GB2384968A

GB2384968A - Pre-salted and double-fried potato chip

Info

Publication number: GB2384968A
Application number: GB0203202A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Salil Shetty
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-02-11
Filing date: 2002-02-11
Publication date: 2003-08-13
Also published as: GB0203202D0

Abstract

Chips are cut from a peeled and sliced raw potato, soaked in salt water for five minutes, fried in vegetable oil at a temperature of 170-180 degrees C for three minutes, drained for up to 2 minutes, and then fried again at a temperature of 180-190 degrees C for two minutes. The process produces a salt-flavoured chip with a crisp exterior and a moist interior. The salt solution contains up to 30% by weight of sodium chloride. The chips are drained and allowed to air dry after soaking. The vegetable oil is corn or sunflower oil.

Description

THE FLAVOUR IMBUED GREAT BRITISH CHIP AND THE PROCESS FOR PREPARING The present invention relates to a high moisture, fat-laden, soggy, classically flavoured vegetable food product, known as the great British chip, that combines external textura crispness with internal moistness. The invention has a ready-salted taste.

This invention further provides a method for preparing potato slices that will generate the textura dichotomy described above.

The patent application details, for the first time, the procedure as outlined above.

The chip is a well-known vegetable food product, often served as an accompaniment to protein food, that is derived from the plant Solanum tuberosum, commonly known as the potato.

The potato is a readily grown vegetable of high nutritional value. It is composed primarily of water (approximately 75%) and complex carbohydrate (15-20%). It is also a source of vitamin C. The water content of the potato alters with the environmental growing conditions and the variety.

The invention produces an appealing great British chip-ready to eat, with no need to sprinkle on salt.

The immersion of a cold food in hot triglyceride oil constitutes a process of cooking whereby heat from the hot medium is directly transferred to the foodstuff. This process is known as deep-frying. It is a rapid method of food cooking that produces a crisp exterior and soft interior. It has been applied particularly successfully to slices of the potato, as the potato's high water content causes the interior of the slice (chip) to boil whilst immersed in the frying medium, thereby forming capillary holes and voids.

Oil is then absorbed into these voids, creating a soggy interior, which contrasts effectively with the fat-rich crisp and golden coloured exterior.

A batch of chips is fried twice before being served, being drained of residual oil between the two timed periods of immersion in hot oil.

An object of this invention is to produce a chip that is imbued with a salt flavour, absorbs fat and retains a high moisture content in the interior, providing a pleasing contrast to the crisp exterior.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a process for making a salt flavoured, fat-absorbent, soggy chip.

Accordingly, this invention provides an edible potato product, a soggy chip, fashioned from a peeled raw potato tuber that is steeped in a pre-prepared sodium chloride salt solution, aired ; deep fried in triglyceride oil at a specified temperature for a specified period of time; removed from the frying medium and allowed to drain for a specified period of time; re-introduced to the triglyceride oil at a specified temperature for a second specified period of time, drained and served. The present invention also relates to the method of preparing the edible potato product, the great British chip.

The slices of potato that constitute the uncooked chips are made from potato tubers of a British variety, where water content is maximised by environmental growing conditions. They can, however, be created from tubers of non-British origin.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIGURE 1 shows the size and shape of the raw potato slices ; FIGURE 2 shows the freshly washed slices being drained In a punctured receptacle to remove excess water; FIGURE 3 Illustrates the process of soaking the raw potato slices in a pre-prepared salt solution to imbue a salt flavour ; FIGURE 4 depicts the process of draining and allowing to air dry; FIGURE 5 shows the process of immersion in boiling oil ; FIGURE 6 depicts the process of standing on a non-porous surface; FIGURE 7 illustrates the process of immersion in boiling oil a second time; FIGURE 8 shows the process of draining ; FIGURE 9 illustrates the process of serving.

As shown in Figure 1, a raw, freshly peeled British potato tuber is cut into slices of 15mm x 15mm x 90mm. The most suitable British potatoes for chip production are: Cara ; Desiree ; Fianna; King Edward ; Maris Peer; Maris Piper ; Premiere; Sante; Saxon and Wilja. Maris Piper are widely recognised as the best potatoes for chipping.

Figure 2 shows the freshly washed slices being drained in a punctured receptacle to remove excess water.

Figure 3 details the salt flavour imbuing process. The batch of chips is submerged for five minutes in a pre-prepared sodium chloride salt solution. Each individual chip takes up the distinctive traditional salt chip flavour.

The slices are then left to air dry for a short period of time (Figure 4), As shown in Figure 5, the potato slices are subsequently immersed for a period of approximately three minutes in a triglyceride vegetable oil, such as that derived from the corn or sunflower plant, which is maintained at a temperature of 170-180 degrees C.

As shown in Figure 6, the potato slices are removed from the oil, and left to drain for two minutes.

Figure 7 shows the par-cooked potato slices being reintroduced into the oil, now heated to a temperature of 180-190 degrees C, for a period of approximately two minutes.

As shown in Figure 8 the slices are removed from the cooking medium and drained.

Figure 9 shows the slices in their final form, ready to be served. They present an appealing textural dichotomy that manifests itself in a pleasing, golden coloured, crisp exterior and a tender, moist, salt flavoured imbued and soggy interior. Their common name is the chip.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A fat-absorbent, soggy potato chip imbued with the flavour of salt.
2. An edible potato product, a chip, fashioned from a peeled and sliced raw potato tuber that is soaked (defused imbibition) in a sodium chloride salt solution (concentration up to 30 per cent by weight), drained; dried; deep fried in triglyceride oil at a specified temperature for a specified period of time; removed from the frying medium and allowed to drain for a specified period of time; re-introduced to the triglyceride oil at a specified temperature for a second specified period of time, drained and served.
3. A potato chip as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the potato slices are soaked in a salt solution for five minutes to imbue the chips with the salt flavour.
4. The slices are drained of excess water and allowed to air dry.
5. A potato chip as claimed in Claim 2 or Claim 3, wherein the freshly washed, drained and dried raw peeled potato slices are immersed for a period of three minutes in a triglyceride vegetable oil, such as that derived from the corn or sunflower plant, which is maintained at a temperature of 170-180 degrees C.
6. A potato chip as claimed in Claim 3 or Claim 4, wherein potato slices are removed from the oil, and left to drain for up to two minutes.
7. A potato chip as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the par-cooked potato slices are reintroduced into the oil, at a constant temperature of 180-190 degrees C, for a period of approximately 2 minutes.
8. A potato chip as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the potato slices are removed from the cooking oil and drained. The slices are now in their final form, presenting an appealing textura dichotomy that manifests itself in a pleasing, golden coloured, crisp exterior and a tender, salt flavoured soggy interior. These cooked slices are known as chips.

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9. A potato chip as described herein with reference to Figures 1-9 of the accompanying drawings.
10. A method of preparing a foodstuff from the potato comprising the following steps: a peeled and sliced raw potato steeped in a pre prepared sodium chloride salt solution, drained; aired; deep fried in triglyceride oil at a specified temperature for a specified period of time; removed from the frying medium and allowed to drain for a specified period of time; re-introduced to the triglyceride oil at a specified temperature for a second specified period of time, drained and served.