JPH0733175A - Frozen rice for instant cooking, and packed form and production thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide frozen rice for instant cooking which can be tastily cooked without washing, immersion, and addition of water. CONSTITUTION:This frozen rice for instant cooking is frozen in a state that raw rice has absorbed water. The absorbed water is 25% or more. It is frozen in a state that the water equivalent to the evaporating quantity on cooking and the water required for alpha-transition are added in addition to the raw rice with absorbed water. As the water absorption method, raw rice is immersed in water or steam is ejected on raw rice. It is also important to use notable water as the absorbing and cooking water.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to frozen rice for instant rice cooking, a package thereof, and a method for producing the same. More specifically, the present invention eliminates the need for rice gluing and flooding during rice cooking, and a rice cooker or an electronic cooker. The present invention relates to frozen rice for instant cooking, a package thereof, and a method for producing the same, which makes it possible to obtain delicious cooked rice just like ordinary cooked rice by simply heating and cooking in a microwave oven.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Cooked rice, which is a staple food of Japanese people, has become capable of eating very delicious cooked rice due to the remarkable progress in the technology for improving the quality of rice itself. Further, recently, with the spread of the restaurant industry and the diversification of processed rice foods, the consumption of rice tends to gradually increase.

By the way, rice cooking requires washing rice and inundation as a pre-stage, and in a general household, it may be rushed to a sudden visitor or a large amount of rice must be cooked in a restaurant. Since it takes a lot of time for washing rice even in restaurants and the like, the company was looking for a method that can shorten the work and time required for this.

In response to such a situation, a so-called non-washed rice technology has been developed and provided on the market in which rice bran and deposits are provided to the consumer in advance.
This non-washed rice is easy to cook by just adding water at the time of use, and is becoming popular not only in the restaurant industry but also in general households.

The present inventor has also developed a method for producing non-washed rice, which requires removing rice deposits by a special method and holding it in a specific water content, and applied for a patent as Japanese Patent Application No. 3-241996. I have just done it. Even after that, consumers' needs have been further diversified, and there is still a demand to eat delicious freshly cooked rice by a simple method.

On the other hand, thanks to the progress of the freezing technique, so-called frozen foods, in which once cooked foods are frozen as they are and provided to consumers, are becoming applicable to various foods. Frozen cooked rice, which is provided to consumers in the state of being stored in a package such as a plastic film, is so-called frozen rice, which has been established as one of the flows of such technology, and it can be heated only. Since it is possible to enjoy hot rice at home, it is not only used as a convenient meal for camping and other leisure activities, but is also favored by ordinary households and people who are single-employed.

By the way, although this frozen cooked rice has the characteristic that meals can be enjoyed easily, even if it is once frozen, it can be frozen rapidly.
It has been reported that the generation of aging starch is unavoidable and the decomposition proceeds (March 1985, published by the National Association of American Grains, "Science of Cooking Rice", pp. 103-106, Ochanomizu University Professor Hirofuku Fukuba) . Therefore, it is recognized that even if the frozen rice is reheated after it is cooked, it is decomposed more than freshly cooked rice, and the taste is slightly changed. For gourmet-oriented consumers, it is not always satisfactory.

[0008]

The present inventor has been conducting research for many years to establish a technique for easily providing delicious rice with the sensation of frozen rice. In the state of water absorption, water equivalent to the amount of evaporation when cooking rice and water required for alpha conversion are added and frozen without cooking, so that consumers can cook delicious freshly cooked rice. The present invention has been completed by establishing a technique capable of providing frozen rice for instant cooking, which means that the user can eat.

[0009]

Therefore, the object of the present invention is, unlike the conventional frozen rice that freezes cooked rice, it is necessary to make the amount of evaporation during rice cooking and alpha conversion different from the conventional frozen rice. The purpose of the present invention is to provide frozen rice for instant cooking that can be provided to consumers by directly refrigerating the water.

