An object of the present invention is to provide a method for inhibiting the deterioration of eating-quality characteristics of a food containing gelatinized starch and to keep their eating-quality characteristics as just prepared after a relatively prolonged storage under freezing, refrigerating, chilling or room temperature. The present invention achieves the above object by a method of permeating of maltose and/or .alpha.,.alpha.-trehalose or saccharides comprising the same and other oligosaccharides in a prescribed ratio into the above food containing gelatinized starch by admixing the saccharide to the food and holding them at relatively high temperature for a prescribed period.