Low-pressure and low-temperature slow cooking pretreatment process for keeping complete appearance of roasted whole chicken

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of food processing, in particular to a low-pressure low-temperature slow cooking pretreatment process for keeping the appearance of a whole roasted chicken intact, which comprises the following steps: pretreating a broiler chicken, uniformly smearing a mixed solution on the surface of the whole chicken to form a protective film, putting the whole chicken into low-pressure slow cooking equipment, adding a pretreatment solution to completely immerse the whole chicken, and performing low-pressure slow cooking on the whole chicken. The method comprises the following steps of: heating the equipment to 60-65 DEG C, closing the equipment, vacuumizing until the pressure in the equipment is 0.03-0.05 MPa, raising the temperature in the equipment to 60-65 DEG C, keeping the pressure and the temperature, and carrying out slow cooking treatment for 40-60 minutes. The low pressure of 0.03-0.05 MPa and the low temperature of 60-65 DEG C are adopted for slow cooking treatment, the low-pressure environment can accelerate permeation of flavor substances in pretreatment liquid into the chicken, the flavoring time is shortened, meanwhile, pores in chicken tissue are increased, water retention is facilitated, meanwhile, the denaturation speed of protein in the chicken can be slowed down under the low-temperature condition, and the taste of the chicken is improved. Muscle fibers are prevented from being excessively tightened, and meat is fresher, tender and juicy.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of food processing technology, and specifically to a low-pressure, low-temperature slow-cooking pretreatment process that preserves the shape of a whole roasted chicken. Background Technology

[0002] Roasted whole chicken is a traditional delicacy that is loved by many. It is characterized by its whole chicken shape, attractive color, and tender meat. In the process of roasting whole chicken, the pre-treatment stage plays a decisive role in the appearance and taste of the final product.

[0003] Traditional pre-treatment processes for roast whole chicken often involve methods such as blanching under normal pressure and marinating at high temperatures. However, during blanching, the water temperature is relatively high (usually 100℃ or above), which can cause the chicken skin to shrink and crack due to the high temperature, resulting in rapid loss of moisture from the chicken. This not only damages the intact shape of the roast whole chicken but also makes the meat dry and tough after cooking, resulting in a poor taste. In addition, although high-temperature marinating can shorten the time for the flavor to penetrate, the high temperature will accelerate the denaturation of proteins in the chicken meat and cause the muscle fibers to contract, which will also affect the tenderness of the meat. Furthermore, some flavor substances will volatilize at high temperatures, reducing the flavor quality of the product. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to solve the problem that traditional processing techniques, such as blanching under normal pressure and marinating at high temperatures, result in poor product taste. This invention provides a low-pressure, low-temperature slow-cooking pretreatment process that preserves the integrity of the whole roasted chicken's shape. During the pretreatment process, the chicken skin tissue is effectively protected, moisture loss is reduced, the chicken meat is cooked evenly inside and out, and flavor substances are promoted to penetrate, thus maintaining both the integrity of the shape and the tenderness of the taste.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a low-pressure, low-temperature slow-cooking pretreatment process for maintaining the integrity of the whole roasted chicken's shape. The process includes pretreating the chicken, uniformly coating the surface of the whole chicken with a mixed liquid to form a protective film, placing the whole chicken in a low-pressure slow-cooking device, adding the pretreatment liquid to completely submerge the chicken, closing the device, evacuating the device to a pressure of 0.03-0.05 MPa, and then raising the temperature inside the device to 60-65°C, maintaining this pressure and temperature for slow cooking for 40-60 minutes.

[0006] Preferably, the pressure inside the equipment is adjusted every 15-20 minutes during the slow cooking process.

[0007] Preferably, the pretreatment solution is composed of the following ingredients in parts by weight: 100 parts water, 5-8 parts ginger, 6-10 parts scallions, 2-3 parts star anise, 1-2 parts cinnamon, 0.5-1 part bay leaves, 8-12 parts cooking wine, 5-7 parts light soy sauce, 3-5 parts salt, and 2-4 parts white sugar.

[0008] Preferably, before evenly applying the mixture to the surface of the whole chicken, toothpicks are used to fix the chicken's wings, legs, and body, so that the chicken is in a naturally stretched state.

[0009] Preferably, the mixture comprises food-grade pectin and maltodextrin in a mass ratio of 1:2-3.