[0010]

The present invention has been proposed in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, and the amount of evaporation during cooking is equivalent to the amount of evaporation during cooking of rice that has reached a specific water absorption rate by contact with water. In addition, after the water required for gelatinization has been watered, the whole is frozen as it is, but the rice is cooked just by heating it at the time of use. It has been completed based on the new finding obtained by the present inventor that the user can enjoy.

[0011] That is, according to the present invention, there is provided frozen rice for instant cooking, which is obtained by allowing fresh rice to absorb water and then frozen in a watered state. According to the invention, the water absorption is 25%.
The above-mentioned frozen rice for instant rice cooking is provided. Further, according to the present invention, there is provided frozen rice for instant cooking, wherein the water is added in an amount corresponding to the amount of evaporation during cooking and the amount of water required for gelatinization. Further, according to the present invention, there is provided frozen rice for instant cooking, wherein the water absorption is performed by immersing raw rice in water. Further, according to the present invention, there is provided frozen rice for instant cooking, in which the water absorption is performed by injecting steam into raw rice. Further, according to the present invention, there is provided frozen rice for instant cooking, which uses famous water as the water for absorbing and adding water. Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a frozen rice package for instant rice, in which the frozen rice for instant rice is hermetically packaged with a film. Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a method for producing frozen rice for instant cooking, which comprises bringing raw rice into contact with water, and freezing after the water absorption rate reaches at least 25%.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The first important technical feature of the present invention is to remove adhering substances by rinsing raw rice with water instead of freezing cooked rice as is conventionally known. After that, the rice that has been brought into contact with water and absorbed a specific amount of water is hydrated with water corresponding to the amount of evaporation when cooking rice and water necessary for α-freezing. The frozen rice for instant cooking provided by the present invention is not limited to ordinary cooked rice (rice for cooking),
It can be elephant, rice porridge, rice, or cooked rice with ingredients such as vegetables and seafood.

In the present invention, the water absorption rate means the total of water added to water originally held by rice (usually about 14 to 15%) by contact with water such as inundation or steam injection. To do. The water absorption of rice varies depending on the type of cooked rice, but in the case of normal cooked rice, it is 2
5% or more, preferably 26 to 28% is a rough standard. Therefore, in the case of porridge or thin porridge, the water absorption rate may be increased, and the amount of water added, which will be described later, may be increased accordingly.

The water absorption method of rice is not particularly limited, and the most common method is to immerse the rice in water, but other than that, for example, the rice is washed on a belt conveyor traveling at a low speed. Can also be performed by pouring water in the form of a shower from above and spraying steam on rice.

In the case of water immersion or water addition by shower, the water absorption rate of rice reaches about 25% in about 30 minutes, and in the case of steam injection, steam at about 90 ° C. is injected for about 45 minutes. , Rice with the desired water absorption can be obtained.

The water content corresponding to the amount of evaporation at the time of cooking rice differs depending on whether the target cooked rice is normal rice for cooking, elephant pickle, porridge, or rice, but in the case of normal cooked rice, It is about 10 to 30% by weight of the total amount, and the water necessary for the α conversion may be further added to this. Therefore, in the case of porridge, it is necessary to add more water than that, and in the case of porridge, water may be added in a smaller amount. It is known that cooked rice has a weight that is 2.2 to 2.4 times the weight of raw rice in the case of normal rice. It will be appreciated that from water the amount of water to be hydrated is naturally determined.

In the case of elephant, the absorbed rice is
After adding a steaming process for about 2 hours and then chilling the hydrated water, it becomes delicious frozen rice for thin lanterns. Of course, also in this case, it is preferable to add water (about 10 to 30% by weight) corresponding to the amount of evaporation at the time of rice cooking and freeze at the same time. This steaming step refers to a state in which rice is not gelatinized, and this does not cause decomposition after freezing.

Of course, the water-absorbed rice, the amount of evaporation during cooking, and the water required for α-formation may be separately frozen, or it is optional to freeze only the water-absorbed rice. As a method of freezing rice in a water-absorbed state, or one obtained by further adding water thereto, any known freezing method can be used, but -20 to -60 ° C, preferably -30 to -40 ° C using liquid nitrogen is used. Rapid freezing to some extent is desirable.

