Abstract
Experiments were carried out to elucidate the changes in the physical properties of Konnyaku, such as hardness, elasticity, and so on, caused by cooking.
First, the effect of the proportional amounts of basic ingredients of Konnyaku on the hardness and taste was examined.
Second, hardness and elasticity of Konnyaku manufactured in the best proportion of basic ingredients were examined by means of the hardness tester under the following conditions :
1) boiled with different amounts of water and different lengths of time;
2) cooked with different seasonings such as salt, vinegar, sugar, miso (soya bean paste), and soy added to the water to cook;
3) fried with oil or heated in pan without oil or water.
The results were as follows :
1. When raw Konnyaku was boiled, its elasticity and hardness increased rapidly. Then, the hardness kept on increasing, while the elasticity decreased with time. After boiling for a certain time the hardness and the elasticity were kept constant.
2. The hardness and elasticity of Konnyaku were affected by seasonings in the cooking solution; especially, it became hardest in the salt solution and softest in the vinegar solution.
3. Heating Konnyaku for a short time at a high temperature as in frying or heating in pan, the surface of Konnyaku became remarkably hard but the elasticity did not deteriorate so much.
