JPH0237745Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] This invention allows instant noodles such as instant fried noodles and instant macaroni to be restored to a good texture in a short time by cooking them in a microwave oven. The present invention relates to a microwaveable instant noodle container that does not require the trouble of discarding water afterwards.

[Conventional technology]

Traditionally, when eating instant yakisoba, you first add a large amount of boiling water, heat it with this heat to restore it, throw away the excess hot water after restoration, and then add the attached seasoning liquid or powder soup. things are being done. Therefore, in the cooking operation of instant noodles of the above type, the surplus hot water must be discarded after the noodles are restored, which is complicated. Furthermore, since the noodles are heated simply by adding boiling water, the restoring properties are poor and the texture of the food is not good. Therefore, instant noodles with thick noodle strings, noodles with a chewy texture such as spaghetti, etc. cannot be cooked at all.

Therefore, when cooking instant noodles with thick noodle strings or spaghetti as mentioned above, it is necessary to boil the noodles while loosening them in a container such as a pot. It took at least 8 to 15 minutes to prepare, and the cooking operation was very complicated, with boiling water spilling out of the container during cooking.

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a container containing instant noodles that can restore instant noodles to a good texture in a short time, eliminates the need to discard excess hot water after cooking, and allows for easy cooking. It is in.

[Means for solving problems]

As a result of intensive research to achieve the above object, the inventors of the present invention obtained the following knowledge.

1. By placing a solid instant food and water in a container that can be sealed or nearly sealed, and heating this in a microwave oven, the inside of the container will reach a strong boiling state and the surface of the boiling water will become the instant food. The instant food can be completely and uniformly reconstituted in an extremely short period of time.

2. Furthermore, the above effects can be achieved even if the amount of water contained in the container is relatively small. Therefore, by ensuring that the amount of water contained in the container is sufficient to restore the ready-to-eat food to an edible state, the water will be almost completely absorbed into the ready-to-eat food during heating and the water will be discarded after heating. There's no need.

3. At the same time, the effects of 1 and 2 above can be easily implemented at home etc. by supplying moisture suitable for heating as a seasoning liquid stored in a sub-container in advance.

The present invention has been made based on these findings. That is, the present invention stores dried instant noodles and a sub-container inside a container composed of a container main body and a lid that can seal or substantially seal the inside of the container, and stores at least the instant noodles in the sub-container. To provide a container containing instant noodles for use in a microwave oven, characterized in that a seasoning liquid containing water in an amount of 100 to 155% by weight of the water absorption amount of the noodles and having a viscosity of 1750 poise or less at 60° C. is stored in a sealed state. .

The container used in the present invention is composed of a container main body having an opening at the top for taking contents in and out, and a lid that covers the opening and can make the inside of the container airtight or substantially airtight. The container body and lid are
It is best to make it from a heat-resistant material that is transparent to microwaves and can withstand microwave heating. As the material that transmits microwaves, for example, polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, polyester, nylon, and laminates thereof or laminates with paper are preferably used. In addition, materials that do not transmit microwaves may be used, such as aluminum, nickel, chrome,
Metal materials such as iron, zinc, tin, and alloys thereof are used. However, in this case, it is necessary to provide at least a portion of the container with a portion that can transmit microwaves.

The structure of the container may be cup-shaped, tray-shaped, or the like. Further, the shape of the container can also be an inverted truncated cone shape, a cylindrical shape, a square shape, etc. The structure of the joint between the container body and the lid prevents the contents from boiling over when heated in a microwave oven, and keeps the inside of the container in a sealed state (nearly airtight) so that the inside of the container is filled with steam. It is necessary to create a structure that allows for The above structure includes, for example, a screw-in structure, a removable fitting structure, or a heat-shrinkable film surrounding the joint, which shrinks when heated in a microwave oven. It is possible to adopt a structure in which the lid is fixed to the container body.
Furthermore, the lid can be provided with an opening for regulating the internal pressure of the container and preventing the container from bursting due to an extremely high internal pressure during heating. At this time, it is desirable that the proportion of the openings be 0.005 to 1% of the area of the upper opening of the container body.

