How It's Made - Potato Chips

Summary

This 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.