THAWING OF FROZEN RICE BALL

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for thawing a frozen rice ball wrapped with a plurality of films holding a laver sheet between the films and effective for regenerating the taste and flavor of the rice ball to a state before freezing and keeping the flavor of the laver sheet. SOLUTION: The frozen rice ball R to be thawed has a flat and thick polygonal or circular shape in plan view and is wrapped its circumference with a plurality of films holding a laver sheet inserted between the films. The side face of the outer circumference of the frozen rice ball R is supported with a pair or right and left line-contacting members 4w, 4w and the rice ball is held in a heat-treatment chamber 2 in a posture to incline the outer side face and heated by the gentle supply of hot air until the core temperature of the frozen rice ball R exceeds 10 deg.C. The supply of hot air is stopped before the surface temperature of the rice ball reaches 30 deg.C and the ball is slowly cooled to obtain a thawed rice ball having a water content of 62.5%±1.5% at the inner and outer layers and that of the laver sheet of <=12%.