[0010] Preferably, the pretreatment includes selecting healthy, fresh broiler chickens, bleeding them, removing their feathers, and cleaning them by gutting them, removing impurities such as internal organs, trachea, and esophagus, rinsing them with clean water, and draining the surface water to obtain a cleaned whole chicken.

[0011] Preferably, the pretreatment also includes immersing the cleaned whole chicken in a 2-3% salt solution for 10-15 minutes, then rinsing it with clean water until no salt water residue remains, and draining the water.

[0012] Preferably, the temperature of the salt solution is 20-25℃, and the solution is stirred every 3-5 minutes during the soaking process.

[0013] Preferably, after slow cooking, the whole chicken is removed from the low-pressure slow cooking equipment, allowed to cool naturally to room temperature, and then soaked in a tea polyphenol solution with a mass concentration of 1-2% for 3-5 minutes before being removed and drained of surface moisture.

[0014] Preferably, the temperature of the tea polyphenol solution is 15-20℃.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution provided by this invention uses a low pressure of 0.03-0.05MPa and a low temperature of 60-65℃ for slow cooking. The low pressure environment can accelerate the penetration of flavor substances in the pretreatment liquid into the chicken meat, shorten the marinating time, and increase the porosity of the chicken tissue to facilitate moisture retention. At the same time, the low temperature can slow down the denaturation rate of proteins in the chicken meat, avoid excessive contraction of muscle fibers, and make the meat more tender and juicy, thus solving the problem of dry meat caused by traditional high-temperature pretreatment. Detailed Implementation

[0016] It is readily understood that, based on the technical solution of this invention, those skilled in the art can propose various interchangeable structural methods and implementations without altering the essential spirit of the invention. Therefore, the following specific embodiments are merely illustrative examples of the technical solution of this invention and should not be considered as the entirety of the invention or as limitations or restrictions on the technical solution of this invention.

[0017] As a specific embodiment of the low-pressure, low-temperature slow cooking pretreatment process for maintaining the integrity of the whole roasted chicken provided by the present invention, the low-pressure, low-temperature slow cooking pretreatment process includes the pretreatment of raw materials: selecting healthy and fresh broilers, bleeding, plucking, and eviscerating them, removing impurities such as internal organs, trachea, and esophagus, rinsing them clean with water, draining the surface water to obtain a cleaned whole chicken, immersing the cleaned whole chicken in a 2-3% salt solution for 10-15 minutes to initially remove the fishy smell, then rinsing it with water until no salt water residue remains, draining the water for later use. The temperature of the salt solution is 20-25℃, and the chicken is stirred every 3-5 minutes during the soaking process to ensure uniform removal of the fishy smell.

[0018] Lay the drained whole chicken flat on the work surface. Use toothpicks to secure the wings, legs, and body to ensure the chicken is in a naturally stretched position. This toothpick fixation helps prevent the chicken from curling up and deforming during slow cooking. Then, evenly coat the chicken skin with a 0.1-0.2mm thick mixture of food-grade pectin and maltodextrin. This protective film formed by the pectin and maltodextrin mixture will reduce direct friction between the skin and the pretreatment solution during the subsequent slow cooking process. The process involves rubbing the chicken skin to prevent rapid moisture loss and shrinkage, thus significantly improving the overall appearance of the roasted whole chicken. The mass ratio of edible pectin to maltodextrin in the mixture is 1:2-3. After standing for 5-8 minutes, the mixture forms a protective film on the chicken skin surface. The preparation method of the mixture involves mixing edible pectin and maltodextrin in a certain proportion, adding 5-8 times their total mass of deionized water, stirring at 50-60℃ until completely dissolved, and then cooling to room temperature before use.

[0019] After the whole chicken has been shaped and fixed, it is placed in a low-pressure slow-cooking device. Pretreatment liquid is added to completely submerge the chicken. The device is then shut off, and a vacuum is created until the internal pressure reaches 0.03-0.05 MPa. The internal temperature is then raised to 60-65°C, and this pressure and temperature are maintained for slow cooking for 40-60 minutes. During slow cooking, the pressure is adjusted every 15-20 minutes to maintain it within the 0.03-0.05 MPa range, preventing pressure fluctuations that could deform the chicken. Using a low pressure of 0.03-0.05 MPa and a low temperature of 60-65°C for slow cooking allows the flavor compounds in the pretreatment liquid to penetrate the chicken meat more quickly, shortening the flavor absorption time. It also increases the porosity of the chicken tissue, facilitating moisture retention. The low temperature slows down protein denaturation, preventing excessive muscle fiber contraction and resulting in more tender and juicy meat. This solves the problem of dry meat caused by traditional high-temperature pretreatment.

