A process for preparing sheet-like soybean protein foods which comprises molding a soybean protein raw material mixture into a sheet and irradiating it intermittently by a microwave is disclosed. The sheet-like soybean protein foods obtained have fine porous structures with considerably high strength and flexible and soft mouth feel. The desired taste can be readily given to the sheet-like soybean protein foods by boiling them in a seasoning liquid.
A method of preparing a reconstitutable, dehydrated whole bean product is shown. The method calls for utilizing a combination convection/microwave heating chamber to dry cooked whole beans in such a way as to preserve the integrity of the beans and, thus, significantly enhance the texture and quality of the bean product. The method requires a shorter amount of time than, and enables a significant reduction in the amount of bird mouthing that, is prevalent in existing methods.
A method for producing a reconstitutable dehydrated food product, an apparatus for producing such a product, and a product produced thereby are described. The method calls for using a stationary vessel to separately hydrate at least two batches of raw beans with circulating water, as well as a second stationary vessel to separately pressure cook the hydrated beans using direct steam injection with minimal agitation. A first batch is then chopped and sized, and then formed into a generally flat, preferably ribbed sheet of texturized composition. The latter is then dried and broken into chunks. The second batch of beans is kept whole and, once cooked, is dried utilizing a combination convection/microwave heating chamber in such a way as to preserve the integrity of the beans. The dried whole beans are then added to the first batch of beans, and preferably, to the chunks produced therefrom.
