JP7829283B2 - Frozen cooked noodles - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to frozen cooked noodles.

Frozen instant noodles, including pre-cooked noodles and seasonings or toppings, are commercially available. Most of these are thawed and eaten by boiling in a pot or heating in a microwave. Alternatively, they may be thawed by pouring hot water over the frozen noodles in their container.

Patent Document 1 describes a frozen cold noodle product in a container, where boiled and frozen noodles and frozen soup are sealed inside the container, and hot water is added to thaw the noodles and soup, allowing it to be eaten as cold noodles. Patent Document 2 describes a frozen food product that is eaten after thawing with hot water, in which frozen noodles are contained in a container, and individually packaged concentrated soup and toppings are attached. Patent Document 3 describes a frozen noodle product in a container with protrusions on the inner surface, containing frozen noodles, frozen concentrated soup or powdered soup, and toppings, which can be eaten after thawing in a microwave or by adding hot water. Patent Document 4 describes a method of thawing and cooking a frozen noodle product in a container by opening the package, removing the separate soup packet, adding hot water and draining, adding the separate soup packet again, and then adding hot water again.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-360199 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2014-082983 Published Utility Model Gazette No. 62-167588 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-276104

Frozen noodles thawed by pouring hot water over them often suffer from problems such as difficulty in separating the noodles after thawing and uneven texture. This problem was particularly pronounced when the noodles and soup were thawed together. When thawing noodles and soup together in hot water, uneven thawing of the noodles is likely to occur, and because the soup melts first and the water temperature drops rapidly, the thawing speed of the noodles slows down. These problems can be mitigated to some extent by increasing the amount of hot water added, but increasing the amount of water too much results in an excessive amount of soup. Alternatively, it requires the extra step of draining the water, as described in Patent Document 4. This invention provides frozen cooked noodles that become cooked noodles with excellent separation and texture when thawed by adding hot water.

The inventors have discovered that by thawing the noodles in hot water and then adding the soup, it is possible to provide cooked noodles that separate well after thawing and have less uneven texture. Furthermore, they have found that by adding frozen soup or ice after thawing the noodles, the thawed noodles and soup are cooled, allowing for the provision of chilled noodles at an appropriate temperature.

Therefore, the present invention relates to frozen cooked noodles that are thawed in hot water,
(A): Frozen pre-cooked noodles, and (B): Frozen soup and/or water,
The mass ratio of (A) to (B) is (A):(B) = 1:0.25 to 1.
The mass ratio of (A) and (C): hot water used for thawing is (A):(C) = 1:1 to 3.
The frozen cooked noodles are consumed after thawing (A) and, if necessary, a portion of (B) in (C), and then adding all or the remainder of (B).
The mass of a portion of (B) that is thawed in (C) is 1/10 or less of the mass of (C).
We offer frozen cooked noodles.
Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for producing cooked noodles,
1) Thaw the frozen cooked noodles by adding (A): frozen cooked noodles, and optionally (B): a portion of the frozen soup and/or water, to (C): hot water used for thawing.
2) Add all of (B) to the cooked noodles after thawing, or if part of (B) was added in 1), add the remaining portion.
Includes,
The mass ratio of (A) to (C) is (A):(C) = 1:1 to 3,
The mass of a portion of (B) that is thawed in (C) is 1/10 or less of the mass of (C).
Provide a method.

The frozen cooked noodles of this invention, when thawed by adding hot water while still in the container, become cooked noodles with good texture, easy to separate, and with minimal unevenness in texture.

The frozen cooked noodles of this invention can be thawed and consumed by adding hot water, without the need for direct heat or microwave heating. The frozen cooked noodles of this invention basically consist of (A): frozen cooked noodles and (B): frozen soup and/or water.

(A) The frozen pre-cooked noodles are noodles that have been cooked and then frozen. Any type of noodle commonly used for cooking, including fresh noodles, semi-fresh noodles, and dried noodles, can be used. There are no particular restrictions on the type of noodles; examples include soba, udon, somen, hiyamugi, Chinese noodles, cold noodles, short pasta, long pasta, and noodle wrappers.

