

This example describes a new fingerfood nugget si~ed side dish or snack product that has a surface crust and a center comprised of food chunks such as chicken, vegetables, mushrooms, etc., disper~ed together with fully gelatinized grains of rice.

This example lists the ingredients in a cheese-flavored rice product before the crust is formed.

CHEESE FLAVORED RICE NUGGETS
WITH CHUNKS OF CHICKEN, VEGETABLES, AND MUSH~.OOMS
INGREDIENTS PER CENT
WATER 70.00 LONG GRAIN WHITE RICE 20.00 CHEDDAR CHEESE 2.00 CHICKEN, CHUNKS 1.50 MUSHROOMS, CHUNKS 2.00 VEGETABLES, CHUNKS 2.00 SALT 1.00 DEXTROSE 0.70 MSG 0.25 SPICES AND HERBS 0.30 GLYCEROL MONOSTEARATE 0.20 SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE 0.05 TOTAL 100.00 , 27.

It is understood that the above described process and the above examples are simply illustrative of the application of principles of the invention and many other modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows.

28.

'-t~

CASSEROLE SHAPE 62 COMBINATION OF FIRST &
SECOND SHEET

64 COOKED & COOLED GRAINS

16 CARRIER 66 1st VERTICAL BELT CONVEYOR

68 GAP BETWEEN BELTS [lst VC]
RECTANGULAR SHAPED GRANOLA BARS
, 70 HORIZONTAL BELT CONVEYOR
CEREAL STICKS OR NUGGETS
72 2nd VERTICAL BELT CONVEYOR

74 COOKED & COOLED GRAINS

76 GAP BETWEEN BELTS [2nd VC]

DIE PLATE

36 FORMING DEVICE 88 CARRIER CRUST (FIGURE 4) CARRIERS INTERIOR

STRIPS

58 FIRST SHEET OF COOKED & COOLED GRAINS
SECOND SHEET OF COOKED & COOLED GRAINS

Claims (15)

1. A process for making a rice grain and/or other cereal grain product that has a surface crust and an interior appearance of whole grains or parts of whole grains, said cereal grains being fully cooked, hydrated, and gelatinized and said process comprising the steps of:

a) Cooking 100 pounds of raw, whole or broken grain rice and/or other cereal grains with 190° F to 200° F water and/or low pressure steam until the grains are fully cooked and have absorbed about two to three pounds of water for each pound of cereal grains;

b) Cooling the cooked rice and/or other cereal grains with flavor, whereby the hot cooked grains are flavored and the temperature is reduced to about 170° F;

c) Shaping the fully cooked, flavored, and cooled cereal grains into a given form so that the cooked grains and pieces of grains maintain their visual appearance and retain their textural identity;

d) Heating the shaped, fully cooked, flavored, and cooled cereal grain units until a crust develops on their surface and the grain centers become fully gelatinized;
and f) Freezing the flavored fully cooked and gelatinized rice and/or cereal grain product.

2. The process set forth in Claim 1 wherein said cooking further comprises the step of adding a pre-blend of about one pound of starch complexing agent and about one-quarter pound of vegetable oil to the 100 pounds of raw rice and/or other cereal grains.

3. The process set forth in Claim 2 wherein said starch complexing agent is selected from the group consisting of: glyceryl monostearate, glyceryl monopalmitate, acetylated monoglycerides, glycerol monolaurate, glyceryl monomyristate, glyceryl mono-arachidate, glyceryl monooleate, glyceryl monolinoleate, calcium stearoyl-2-lactylate, sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate, polyoxyethylene monostearate, sodium stearoylfumarate, sucrose fatty acids, and succinylated monoglycerides.

4. The process set forth in Claim 3 wherein the cereal grains are treated with sodium acid pyrophosphate when the grains are cooked.

5. The process set forth in Claim 4 wherein the cereal grains consist of whole or broken grain white rice, brown rice, or par-boiled rice, wheat, oats, buckwheat, corn, barley, rye, millet, or sorghum used singularly or in a blend.

6. The process set forth in Claim 4 wherein the pasta pieces are comprised of vermicelli rods, noodle shaped pasta pieces, rice shaped pasta pieces, macaroni shaped pasta pieces, etc.

7. The process set forth in Claim 4 wherein natural food pieces and water are mixed together with the hot grains to both flavor and cool them.

8. The process set forth in Claim 4 wherein a herb and spice flavored water is mixed together with the hot grains to both flavor and cool them.

9. The process set forth in Claim 7 wherein one means of forming shaped casserole or carrier units comprises using a piston to push the fully cooked grains into a mold with a minimum amount of shear, allowing the deposited cereal units to retain their visual grain appearance, and the food pieces flavors to retain their textural identity.

10. The process set forth in Claim 7 wherein one means of forming shaped units comprises using large diameter, double roll formers that push cooled, fully cooked and fully hydrated grains through die holes to form continuous ropes whose texture has retained the appearance of cooked cereal grains, said shaped ropes are then cut into desired size lengths with a guillotine cutter.

11. The process set forth in Claim 7 wherein one means of forming fully cooked shaped units having a textured appearance of cooked cereal grains comprises the process of first depositing a sheet of cereal grains, at a desired thickness and cutting said sheet of cereal grains into the desired shape.

12. The process set forth in Claim 9 wherein one means of forming the crust on the surface of the shaped units comprises frying them in fat or a fat subtitute at about 400° F.

13. The process set forth in Claim 12 wherein the hot fat fried casseroles and/or carriers are positioned on their ends enabling the fat in the cavity or on the top side of the unit to efficiently drain.

14. The process set forth in Claim 9 wherein one means of forming the crust on the surface of the shaped units comprises oven-baking the units at about 400° F to 500° F.

15. The process set forth in Claim 11 wherein multiple layered shaped units that contain fully cooked grains are made by simultaneously layering the sheets and then cutting them into desired shapes.