JP4782178B2 - Instant food in containers for microwave oven cooking - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an instant food cooked in a microwave oven.

  With the development of conventional microwave oven cooking, the types of instant foods that can be cooked in a microwave oven are expanding. One of these is the field of instant foods without soup like yakisoba, and there is a need for products that can be eaten more easily. Unlike those having soup such as fried noodles, it is desirable to eliminate the trouble of draining hot water after cooking with a microwave oven.

  In this case, in order to make it possible to eat without soup, it is not possible to leave excess water after heating, so the whole food can be cooked evenly while limiting the amount of water to be added. Necessary.

In view of such a problem, a method of using an emulsifier such as a sucrose fatty acid ester as an edible foaming substance from the viewpoint of cooking without unevenness has been disclosed (Patent Document 1).
However, when an emulsifier is used, there is a problem that foaming is intense and the contents spill from the container. In addition, foamed foam may remain after cooking, and there is room for improvement in appearance when eating.

Similarly, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of applying an antifoaming agent on the upper part of a container from the viewpoint of preventing the generation of excessive bubbles, but there is a problem that it is expensive and troublesome.
In addition, in the case of fried noodles and baked udon, it is often necessary to use a dry type of vegetable ingredients such as cabbage, but when emulsifiers are used, the crispy feeling is lost at the time of restoration. There was a tendency to be.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-14417

Therefore, the present inventors can restore without unevenness in instant foods of the type that can be eaten as it is without cooking hot water after cooking by adding water to so-called non-juice like fried noodles and fried udon noodles. At the same time, the aim was to develop a product that can be eaten well without spilling or remaining foam during cooking.

  As a result of the diligent research by the present inventors, it has been found that when an expansion agent such as baking soda is used in a container before cooking in a microwave oven, no excessive bubbles are generated during cooking in the microwave oven, and the restoration can be obtained without difficulty. It was. In addition, although baking soda alone can provide restorability, there is room for improvement in texture, and when an acid agent is used in combination, it has been found that desirable food texture can be obtained.

In particular, when an acid agent was examined, it was found that a so-called slow-acting acid agent such as glucono delta lactone is effective for restoration.
In addition, when using the drying tool material containing dried vegetables, such as cabbage, in order to maintain the crispy feeling at the time of restoration | restoration, when the alum was contained as a part of acidic agent, it discovered that favorable food texture was exhibited.

  In addition, when using dry ingredients together with dry food, the amount of water used is limited, so it may be difficult to ensure restorability if placed on top of dry food such as instant dry noodle chunks. Therefore, a method for securing a space for storing the drying tool and the expansion agent in the container has been found from the viewpoint of recoverability.

That is, the present invention relates to the following matters.
Item 1. Microwave cooking in which dry food and expansion agent are stored in a container, water or hot water is poured into the container, and cooking is performed in a microwave oven, and then cooking can be performed without cooking the hot water after cooking. Instant food in a container for
Instant food in a container for cooking in a microwave oven in which the liquid level after pouring water or hot water is located below the upper surface of the dried food.
Item 2. The instant food in a container according to claim 1, wherein the dried food is instant dried noodle chunks or instant dried rice.
Item 3. The instant food in a container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the expansion agent contains baking soda and glucono delta lactone.
Item 4. The instant food in a container according to claim 3, wherein the instant food further contains dried vegetables, and the expansion agent further contains alum.
Item 5. The container according to claim 4, wherein the dried food is an instant dried noodle mass, and a region surrounded by the side surface portion of the instant dried noodle mass and the side surface portion of the container is a portion for storing the dried vegetables and the expansion agent. Entering instant food.

The instant food of the present invention is a type of product that is cooked by heating in a microwave oven with water, and is excellent in appearance after cooking, with no juice such as fried noodles and fried udon noodles. Microwave cooking is possible without unevenness. Further, even when a drying tool material such as dried vegetables is included, the drying tool material can be restored without unevenness.

The contents of the present invention will be described in detail below.

1. Dry food The dry food referred to in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as the dry food is stored in a container, water is added and the dry food absorbs and restores moisture after cooking, and can be eaten. That is, various foods are included, and specific examples thereof include instant noodle chunks such as fried noodles fried in oil or pregelatinized noodles subjected to hot air drying treatment as dry foods related to noodles. In addition to noodles, noodles include udon, soba, vermicelli or dried pho. Examples of dry foods related to rice include instant dry rice such as pre-fried rice that has been hot-air dried and fried rice that has been fried. Of course, semi-dried noodles or semi-dried rice are also included.