Further, the container of the present invention may be provided with a member at the bottom of the container for holding the container upward in order to increase the incidence of microwaves on the bottom surface of the container and to achieve convective heating. If the distance (height) between the container and the microwave table is set to 2 mm or more, preferably 3 to 25 mm, using such an upward holding member, heating from the bottom by microwaves will increase and efficient convection will occur. This allows for more efficient heating. In this case, if the microwave table is made of enamel or iron, the thickness is preferably 3 to 15 mm, and if the table is made of glass, the thickness is preferably 3 to 9 mm.

Note that the member for holding the container upward may be provided so as to form a recess in a part or the entire surface of the bottom of the container. When the concave portion is formed in this manner, the seasoning liquid accumulates in this portion during heating, the boiling of the seasoning liquid is promoted, and the noodles can be restored more uniformly and efficiently.

Any number of the recesses can be provided at any position on the bottom of the container, for example at the periphery of the bottom, and/or in the center or over the entire bottom. The volume of the recess is preferably 0.7 ml or more, preferably 1.5 to 17.5 ml.

Furthermore, a part of the side wall of the container may be curved inward to provide a protruding member that guides boiling water toward the noodles during heating. At this time, the protruding member can be provided with a size that does not interfere with filling the container with noodles. This increases the heating efficiency and improves the restorability of the noodles. Further, it is possible to provide means for curving the vicinity of the center of the container lid inward to guide moisture adhering to the lid to approximately the center of the instant noodles.

The instant noodles stored inside the container may be any type of noodles as long as they absorb water when heated and are restored to an edible state.Specifically, they include yakisoba, fried udon, spaghetti, macaroni, rice noodles, and pasta. Examples include instant noodles and seasoning ingredients for seasoning them. Pasta here is, for example, made from wheat flour or a mixture of wheat flour and rice flour, molded into rice grains (length approximately 4 to 6 mm, wall thickness approximately 0.6 to 0.7 mm), and after being reconstituted, it is cooked. This also includes things that can be eaten in the wind. In addition, the instant noodles referred to in the present invention are not limited to those that can be restored by simply pouring hot water, but also include those that can be restored by conventional boiling operations. Moreover, the instant noodles are not limited to completely dried ones, but may be semi-raw ones.

As the above-mentioned instant noodles, both fried noodles and non-fried noodles can be used. These instant noodles are formed into a noodle mass by a conventional method, for example, and then stored in the above-mentioned container. The method of forming this noodle mass is to house the noodle strings that have undergone the steaming process in a retainer of an appropriate size and shape, and then to dry them by immersing them in hot oil or by drying them with hot air. Examples include methods. In addition, the thickness of the noodle mass mentioned above is
It is desirable that the thickness be 50 mm or less, preferably 35 mm or less, and if the thickness of the noodle mass exceeds 50 mm,
It is preferable that the upper central part of the noodle mass is lowered, or that a vertical hole is provided in the center of the noodle mass. This is because when heating in a microwave oven, boiling water easily reaches all parts of the noodle mass, allowing the noodles to be completely and uniformly restored. Furthermore, the water level of the seasoning liquid that collects at the bottom of the container before heating is approximately 30 degrees higher than the height of the instant noodles.
% or more, preferably about 35% or more. This is because the effect of properly restoring the noodles is further improved.

In addition, when the noodle mass is shaped so that the upper central part is lowered, in addition to the above-mentioned heating effect, the noodle mass is easily fixed or almost fixed so as not to move by the sub-container during transportation. This is preferable because the noodle mass and the sub-container are compactly accommodated in the container, so that the solid ingredients contained in the sub-container are accommodated in the recess at the upper center of the noodle mass.

Although various types of noodles can be used in the present invention, it is desirable that the porosity of the noodle mass be 32 to 85%, preferably 45 to 80%. This is because the noodles can be prevented from being lifted up by the boiling water during heating, and the boiling water can evenly reach the top of the noodle masses, allowing the noodles to be restored well.
In addition, the shape of the noodle block can be various, but if the shape of the horizontal cross section of the noodle is a shape without corners, such as a circle or an oval shape, it will be easier to restore the noodles uniformly. preferable.

Seasonings that can be used in this invention include vegetables such as cabbage, onions, carrots, and green peas;
Examples include meat such as beef, pork, and chicken, seafood such as shrimp, squid, kamaboko, chikuwa, and clams, dried products such as processed seafood products, semi-raw or raw products, and mixtures thereof.