The noodles may be made primarily from flours and/or starches. Examples of flours include those commonly used in noodle production, such as wheat flour, buckwheat flour, corn flour, rye flour, barley flour, oat flour, and rice flour. Examples of wheat flour include weak flour, medium flour, semi-strong flour, strong flour, durum flour, and whole wheat flour. These flours can be used individually or in combination of two or more. Examples of starches include unprocessed starches such as potato starch, tapioca starch, corn starch, waxy corn starch, wheat starch, and sweet potato starch, as well as processed starches obtained by crosslinking, esterification, etherification, oxidation, or gelatinization. These starches can be used individually or in combination of two or more. Preferably, the starch is tapioca starch. Preferably, the starches are modified starches, more preferably one or more selected from etherified starches and acetylated starches. Even more preferably, the starches are modified tapioca starches, more preferably one or more selected from etherified tapioca starches and acetylated tapioca starches.

The content of the grain flours and starches in the raw material flour for the noodles may be appropriately determined depending on the type of noodles to be made. Preferably, the total content of the grain flours and/or starches in the raw material flour is preferably 60% by mass or more, more preferably 80% by mass or more. The raw material flour does not have to contain grain flours but not starches, but preferably it contains grain flours and starches. The content of the starches in the raw material flour is preferably 10 to 85% by mass, more preferably 30 to 70% by mass, of the total amount of grain flours and starches.

The raw material flour for the noodles may also contain auxiliary materials commonly used in noodle production, such as: salt; lye water; egg powder (egg white powder, whole egg powder, etc.); thickeners such as xanthan gum, guar gum, locust bean gum, alginic acid and its salts, agar, gelatin, pectin, etc.; fats and oils such as animal and vegetable oils, emulsified fats and oils, shortening, etc.; emulsifiers such as lecithin, glycerin fatty acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters, etc.; inorganic salts such as carbonates and phosphates; proteins such as gluten, soy protein, casein, etc.; sorbitol; ethyl alcohol; enzymes, etc. The content of these auxiliary materials in the raw material flour should be appropriately determined according to the type of noodles to be produced. Preferably, the raw material flour contains gluten. The gluten content in the raw material flour is preferably 1 to 17% by mass, more preferably 5 to 14% by mass.

Fresh noodles can be manufactured by mixing the raw material flour with water using a standard procedure and then shaping it. The shape of the fresh noodles can be appropriately selected depending on the desired type of noodle. For example, the thickness of the fresh noodles is typically preferably around 1.0 to 5.0 mm. Furthermore, semi-fresh or dried noodles can be manufactured by appropriately drying the obtained fresh noodles. The method for preparing the manufactured noodles for consumption can be the same as usual, such as boiling or steaming. For example, fresh noodles should be boiled or steamed to achieve a yield of 140-250% (per noodle).

By freezing the cooked noodles described above, the frozen cooked noodles of (A) can be produced. Preferably, one to several servings of the cooked noodles, for example, about 50 to 250 g, are set aside and frozen. Freezing of the noodles can be carried out according to conventional methods, and rapid freezing is preferred. Examples of rapid freezing methods include the air blast method, liquid method, contact method, and liquefied gas method.

Examples of frozen soups in (B) include broths, sauces, and condiments that are consumed with noodles. The soup is preferably a concentrated soup, and when diluted with (C): hot water used for thawing, it becomes a soup with a flavor suitable for consumption. The soup in (B) is preferably liquid at room temperature, but may also be gel-like at room temperature.

Alternatively, the frozen cooked noodles of the present invention may contain frozen water (ice) as (B) instead of soup. In this case, the frozen cooked noodles of the present invention may contain seasonings. Preferably, the seasonings are in paste or solid form (e.g., block or powder). The seasonings are added to the hot water (C) used for thawing, either before or after thawing the noodles, to form the soup. Alternatively, the frozen cooked noodles of the present invention may contain both frozen soup and frozen water (ice) as (B). The freezing of the soup and water can be carried out according to conventional methods, similar to those for cooked noodles. For example, the soup and water can be divided into one to several servings, packaged as needed, and then frozen according to conventional methods.