In addition, when the shape of the dried food is a large lump such as a noodle lump, it is related to the shape of the microwave cooking container described later, but the thickness is set so that bubbles generated by heating during microwave cooking are easy to touch. Is relatively thin.
Specifically, although depending on the type of the target dried food, for example, if it is an instant fried noodle mass dried by frying, the thickness is about 1 to 5 cm, preferably about 2 to 3 cm.

2. Dried vegetables The instant food of the present invention can contain dried ingredients such as dried vegetables and dried meat in addition to the above-mentioned instant dried noodle chunks. These drying materials are widely used in instant foods. In many cases, the dried ingredients include dried vegetables. However, in the present invention, by adding alum described later as an acidic agent in the composition of the expansion agent, the state after restoration of the dried vegetables is so-called crispy. Some good condition can be achieved. Examples of target vegetables include various vegetables such as cabbage and carrot.

Moreover, there are various drying methods such as hot air drying and freeze drying, and any of these drying methods can be used in the present invention as long as it is a type that imparts moisture and restores.
These drying vegetables containing dried vegetables can be filled directly into the container, but they must be packed and stored in the container before being cooked by the eater. It is also possible to open the package and place it in a container.

3. Container for microwave cooking In the instant food containing the container for microwave cooking of the present invention, water is added and foamed at the time of heating with an expanding agent, and then heated by contacting with the stored dry food. adopt.
For this reason, the container needs to be compatible with a microwave oven. Specific materials include, but are not limited to, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, and the like. Of course, a material that does not absorb microwaves may be used in a part of the container from the viewpoint of preventing bumping during heating.

  Next, as for the shape of the container, the shape of the container during cooking in the microwave oven may affect the efficiency when heating the dried food. That is, as a container for storing the dried food in the present invention, it can be widely used from a shallow dish-shaped container to a deep-bottomed cup-shaped container, but efficiency and heating distribution in heating with a microwave oven From this point, a dish-shaped container having a relatively shallow depth is preferable.

  The specific shape is not particularly limited. For example, in the case of fried noodle type instant food, for example, the instant noodle to be used has a circular shape having a diameter of 14 cm, a thickness of 2.5 cm, and a weight of about 100 g. The inner diameter of the instant food storage portion is about 14 to 16 cm and the depth is about 3 to 6 cm. In the case of a dish-type container, if the flange portion is provided large, it is convenient to carry after electronic cooking.

4). Instant food in containers for cooking in a microwave.
Specific examples of the product form of instant foods in containers for microwave cooking using the present invention include the following examples as fried noodle types.
Concerning the storage of dried food, when transporting or selling products, store the dried food as it is or in an inner package in the container, and store other dried ingredients and sauces in an inner package. deep. The expansion agent is also packaged and stored in the same manner. Further, the upper surface of the container is sealed with a lid made of paper or the like, and then wrapped outside.

  At the time of eating, the outer packaging is taken, the lid is opened, and the inflating agent and drying material are added to the container after the inner packaging is opened with the dried food such as instant dried noodle chunks inside the container. Add a certain amount of water here and cook with or without a lid. After cooking for a certain period of time, the contents can be mixed and eaten.

5. Amount of water or hot water to be added The instant food according to the present invention is cooked by heating in a microwave oven in a state where water or hot water is present so as to come into contact with the dried food and containing an expansion agent. The amount of water or hot water to be poured into the container varies depending on the dried food to be heated and the amount and type of moisture contained therein, and may be adjusted as appropriate. For example, if the dried noodles (water content 3 to 10%) is about 20 g for about 100 g yakisoba type fried instant noodles (water content 3%), the instant noodles and the drying noodle 120 g About 180 to 190 g is preferable. In addition, the water in this invention is not restricted to normal temperature water, Hot water and cold water may be sufficient. Microwave cooking time can be changed by adjusting the temperature of these waters.

  In addition, when the instant food according to the present invention is sold as a product in the actual market, it is difficult to ask the purchaser of the product to add a precise amount of water. Therefore, by using the present invention, it is possible to provide an instant food that can be satisfactorily restored and eaten regardless of the difference in the amount of water added.

