JP7640076B2 - Frozen gnocchi - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to frozen gnocchi that is easy to mold and has a chewy texture after thawing.

Gnocchi is a ball-shaped pasta made from potatoes and wheat flour. Gnocchi is a traditional Italian dish, and is known to have many variations, such as the ratio of potatoes to wheat flour and the type of fat or oil used in combination.

However, there has been insufficient research into frozen gnocchi and its manufacturing method, and as in Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2, gnocchi has only been manufactured using conventional methods and then frozen.

Potato gnocchi, Cookpad, Recipe ID: 5792494, <https://cookpad.com/recipe/5792494> Can be frozen! Easy gnocchi for parties, Cookpad, Recipe ID: 3731436, <https://cookpad.com/recipe/3731436>

In other words, the objective of the present invention is to achieve the formability of gnocchi, the thawability of frozen gnocchi, and a good texture after thawing, which have not been sufficiently considered in the past.

In order to solve the above problems, the inventors conducted extensive research into the components that make up frozen gnocchi, and discovered that by using potato starch, wheat flour, and fine bread crumbs, frozen gnocchi with good moldability, thawability, and texture after thawing can be obtained, which led to the completion of the present invention. In other words, the present invention relates to the following embodiments, but is not limited to these and includes various embodiments.

One embodiment relates to frozen gnocchi comprising potato starch, wheat flour, and fine breadcrumbs.

In one embodiment, it is preferable that the frozen gnocchi contains 2.0 to 8.0% by weight of fine bread crumbs.

In one embodiment, it is preferable that the total amount of frozen gnocchi contains 2.0 to 9.0% by weight of wheat flour.

In one embodiment, it is preferred that the frozen gnocchi contains 15.0 to 35.0% by weight of potato starch.

According to the present invention, it is possible to produce frozen gnocchi that has good moldability when forming the dough, is free of thawing spots, and has a good texture after thawing.

The following describes in detail the embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below and includes various embodiments.

Frozen gnocchi The frozen gnocchi of the present invention is a frozen gnocchi containing at least potato starch, wheat flour, and fine breadcrumbs.

Potato starch In the present invention, it is necessary to include potato starch in order to achieve the unique texture of gnocchi. There are various types of starch, such as tapioca starch and corn starch, but the size of the starch granules and the gelatinization temperature are different, so potato starch is necessary to achieve the unique texture of gnocchi.

Furthermore, the potato starch content of the frozen gnocchi is preferably 15-35% by weight, and more preferably 23-27% by weight. If the potato starch content is less than 15% by weight, the elasticity is too weak and it is difficult to achieve the chewy texture characteristic of gnocchi. If the potato starch content is more than 35% by weight, the elasticity is too strong and the texture is likely to be rubbery.

Potato starch does not have to be isolated and refined starch. In other words, potatoes (raw, steamed, boiled, etc.), dried potato flakes (dried mashed potatoes), etc. can be used as a source of potato starch. The starch content of raw potatoes is about 17%, that of steamed potatoes is about 18%, that of boiled potatoes is about 17%, and in the case of dried potato flakes, the starch content is about 80% due to the low moisture content. Even isolated potato starch contains a certain amount of moisture, so the starch content is about 80%.

In addition, in the present invention, it is more preferable to include dried potato flakes. Dried potato flakes absorb excess moisture contained in the gnocchi dough, making it less sticky and improving the moldability of the dough.

Wheat flour In the present invention, it is necessary to include wheat flour in order to achieve the unique texture of gnocchi. By combining the gluten and wheat flour starch contained in wheat flour with potato starch, it is possible to achieve the chewy texture that is unique to gnocchi.

Strong flour is preferred as the wheat flour used. The balance of gluten and wheat starch in strong flour is ideal for achieving the texture of gnocchi.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the total amount of frozen gnocchi contains 2 to 9% by weight of wheat flour. By keeping the wheat flour content in the range of 2 to 9% by weight, the amount of gluten is suitable for achieving the unique texture of gnocchi.