[0020] The pretreatment liquid is composed of the following ingredients by weight: 100 parts water, 5-8 parts ginger, 6-10 parts scallions, 2-3 parts star anise, 1-2 parts cinnamon, 0.5-1 part bay leaves, 8-12 parts cooking wine, 5-7 parts light soy sauce, 3-5 parts salt, and 2-4 parts white sugar. The preparation method of the pretreatment liquid is as follows: wash and cut the ginger and scallions into sections, wash the star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaves and set aside. Add the ginger, scallions, star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaves to the water, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for 20-30 minutes. Filter to remove the residue to obtain spice water. When the spice water cools to 40-50℃, add the cooking wine, light soy sauce, salt, and white sugar, and stir until completely dissolved to obtain the pretreatment liquid. The flavor substances released by the ginger, scallions, star anise, and other spices after simmering can be fully integrated into the pretreatment liquid and quickly penetrate into the chicken meat under low pressure and low temperature conditions, improving the flavor quality of the whole roasted chicken.

[0021] After slow cooking, remove the whole chicken from the low-pressure slow cooking equipment and let it cool naturally to room temperature. Then, soak it in a 1-2% tea polyphenol solution for 3-5 minutes. Remove the chicken and drain off the surface water. The temperature of the tea polyphenol solution should be 15-20℃. During the soaking process, gently turn the whole chicken to ensure that the surface of the chicken is evenly in contact with the tea polyphenol solution. Soaking in the tea polyphenol solution not only has an antioxidant effect and extends the shelf life of the product, but also further improves the taste of the chicken and removes any residual fishy smell.

[0022] This invention uses a dual shape-fixing method of toothpick fixation and protective film coating to physically protect the shape of the chicken. It also optimizes the heat transfer and substance penetration process from a thermodynamic perspective through a low-pressure and low-temperature environment. Thus, through the synergistic processing scheme of shape fixation and low-pressure, low-temperature slow cooking, the chicken meat achieves uniform cooking and full flavor while maintaining its intact shape.

[0023] Example 1 Select healthy, fresh broiler chickens. After bleeding, plucking, and eviscerating, remove internal organs, trachea, esophagus, and other impurities. Rinse thoroughly with clean water and drain. The resulting whole eviscerated chicken is then soaked in a 2% saline solution at 20℃ for 10 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes to initially remove any fishy smell. After soaking, remove the chicken and rinse thoroughly with clean water until no saline residue remains. Drain and set aside. Lay the drained chicken flat on the work surface. Use toothpicks to secure the chicken's wings, legs, and body, allowing the chicken to stretch naturally. Mix 10g of food-grade pectin and 20g of maltodextrin, then add 150g of deionized water. Stir at 50℃ until completely dissolved, then cool to room temperature to obtain a mixture. Apply the mixture evenly to the chicken skin to a thickness of 0.1mm, and let it stand for 5 minutes to allow the mixture to form a protective film on the chicken skin. Wash and cut 5g of ginger and 6g of scallions into sections, and prepare 2g of star anise, 1g of cinnamon, and 0. Wash 5g of bay leaves and set aside. Add the spices to 100g of water, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Filter to remove residue and obtain spice water. When the spice water cools to 40℃, add 8g of cooking wine, 5g of light soy sauce, 3g of salt, and 2g of white sugar. Stir until completely dissolved to obtain a pretreatment solution. Place the whole chicken, after its shape has been fixed, into a low-pressure slow cooker, add the pretreatment solution to completely submerge the chicken, turn off the equipment, and vacuum until the pressure inside the equipment is 0.03MPa. Then raise the temperature inside the equipment to 60℃ and maintain this pressure and temperature for slow cooking for 40 minutes. During the slow cooking process, adjust the pressure inside the equipment every 15 minutes to ensure that the pressure is stable at 0.03MPa. After slow cooking, remove the whole chicken from the low-pressure slow cooker and let it cool naturally to room temperature. Then soak it in a 1% tea polyphenol solution at 15℃ for 3 minutes, gently turning the whole chicken during the soaking process. Remove and drain the surface water.

