JPH0870800A - Preparation of cooked rice by rapid cooking - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To cook rice applicable also to seasoned rice containing ingredients, free from lowering of quality, retaining deliciousness of rice itself and capable of simply cooking in a short time by successively subjecting rice to treatments comprising washing with water, immersing into water, draining, steam boiling, cooling and freezing. CONSTITUTION: This method for preparing rice is to wash rice with water, immerse rice in water, drain the rice, steam-boil the rice by a steaming method under such conditions that water content of rice is adjusted to 30-40% and degree of gelatinization 80-95%, cool the steam-boiled rice preferably while loosening, and subjecting the rice to freeze treatment. Furthermore, cooling is carried out so as to lower the temperature of rice to about 20 deg.C by cooling air or a refrigerator, etc. Freeze-treatment should preferably be rapidly carried out.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method for preparing rice for quick cooking. Specifically, the present invention is a household using a rice cooker,
The present invention relates to a method for producing frozen rice for quick cooking, which can shorten the rice cooking time by about 1/3 in a lunch facility, can be stored for a long time by freezing, and can obtain cooked rice regardless of the type of rice with a certain cooking treatment. . In addition, the present invention is applied to cooked rice, in which freezing time and thawing time are short during freezing treatment, there is no destruction of rice due to growth of ice crystals, crushed rice does not occur, and quality deterioration of rice during freezing does not occur. In this case, the present invention relates to a method for preparing rice for quick cooking, which is less likely to deteriorate the ingredients and saves the user's trouble when producing cooked rice.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Currently, various processed foods containing rice as a main ingredient are manufactured and sold, and typical ones thereof include frozen pilaf and retort rice. These items are manufactured by a method such as cooking rice → loosening → bagging → drying, freezing, and retort treatment. However, such processed cooked rice is apt to be in a blocking state where rice adheres to each other to form a lump, and has a large amount of water, which causes deterioration of rice grains during storage. In the end, it is heated by a heating method such as a microwave oven, hot water, etc., but even if the rice in the blocking state is loosened and heated, there are many crushed rice and the aging of the starch of the rice also progresses. In addition, the taste and texture are deteriorated, and the freshly cooked taste obtained by cooking rice cannot be reproduced.

As a means for solving such a problem,
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 62-186755 discloses a method in which raw rice is washed and dipped, then boiled in boiling water and then cooled to obtain processed cooked rice. However, boiling causes the umami component of rice to flow out. , The original taste of rice is lost. Further, when the boiled rice is frozen, there are drawbacks such that the rice has a lot of moisture on the surface of the rice and the rice sticks to each other to cause blocking, which takes a long time to thaw and the crushed rice increases. Similarly, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-256355 discloses a method in which raw rice is washed and soaked, then boiled in hot water for 1 to 3 minutes, cooled, and then frozen together with water. Although the treatment time is shorter, the umami component leaks by boiling, the blocking phenomenon during freezing, and the crushing of rice are inevitable. Also,
The processed cooked rice obtained by these methods is heated and eaten in a microwave oven or the like, and the deliciousness of freshly cooked food cannot be expected.

Further, in JP-A-6-153826, raw rice is washed and dipped in water, dehydrated, and heated by microwave to 70
Disclosed is a method of subjecting to -80% alpha conversion treatment, cooling and freezing. However, it is difficult to obtain a uniform α by heating with microwaves. Furthermore, in order to achieve 80% or more alpha conversion,
Microwave irradiation time becomes long, and many crushed rice are produced after freezing.

[0005]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention shortens the time for cooking rice at home or at a lunch facility, and can be applied to cooked rice and pilaf, without causing quality deterioration such as crushing of rice during freezing. The purpose of the present invention is to provide frozen rice that retains the original umami taste and that allows the user to easily cook rice in a short time with a certain amount of water.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The above problems are caused by washing rice with water, soaking it in water, draining it, steaming it at a high temperature to a certain water content and α-degree, and then loosening and cooling it to maintain a certain water content. It will be solved by freezing in the frozen state. That is, the present invention allows for long-term frozen storage by performing a specific treatment on rice for cooking rice at the factory, and when cooked normally, cooks quickly and retains the original umami taste of rice. In this state, rice is provided to consumers. Therefore, the present invention is a method for preparing rice for quick cooking, which comprises sequentially treating rice in each step of washing with water, immersion in water, draining, steaming, cooling, and freezing.

