How It's Made - Potato Chips

How It's Made Archive

11 Aug 201604:29

Summary

TLDRThis video script details the journey of potatoes into the beloved snack, potato chips. Fresh potatoes are peeled, sliced, and fried in canola oil at 375°F, taking only 3 minutes to transform. The process includes removing dirt, peeling, size separation, and cutting into various shapes. After frying, chips are seasoned and packaged, with a quality check to remove any defective chips. The script also briefly touches on the production of another snack, cheesies, made from corn flour and flavored with cheese and natural colorings.

Takeaways

🥔 Fresh potatoes are crucial for making potato chips, with a maximum age of 24 hours to avoid black spots.
🌊 Potatoes are cleaned and peeled using machines that can process up to 12,000 lb per hour.
🔎 A machine separates potatoes by size, ensuring uniformity for the cutting process.
🔪 Adjustable slicers can cut potatoes into different thicknesses and shapes, like ripple chips.
🌀 Centrifugal force is used to throw potatoes against sharp blades for slicing.
🍟 An average potato can yield about 36 chips.
💦 Potato slices are washed and dried in a barrel and with an air blower.
🍳 Frying in canola oil at 375° F takes only 3 minutes to turn slices into chips.
💧 Excess oil is removed from the chips by dripping and a salt shower is applied.
👁‍🗨 An electronic camera inspects chips for defects, removing any with brown spots or other issues.
🧀 Another popular snack, cheesies, is made by mixing corn flour with water and extruding it through round holes.
🔥 The heat from the extrusion process causes the cheese puffs to curl.
🌈 Puffs are seasoned with a mixture of canola oil, powdered cheese, and natural colorings.
🔢 The chips are weighed and portioned before being packaged.
🏭 The entire process from raw potato to packaged chips takes about 15 minutes.

Q & A

What is the maximum age of potatoes used for making potato chips?
-Potatoes must be no more than 24 hours old to be used for making potato chips.
How does the brushing machine help in the potato chip production process?
-The brushing machine removes dirt from the potatoes before they are sent to the peeler.
What is the peeling process like for potatoes in the production line?
-Potatoes tumble against peelers, which are BRAC of rollers, until the skins come off.
What is the capacity of the peeling machine in terms of potatoes per hour?
-The peeling machine can process 12,000 pounds of potatoes per hour.
How are potatoes separated by size during the production process?
-A machine separates potatoes by size, where small ones fall below to be rinsed and larger ones stay on top to be cut.
What is the role of the centrifugal force in slicing potatoes?
-The centrifugal force created by the spinning throws the potatoes against the sharp blades to slice them.
What is the typical thickness of regular potato chip slices?
-Regular potato chip slices are typically cut to be 61/100s of an inch thick.
How many potato chips can an average potato yield?
-An average potato can yield about 36 potato chips.
What is the purpose of the washing process for potato slices?
-The washing process involves spinning the potato slices in a giant barrel of cold fresh water to clean them.
How is excess water removed from potato slices after washing?
-Excess water is removed by passing the slices under an air blower, similar to a car wash.
What is the temperature of the canola oil used for frying potato slices?
-The canola oil in the fryer boils at 375° F.
How long does it take to fry potato slices into chips?
-It takes just 3 minutes to fry potato slices into chips.
How does the seasoning process for potato chips work?
-Potato chips are sprayed with powdered seasonings that simulate flavors such as barbecue or salt and vinegar.
What is the role of the electronic camera in the potato chip production line?
-The electronic camera identifies any chips with brown spots or other defects and triggers a thin pipe to blow off the defective chips using air pressure.
What is the production time from raw potato to potato chips?
-It takes about 15 minutes to go from raw potato to potato chips.

Outlines

00:00

🍟 The Making of Potato Chips

The paragraph details the process of making potato chips. Fresh potatoes, no more than 24 hours old, are used to prevent black spots. They are cleaned, peeled by a machine capable of peeling 12,000 lbs per hour, and then separated by size. The potatoes are sliced to specific thicknesses or shapes, depending on the type of chip, using adjustable slicers. The slices are washed in a barrel of cold water and dried using an air blower. They are then fried in canola oil at 375° F for 3 minutes. After frying, excess oil is removed, and the chips are salted. A camera inspects the chips for defects, and any defective chips are removed using air pressure. The paragraph also briefly touches on the production of another snack, 'cheesies', made from corn flour mixed with water and extruded into puffs, which are then seasoned.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡potato chips

Potato chips, also known as crisps in some regions, are a popular snack food made from thinly sliced potatoes that are fried or baked until crispy. In the video, the production process of potato chips is the central theme, detailing how they are made from fresh potatoes within 24 hours to prevent black spots and the various stages of their preparation, including peeling, slicing, and frying.