The sub-container used in the present invention is made of synthetic resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene, or a material laminated with a metal layer such as aluminum. If the sub-container is a bag-shaped container made of a flexible material (e.g. film) (a typical example is a retort pouch), this will fix (or almost fix) the instant noodles inside the container. ), the sub-container acts as a cushioning material for the noodles and prevents them from being damaged.

The structure of the sub-container may be cup-shaped, tray-shaped, bag-shaped, etc. The shape can also be an inverted truncated cone shape, a cylindrical shape, a square shape, etc.

It is desirable that the sub-container accommodates the seasoning liquid and is sealed to prevent the seasoning liquid from spilling. For example, it can be constructed from a container of a predetermined shape and a lid that can be sealed tightly, or it can be constructed by laminating films or sheets together.

In addition, when the sub-container is housed in the container together with the instant noodles, the shape is such that the instant noodles are fixed or substantially fixed so that they do not move inside the container.
It is desirable to make it large. This is because damage to the noodles can be prevented.

In particular, when the sub-container is a flexible container such as a retort pouch, the sub-container contains the seasoning liquid together with 1 to 99% of the total volume of the sub-container minus the volume of the seasoning liquid. More preferably, when 5 to 90% of air is allowed to coexist,
The container acts more effectively on shock absorption,
Breakage of noodles during storage and distribution can be effectively prevented.

The sub-container of the present invention stores a seasoning liquid containing at least 100 to 155% (hereinafter abbreviated as %) water and preferably 100 to 132% of the water absorption of the instant noodles.

Here, the amount of water absorbed by the instant food is the moisture content of the instant food before heating subtracted from the moisture content retained when the instant food is properly reconstituted. The amount of water is 155% of the water absorption of instant food.
%, a large amount of hot water will remain inside the container after the instant food has been heated for a sufficient period of time to properly reconstitute it, making it impossible to eliminate the trouble of discarding the hot water, and the texture of the instant food after being reconstituted will deteriorate. It has a lot of moisture and is sticky. On the other hand, if the amount of water is less than 100%, the absolute amount of water is insufficient and the food will not be properly restored. The moisture content retained when instant foods are well restored is, for example, 57-62% for instant yakisoba and instant yaki-udon, 60-65% for instant spaghetti and instant macaroni, and 60-65% for instant rice. In the case of 62-67%.

In addition, if you want to leave a certain amount of seasoning liquid (sauce) after heating spaghetti, ankake noodles, etc.
The amount of water contained in the seasoning liquid may be increased by adding it to the water specified above.

The seasoning liquid used in the present invention has a viscosity of 1750 poise or less at 60°C, preferably 800 poise or less, more preferably 450 poise or less. This is because when adding a seasoning liquid to instant noodles and heating it in a microwave, if the viscosity of the seasoning liquid is too high,
This is because it is difficult to properly restore the noodles, and the texture of the noodles tends to become sticky after heating.

Here, viscosity means the viscosity of a seasoning liquid at 60°C.

In addition, in the case of noodles with sauce or the like, it is desirable that the seasoning liquid has a constant viscosity even after cooking. In this case, in addition to the above provisions, the viscosity of the seasoning liquid is preferably 320 poise or more, preferably 580 poise or more.

The seasoning liquid may contain an edible effervescent substance to provide vigorous boiling when heated in the microwave. Examples of edible foaming substances include emulsifiers with high HLB, such as sucrose fatty acid esters, sorbitan fatty acid esters, and foaming plant protein decomposition products. Among these, emulsifiers with an HLB of 8 or more are preferred, and sucrose fatty acid esters are preferred in order to obtain a very vigorous boiling state. In addition, the amount of these foaming substances added to the instant food is preferably 0.01 to 5% based on the weight of the instant food after reconstitution, and any amount within this range may be added depending on the salt content of the instant food. (this is because as the salt content of the ready-to-eat food increases, it is generally necessary to increase the amount of foaming substance added). As mentioned above, the use of a foaming substance has the advantage that an excellent boiling state can be obtained even in a microwave oven with a low heating level.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned seasoning tools can be added to the seasoning liquid used in the present invention.