In the frozen cooked noodles of the present invention, the mass ratio of (A): frozen cooked noodles and (B): frozen soup and/or water is preferably (A):(B) = 1:0.25 to 1, more preferably 1:0.5 to 1. If the amount of (B) is too large, thawing is likely to be insufficient. When (B) includes soup, it is preferable to appropriately adjust the concentration of the soup in (B) so that the flavor of the soup after (B) has dissolved is suitable for consumption, taking into account the amount of hot water (C) used for thawing.

The amounts of (A) and (B) contained in the frozen cooked noodles of the present invention are preferably enough for one to several servings, from the viewpoint of ease of handling. For example, the mass of (A) is 50 to 250 g, and the mass of (B) is preferably 0.25 to 1 times, more preferably 0.5 to 1 time, of (A). Furthermore, the amount of (A) contained in the frozen cooked noodles of the present invention can be determined according to the mass ratio of (C): water used for thawing. For example, from the viewpoint of the ease of separating the noodles after thawing, the texture, and the balance between the amount of soup and noodles, the mass ratio of (A) to (C) is preferably (A):(C) = 1:1 to 3, more preferably 1:1.5 to 2. (C)

The frozen cooked noodles of the present invention may further contain (D): ingredients. The ingredients may be frozen or dried. The ingredients may be provided in individual packaging or contained in (B). Alternatively, they may be stored together with (A) in a container containing (A), as described later. The amount of (D) contained in the frozen cooked noodles of the present invention is preferably 30% by mass or less relative to (A) when thawed together with (A) in the hot water of (C), and preferably 30% by mass or less relative to (B) when contained in (B).

Preferably, the frozen cooked noodles of the present invention are provided as frozen cooked noodles in a container, including a container that holds (A) above. Preferably, the container is made of a material that can withstand the temperature of the hot water used for thawing, such as plastic or paper. Preferably, the container is used for thawing (A). Specifically, (C) is poured into the container holding (A) to thaw (A). The shape of the container may be a bowl shape, a donburi shape, etc., and it is preferable that it has a capacity that can sufficiently hold the entire amount of (C). The container may be sealed with a lid or sealant while containing (A). Preferably, after containing (A), the container is sealed with a lid or sealant as needed, and further sealed with plastic wrap or a packaging bag.

The container may contain or include (B). (B) may be separately packaged and placed inside the container, or attached separately outside the container, or, if necessary, separately packaged and placed on top of the lid or seal. The container may also contain or include (D). (D) may be stored inside the container together with (A), or contained within (B), or, if necessary, separately packaged and attached on top of the lid or seal, or outside the container.

When manufacturing frozen cooked noodles in containers, for example, unfrozen cooked noodles may be placed in the container and frozen, or frozen cooked noodles may be placed in the container. The soup and/or water in (B) and the ingredients in (D) may also be frozen after being placed in or attached to the container, or frozen before being placed in or attached to the container.

The frozen cooked noodles manufactured according to the present invention may be frozen and stored as is, or they may be frozen after attaching a lid or sealing material to the container, or after wrapping the container in plastic wrap or a packaging bag. The method of freezing and storage should follow conventional methods, preferably at -20 to -80°C.

The frozen noodles of the present invention are prepared by thawing them with hot water. Specifically, the frozen noodles are thawed by adding (C) to (A) contained in the frozen noodles of the present invention. For example, if the frozen noodles of the present invention are packaged in a container, (C) can be poured into the container containing (A). Alternatively, if the frozen noodles of the present invention are not provided with a container, (A) can be placed in a suitable container such as a dish, and (C) can be poured into it. The frozen noodles of the present invention are thawed to a edible state by adding hot water containing (C) as described above, and there is no need for further active heating, such as direct flame heating or microwave heating, for thawing. Furthermore, after thawing, it is not necessarily necessary to drain the hot water containing (C) from the frozen noodles of the present invention.

When thawing the frozen cooked noodles of the present invention, (B) does not need to be thawed together with (A) in (C). Therefore, (A) can be thawed in the water of (C) without (B), but (A) may also be thawed together with a portion of (B) added to (C) and thawed in the water of (C). In this case, if too much (B) is thawed, it will negatively affect the looseness and texture of (A) after thawing. It is preferable that the mass of (B) thawed together with (A) is 1/10 or less of the mass of (C).