Fine bread crumbs <br/>In the present invention, it is necessary to include fine bread crumbs. Fine bread crumbs absorb excess moisture contained in the dough, suppress stickiness, and improve moldability. In addition, when thawing, water and water vapor convect through the gaps formed by the fine bread crumbs, which improves thawing efficiency.

It is preferable that the total amount of frozen gnocchi contains 2.0 to 8.0% by weight of fine breadcrumbs. If the amount of fine breadcrumbs is less than 2.0% by weight, the stickiness of the dough cannot be suppressed, and moldability cannot be improved. On the other hand, since fine breadcrumbs have almost no binding properties, if the amount of fine breadcrumbs exceeds 8.0% by weight, the dough becomes brittle, which reduces moldability and tends to cause a deterioration in texture. From the standpoint of moldability and texture, it is more preferable that the total amount of frozen gnocchi contains 3.0 to 6.0% by weight of fine breadcrumbs.

Other ingredients The frozen gnocchi may contain other ingredients other than potato starch, wheat flour, fine bread crumbs, and water as necessary. Specifically, these include seasonings such as salt, soy sauce, sauce, etc., spices such as pepper, turmeric, other starches other than wheat flour and potato starch such as tapioca starch, corn starch, etc., grain flours other than wheat flour such as rice flour and buckwheat flour, thickeners such as gum arabic, xanthan gum, pectin, carrageenan, etc., and fats and oils such as butter and olive oil.

However, if there are too many other ingredients, the unique texture of gnocchi will be lost, so the amount of other ingredients must be kept below 10% by weight of the total amount of gnocchi.

Manufacturing method There are no particular limitations on the manufacturing method of gnocchi, and any known method can be used. For example, the following manufacturing method can be used.
(Step 1) Potatoes, which are the source of potato starch, are steamed or boiled at a temperature of just under 100°C and then processed into a paste.
(Step 2) Wheat flour, fine breadcrumbs, dried potato flakes, potato starch, and other ingredients are added to the potato paste (steamed/boiled potatoes) and mixed until uniform to prepare the dough.
(Step 3) Roll the dough into a log shape, then cut it into pieces about 10 mm wide and shape it into a cylinder.
(Step 4) The gnocchi molded into a cylindrical shape are frozen in a quick freezer to produce frozen gnocchi.

When making gnocchi using only dried potato flakes, without using potato paste, step 1 is not necessary. In addition, between steps 3 and 4, a step of boiling the cylindrically shaped gnocchi to gelatinize the starch (step 3-2) may be added. However, since the subject of this invention is frozen gnocchi, which is always heated (thawed) before eating and can gelatinize the starch, there is no need to add step 3-2.

Thawing method There is no particular limit to the method for thawing the gnocchi, and known methods such as a method using a microwave oven or a method of thawing by boiling can be used. The thawing time also varies depending on the amount of frozen gnocchi to be thawed at one time, so it can be determined as desired.

For example, if step 3-2 is not included (if the gnocchi is not boiled before freezing), the moisture contained in the frozen gnocchi alone may not be enough to promote gelatinization. In this case, it is preferable to thaw the gnocchi by boiling, or, if using a microwave, to heat the frozen gnocchi while immersed in water or sauce.

The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. Note that "parts" and "%" described below represent "parts by mass" and "% by mass" unless otherwise noted.

Potatoes were cooked using steam at 98°C until the core temperature reached 90°C. The steamed potatoes were cooled to 30°C and strained to make a paste.

(Prototype Example 1)
4 parts of wheat flour (strong flour), 8 parts of fine bread crumbs (Yokoyama Foods, AD-28), 120 parts of potato paste (starch content 17.3% by weight), 18.3 parts of potato starch (starch content 82.2% by weight), 28.7 parts of dried potato flakes (starch content 81.6% by weight), and 0.8 parts of salt were thoroughly mixed until homogeneous, and 35 parts of water and 16.6 parts of salad oil were added thereto and further mixed to produce a dough. Next, the dough was stretched into a rod shape (diameter about 30 mm), cut into 10 mm widths, molded into a disk shape, and 2.5 parts of fine bread crumbs were attached to the surface, followed by freezing in a quick freezer to produce frozen gnocchi (Prototype Example 1).