When the sub-container is removed from the container of the present invention, the seasoning liquid is poured into the instant noodles, and the lid is closed, the container is heated in a microwave oven. The boiling water reaches a strong boiling state where the water surface reaches the top of the instant noodles, and the container is sufficiently filled with steam, allowing the instant noodles to be completely and uniformly restored in a short time. In other words, since the inside of the container is filled with steam, the heating efficiency is high, and in the second half of heating, the instant noodles absorb water, and even when the boiling water level drops, the top of the instant noodles does not dry out. can be restored uniformly.

Moreover, since the amount of water contained in the seasoning liquid is as shown above, water is almost completely absorbed into the food during heating, and excess water evaporates, eliminating the need to discard water after cooking. Big profits can be made. In addition to this, according to the present invention, since the instant noodles are heat-treated while being simmered at a high temperature,
This results in noodles having the good texture and appearance inherent to noodles, which have elastic texture and transparency. Furthermore, even thick noodles can be restored well.

In addition, some microwave oven models heat the product to a high degree, and the contents may boil over from the container during heating, so in this case,
An edible defoaming substance may be applied to the inner surface of the lid and/or the inner surface of the container body above the solid ready-to-eat food product. As a result, the boiling state inside the container is suppressed to some extent, the contents are prevented from boiling over, and the instant food can be reconstituted and cooked in a suitable boiling state. The antifoaming substances used here include emulsifiers such as sucrose fatty acid esters with low HLB (preferably 3 or less), sorbitan fatty acid esters, glycerin fatty acid esters, propylene glycol fatty acid esters, silicone resins, lecithin, and mixtures thereof. can be mentioned. Further, the amount of these antifoaming substances used is preferably 0.001 to 5% of the weight of the instant food after reconstitution. However, for silicone resins, the amount used is limited to 0.005% or less due to restrictions under the Food Sanitation Act. The antifoaming substance can be applied to the lid and/or the container body in a conventional manner.

Furthermore, when a foaming substance and an antifoaming substance are used in combination, the boiling water is defoamed on the inside surface of the container coated with the antifoaming substance, and the contents do not boil over from the container. In portions, a still strong boiling condition is achieved, so that the ready-to-eat food is recooked very quickly and well.

Although the instant food container of the present invention basically has the above structure, various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 shows instant noodle container 1 of the present invention.
This is a schematic cross-sectional view (cross-sectional view taken along the line - in FIG. 2) of the container, in which dried instant noodles 4 and a sub-container 5 are placed in a container composed of a container main body 2 and a lid 3 that covers the upper opening of the container. is accommodated.

The container body 2 and lid 3 are made of a 0.5 mm laminate material, with the inside of the container made of polypropylene and the outside made of paper. The upper open part of the container body 2 is 130 x 165 mm, the inner stepped part 6 is 126 x 134 mm, the inner bottom is 115 x 120 mm, the height is 46 mm, and h ₁ is 35 mm.
mm, _h2 is 30mm. The upper open portion of the container body 2 has a rectangular shape with a curved surface having four corners with arcs of 35 mm. Additionally, a member 8 is provided at the bottom of the container body 2 to hold the contents upward relative to the microwave table 7 (h ₃ =9 mm).
is integrally formed in the container body 2. Also,
The above member 8 has a recess 9 in the inner part of the container body 2.
(volume: 4.7ml).
The lid 3 consists of a flat plate 10 with an outer diameter of 132 x 167 mm and an inner diameter of 131 x 166 mm, and a portion 11 projecting from the upper periphery to the side of the container body 2 (the vertical distance h ₄ of this portion is 12 mm). ). Also,
As shown in Fig. 2, the lid 3 has circular holes 12 with a diameter of 3.2 mm extending 8 radially from the center of the lid 3.
(The open area ratio in this case is 0.3% of the area of the upper opening of the container body 2).

Since the diameter of the upper peripheral edge of the container body 2 and the inner diameter of the flat plate 10 of the lid 3 are approximately equal, the lid 3 is tightly fitted as shown in the drawing, and the inside of the container is sealed.