In the washing step, the milled rice is washed by a conventional method. After washing the rice, it is then immersed in water and drained by a conventional method, and then subjected to a high temperature steaming step. In the high temperature steaming process, rice has a water content of 30-40% and a degree of alpha conversion of 80-9.
Steam with 5%. The means for obtaining the water content and the degree of alpha conversion must be a steaming treatment, and other heating treatments such as boiling and microwave do not give the intended properties.

The means for the high temperature steaming step is not particularly limited.
If the treatment amount is small, a batch type steamer can be used, and if the treatment amount is large, a continuous steaming device can be used. By this steaming process, 80 to 95% of the inside of the rice is converted into α, the shape of the rice does not change, and the surface is firm and smooth.

After completion of the high temperature steaming step, the rice is cooled. At this time, it is preferable to cool while loosening, but since the moisture is absorbed inside the rice by the gelatinization in the steaming step and the rice surface is in a free-flowing state, the loosening means may be simple. The cooling method is not particularly limited, and it may be carried out with cold air, a refrigerator or the like so that the product temperature is lowered to about 20 ° C. Considering storage, transportation, sales, etc., loosen rice is weighed, divided into appropriate amounts, put in a container, and then immediately frozen. When the final product is cooked rice, pilaf, etc., the necessary amount of ingredients and seasonings may be added when the final product is stored in a predetermined container. afterwards,
Similarly, freeze processing is performed.

The freezing treatment is not particularly limited, but it is desirable to carry out the freezing treatment so as to be rapidly frozen to 15 ° C. or lower. Since it freezes in a state where the water content on the rice is low, it does not cause blocking and is frozen in a rose shape, and the rice is not destroyed due to the growth of ice crystals. In addition, when the ingredients are added, there is little migration of water to the ingredients, so that quality deterioration hardly occurs.

The frozen rice produced by the treatment of the present application is put into a rice cooker after being thawed or in a frozen state at the time of eating at a user, and the necessary amount of water or seasoning liquid is added to cook the rice. Frozen rice does not adhere to other rice and is in a loose state. Therefore, even if rice is cooked in a frozen state, it is immediately thawed in the rice cooker and there is no problem with the quality of the cooked rice. Moreover, the quality of rice does not deteriorate even if it is frozen and stored for a long period of time.

Since the degree of gelatinization of rice is 80 to 95%, the rice cooking time normally takes about 60 minutes, and the rice is cooked in about 40 minutes, which is shortened by about 1/3. Also, foreign rice,
In particular, Thai rice has a higher amylose content than domestically produced rice and has less stickiness, and its cell walls are harder to absorb water, which makes it difficult to absorb water.In order to cook this deliciously, it is necessary to adjust the immersion time and the amount of water added during cooking. difficult. Without such adjustments, there are drawbacks such as the core remaining in the cooked rice and the inability to obtain cooked rice of uniform quality. Foreign rice other than Thai rice also requires some adjustments such as immersion time and water addition, unlike cooking with normal domestic rice. However, if the water content and the α-degree are processed within a predetermined range by the method of the present invention, even foreign rice that is difficult to cook rice can be easily and quickly cooked in the same manner as domestic rice, and the taste, texture, and appearance can be improved. Excellent cooked rice is obtained. For Thai rice, cooked rice of superior quality can be obtained as compared to rice cooked without treatment.

[0013]

The details of the present invention will be described with reference to Examples. The present invention is not limited to these examples.

Example 1 1000 g of rice (California rice) was washed with water and water 150
It was soaked in 0 g for 90 minutes and then drained. Then, a cloth was put on the vat, rice was put, and the rice was put in a steamer and steamed for 2 minutes (test example), 10 minutes, 30 minutes, and 60 minutes. After steaming,
It was cooled to 20 ° C. while being loosened for 10 minutes, and the treated rice having a constant water content was rapidly frozen in a −18 ° C. freezer.

Comparative Example 1 After washing with water, soaking and draining in the same manner as in Example 1, the mixture was placed in boiling water and boiled for 6 minutes. After that, it was drained, cooled for 10 minutes while being frozen, and frozen.