[0024] Example 2 Select healthy, fresh broiler chickens. After bleeding, plucking, and eviscerating, remove internal organs, trachea, esophagus, and other impurities. Rinse thoroughly with clean water and drain to obtain a cleaned whole chicken. Soak the cleaned whole chicken in a 2.5% saline solution at 23℃ for 13 minutes, stirring every 4 minutes during the soaking process to initially remove any fishy smell. Then remove and rinse with clean water until no brine residue remains. Drain and set aside. Lay the drained whole chicken flat on the work surface. Use toothpicks to secure the chicken's wings, legs, and body, allowing the chicken to stretch naturally. Mix 10g of food-grade pectin and 25g of maltodextrin, then add 210g of deionized water. Stir at 55℃ until completely dissolved, then cool to room temperature to obtain a mixture. Apply the mixture evenly to the chicken skin to a thickness of 0.15mm, and let it stand for 6 minutes to allow the mixture to form a protective film on the chicken skin surface. Wash and cut 6g of ginger and 8g of scallions into sections, and prepare 2.5g of star anise and 1.5g of cinnamon. Wash 0.8g of bay leaves and set aside. Add the above spices to 100g of water, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for 25 minutes. Filter to remove residue and obtain spice water. When the spice water cools to 45℃, add 10g of cooking wine, 6g of light soy sauce, 4g of salt, and 3g of white sugar. Stir until completely dissolved to obtain a pretreatment solution. Place the whole chicken, after its shape has been fixed, into a low-pressure slow cooker, add the pretreatment solution to completely submerge the chicken, turn off the equipment, and vacuum the equipment to a pressure of 0.04MPa. Then raise the temperature inside the equipment to 63℃ and maintain this pressure and temperature for slow cooking for 50 minutes. During the slow cooking process, adjust the pressure inside the equipment every 18 minutes to ensure that the pressure is stable at 0.04MPa. After slow cooking, remove the whole chicken from the low-pressure slow cooker and let it cool naturally to room temperature. Then soak it in a 1.5% tea polyphenol solution at 18℃ for 4 minutes, gently turning the whole chicken during the soaking process. Remove and drain the surface water.

[0025] Example 3 Select healthy, fresh broiler chickens. After bleeding, plucking, and eviscerating, remove internal organs, trachea, esophagus, and other impurities. Rinse thoroughly with clean water and drain to obtain a cleaned whole chicken. Soak the cleaned whole chicken in a 25℃, 3% salt solution for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes during the soaking process to initially remove any fishy smell. Then remove and rinse with clean water until no salt water residue remains. Drain and set aside. Lay the drained whole chicken flat on the work surface. Secure the chicken's wings, legs, and body with toothpicks to ensure a naturally stretched position. Mix 10g of food-grade pectin and 30g of maltodextrin, then add 320g of deionized water. Stir at 60℃ until completely dissolved, then cool to room temperature to obtain a mixture. Apply the mixture evenly to the chicken skin to a thickness of 0.2mm and let it stand for 8 minutes to allow the mixture to form a protective film on the chicken skin. Wash and cut 8g of ginger and 10g of scallions into sections. Prepare 3g of star anise, 2g of cinnamon, and 1... Wash the bay leaves and set aside. Add the spices to 100g of water, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Filter to remove residue and obtain spice water. When the spice water cools to 50℃, add 12g of cooking wine, 7g of light soy sauce, 5g of salt, and 4g of white sugar. Stir until completely dissolved to obtain a pretreatment solution. Place the whole chicken, after its shape has been fixed, into a low-pressure slow cooker, add the pretreatment solution to completely submerge the chicken, turn off the equipment, and vacuum until the pressure inside the equipment is 0.05MPa. Then raise the temperature inside the equipment to 65℃ and maintain this pressure and temperature for slow cooking for 60 minutes. During the slow cooking process, adjust the pressure inside the equipment every 20 minutes to ensure that the pressure is stable at 0.05MPa. After slow cooking, remove the whole chicken from the low-pressure slow cooker and let it cool naturally to room temperature. Then soak it in a 2% (20℃) tea polyphenol solution for 5 minutes, gently turning the chicken during the soaking process. Remove and drain the surface water.

[0026] Comparative Example 1 Blanch the cleaned whole chicken in boiling water at 100℃ for 10 minutes, then remove and drain.