6). Positional relationship between the liquid level in the container and the upper surface of the dried food In the present invention, the liquid level in the container after the injection of water or hot water is located below the upper surface of the dried food. This is because the present invention can restore the whole of the dried food without unevenness by the effect of the expansion agent described later when the whole of the dried food is not immersed in water.
For example, in the case of a container having a diameter of about 15 to 16 cm that can store an instant dried noodle mass having a radius of 14 cm, a thickness of 2.5 cm, a weight of 100 g, and a moisture content of about 3%, the moisture content is suitable for eating after restoration. Therefore, approximately 180 to 190 g of water is required, but in such a case, the liquid level after water injection is about 1 to 2 cm from the bottom, and the top of the instant noodle mass is exposed from the water surface. . In the present invention, even in such a case, the instant noodle mass can be restored without unevenness by the bubbles generated during heating due to the presence of the expansion agent.

7). Expansion agent (1) Expansion agent The expansion agent is used for generating carbon dioxide gas to make steamed confectionery and baked confectionery plump. When cooking with a microwave oven, if an expansion agent is used compared to an emulsifier, foaming does not occur, and although foaming occurs, the foam disappears naturally. Can be suppressed. In addition, foaming with the expansion agent is foaming due to the generation of carbon dioxide gas due to the reaction between baking soda and the acid agent, and the principle is different from foaming with the emulsifier.

The content of the expanding agent depends on the thickness, volume, weight, etc. of the target dry food. For example, if it is a normal instant noodle mass (upper radius 14 cm, thickness 2.5 cm, weight 100 g) On the other hand, it is preferable to use about 0.7 to 2.0 g as a total amount of the baking soda and the expansion agent of the acidic agent.
In addition, in addition to the baking soda and acid agent described above, in addition to the above-mentioned baking soda and acid agent, dextrin as a blocking agent for sodium bicarbonate and acid agent, salt, MSG, oils and fats, pigment, powder soup, etc. may be blended. Of course.

Further, the expansion agent may be stored in an inner package without being directly stored in the instant food container, and opened by the eater during microwave cooking and filled in the container. Moreover, since it can avoid humidification during a preservation | save period by doing in this way, it becomes possible to avoid incorrect foaming of baking soda and an acidic agent.
In addition, the method of adding the expansion agent may be a method of adding water from the top and then adding from the top, but adding water or hot water after adding it to the bottom of the dried food or drying material is a foaming method. It is preferable from the viewpoint of making the effect of the above effective.

(2) Acidic agent Among the swelling agents, various types of acidic agents can be used. Specific examples include glucono delta lactone, fumaric acid, tartaric acid, monosodium fumarate, potassium L-tartrate, monobasic calcium phosphate, sodium monophosphate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, ammonium alum, alum and the like. . However, it is not limited to these acidic agents.

In addition, about alum, since it is effective in the heat | fever restoration | restoration of dried vegetables so that it may mention later, it is desirable to contain, but it is preferable to also contain acidic agents other than alum from the surface of the influence with respect to a taste. In addition, it is preferable to use a slow-acting acid agent from the viewpoint of the restorability of the dried food in the present invention and the prevention of an erroneous reaction between the acid agent and baking soda during storage of the instant food. Furthermore, glucono delta lactone (GDL) is preferable from the viewpoint of influence on taste and delayed action.
As for the content of the acid agent, the type and the balance with the above-mentioned baking soda are problems. For example, in the case of GDL, the addition amount of baking soda is generally included with respect to the addition amount of baking soda. It is preferable to mix at a ratio of about 3 times.

(3) Alum In this invention, when using dried vegetables, such as a cabbage and a carrot, among a drying tool material, it is preferable to contain alum which is 1 type of an acidic agent as a part of expansion agent. When alum is used as an acidic agent, it is possible to maintain the original crispy texture after cooking with a microwave oven. Examples of the alum used in the present invention include alum, baked alum, ammonium alum, baked ammonium alum and the like, but are not limited thereto. However, from the viewpoint of taste and the like, alum and baked alum are preferred, and those with low moisture are desirable in order to suppress reaction with water.
The content of alum in the acidic agent depends on the type of the other acidic agent, but for example, in the case of GDL, it is preferably about 0.5 to 1.5 times that of GDL.

8). Microwave Cooking The instant food of the present invention is prepared by adding water to a dry food as described above and cooking the microwave in a state where the water contains a swelling agent. When cooking in a microwave oven, a lid can be placed on the container. The lid can prevent splashing of water during foaming to the outside. Moreover, if the type which improves airtightness is used, dry food can be cooked efficiently with the generated steam. Note that the lid may not be hermetically sealed but may be light enough to cover the container opening. Furthermore, cooking is possible even without a lid.

