Abstract: A method for testing the ingredients of fabricated snack products includes the steps of; producing snack product test pieces using a test ingredient; evaluating certain characteristics of the test pieces; and then using this information to predict the characteristics of a fabricated snack product containing the test ingredient. Initially, a dough containing the test ingredient is mixed under controlled conditions. A quantity of the dough is extruded using an extrusion apparatus adapted to extrude the dough at a uniform rate regardless of the dough's consistency. The extruded dough is then cut into dough pieces having a uniform length, wall thickness and density. Next, the dough pieces are cooked at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time to form the snack product test pieces. Characteristics of the test pieces are determined and analyzed as a predictor of similar characteristics in a fabricated snack product containing the test ingredient.

Abstract: A process for dehydrating food products particularly suited to the dehydration of potatoes for use in the preparation of hashbrown potatoes, and the product of said process. In accordance with the process of the invention, a food product is prepared into separate pieces for drying. The separate pieces are then coated with a dry mixture which includes a separation particulate which maintains separation between adjacent pieces such that the pieces may be more efficiently and effectively hot air dried. The dry mixture may also include ingredients which react with moisture on the food product surface to form the adhesive surface for adhering the dry mixture to the food product. For the preparation of hashbrown potatoes, the dry mixture may include spices, browning ingredients, and patty-binding ingredients. For the preparation of casserole potato dishes, the dry mixture may include spices, dehydrated vegetables and cheeses, and a thickening agent.

Abstract: A process for forming a snack product and a snack formed therefrom with discontinuous characteristics. The process includes forming a first highly cohesive dough and a second less cohesive dough matrix, combining the first and second discrete dough components into a composite dough sheet, cutting the dough sheet into a multiplicity of dough preforms, and frying the preforms to produce a snack with discontinuous characteristics.

Abstract: A process for producing expanded corn snack products. The products are preferably made in a fluted ring shape, and have an expanded, airy texture. The process for producing the products includes successive cutting steps wherein the corn is comminuted to a relatively narrow particle size distribution with most of the corn retained on a #40 or #60 mesh screen. The corn is comminuted by impelling whole cooked corn kernels against a blade and through a screen having a ratio of open area screen material of from about 1:1 to about 3:1.

Abstract: A process for producing expanded corn snack products. The products are preferably made in a fluted ring shape, and have an expanded, airy texture. The process for producing the products includes successive cutting steps wherein the corn is comminuted to a relatively narrow particle size distribution with most of the corn retained on a #40 or #60 mesh screen. The corn is comminuted by impelling whole cooked corn kernels against a blade and through a screen having a ratio of open area:screen material of from about 1:1 to about 3:1.

Abstract: A process for dehydrating food products particularly suited to the dehydration of potatoes for use in the preparation of hashbrown potatoes. In accordance with the process of the invention, a food product, e.g. a potato is prepared into separate pieces for drying. The separate pieces are then coated with a dry mixture which includes a separation particulate which maintains separation between adjacent pieces such that the pieces may be more efficiently and effectively hot air dried. The dry mixture also includes ingredients which react with moisture on the food product surface to form an adhesive surface for adhering the dry mixture to the food product. For the preparation of hashbrown potatoes, the dry mixture may include spices, browning ingredients, and patty-binding ingredients. For the preparation of casserole potato dishes, the dry mixture may include spices, dehydrated vegetables and cheeses, and a thickening agent.

Abstract: The invention comprises a dough preform which when fried, produces a snack chip product having a predetermined level of surface bubbling. The dough preform has outer dough portions having substantially less moisture than inner dough portion. The dough preform is made by a process that includes sheeting a dough having from about 30% to about 55% moisture, removing a portion of the moisture from the dough sheet, at a greater rate from the outer dough portions than from the inner dough portion and then frying the partially dried dough prior to any significant equilibration of moisture between the outer and inner dough portions. The moisture can be removed from the dough sheet or preform by heat, air movement or a combination of the two.

