A potato dough is prepared so that it is 23 to 40% solids including cooked intact potato cells, binder and raw starch, the remainder of the dough being moisture. The dough is divided into slabs and cut into strips of normal French fry potato size. The strips are then parfried in deep fat to a moisture content in the range of 40-65% to gelatinize the starch and form a matrix surrounding the intact potato cells throughout the piece, which matrix gels upon cooling, is not thereafter disturbed and m...

A cut food piece formed in the shape of a helical split ring (10) by means of first cutting a slot in the whole food product by slot cutter (30) prior to urging the whole food product into engagement with cutter blade assembly (20) having wheel plate (21) rotating about central axis (23). Said cutter blade assembly (20) further having a plurality of ring cutters (24) attached to and extending normally out from wheel plate (21) for cutting continuous concentric helical spirals in the whole food p...

A process for preparing improved french fried potatoes for subsequent reheating in a microwave oven is disclosed in which the potato strips are dust-coated with a thin layer of toasted potato granules and fat-encapsulated salt after frying in oil. In a preferred embodiment, potato strips are finish fried to a fully cooked, ready-to-eat condition and thereafter coated with a thin layer of toasted potato granules.

A method for producing french fried potato strips which includes washing and cutting raw potatoes into suitably sized strips. The raw potato strips are steam blanched, immersed in a hot brine solution, partially dehydrated in hot air, par fried in oil, and then frozen. After par frying, the strips have a solids content of about 20 to 45 percent by weight. The frozen french fries are reconstituted by finish frying, and have a sodium chloride content of about 0.5 to 2 percent by weight.

There is described a vending machine for heated food portions, which includes a feeder device (1) for food portions (32) to be heated, a heating equipment (3) composed of a tray (13) wherein flexible free members (33) are moved, in order to stir the food, and a device (7) for discharging folded containers (12) to receive the heated food.

The present invention relates to a process for making superior quality oven-finished French fries. i.e., French fried potato strips, by baking prebake par-fries in a forced air convection oven or impingement oven for about 0.5 to about 10 minutes at 325.degree. F. (162.8.degree. C.) to about 600.degree. F. (315.6.degree.) at an air velocity of from about 500 to about 10,000 feet per minute. After baking, the fries are optionally coated with oil. The oven-finished French fries of this invention a...

An apparatus for cooking French fries from a frozen pre-cooked condition that includes a bin (2) from which the frozen French fries may be delivered in a predetermined quantity to a first basket (11) via a balance (8). Bin (2) and balance (8) are placed in an enclosure (1) where a freezing temperature prevails. A cold airflow is kept in said enclosure and is circulated over evaporator (16) of cooling device placed in this enclosure to dry the air and therefore avoid clustering of the French frie...

A process for producing highly palatable french fried potatoes which are prepared for serving by a short reheating period in a conventional deep fat fryer is disclosed. The potato strips closely simulate the color, texture, aroma, flavor, mouthfeel and total eating experience of state of the art french fries prepared for serving in fast food restaurants by deep fat frying. The process includes dust-coating blanched potato strips with granules derived from potato products, and thereafter finish f...

A process for producing highly palatable french fried potatoes which are prepared for serving by reheating in a conventional microwave oven is disclosed. The potato strips closely simulate the color, texture, aroma, flavor, mouthfeel and total eating experience of state of the art french fries prepared for serving in fast food restaurants, i.e., by deep fat frying. The process includes dust-coating blanched potato strips with granules derived from potato products, and thereafter finish frying th...

Reduced oil French fried potato products, which have a crisp exterior and a soft interior, are provided herein. The potato products of the invention are made by coating French fry potato pieces with polyvinylpyrrolidone to provide the potato pieces with increased resistance to oil absorption during frying. The finished product has about the same moisture content as uncoated products.