  The cooking time of the microwave varies depending on the type of dried food and the temperature and amount of water to be added.For example, as described above, instant food is a fried noodle type, and instant dried noodle mass is fried instant noodle mass. The noodle mass is about 100g, the drying material is about 20g, the amount of water added is about 180-190g, 500W for about 6 minutes, 600W for about 5 minutes 30 seconds, 800W for about 4 minutes 30 seconds, 1000W It takes about 3 minutes and 1500W for about 2 minutes and 30 seconds. In the case of hot water of 90 ° C or higher, 500W is about 4 minutes, 600W is about 3 minutes 30 seconds, 800W is about 2 minutes 50 seconds, 1000W is about 2 minutes 30 seconds, 1500W is about 2 minutes. . Of course, these times can be adjusted according to the taste of the eater. In other words, if the moisture is to be reduced, the cooking time may be slightly increased. Moreover, the cooking time may be slightly shortened if the moisture content is high.

  As cooking after microwave cooking, for example, if it is a fried noodle type, add liquid or powder sauce after microwave cooking of instant dried noodle chunks and drying materials, entangle with the sauce and eat Can do. In addition, if the instant dried noodle mass itself is seasoned, it is possible to loosen and eat as it is without adding the sauce.

9. A portion for storing dried vegetables and a swelling agent In the state where the instant noodle mass is stored in the container, a portion for storing the drying material is provided in a region partitioned by the side surface portion of the instant noodle mass and the side surface portion of the container. preferable. In the present invention, since the upper part of the dried food is exposed from the injected water, if the dried food is placed on the upper part of the food, there is no contact with water, and thus the drying tool may not be sufficiently restored. . Therefore, the desiccant material can be stored in the region surrounded by the side surface of the dry food to be stored and the side surface of the container. If it does in this way, at the time of injection | pouring of water, since a contact with a drying tool material and an expansion agent and water can be performed without difficulty, about a drying tool material, it can restore | restore uniformly.

As for a specific aspect, for example, when the instant noodle mass and the container are substantially circular, as shown in Fig. 1.1-1, the instant dried noodle mass is a noodle mass in which a part of the circular shape is missing. A swelling agent and a drying tool material can be stored in the chipped portion. That is, as shown in Fig. 1.1-2, it is possible to cook the range by adding a swelling agent to the region and then storing the drying tool and injecting water. In the case of using a drying tool material or the like, which has a problem of restoration, it can be efficiently restored by increasing contact with water or an expansion agent.

The instant food of the present invention has a good restorability just by pouring water or hot water and cooking in a microwave oven, and can be eaten without draining. As a result, the selection range of the food cooked by the microwave oven can be widened, and the food industry can be widely contributed.

Examples of the present invention will be described below, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

(Example 1) Effect of expansion agent Instant noodles used were blended with flour, starch and brine, kneaded, cut out (about 1.3 mm), and steamed instant noodles stored in a circular retainer. A vegetable oil fried at 150 ° C. for 2 minutes was prepared. The size of the noodle mass after frying was 14 cm in diameter, 2.5 cm in thickness, 100 g in weight, and 3% by weight in water content.
Moreover, 8 g of cabbage dried with hot air (water content 6% by weight), 2 g of freeze-dried pork (water content 10% by weight), and 2 g of freeze-dried squid (water content 4% by weight) were used as the drying material.

As a container for heating the microwave oven, a polypropylene-type dish was used as a whole. As for the size, an opening having a substantially cylindrical shape with a diameter of 16 cm and a depth of 5 cm, a flange portion, and a flange shape with a square of 18.5 cm was used.
In addition to the instant noodles and the drying material, the concentrated liquid sauce (20 g) packaged in an inner package and the inner packaged expansion agent listed in Table 1 are housed in the container, and the upper part is made of two layers of paper and polyethylene terephthalate. The instant food completed by sealing the outer periphery of the flange with a lid made of For the expansion agent, 0.8 g of dextrin was uniformly added as a blocking agent for baking soda and acidic agent.

As a cooking method, the lid of the instant food is completely peeled off, the instant noodle chunks are stored in the microwave cooking container, each expansion agent shown in Table 1 is added to the container, and the drying ingredients are placed thereon. After putting, 180 g of 15 ° C. water was added, and the peeled lid was placed on the upper part of the container opening, and cooking was performed by heating in a microwave oven for 500 W for 6 minutes. After confirming the restoration state of the noodles in the container after cooking in the microwave oven and taking a picture, add the liquid sauce and loosen and mix, check the restoration state of the noodles after mixing, eat and eat The texture was examined.
The evaluation is performed by an experienced panelist. It evaluated in five steps, (circle), (circle), (triangle | delta), x, and xx.
Each evaluation item was performed according to the following criteria.