Abstract: Corrugated snack food pieces are fabricated from a dough directed through a pair of mated corrugated sheeting rolls. The dough is impressed with the corrugated pattern of the sheeting rolls and subsequently cut into individual snack food pieces. The dough is fed directly into the sheeting rolls so that no prior memory is imparted to the dough sheet prior to receiving its corrugated shape. The corrugated sheeting rolls may be scored transverse to the corrugations to provide transverse webs of dough between adjacent corrugations.

Abstract: The invention comprises a dough preform which when fried, produces a snack chip product having a predetermined level of surface bubbling. The dough preform has outer dough portions having substantially less moisture than inner dough portion. The dough preform is made by a process that includes sheeting a dough having from about 30% to about 55% moisture, removing a portion of the moisture from the dough sheet, at a greater rate from the outer dough portions than from the inner dough portion and then frying the partially dried dough prior to any significant equilibration of moisture between the outer and inner dough portions. The moisture can be removed from the dough sheet or preform by heat, air movement or a combination of the two.

Abstract: Dough pieces are dockered by a rotating flexible bristle brush to form dockering holes in the dough to prevent puffing during frying. The flexible bristles increase the point density of dockering holes in the dough while avoiding sticking or wrinkling of the dough during the dockering step. Upon frying a fried snack product having dockering holes is produced.

Abstract: Dough pieces are dockered by a rotating flexible bristle brush to form dockering holes in the dough to prevent puffing during frying. The flexible bristles increase the point density of dockering holes in the dough while avoiding sticking or wrinkling of the dough during the dockering step.

Abstract: A deep-fat fried expanded snack product is made from a moist dough according to a technique which prevents undue distortion of the snack during frying. The dough can include cooked potato solids, masa, and/or one or more cereal flours, with a moisture content of about 35% to 60% at the time of frying. An amount of ungelatinized starch can be present in the dough when fried. In one embodiment, the dough is extruded as a pair of separate long, thin strands which are formed into a composite dough piece by adhering the strands by surface contact along the long dimension of the strands. The two adherent strands can be straight solid dough pieces in side-by-side contact, or the strands can be twisted together to form a braid. In another embodiment, a sheeted dough piece can be slit lengthwise along its center and partially through the depth of the dough piece to form the equivalent of a pair of adhering strands.

Abstract: Fried snack food products are produced by grinding cereal grain kernels such that all of the ground grain passes through a U.S. Number 20 screen, uniformly hydrating the ground grain into a grain/water slurry, cooking the grain/water slurry under conditions used to uniformly gelatinize the starch in said slurry such that a gel is formed thereby, cooling and reducing in size the gel such that dry ingredients may be added to the gel, forming the gel so that it may be cut into individual snack food pieces, and thereafter drying the pieces for long term storage or frying the pieces for immediate consumption. The process produces the snack food product which has more uniform texture, is less expensive to produce and does not have the characteristic limed flavor of conventional "Mexican-style" corn chips.

Abstract: A process for making fried expanded snack products includes preparing a moist dough principally from solids, such as corn or potato solids. Larger particle size dry food particles, such as wheat or rice particles, are included in the dough. The dough is then formed, such as by roller-forming, into a thin sheet, and dough pieces cut from the sheeted dough are fried in hot cooking oil to form a fried expanded snack. The larger food particles project through or are contained in the surface of each dough piece to cause steam to escape during frying, which greatly reduces "puffing", i.e., formation of undesired bubbles in the snack, during frying. By providing a sufficient number of larger particles with an average particle size at least about to the thickness of the dough piece (so that an appreciable number of particles can project through or be contained in the surface of the dough piece), formation of undesired large bubbles is significantly reduced.

Abstract: A dehydrated fabricated potato piece for reconstitution into hash brown potatoes is made for admixture with dehydrated fresh potato pieces. The fabricated potato piece is made from a dough or potato solids (comprising one or more of potato flakes, potato granules or potato flour) with or without mashed potatoes. If mashed potatoes are used, they may be either fresh mashed potatoes or rehydrated dried mashed potatoes. The potato dough is sheeted between a pair of sheeting rolls at a moisture content less than 55%. The sheet of potato dough is then cut into strips and predried to a moisture content of less than 30%. Thereafter, the strips are cut into individual potato pieces, final dried to a moisture of about 7%, and may be mixed with dehydrated fresh potato pieces in a proportion of from 10:90 to 90:10 respectively, and packaged for later rehydration into hash browns.