Table 1 shows the water content immediately after the steaming and boiling treatments, the degree of gelatinization, and the appearance after thawing in Test Example, Example 1 and Comparative Example 1.
The degree of alpha conversion was measured by the diastase method.

[0017]

[Table 1]

Example 2 After cooling was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 (including test examples) and Comparative Example 1, cooked ingredients were added and frozen. After thawing, water containing soy sauce and mirin was added (total weight of rice and ingredients: water weight = 1: 0.6), and rice was cooked in a rice cooker. Mixture Treated rice 340 g Chicken soboro 150 g Stir-fried vegetables 10 g Table 2 shows the sensory test after cooking rice. For the sensory test, the following four grades were evaluated by 10 expert panelists. Evaluation: ◎ Very good, ○ good, △ a little bad, × bad

[0019]

[Table 2]

Example 3 1000 g of each of Japanese rice (Koshihikari) and foreign rice (California rice, Chinese rice, Thai rice) was washed with water and water 15
It was soaked in 00 g for 90 minutes and then drained. afterwards,
A cloth was put on the vat, rice was put in the steamer, and steamed for 30 minutes. After the completion of steaming, it was cooled while being loosened for 10 minutes.
340 g of cooled α-rice was taken, 150 g of chicken soboro and 10 g of stir-fried vegetables were put in a bag and frozen. After that, water with soy sauce and mirin added was added in the frozen state (total weight of rice and ingredients: water weight = 1: 0.6), and rice was cooked in a rice cooker.

Comparative Example 3 340 g of untreated Japanese rice (Koshihikari) was soaked in water, drained, added with the same amount of ingredients as in Example 3, and water to which seasoning was appropriately added (rice: water = 1. : 1.3) Rice was cooked with a rice cooker.

Comparative Example 4 340 g of untreated Thai rice was soaked in water, drained, added with the same amount of ingredients as in Example 3, and water with soy sauce and mirin added (total weight of rice and ingredients: water Weight = 1: 1.5) Rice was cooked with a rice cooker.

A sensory test was conducted on each of Example 3 and Comparative Example 3, and the cooking times were compared. Regarding the water content and the degree of gelatinization, the water content and the degree of gelatinization of the rice after the steaming treatment in Example 3 were measured. Sensory test is a specialized panel 10
It was done by name. When the untreated Japanese rice (Koshihikari) cooked rice of Comparative Example 3 was used as a control, the hardness, taste, texture, appearance, and odor of the 5 items were each equal to or higher than the control, and 2 points, and when slightly inferior. 1 point, 0 if very inferior, 10 points were added. (Maximum 100 points)

[0024]

[Table 3]

The frozen rice treated by the method of the present invention, after being cooked, has the same good quality as that of Japanese rice (Koshihikari) in both California rice and Chinese rice. Compared with the Japanese rice (Koshihikari) that was cooked, cooked rice was obtained. Regarding the Thai rice, ordinary rice was not sticky and was not evaluated as good cooked rice, but the treatment of the present invention yielded cooked rice of good quality.

[0026]

[Effects of the Invention] The rice cooking time can be shortened by about 1/3 and can be stored for a long period of time. Regardless of the type of rice, cooked rice can be obtained within a certain cooking time, and if applied to cooked rice, pilaf, etc., cooked rice etc. It is possible to provide frozen rice for quick cooking, which saves labor during manufacturing. Also, during the freezing process, rice is not crushed due to the growth of ice crystals, blocking does not occur,
The thawing time is also short, and even for foreign rice, which has a different rice cooking process, the same rice processing as domestic rice makes it easy to provide fast-cooking rice with excellent taste, texture and appearance. can do.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A method for preparing rice for quick cooking, which comprises successively treating rice in each step of washing with water, immersion in water, draining, steaming, cooling and freezing. 2. The method for preparing rice for precooked rice according to claim 1, wherein the steaming step is a step of steaming to a constant water content and a degree of gelatinization. 3. A water having a constant water content and a degree of alpha conversion of 30 to 40.
%, The degree of gelatinization is 80 to 95%, The method for preparing rice for precooking according to claim 1 or 2.