💡peeler

A peeler is a machine used in the food industry to remove the skin from potatoes. In the context of the video, the peeler is depicted as a part of the initial stages of potato chip production where potatoes are cleaned and their skins are removed in preparation for the next steps in the process.

💡slicers

Slicers are machines with adjustable blades used to cut potatoes into thin slices for making chips. The video mentions that the slicers can be set to different thicknesses or shapes, such as for Ripple chips, and that the centrifugal force from the spinning motion throws the potatoes against the blades.

💡centrifugal force

Centrifugal force is the apparent force that draws a body away from the center of a circular path. In the video, this force is used to explain how the potato slices are thrown against the sharp blades of the slicers, ensuring even and consistent cutting for the production of potato chips.

💡canola oil

Canola oil is a type of vegetable oil derived from the seeds of the canola plant. It is used in the video as the frying medium for potato slices, with the oil boiling at 375° F to cook the slices into chips. Canola oil is chosen for its neutral flavor and high smoke point, which is ideal for deep frying.

💡seasonings

Seasonings are substances used to add flavor to food. In the video, after the potato slices are fried, they are sprayed with powdered seasonings that simulate various flavors such as barbecue or salt and vinegar. This step personalizes the taste of the chips and makes them appealing to a wider range of consumers.

💡extrusion machine

An extrusion machine is a device used to shape materials by forcing them through a die or a nozzle. In the video, an extrusion machine is used to make 'cheesies,' a popular snack food. The machine forces a corn flour and water mixture through round holes, creating snake-like streams that are then cut into pieces.

💡defect detection

Defect detection in the context of the video refers to the process of identifying and removing chips that have brown spots or other imperfections. An electronic camera is used to scan the chips, and when a defect is detected, a thin pipe blows the defective chip off the conveyor belt using air pressure.

💡rinser

A rinser is a machine used to clean food products, such as potatoes, by washing them in water. In the video, the rinser is part of the potato chip production line where peeled potatoes are cleaned to remove any remaining dirt or debris before they proceed to the next stages of processing.

💡conveyor belt

A conveyor belt is a moving belt system used to transport items from one location to another. In the video, conveyor belts are used throughout the production process to move potatoes and potato slices from one machine to another, such as from the peeler to the slicer and from the fryer to the seasoning station.

💡packaging

Packaging refers to the process of enclosing or protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use. In the video, the final step in the potato chip production is packaging, where the chips are weighed, separated into portions, and dropped into bags that are then heat-sealed to preserve freshness.

Highlights

Potato chips are made with fresh potatoes no more than 24 hours old to prevent black spots.

A brushing machine removes dirt from the potatoes before peeling.

Potatoes are peeled by a machine with rollers that can process 12,000 lb per hour.

A size separation machine sorts potatoes, with small ones falling for rinsing and larger ones staying for cutting.

Slicers with adjustable blades can cut potatoes into different thicknesses and shapes, including ripple chips.

Centrifugal force from spinning throws potatoes against blades for slicing.

Regular chips are cut to a thickness of 61/100s of an inch.

An average potato yields about 36 chips.

Potato slices are washed in a giant barrel of cold fresh water for about a minute.

An air blower dries the potato slices to remove excess water, similar to a car wash.

Frying in canola oil at 375° F takes just 3 minutes to turn potato slices into chips.

Excess oil from fried chips drips off on a conveyor belt, followed by a salt shower.

An electronic camera inspects chips for brown spots or defects, triggering an air pipe to remove faulty chips.

Cheesies are made by mixing corn flour with water and extruding it through round holes.

Heat in the extrusion machine causes the dough to expand, creating curled puffs.

Puffs are sprayed with a mixture of canola oil, powdered cheese, and natural colorings.

A revolving drum mixes the seasoning onto the puffs.

Potato chips are sprayed with powdered seasonings to simulate flavors like barbecue or salt and vinegar.

A machine separates and weighs portions of chips before packaging.

The entire process from raw potato to potato chips takes about 15 minutes.