Abstract: An automated apparatus and method for sequentially slicing potatoes into slices, for cooking the slices into chips in a circular oil bath, and for separating the cooked chips from the bath. The apparatus includes a potato slicer, a circular frying trough with oil circulating means and controlled heating means, a rotating and angle changing plurality of circularly arranged paddles for positioning chips in and along the trough during their cooking, a carousel for lifting and separating cooked chips from the trough, and a conveyor belt for delivering the chips from the carousel to a collection point. The method utilizes the apparatus.

Abstract: An apparatus for preparing fried food chips includes a slicer for slicing whole foodstuffs into unfried chips, a cooking bath defined by a trough containing heated cooking medium, unfried chips being dispensed from the slicer into the cooking bath, the trough providing a cooking path, a submersion screen movable to receive the dispensed chips thereunder and moving along with the chips during at least a portion of the cooking to maintain the dispensed chips submerged, a motor system for mechanically communicating with and driving the submersion screen, and an output from the machine for receiving the cooked chips, wherein the cooking path is non-linear with portions disposed at a distance defining a central portion, and the motor system is mechanically connected with the submersion screen between the two cooking path portions in the central portion. A control system is provided for calculating production and a division of revenue based thereon.

Abstract: An automated apparatus and method for sequentially slicing potatoes into slices, for cooking the slices into chips in a circular oil bath, and for separating the cooked chips from the bath. The apparatus includes a potato slicer, a circular frying trough with oil circulating means and controlled heating means, a rotating and angle changing plurality of circularly arranged paddles for positioning chips in and along the trough during their cooking, a carousel for lifting and separating cooked chips from the trough, and a conveyor belt for delivering the chips from the carousel to a collection point. The method utilizes the apparatus.