PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for drying and hardening a noodle mass formed of easily deformable noodle lines with water content, making a gap between the noodle lines as uniform as possible.SOLUTION: A noodle mass M formed of an aggregate of easily deformable noodle lines with water content is accommodated in a basket 3 having many holes at the top and the bottom. The basket 3 is exposed to air flow from below, so that the noodle lines are floated in the basket 3, with a gap formed between the noodle lines. At the same time, a primary drying of the noodle lines is performed to an extent that the noodle mass M with increased apparent volume as a whole due to the gap formation has hardness not to collapse by inversion of the basket 3. Subsequently the basket 3 is inverted upside down to be exposed to air flow in the state, so that the noodle lines with a gap formed therebetween in the primary drying are floated and finished by secondary drying from the side opposite to that in the primary drying.COPYRIGHT: (C)2015,JPO&INPIT【課題】 含有水分により軟らかく変形しやすい麺線からなる麺塊を、麺線どうしの隙間を可及的に均等な状態に乾燥硬化させる。【解決手段】 水分を含んで軟らかい麺線を集合してなる麺塊Mを、上下に多くの穴を開けたバスケット3に収容し、前記バスケット3に下から風を当てることによりバスケット3内で麺線を浮上させて、麺線どうしの間に隙間を形成させつつ、前記隙間の形成により全体として見かけ上の体積が増えた麺塊Mがバスケット3の反転によっても潰れない程度の硬さにまで麺線を一次乾燥させ、次いで前記バスケット3の向きを上下裏返しにしてこの状態でバスケット3に下から風を当てることにより、すでに一次乾燥で相互間に隙間が形成されている麺線に浮力を与えながら一次乾燥とは反対側の面から麺線を二次乾燥させて仕上げる。【選択図】図1
