Method of manufacturing low surface oil potato chip using zonal microwave heating

• Main Authors: BRIAN RICHARD NEWBERRY, BARBARA LOUISE WARBURG, OLIVER HERBERT, MICHAEL ALFRED JAMES SPURR, DAVID JOHN ROBERTS, LINDSAY ANNE DOBSON, RICHARD ANDREW BAILEY, GLYN R BARTLETT, NAOMI JANE CLARK, PAUL FREDRICK TOMLINSON
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 04.01.2012
• Subjects: FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; FOODS, FOODSTUFFS, OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT COVERED BYSUBCLASSES A23B - A23J; HUMAN NECESSITIES; PRESERVATION OF FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS, IN GENERAL; THEIR PREPARATION OR TREATMENT, e.g. COOKING, MODIFICATION OFNUTRITIVE QUALITIES, PHYSICAL TREATMENT; THEIR TREATMENT, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES

A method of manufacturing potato chips comprises the steps of: a) conveying potato slices through a reservoir of oil (106, figure 8), b) using an oil jet (140, figure 8) to agitate the potato slices in the oil; c) removing the potato slices from the oil; d) removing surface oil from the potato slices (figure 13); e) conveying the potato slices through a a plurality of successive independent microwave zones; f) preheating the potato slices in a first preheating zone 418; g) explosively dehydrating the products in a second explosive dehydration zone 420, 422, the second zone having a microwave power value higher than that of the first zone; and h) drying the potato slices in a third drying microwave zone 424.