PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for producing packaged cooked rice enabling production of cooked rice having a long shelf life and having palate feeling (balance of hardness, stickiness and the like) comparable to that of cooked rice obtained through an ordinary process in a production process comparable to that for canned cooked rice or retort cooked rice.SOLUTION: The method for producing packaged cooked rice includes: a soaking process for soaking raw material rice after washed in water for a prescribed period of time a steaming process for draining the rice after the soaking process and steaming the drained rice with steam at &ge100°C a water-absorbing process for putting the rice after the steaming process in a container for water absorption after cooled, adding water to the rice to keep the temperature in the container at 40-60°C while stirring the mixture so as to make the rice absorb water a packaging process for moving the rice after the water-absorbing process to a heat-resistant container, and exchanging the inside of the heat-resistant container with inert gas followed by hermetically sealing the container and a cooking/sterilizing process for heating the rice in the heat-resistant container after the packaging process so as to raise the temperature of the rice in many stages for sterilization in parallel with rice cooking, and thereafter cooling the packaged rice.COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT【課題】缶詰米飯、レトルト米飯並みの製造工程で、通常の工程で炊飯した米飯並みの食感(硬さや粘りなどのバランス)になる長期保存ができる米飯を製造する。【解決手段】原料米を洗米後、水に所定時間浸漬する浸漬工程と、浸漬工程後の米を水切りし、100℃以上の蒸気で蒸す蒸し工程と、蒸し工程後の米を冷却後に吸水用容器に入れ水を加え撹拌しながら容器内温度を40~60℃にして吸水させる吸水工程と、吸水工程後の米を耐熱容器に移し、耐熱容器内を不活性ガスで置換後、密封する包装工程と、包装工程後の耐熱容器入り米を多段昇温加熱して炊飯と共に殺菌をし、その後冷却する調理殺菌工程とからなる。【選択図】なし
