[Jincheon (North Chungcheong Province) = E-Daily Reporter KYUNG GYEYOUNG ] Soaked rice and water were added one after another into a square pot on a conveyor belt. The automatic hardness meter installed on the water supply hose read “0.0 ppm.” The rice is cooked using “soft water,” which has minimal mineral content, such as calcium and magnesium. The rice cooked this way is used in boxed lunches and triangular rice balls sold by the CU convenience store chain.

Hong Ki-young, Head of the Production Division at BGF Food, explained, “The lower the mineral content, the more evenly moisture penetrates to the center of the rice, resulting in better texture and taste.”

In response to the saying, “Rice cooked with ‘Jeju Samdasu’ tastes better”… softened water is now being used

. BGF Retail(282330), which operates CU, opened its BGF Food Jincheon Food Center in Jincheon County, North Chungcheong Province, to the media on the 28th. This facility is the largest in the domestic industry, capable of producing up to 360,000 meals per day of ready-to-eat foods (FF), such as boxed lunches, triangular rice balls, and sandwiches. CU also produces meal kits (MK)—such as tteokbokki and soups and stews—as well as processed foods (CK), like marinated meats and stir-fried kimchi used in boxed lunches, at this facility.

Recently, the Food Center added new rice-cooking equipment. The goal is to produce “delicious rice,” which is the cornerstone of convenient meals. Following improvements to rice varieties and equipment, the BGF Retail Food Tech Team turned its attention to the water used for cooking rice.

The impetus for using softened water to cook rice came from an unexpected clue. While the Food Tech Lab Task Force (TF) within BGF Retail’s Product Division was racking their brains for ways to improve the taste of rice, they heard that rice cooked with “Jeju Samdasu” tasted better. After actually testing this, they noticed that Jeju Samdasu has low water hardness. Currently, when cooking rice at the Food Center, water hardness (the amount of calcium and magnesium ions) is maintained at 5 mg per liter or less. This is a low level compared to the hardness of regular tap water, which ranges from 50 to 120 mg per liter. Rice cooked with soft water will be used across the board in CU’s lunch boxes, triangle rice balls, and gimbap, which go on sale starting the 28th.

BGF Retail explained that the true value of rice cooked with softened water becomes apparent over time. Rice stored in the refrigerator tends to harden as the starch ages. In fact, when the firmness of the rice was measured after storing it at 10°C for two days, rice cooked with regular tap water registered 53.1, while rice cooked with softened water was softer at 42.0. Even as the best-by date approached, the moisture retention of rice cooked with soft water was about 20% higher than that of conventional rice.

Lim Hyung-geun, Head of the Merchandising Division at BGF Retail, said, “Since convenience foods like triangular rice balls and boxed lunches do not contain preservatives or additives, refrigeration is the only way to extend their shelf life,” adding, “The rice cooked with soft water was the one that still tasted good even when eaten the day after refrigeration.”

Finding the Optimal Cooking Method After About 30 Attempts

BGF Retail also revamped the way it prepares ready-to-eat meals. The company became the first in the industry to independently develop a smart cooker capable of functioning not only as a microwave but also as an oven and an air fryer. The goal is to deliver food of the highest quality right up until the moment the customer eats it.

It’s simple to use. Customers just scan the barcode of the product they purchased at CU into the smart cooker and place the item inside. The smart cooker automatically determines which function to use and how long to cook it.

BGF Retail’s Food Tech Team conducted tests on approximately 1,000 microwave-ready products sold by CU to establish specific cooking conditions for each item. When we scanned the “Spicy Bulgogi Pita Bread” at a store location, the smart cooker displayed a cooking time of 3 minutes and 30 seconds. This product is typically labeled for 50 seconds in the microwave or 6–7 minutes in an air fryer. Once the product was placed in the Smart Cooker, it first defrosted in the microwave for 30 seconds and then operated in air fryer mode for 3 minutes. Compared to the microwave-cooked version, the product prepared in the Smart Cooker had a crispier exterior and the bread retained its moist texture.

Park Hee-jin, Head of the Strategic MD Team at BGF Retail, stated, “We meticulously determined the cooking method for each product to optimize cooking time while utilizing its multifunctional capabilities to achieve the best flavor.” She added, “While we were able to determine the cooking method for some products in just three or four attempts, for others, we had to try as many as 30 times or more.”

The Smart Cookers will be prioritized for stores located near university campuses, areas with a high concentration of studio apartments, and officetels—where there is a high proportion of customers in their 20s and 30s and single-person households. Following a pilot program involving 500 units, the plan is to replace all microwaves in CU stores with Smart Cookers by 2028.

"Improving Convenience for Meal Consumption and Expanding Food Options Like Bread"

The driving force behind CU’s efforts to enhance the quality of its ready-to-eat meals is the rising demand for such products. With dining-out costs soaring, more people are turning to convenience stores for meals—such as boxed lunches or triangular rice balls—instead of restaurants. As of September this year, CU’s average daily sales of meal-related products had increased by more than 16% compared to 2022. As of the second quarter, meal-related products—including home meal replacements (HMR) and ready-to-eat foods—accounted for 13.9% of convenience store sales.

Division Head Lim emphasized, “Following the launch of small-portion ready-to-eat meals, including ‘Mini Gimbap,’ this year, we plan to improve the convenience of consumption and expand our offerings to include alternatives to rice, such as bread, next year.” He added, “We will strive to further improve the quality of ready-to-eat meals by addressing various issues, such as optimizing shelf life and adding healthy meal replacements.”