[0027] Twelve healthy broiler chickens of similar weight from the same batch were randomly divided into four groups of three. The four groups were pretreated using the processing techniques of Example 1, Example 2, Example 3, and Comparative Example 1, respectively. The results showed that the whole roasted chickens pretreated using the processing techniques of Example 1, Example 2, and Example 3 had significantly higher integrity of appearance, moisture content, tenderness, and flavor intensity than those pretreated using the processing technique of Comparative Example 1. Among them, Example 2 had the best performance in all indicators. This indicates that the pretreatment process of the present invention can effectively maintain the integrity of the whole roasted chicken, reduce moisture loss, and improve the tenderness and flavor quality of the chicken meat, which is superior to the traditional pretreatment process.

[0028] The technical scope of this invention is not limited to the content described above. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the above embodiments without departing from the technical concept of this invention, and all such modifications and variations should fall within the protection scope of this invention.

Claims

1. A low-pressure, low-temperature slow-cooking pretreatment process for preserving the integrity of the whole roasted chicken's shape, characterized in that: The process involves pre-treating the broiler chicken, then uniformly coating the surface of the whole chicken with a mixture to form a protective film. The whole chicken is then placed in a low-pressure slow-cooking device, and the pre-treatment solution is added to completely submerge the chicken. The device is then shut off, and a vacuum is created until the pressure inside the device is 0.03-0.05 MPa. Subsequently, the temperature inside the device is raised to 60-65°C, and this pressure and temperature are maintained for slow cooking for 40-60 minutes.

2. The low-pressure, low-temperature slow-cooking pretreatment process for maintaining the integrity of the whole roasted chicken's shape according to claim 1, characterized in that: During the slow cooking process, the pressure inside the equipment is adjusted every 15-20 minutes.

3. The low-pressure, low-temperature slow-cooking pretreatment process for maintaining the integrity of the whole roasted chicken's shape according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pretreatment solution consists of the following ingredients by weight: 100 parts water, 5-8 parts ginger, 6-10 parts scallions, 2-3 parts star anise, 1-2 parts cinnamon, 0.5-1 part bay leaves, 8-12 parts cooking wine, 5-7 parts light soy sauce, 3-5 parts salt, and 2-4 parts white sugar.

4. The low-pressure, low-temperature slow-cooking pretreatment process for maintaining the integrity of the whole roasted chicken's shape according to claim 1, characterized in that: Before evenly applying the mixture to the surface of the whole chicken, use toothpicks to fix the chicken's wings, legs, and body in place, so that the chicken is in a naturally stretched position.

5. The low-pressure, low-temperature slow-cooking pretreatment process for maintaining the integrity of the whole roasted chicken's shape according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mixture consists of food-grade pectin and maltodextrin in a mass ratio of 1:2-3.

6. The low-pressure, low-temperature slow-cooking pretreatment process for maintaining the integrity of the whole roasted chicken's shape according to claim 1, characterized in that: Pre-treatment involves selecting healthy, fresh broilers, bleeding them, removing their feathers, and eviscerating them to remove impurities such as internal organs, trachea, and esophagus. The chickens are then rinsed with clean water and drained to obtain a cleaned whole chicken.

7. The low-pressure, low-temperature slow-cooking pretreatment process for maintaining the integrity of the whole roasted chicken's shape according to claim 6, characterized in that: Pretreatment also includes immersing the cleaned whole chicken in a 2-3% salt solution for 10-15 minutes, then rinsing it with clean water until no salt water residue remains, and draining the water.

8. The low-pressure, low-temperature slow-cooking pretreatment process for maintaining the integrity of the whole roasted chicken's shape according to claim 7, characterized in that: The temperature of the salt solution should be 20-25℃, and it should be stirred every 3-5 minutes during the soaking process.

9. The low-pressure, low-temperature slow-cooking pretreatment process for maintaining the integrity of the whole roasted chicken's shape according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that: After slow cooking, remove the whole chicken from the low-pressure slow cooking equipment and let it cool naturally to room temperature. Then soak it in a 1-2% tea polyphenol solution for 3-5 minutes, and then remove it and drain the surface water.

10. The low-pressure, low-temperature slow-cooking pretreatment process for maintaining the integrity of the whole roasted chicken's shape according to claim 9, characterized in that: The temperature of the tea polyphenol solution is 15-20℃.