PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for more softening a cooked food and modifying the food so as to have smooth feeling through the throat.SOLUTION: The method for softening and modifying the cooked food includes subjecting the cooked food to steam cracking treatment. The steam cracking treatment is the one for steam-cracking the tissue component of the cooked food and modifying the cooked food so that the toughness may be reduced while at least maintaining the appearance, perfume and color thereof at the cooked time by raising the temperature of the cooked food in a sealed container to a temperature of from 120°C at 2 atm to 140°C at 3.6 atm required for the steam cracking of the tissue component of the cooked food while regulating the temperature and the pressure so that the steam pressure as the partial pressure in the space may be regulated along the saturated steam pressure curve, maintaining the pressure and the temperature for a prescribed time, and thereafter decreasing the temperature and the pressure in the sealed space while regulating the pressure and the temperature along the saturated steam pressure curve to allow the steam pressure in the temperature-pressure range on the saturated steam pressure curve to act on the cooked food.COPYRIGHT: (C)2012,JPO&INPIT【課題】調理済み食品をさらに軟らかく、のど越しを滑らかな食品に改質する方法を提供する。【解決手段】調理食品に水蒸気分解処理を施す。水蒸気分解処理は、調理食品を密閉空間内で、圧力と温度を空間内の分圧として水蒸気圧を飽和水蒸気圧曲線に沿って制御しつつ調理食品の組織成分の水蒸気分解に必要な圧力と温度である温度120℃、2気圧から、温度140℃、3.6気圧にまで上げたのち、一定時間その圧力、温度を保ち、その後、飽和水蒸気圧曲線に沿って圧力及び温度を制御しつつ密閉空間内の温度及び圧力を下降させ、飽和水蒸気圧曲線上の温度・圧力域で水蒸気圧を調理食品に作用させて調理食品の組織成分を水蒸気分解し、少なくとも調理時の外形、食品の香り、色を保持したまま歯ごたえを軟らかく改質する処理である。【選択図】図4