The rice frozen in a water-absorbed state may be film- or sheet-wrapped in an arbitrary shape, or may be put in a tray-shaped container and then hermetically-sealed with the film or sheet.

In use, a consumer can obtain delicious freshly cooked rice simply by unpacking it, putting it in a container, putting it in a rice cooker, and heating it. You can enjoy the original taste of rice. Since the frozen rice for instant rice cooking of the present invention is characterized in that delicious freshly cooked rice can be obtained by simply heating it as it is, of course, in addition to the rice cooker, it is heated by a microwave oven or cooked rice in a camping area. It goes without saying that it can be applied to.

The second technical feature of the present invention is that so-called "namely water" is used as the water. In cooking delicious rice, the choice of water to use is extremely important, and even in tap water drawn into each household, the presence of chlorine added for sterilization impairs the taste of cooked rice. It has been known empirically, and even if it is passed through a water purifier, it is difficult to bring out the original taste of rice. Therefore, in one aspect of the present invention, it is an important feature that the famous water is used as the water constituting the frozen rice for instant rice cooking. Famous water means mineral waters specified by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and by doing so, cooked rice will have an even better taste.

In the present invention, famous water, that is, mineral water, is clearly distinguished from tap water sterilized by chlorine. (1) Natural water: groundwater taken from a specific water source Raw water, which is not subjected to physical or chemical treatment other than precipitation, filtration, and heat sterilization. (2) Natural mineral water: Among natural water, mineralized groundwater (groundwater that permeates from the surface of the earth and dissolves inorganic salts in the formation while moving underground or staying underground) is used as raw water. (3) Mineral water: Natural mineral water is used as raw water, and minerals are adjusted, aerated, and mixed with natural mineral water drawn from multiple water sources for the purpose of stabilizing the quality. It means water that is classified as, and meets the quality standards for bottled water announced by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, or seems to have been selected as one of the 100 famous waters announced by the Water Quality Conservation Bureau of the Environmental Agency in 1985. There are various standards.

[0023] To give an example of the one selected from the 100 selections of famous water, the spring water from Yotei (Hokkaido), the water from the underground lake at Ryusendo (Iwate prefecture), Shimizu Katsura (Miyagi prefecture), and the Rokugo springs (Akita prefecture). ), Mt. Gassan springs (Yamagata prefecture), Ryukokubo water (Niigata prefecture), Yatsugatake south foot plateau springs (Yamanashi prefecture), Azumino wasabi field springs (Nagano prefecture), Fushimi's perfume (Kyoto Prefecture), Miyamizu (Hyogo Prefecture), Beppu Benten Pond Spring (Yamaguchi Prefecture), Egawa Spring (Tokushima Prefecture), Antokumizu (Kochi Prefecture), Shimizu Spring (Fukuoka Prefecture),
Ryumon Shimizu (Saga prefecture), Shimabara spring group (Nagasaki prefecture), Todoroki source (Kumamoto prefecture), Oike pond spring group (Oita prefecture), Yakushima Miyanouradake running water (Kagoshima prefecture), etc. It is preferably used as it is or after being sterilized by heating.

In the present invention, the water absorption amount before freezing is regulated, and the requirement that the water equivalent to the evaporation amount at the time of rice cooking and the water necessary for the α-hydration to be frozen is frozen by the consumer during use. It is important in providing freshly cooked rice, and if the water absorption amount is less than that, only rice in a so-called mamako state with a core can be obtained, which is not preferable. It has been empirically known that the water absorption rate of rice varies depending on its quality, but that the time is generally determined by the contact temperature between water and rice.

Table 1 shows the water absorption rate (%) according to the water temperature and time of immersion of polished rice. That is, in order to obtain a desired water absorption rate according to the above Table 1, a contact time of 30 minutes at 20 ° C. is a tentative standard.

