Rice Cake Production
Raw Materials
Rice cakes have only two critical ingredients—rice and water. The rice itself needs certain characteristics to produce the best quality cake and limit breakage. Sticky rice, whether white or brown, tends to work best, while long-grain varieties don't expand during cooking as vigorously. Water is important early in preparation. Other ingredients like salt (added before popping or sprayed on after) and various flavorings are important considerations to taste-and nutrition-conscious consumers but are not significant to the production process.
Product Concept
Ease of production and marketability are major concerns when a new type of rice cake is considered. The popping machines are expensive investments, so the product must be readily adaptable to the machine. Production trials have shown that additives greatly increase the likelihood of breakage, so spices, herbs, and seeds are not mixed with the rice before the cake is made although they may be added to the surface later. Similarly, salt and flavorings are now sprayed on; earlier methods of adding them to the rice were less than successful in the survival rate of whole rice cakes and in taste. Some manufacturers have also eliminated mini rice cakes from their product line. The novelty of the smaller cakes was more costly to produce than sales warranted. A constant stream of new flavor possibilities and other options are under consideration, but only careful assurance of a contented public and minimal production difficulties justifies a new product line.
The Manufacturing Process
1. The simple process of making rice cakes is based on the fact that rice subjected to the right combination of heat and pressure will expand to fill a given space. The rice cakes are sprayed and packaged.
The manufacturer's specifically preferred type of raw rice (depending on stickiness, expansion potential, and taste) is soaked in water until the right moisture level is attained.
2. The moist rice is fed into
Rice cakes have only two critical ingredients—rice and water. The rice itself needs certain characteristics to produce the best quality cake and limit breakage. Sticky rice, whether white or brown, tends to work best, while long-grain varieties don't expand during cooking as vigorously. Water is important early in preparation. Other ingredients like salt (added before popping or sprayed on after) and various flavorings are important considerations to taste-and nutrition-conscious consumers but are not significant to the production process.
Product Concept
Ease of production and marketability are major concerns when a new type of rice cake is considered. The popping machines are expensive investments, so the product must be readily adaptable to the machine. Production trials have shown that additives greatly increase the likelihood of breakage, so spices, herbs, and seeds are not mixed with the rice before the cake is made although they may be added to the surface later. Similarly, salt and flavorings are now sprayed on; earlier methods of adding them to the rice were less than successful in the survival rate of whole rice cakes and in taste. Some manufacturers have also eliminated mini rice cakes from their product line. The novelty of the smaller cakes was more costly to produce than sales warranted. A constant stream of new flavor possibilities and other options are under consideration, but only careful assurance of a contented public and minimal production difficulties justifies a new product line.
The Manufacturing Process
1. The simple process of making rice cakes is based on the fact that rice subjected to the right combination of heat and pressure will expand to fill a given space. The rice cakes are sprayed and packaged.
The manufacturer's specifically preferred type of raw rice (depending on stickiness, expansion potential, and taste) is soaked in water until the right moisture level is attained.
2. The moist rice is fed into