Method Of Producing Stackable Low-Fat Snack Chips

Abstract

Stackable, farinaceous based low-fat snack chips are produced from a thin chain link strip of dough blanks by baking the strip in an oven with the strip blanks supported and carried by a lower mold assembly. Alternatively, the strip may be partially baked and then fried with the strip blanks sandwiched between upper and lower molds to produce reduced fat stackable snack chips.

1 - 16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . A stackable, uniformly-shaped farinaceous based low-fat undistorted snack chip capable of being packed with other stackable, uniformly-shaped farinaceous based low-fat snack chips in a standard cylindrical snack chip can, produced by the steps of:
 (a) forming a farinaceous-based dough into a thin chain-link strip that is absent a moisture barrier and divided into a plurality of chain-links, each chain-link integrally connected to at least one adjacent chain-link, the strip pliable to conform to a surface shape of a lower mold on which the strip is placed without distortion in alignment therewith;   (b) baking the aligned undistorted strip in a baking oven with the chain-links of the strip supported by the lower mold to yield a baked undistorted strip having even moisture content;   (c) removing the baked undistorted strip having even moisture content from the oven;   (d) coating the baked undistorted strip having even moisture content with oil; and   (e) breaking the baked undistorted strip having even moisture content into a plurality of individual stackable baked undistorted snack chips having even moisture content, each said individual stackable baked undistorted snack chip having even moisture content thereby defining at least one broken edge where prior to step (e) the individual baked undistorted snack chip having even moisture content was one of the chain-links in the strip connected to the at least one adjacent chain-link.   
     
     
         18 . The snack chip as recited in  claim 17 , wherein step (a) the strip formed from the dough has a thickness of at least 0.4 mm. 
     
     
         19 . The snack chip as recited in  claim 17 , wherein step (a) the strip formed from the dough has a thickness of between 0.4 mm and 2.0 mm. 
     
     
         20 . The snack chip as recited in  claim 17 , wherein step (b) bakes the aligned undistorted strip on an endless chain link mold. 
     
     
         21 . The snack chip as recited in  claim 17 , wherein the baked undistorted strip has a moisture content of 1% to 3% by weight. 
     
     
         22 . The snack chip as recited in  claim 17 , wherein the baked undistorted strip is coated with oil to have approximately 1% to 10% oil by weight. 
     
     
         23 . The snack chip as recited in  claim 17 , further comprising the step of seasoning the baked undistorted strip after step (d). 
     
     
         24 . The snack chip as recited in  claim 17 , wherein step (b) bakes the aligned undistorted strip for between 1 and 5 minutes at a temperature of between 175° C. and 300° C. 
     
     
         25 . The snack chip as recited in  claim 17 , further comprising the step of guiding the baked undistorted strip onto an oven discharge conveyor, including but not limited to a dead-plate. 
     
     
         26 . A method of producing stackable, uniformly-shaped farinaceous based reduced fat snack chips capable of being packed with other stackable, uniformly-shaped farinaceous based low-fat snack chips in a standard cylindrical snack chip can, comprising the steps of forming a farinaceous based dough into a thin chain-link strip that is absent a moisture barrier and having a plurality of chain-links, each chain-link integrally connected to at least one adjacent chain-link, the strip pliable to conform to a surface shape of a lower mold on which the strip is placed without distortion in alignment therewith; baking the aligned undistorted strip in a baking oven to a partially baked state having even moisture content with the chain-link strip supported by the lower mold; frying the partially baked strip having even moisture content in a fryer; removing the fried strip having even moisture content from the fryer; seasoning the fried strip having even moisture content; and breaking the fried strip having even moisture content into individual stackable snack chips having even moisture content, each said individual stackable snack chip having even moisture content thereby defining at least one broken edge where prior to breaking the individual snack chip having even moisture content is one of the chain-links in the chain-link strip connected to the at least one adjacent chain-link. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the dough is formed into a strip having a thickness of at least 0.4 mm. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the dough is formed into a strip having a thickness of between 0.4 mm and 2.0 mm. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the strip blanks are fried sandwiched between upper and lower molds. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising the step of seasoning the strip after frying. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 26  wherein the strip is baked for between 30 and 90 seconds at between 175° C. and 300° C. and fried for between 3 and 15 seconds at between 175° C. and 190° C. 
     
     
         32 . A snack chip produced in accordance with the method of  claim 26 .