結果を表１に示す。また、電子レンジ調理直後の写真を図２に示す。

The results are shown in Table 1. Moreover, the photograph immediately after microwave oven cooking is shown in FIG.

  Comparing 2-1 and 2-2 in the photograph of FIG. 2, when an expansion agent such as baking soda was used, the resilience of the noodles was improved (the white part seen on the surface of the noodle mass in photograph 2-1 was restored). No part). However, the texture of ingredients is too soft with baking soda alone. As for the taste of the noodles and ingredients, those with glucono delta lactone (GDL) added were superior.

(Example 2) Effect of acidic agent other than glucono delta lactone The possibility of using an acidic agent other than GDL was examined. As additives other than GDL, fumaric acid, tartaric acid, and calcined alum were used. Other test methods and the like are the same as those shown in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 2. Moreover, the photograph immediately after microwave oven cooking is shown in FIG.

  As an acid agent other than slow-acting GDL, slow-acting baked alum, fast-acting fumaric acid, and tartaric acid were used. Although fast-acting ones can be used, there was a slight difficulty in restoring properties and the like. In order to avoid an erroneous reaction at a low temperature and in terms of resilience and the like, it is considered that delayed action is preferable. Moreover, GDL is preferable from the aspect of taste.

(Example 3) Effect of expansion agent (comparison with emulsifier)
A comparison of the effects of swelling agents and emulsifiers was tested. The conditions are the same as those shown in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 3. Moreover, the photograph immediately after microwave oven cooking is shown in FIG.

In the use of the emulsifier, bubbles generated during cooking were blown out from the photograph after electronic cooking, and a part of the ingredients was pushed out to the flange part (4-4, 4-5 in FIG. 4). In addition, cabbage has a problem that it is slightly softer in the case of the emulsifier than in the case of the expansion agent.

(Example 4) Effect of alum The effect of adding alum was tested. The conditions are the same as those shown in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 4. Moreover, the photograph immediately after microwave oven cooking is shown in FIG.

By using alum, it is crispy and the texture of cabbage has been improved. In addition, the taste was good with no sourness or bitterness.

(Example 5) Effect of expansion agent with change in amount of added water It was investigated how the effect of the expansion agent was changed in accordance with the change in the amount of added water . Conditions other than the amount of added water and the expansion agent are the same as those shown in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 5 (a) and Table 5 (b). Moreover, the photograph immediately after microwave oven cooking is shown to Fig.6 (a) and FIG.6 (b).

Although it depends on the difference in the amount of water added, it was found that the resilience of the noodles was improved by the addition of the expansion agent. In addition, as the amount of water to be added was increased, the resilience was improved even without the addition of the swelling agent, but there was a little too much water. Furthermore, it became clear that by using the present invention, even if the amount of water to be added is somewhat different, good restoration and texture can be maintained with a wide range of water addition amounts.

It is an example of the instant food of the present invention, and is a photograph of the case where the instant dried noodle mass is stored in the container (1-1) and the case where the drying tool material is stored (1-2). 2 is a photograph of the inside of a container immediately after cooking in a microwave oven in each test section of Example 1. FIG. It is the photograph inside the container immediately after microwave oven cooking of each test section of Example 2. FIG. It is the photograph inside the container immediately after the microwave oven cooking of each test section of Example 3. FIG. It is the photograph inside the container immediately after microwave oven cooking of each test section of Example 4. FIG. It is the photograph inside the container immediately after cooking the microwave oven of the test section of Example 5 (Comparative Example 1-1 to Example 5-3). It is the photograph inside the container immediately after the microwave oven cooking of the test section of Example 5 (Comparative Example 5-4-Example 5-6).

Claims (5)

Dried food and expansion agent containing baking soda and acid agent are contained in the container, and water or hot water is poured into the container and cooked in a microwave oven, and after cooking, without draining It is an instant food in a container for microwave oven cooking that can be eaten,
Instant food in a container for cooking in a microwave oven in which the liquid level after pouring water or hot water is located below the upper surface of the dried food.   The instant food in a container according to claim 1, wherein the dried food is instant dried noodle chunks or instant dried rice. The instant food in a container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the acidic agent contains glucono delta lactone.   The instant food in a container according to claim 3, wherein the instant food further contains dried vegetables, and the expansion agent further contains alum.   5. The container according to claim 4, wherein the dried food is an instant dried noodle mass, and a region surrounded by the side surface portion and the container side surface portion of the dried noodle mass is a portion for storing the dried vegetable and the expansion agent. Instant food.

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