The thawing time for the frozen cooked noodles of the present invention may vary depending on the mass of (A) and the desired texture after thawing, but is preferably 2 to 7 minutes. The temperature of (C) used for thawing is preferably 60°C or higher, more preferably 80°C or higher, and even more preferably 90°C or higher. Furthermore, (D) may be thawed together with (A) during the thawing process. Alternatively, if (D) is a dried ingredient, (D) may be added either before or after thawing (A).

Next, (B) is added to the cooked noodles obtained by thawing. Preferably, (B) is added to (C) and mixed. At this time, if (B) has not yet been added to (C), all of (B) is added to (C). On the other hand, if a portion of (B) is added to (C) together with (A), the remaining (B) is added to (C). As a result, if (B) contains soup, the soup in (B) is diluted with (C) to form a soup for consumption. Alternatively, if (B) is ice and the frozen cooked noodles of the present invention contain seasonings, the seasonings are added to (C) before or after thawing (A), and together with the water produced from the melting of the ice in (C) and (B), a soup for consumption is formed. Furthermore, in the present invention, (A) and (C) can be cooled by adding (B). In a preferred example, the cooked noodles after thawing are cooled with (B) and can become chilled noodles. Preferably, the temperature of the soup served with the prepared noodles is 35°C or lower.

The effects of the present invention will be specifically explained below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

〔material〕
Wheat flour: Medium-strength flour; Etherified tapioca starch: Yuri 8 (Matsutani Chemical)
Acetylated tapioca starch: Ajisai (Matsutani Chemical)
Gluten: A-Glu GB (Glico Nutritional Foods)

[Test Example 1]
(Pre-cooked noodles)
The raw material flour (medium-strength flour) was mixed with kneading water (water containing salt and lye water) and kneaded under reduced pressure (-0.093 MPa) to prepare the dough. The dough was rolled and compounded using a noodle-making roller to produce a noodle sheet, which was then cut with a cutting blade (#20 square) to produce Chinese noodle strands (noodle thickness 1.5 mm). The obtained strands were boiled to achieve a boiling yield of 180% (per noodle) to produce boiled Chinese noodles.
(Ingredients)
I used store-bought char siu and menma.
(soup)
A commercially available concentrated liquid ramen soup base, diluted to twice its original concentration, was used.

(Manufacturing of frozen prepared noodles)
A 750 ^cm³ polystyrene foam container was filled with noodles and toppings totaling 100 g, and rapidly frozen in a shock freezer (-30°C). The soup was weighed to a predetermined weight and frozen. The frozen containers of noodles and toppings (A) and the frozen soup (B) were stored in a -18°C freezer for three days.

(evaluation)
After three days of frozen storage, hot water (C) at the temperature and amount shown in Table 1 was added to the container containing (A), and (A) was thawed by letting it stand for 3 or 5 minutes. In the comparative example, the entire amount of frozen soup (B) was added along with the hot water (C). In the production example, the frozen soup (B) was either not added or only partially added when the hot water (C) was added.
After thawing, the degree to which the noodles could be separated was evaluated using chopsticks. Next, in the production example, all or the remainder of the frozen soup was added. The soup was stirred with chopsticks to prepare the cooked noodles. The temperature of the soup of the prepared cooked noodles was checked. The unevenness of the texture and the texture of the prepared cooked noodles were also evaluated. The separation of the noodles, the unevenness of the texture, and the texture were evaluated by 10 expert panelists using the following evaluation criteria. For texture, the average score of the 10 judges was calculated. For separation and unevenness of texture, the evaluation with the most votes was adopted. The results are shown in Table 1.