Dry instant noodles 4: 70 parts wheat flour, 30 parts potato starch
This is a noodle mass of fried noodles obtained by a conventional method using 32 parts of water, 0.3 parts of water, and 1 part of common salt as raw materials. The noodle block is approximately prismatic in shape with a cross section of approximately 115 x 120 mm, four corners with arcs drawn with a radius of 35 mm, and a height of approximately 26 mm, with an apparent volume of 331 ml and an actual volume of is 145 ml, and the porosity (porosity = apparent volume of noodle mass - actual volume of noodle mass/apparent volume of noodle mass x 100) is approximately 56%.

Moreover, the instant noodles 4 are formed in a shape in which the upper central portion is lowered. The sub-container 5 is made by stacking two rectangular laminate materials with a thickness of 0.09 mm made of polyethylene, aluminum foil, and polypropylene from the inside.
It is a retort pouch formed by heat sealing the four peripheral sides. The length of one side of the sub-container 5 is 130×
It is 165mm and has a capacity of approximately 200ml. The sub-container 5 contains sauce for fried noodles and ingredients 13 that contain 135% by weight of the water absorption of the instant noodles 4 and have a viscosity of 2 centipoise.
Holds 180g.

The instant noodles 4 and the sub-container 5 are stored in the container 1 in a superposed manner such that the instant noodles 4 are substantially fixed by the sub-container 5.

The lid 3 of the container containing instant noodles having the above structure was removed from the container main body 2, the sub-container 5 was opened, and the sauce was poured into the instant noodles 4 inside the container main body 2. in this case,
The water level in the sauce was 14 mm above the inner bottom of the container. Next, the lid 3 was placed on the container body 2 to seal the container, and the container was placed in a microwave oven and heated for 5 minutes (strong heating: 500W). After heating, the container was removed from the microwave, the lid 3 was removed, and the condition of the noodles was examined. All of the moisture in the sauce was absorbed by the noodles, and the noodles had an excellent texture and appearance. In addition, by storing the instant noodles 4 in a substantially fixed state in the container by the sub-container 5 (retort pouch), movement of the instant noodles 4 during transportation etc. is prevented, and the noodles are buffered. There was less damage.

[Effect of idea]

According to the present invention, instant noodles can be prepared simply and quickly by heating in a microwave oven, and there is no need to dispose of excess hot water. Furthermore, since you can add water to cook,
There is no need to boil the water separately, and it is extremely easy to handle. In addition, since the cooked noodles are restored to their original excellent quality, they can be widely used for a variety of noodles.

Further, since the water suitable for heating the instant noodles is supplied as a seasoning liquid stored in a sub-container in advance, cooking at home or the like can be done extremely easily.

Therefore, the instant noodle container of the present invention can be widely sold after being subjected to a shrink pack or the like.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 shows a schematic sectional view of a container containing instant noodles for use in a microwave oven according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the container shown in FIG. 1. In the figure, 2...container body, 3...lid, 4...instant noodles, 5...subcontainer.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] (1) Dry instant noodles and a sub-container are housed inside a container consisting of a container body and a lid that can seal or substantially seal the inside of the container, and the sub-container is Instant noodles for use in a microwave oven, characterized in that a container contains in a sealed state a seasoning liquid that contains at least 100 to 155% water by weight of the water absorption amount of the instant noodles and has a viscosity of 1750 poise or less at 60°C. container. (2) The container according to claim (1) of the utility model registration claim, wherein the instant noodles are housed in the sub-container so as to be immovably fixed or substantially fixed. (3) The container described in paragraph (1) or (2) of the claims for utility model registration, in which the sub-container is a retort pouch. (4) The container described in paragraph (1) or (2) of the claims for utility model registration, in which the instant noodles have a thickness of 50 mm or less. (5) The container according to claim 4, wherein the instant noodles have a porosity of 32 to 85%. (6) The container according to claim (3) of the utility model registration claim, wherein the instant noodles have a shape with the upper center portion lowered. (7) The container according to claim 1, wherein the seasoning liquid contained in the sub-container contains an edible foaming substance. (8) The container according to claim (1) of the utility model registration, wherein a member for holding the container upward is provided at the bottom of the container. (9) The container according to claim (8) of the utility model registration, characterized in that a member provided at the bottom of the container for holding the container upward is formed with a large number of recesses.