That is, the washed rice is soaked in famous water or sprayed with famous water as water vapor to have a water absorption rate of 25% or more, and after a required amount of water is added, it is packaged in a package of an appropriate size. The thing sealed by heat sealing etc. is sent to the said cooling device of about -20 degreeC to -60 degreeC, and 2
The desired frozen rice is completed by cooling for about 5 minutes. It goes without saying that the frozen rice for instant cooked rice may be packed with frozen rice.

The form of the package used for packaging is preferably that the frozen rice is directly film-packaged using a film having excellent water permeation resistance and gas barrier properties such as ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer. Frozen rice once stored in a tray-shaped container may be film-wrapped. Needless to say, as the film, not only the plastic film but also a metal foil such as an aluminum foil may be used.

The frozen rice for instant cooked rice provided in this way is completely cooked in the case of cooked rice, in the case of using a rice cooker, by heating for about 30 minutes and then steaming for about 30 minutes.
The cooked cooked rice is completed.

[0029]

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, instant cooked rice can be obtained by the consumer only by heating with the heating device of the rice cooker, which has a delicious freshly cooked taste that cannot be tasted with conventional frozen rice. Frozen rice is provided. Also, by using mineral waters as water for absorbing water in the rice, frozen rice for instant cooked rice having a further improved taste can be obtained.

[0030]

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to examples.

<Example 1> 300 g of raw rice (2 go) was added to 20
Water was soaked in famous water (Shimizu spring water in Ukiha-cho, Ukiha-gun, Fukuoka Prefecture) for 30 minutes at 30 ° C. to obtain water-absorbed rice with a water absorption rate of 25.7%. Then, this was lightly drained, and 400 g of the above-mentioned famous water was added to a freezer using liquid nitrogen at -40 ° C to perform quick-freezing for 3 minutes. This frozen rice for instant cooking turned into delicious cooked rice after being cooked in an electric rice cooker for 31 minutes and steamed for 30 minutes.

<Comparative Example 1> Cooked rice was obtained in the same manner as in Example, except that the immersion time of raw rice was 20 minutes. This one was firm with the rice core.

<Example 2> 20 g of 150 g (1 go) of raw rice
It was immersed in the famous water used in Example 1 for 30 minutes at 120 ° C. for 30 minutes to obtain water-absorbed rice having a water absorption rate of 31.3%. Then, this was lightly drained, and 694 g of the famous water was added to the water-
The sample was placed in a freezer using liquid nitrogen at 40 ° C. and rapidly frozen for 3 minutes. This instant frozen rice for porridge became delicious porridge in 37 minutes with an electric rice cooker.

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. Frozen rice for instant rice cooking, which is frozen in a state where water is absorbed in raw rice. 2. The water absorption amount is 25% or more.
Frozen rice for instant rice cooking as described. 3. The frozen rice for instant cooking according to claim 1, wherein the water-absorbed rice is further frozen in a state in which water corresponding to the amount of evaporation during rice cooking and water required for alpha conversion are hydrated. 4. The frozen rice for instant rice cooking according to claim 1, wherein the water-absorbed rice and the amount corresponding to the amount of evaporation during rice cooking and the water required for gelatinization are separately frozen. 5. The frozen rice for instant cooked rice according to claim 1, wherein the water absorption is performed by immersing raw rice in water. 6. The frozen rice for instant cooked rice according to claim 1, wherein the water absorption is performed by injecting steam onto raw rice. 7. The frozen rice for instant cooked rice according to claim 1, wherein famous water is used as the water for absorbing and adding water. 8. A frozen rice package for instant rice cooking, wherein the frozen rice for instant rice cooking according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is hermetically packaged with a film. 9. The method for producing frozen rice for instant cooking according to claim 1, wherein the raw rice and water are brought into contact with each other and frozen after the water absorption rate reaches at least 25%. 10. Immediately characterized in that raw rice and water are brought into contact with each other, steamed when the water absorption rate is at least 25%, and then the amount of evaporation during rice cooking and the water necessary for gelatinization are hydrated and then frozen. A method for producing frozen rice for elephants.