<Evaluation Criteria>
(Easy to loosen)
◎: Noodles separate easily 〇: Separates without problems △: Slightly difficult to separate ×: Noodles separate poorly (uneven texture)
◎: Evenly thawed, with no variation in noodle texture. ○: Almost evenly thawed, with very little variation in noodle texture. △: Edible, but with some variation in noodle texture. ×: Contains some unthawed (frozen) noodles, making it inedible (due to texture).
5 points: Excellent viscoelasticity 4 points: Good viscoelasticity 3 points: Fairly good viscoelasticity 2 points: Fairly poor viscoelasticity 1 point: Poor viscoelasticity

[Test Example 2]
Boiled Chinese noodles were prepared using the same procedure as in Test Example 1, except that the composition of the noodle flour and kneading water was changed as shown in Table 2. These were then placed in a container and rapidly frozen using the same procedure as in Test Example 1. The frozen container of noodles (A) and the frozen soup (B) prepared in Test Example 1 were stored in a -18°C freezer for 3 days. The noodles after freezing were thawed using the same procedure as in Test Example 1, and cooked noodles were prepared. (B) was not added when thawing (A), and the entire amount of (B) was added after thawing (A). The temperature of the soup of the prepared cooked noodles was checked. In addition, the texture of the noodles in the prepared cooked noodles was evaluated by 10 expert panelists according to the following evaluation criteria, and the average score was calculated. The results are shown in Table 2.
<Evaluation Criteria>
(Texture)
5 points: Better viscoelasticity than the control 4 points: Slightly better viscoelasticity than the control 3 points: Same viscoelasticity as the control 2 points: Slightly worse viscoelasticity than the control 1 point: Worse viscoelasticity than the control

Claims (16)

These are frozen noodles that can be thawed in boiling water without microwave heating and eaten as chilled noodles.
(A): Frozen pre-cooked noodles, and (B): Frozen soup and/or water,
The mass ratio of (A) to (B) is (A):(B) = 1:0.25 to 1.
The mass ratio of (A) and (C): hot water used for thawing is (A):(C) = 1:1 to 3.
The frozen cooked noodles are prepared by thawing (A) and, if necessary, a portion of (B) in (C) without microwave heating, then adding all or the remainder of (B) to the thawed (A) and (C) and cooling, and then consuming them as chilled noodles.
The mass of a portion of (B) that is thawed in (C) is 1/10 or less of the mass of (C),
(C) together with (B) constitutes a soup for consumption.
Frozen cooked noodles. The frozen cooked noodles according to claim 1, which are consumed at a soup temperature of 35°C or lower. The frozen cooked noodles according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the mass of (A) is 50 to 250 g. The frozen cooked noodles according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the soup in (B) is a concentrated soup. The frozen cooked noodles according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the temperature of (C) is 60°C or higher. The frozen cooked noodles according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the raw material flour for the cooked noodles in (A) includes grain flours and starches. The frozen cooked noodles according to claim 6, wherein the amount of starch in the total amount of the aforementioned flours and starches is 10 to 85% by mass. A frozen cooked noodle according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein (A) is stored in a container, and by adding (C) to the container, (A) and, if necessary, a portion of (B) are thawed. Furthermore (D): Frozen cooked noodles according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising frozen ingredients. A method for manufacturing cooked noodles,
1) Thawing without microwave heating by adding (A): frozen cooked noodles, and optionally (B): a portion of frozen soup and/or water, and (C): hot water used for thawing, as contained in any one of claims 1 to 9.
2) After thawing, add all of (B), or the remaining portion if part of (B) was added in 1), to (A) and (C), and cool to obtain chilled noodles.
Includes,
The mass ratio of (A) to (C) is (A):(C) = 1:1 to 3,
The mass of a portion of (B) that is thawed in (C) is 1/10 or less of the mass of (C),
(C) together with (B) constitutes a soup for consumption.
method. The method according to claim 10, wherein the temperature of the soup for consumption in the prepared noodles is 35°C or lower. The method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the temperature of (C) is 60°C or higher. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein (A) is stored in a container, and by adding (C) to the container, (A) and, if necessary, a portion of (B) are thawed. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the soup in (B) is a concentrated soup. The frozen cooked noodles according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein (B) is frozen water and (C) further comprises seasonings to be added to constitute the soup for consumption. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein (B) is frozen water, and the frozen cooked noodles further include seasonings to be added to (C) to constitute the soup for consumption.