(Prototype Examples 2 to 13)
Frozen gnocchi (trial examples 2 to 13) were produced by changing the ratio of ingredients and the presence or absence of dusting flour according to Table 1. In Table 2, the composition of the frozen gnocchi is shown as a percentage (rounded to the nearest tenth).

(Unzip)
Place an appropriate amount of frozen gnocchi in a bowl, pour water into it so that the gnocchi is completely submerged, cover, and heat in the microwave (500W) for 6 minutes to thaw.

(evaluation)
The formability of the gnocchi and the texture after thawing were evaluated. The composition of the frozen gnocchi and the evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

(Moldability)
If the dough sticks to the equipment (cutters, etc.) during production, or if the shape collapses after molding, the yield (the ratio of the actual product production volume to the production volume expected from the input amount of raw materials) will decrease. Therefore, the moldability was evaluated as follows, based on the yield when producing frozen gnocchi.
Good: Yield is 90% or more (almost no fabric sticking to the equipment or deformation)
△ (normal): Yield is 60% or more but less than 90% (some fabric adhesion and deformation occur, but still usable)
× (defective): Yield is less than 60% (severe fabric adhesion or deformation)

(Texture)
The texture of the gnocchi after thawing was evaluated as follows, based on prototypes 2, 1 and 9.
Prototype Example 2: Standard with good texture Prototype Example 1: Standard with poor texture that is too soft and does not have a chewy texture Prototype Example 9: Standard with poor texture that is too hard and does not have a chewy texture ◯ (Good): Texture equal to or better than Prototype Example 2 × (Bad): Texture equal to Prototype Example 1 or Prototype Example 9 △: Evaluation between Prototype Example 2 and Prototype Example 1, or Evaluation between Prototype Example 2 and Prototype Example 9

From prototypes 1 and 2, we can see that the texture deteriorates when there is too little wheat flour. If there is too little wheat flour, the dough becomes too soft and loses its chewy texture. Also, if there is too little wheat flour, the dough becomes difficult to hold together and tends to be less moldable.

From prototypes 2 and 3 to 5, it can be seen that moldability decreases when there is too much wheat flour. This is thought to be because too much wheat flour makes the dough too sticky, resulting in a decrease in yield. In addition, too much wheat flour makes the dough hard (chewy), which tends to lose the chewy texture that is characteristic of gnocchi.

From prototypes 2 and 6, it can be seen that if there is too little fine breadcrumbs, the moldability decreases. This is thought to be because if there is too little fine breadcrumbs, the dough cannot be prevented from becoming sticky, resulting in a decrease in yield. In addition, if there is too little fine breadcrumbs, the dough does not rehydrate well in hot water, which tends to result in a worsening texture.

From Prototype 2 and Prototypes 7 to 9, it can be seen that moldability decreases when there is too much fine bread crumbs. This is thought to be because when there is too much fine bread crumbs, the dough becomes brittle and the yield decreases. In addition, when there is too much fine bread crumbs, it inhibits the binding of starch, which tends to deteriorate the texture.

From Sample 2 and Samples 11 to 13, it can be seen that the chewy texture of gnocchi comes from potato starch, and if there is too little potato starch, the chewy texture is lost, and if there is too much potato starch, the texture becomes too hard.

Claims (1)

A frozen gnocchi comprising potato starch, wheat flour, and fine breadcrumbs,
The frozen gnocchi comprises 23.0 to 27.1% by weight of potato starch, 2.0 to 9.0% by weight of wheat flour, and 3.0 to 8.0% by weight of fine bread crumbs based on the total weight of the frozen gnocchi.