How potato chips are done?

Potato chips are one of the most popular snacks of the world and West Africa. Many people believe that potato chips and cookies are the perfect choices whether you want a salty or sweet snack. But do you know how potato chips are done? Keep reading to learn the secrets!

The origin

It is said that chips were invented when someone sent back his fried potatoes complaining the slices were too thick. The insulted chef cut tem paper-thin and fried them to a crisp. So, pride and no necessity was the mother of potato chips.

Potato chips have since become the consummate snack food.

Cleaning a cutting the potato chips

They have to be made with fresh potatoes. No more than 24 hours old. Otherwise the chips will have black spots.

After a brushing machine removes the dirt, the potatoes travel along a water canal to the peeler. They tumble around and around against the peelers abrasive rollers until the skins come off.

Next they separate the potatoes by size. The small ones fall below to be rinsed. The larger ones stay on top to be cut. Then they fall down to the rinser too.

Next, the potatoes go through slicers. The slicer’s blades are adjustable. They can be set to different thickness or to different shapes to slice ripple chips for example. The centrifugal force created by the spinning throws the potatoes against the sharps blades. To make regular chips they cut slices very thin. An average potato will yield about 36 chips.

Finally, it is time to wash the potato slices. They spin inside a giant barrel of cold fresh water for about a minute.

Then like at the car wash the slices pass under air blower to dry up the excess water.

Frying the potatoes chips

The fryer contains oil boiling. It takes just three minutes to fry the potatoes slices into potato chips. As the chips exits the fryer on the conveyor belt, the excess oil drips off.

Next, they go through a shower of salt.

The chips then move on the sorter. An electronic camera identifies any chips that have browns spots or other defects. The camera then triggers the thin pipe directly above that bump chip to blow it off the conveyor belt with air pressure.

They spray the potatoes chips with powdered seasonings which simulate flavors such as barbecue or salt and vinegar.

Last step: packaging

The next machine separates and ways the portions to be packaged.

The chips drop into bags that are then heat seal.

It is taken about 15 minutes to go from raw potatoes to potatoes chips. A lot longer that it takes to eat them!

This article is provided by Africa Trading Group.

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