PURPOSE: To obtain bean curd having good preservation quality without growth of bacteria, by washing and cooling bean curd obtained in a process ranging from the raw material treatment to product cutting still at a high temperature in water, directly packaging the bean curd, and rapidly cooling the packaged bean curd in cooling water kept at ice temperature.

CONSTITUTION: Bean curd obtained in a process ranging from raw material treatment to product cutting still at a high temperatured (about 80°C) is washed with water in a short time and cooled. The bean curd is then taken out of a washing tank, directly packaged at a high temperature (about 50°C) and then transferred from a charging inlet 13 of a cooling water tank 1 to a conveyor 10, dipped in cooling water kept at about ice temperature and rapidly cooled to a given temperature (about 5W6°C).