Abstract: A method of producing cooked rice is disclosed, by which taste and mouthfeel, as well as the aging resistance, of the cooked rice are improved. In this method, process of cooking rice is carried out intermittently in a plurality of steps, interposing one or more cooling steps during the cooking process. In each cooling step, the rice is not heated. Each cooling step is carried out for 1 to 10 minutes at an inner temperature lower than the inner temperature during heating by 0.1 to 10° C. After the final cooling step, the final heating step is carried out to finish the rice-cooking process.

Abstract: The present invention provides an improving agent for cooked rice, which can provide a frozen cooked rice having similar quality not only in mouthfeel and appearance but also in taste and smell to the ordinary cooked rice when the frozen cooked rice is thawed and heated by microwave heating. The improving agent for cooked rice is prepared by pulverizing a nonglutinous rice to obtain a rice powder which retains the cellular structure of each cell in the nonglutinous rice, which cell structure retains the cell wall; mixing the obtained rice powder with water to a rice powder content of 1 to 10 wt % in water; and heating the obtained mixture such that a degree of gelatinization thereof becomes not less than 85%, preferably not less than 90%.

Abstract: A method of producing cooked rice is disclosed, by which taste and mouthfeel, as well as the aging resistance, of the cooked rice are improved. In this method, process of cooking rice is carried out intermittently in a plurality of steps, interposing one or more cooling steps during the cooking process. In each cooling step, the rice is not heated. Each cooling step is carried out for 1 to 10 minutes at an inner temperature lower than the inner temperature during heating by 0.1 to 10° C. After the final cooling step, the final heating step is carried out to finish the rice-cooking process.

Abstract: A method for producing a cooked rice having not only a composite flavor to be generated when an edible oil, an egg and cooked rice are simultaneously heated but also an egg flavor which is excellent in storage stability of the flavor. A mixture in which an egg liquid and an edible oil are mixed with each other is heated and foamed and, then, cooked rice is charged in the thus-foamed mixture and, thereafter, heat-cooked. It is preferable that the above-described mixture is a mixture in which, after an egg yolk liquid and an edible oil are mixed with each other, an egg white liquid or a whole egg liquid is further added. Further, in an egg content in the mixture, it is appropriate that an egg white component is in the range, based on 100 parts by weight of an egg yolk component, of from 10 to 200 parts by weight. Further, it is preferable that charging of the cooked rice is performed at the time a yield of an egg content deprived of an edible oil content in the mixture in a foamed state is 60 to 85%.

Abstract: A method of preparing industrially and inexpensively fried rice having nice-smelling, well-harmonized taste, soft on the inner side of the grains of the cooked rice and lightly separated at the surfaces thereof, and also suited to be freeze-preserved is disclosed. The method of preparing fried rice, including a rice washing step, a rice immersion step, a rice cooking step and a rice frying step. In this method, two frying steps 11, 15 are carried out in at least two stages out of a stage between a rice washing step 10 and rice immersion step 13, a stage between the immersion step 13 and cooking step 14, an intermediate stage of the cooking stage 14, and a latter stage of the cooking step 14, for example, in a stage between the washing step 10 and immersion step 13, and the latter stage of the cooking step 14.

Abstract: A thin rice sheet with a thickness of 10 mm or less which maintains a soft and full mouthfeel and a smooth surface shape of boiled rice and has appropriate strength and flexibility is disclosed. Rice rinsed in a rice rinsing step 11 is boiled with hot water for a short period of time in a first heating step 12 to produce surface-gelatinized rice. In a dipping and draining step 13, the surface-gelatinized rice is put on a bamboo basket, immediately cooled with water, and left to stand for a few minutes to make the surface half-dry. Then, in a measuring step 14, a weight of the surface-gelatinized rice is measured for sectioning. In a shaping step 15, the sectioned surface-gelatinized rice is lightly kneaded, and then extended to form a surface-gelatinized rice sheet. In a steam heating step 17a of a second heating step 17, the surface-gelatinized rice sheet is steamed.

Abstract: Cooked rice having an improved quality and reduced amounts of broken cooked rice and/or crumbled cooked rice and suppressed unpleasant odors such as rice bran odor and old rice odor may be prepared by subjected rice to a steaming treatment at a temperature of from 100 to 250° C. for a period of from 0.1 to 60 seconds and, then, boiling the steamed rice.