Abstract: A hash brown potato patty is formed from fresh potato shreds and a dry binder, deep fat fried and frozen for subsequent reheating in a conventional household toaster. The dry binder is made from fresh potato pieces which are blanched, frozen, ground to appropriate size, dried at a temperature below the resolubilization temperature of retrograded amylose and subsequently added to the potato shreds. The potato shreds are made by blanching and cooling fresh potato pieces and holding at a reduced temperature for a predetermined period of time. After shredding, water and the dry binder are mixed with the potato shreds, such that the dry binder is uniformly hydrated and dispersed within the shreds. During frying, the retrograded amylose in the binder forms an essentially continuous film around the periphery of the patty, reducing the oil absorption during frying and subsequent release during reheating.

Abstract: An expanded fried cereal-based snack product is prepared from a dough consisting essentially of (1) a low water-absorbing component (LOWAC) comprising one or more raw or partially gelatinized cereal flours comprising about 20% to about 80%, by weight, of the total dry solids; (2) a high water-absorbing component (HIWAC) comprising one or more pregelatinized cereal starches of flours comprising from about 10% to about 35%, by weight, of the total dry solids; and (3) a starch component comprising one or more ungelatinized starches comprising from about 10% to about 45%, by weight, of the total dry solids. The dry solids are mixed with water to form a dough having a moisture content from about 35% to about 50% by weight of the dough. The dough is then sheeted and cut into a dough piece which is fried in hot cooking oil to form a fried snack that expands about 1.4 to about 2.5 times during frying, producing a snack of uniform expansion and low fat content.

Abstract: An expanded fried cereal-based snack product is prepared from a dough consisting essentially of (1) a low water-absorbing component (LOWAC) comprising one or more raw or partially gelatinized cereal flours comprising about 15% to about 80%, by weight, of the total dry solids; (2) a high water-absorbing component (HIWAC) comprising one or more pregelatinized cereal starches or flours comprising from about 3% to about 40%, by weight, of the total dry solids; and (3) a starch component comprising one or more ungelatinized starches comprising from about 10% to about 45%, by weight, of the total dry solids. The dry solids are mixed with water to form a dough having a moisture content from about 40% to about 50%, by weight of the dough, and a dough piece is then extruded from the dough and fried in hot cooking oil to form a fried snack that expands about 1.2 to about 3.0 times during frying, producing a snack of uniform expansion and low fat content.

Abstract: Fried snack food products are produced by grinding cereal grain kernels such that all of the ground grain passes through a U.S. Number 20 screen, uniformly hydrating the ground grain into a grain/water slurry, cooking the grain/water slurry under conditions used to uniformly gelatinize the starch in said slurry such that a gel is formed thereby, cooling and reducing in size the gel such that dry ingredients may be added to the gel, forming the gel so that it may be cut into individual snack food pieces, and thereafter drying the pieces for long term storage or frying the pieces for immediate consumption. The process produces the snack food product which has more uniform texture, is less expensive to produce and does not have the characteristic limed flavor of conventional "Mexican-style" corn chips.

Abstract: A non-volatile potato flavor enhancing composition is added to processed potatoes to provide a natural potato flavor. The flavor enhancer comprises a sugar component, an acidic component provided by at least one acid naturally present in the potato, a metallic flavor component provided by at least one salt of a metal naturally present in a potato, and a bitter flavor component provided by potato solids heated in air at a sufficiently high temperature and for a sufficient length of time to cause browning of the potatoes to the extent that a bitter flavor potato component is produced. The flavor enhancer is used for improving the flavor of processed potatoes such as dehydrated mashed potatoes, fabricated potato snacks, has brown potato patties, and the like.