Dehydrated potato processes

Abstract

Process for making a reconstitutable dehydrated, cooked potato piece or strip. Raw potatoes are cooked and a dough of separated potato cells is formed therefrom. A small quantity of the cells are ruptured to release their starch contents. The released starch alone or in combination with additional raw starch which is gelatinized after mixing with the dough are used to give the dough an adhesive character which will permit the eventually dried potato pieces to be reconstituted in water without loss of piece identity. After rupture of the potato cells the dough is maintained in a heated condition until formed into strips or pieces of the desired size after which they are dried. An alternative process employs raw starch as the principle means for obtaining the desired adhesive character in the dried potato pieces. In the alternative process the dough is processed and formed into the desired pieces or strips without heating and thereafter the raw starch is gelatinized by application of heat. The product is thereafter dried.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A process for producing permanently agglomerated reconstituted cooked potato strips or pieces suitable for use without loss of piece identity in the preparation of such potato dishes as pan fired or hash browns as a substitute for like strips or pieces of natural potato, comprising the steps of: (a) cooking fresh potatoes and producing therefrom a mash of separated potato cells; (b) incorporating uniformly into said mash sufficient ungelatinized raw starch to form a dough composed of a maximum of 20 percent by weight of said starch and a minimum of 80 percent by weight of said separated potato cells; (c) heating said dough at a temperature of about 190° F. to gelatinize said raw starch and provide a binding gel structure formed of said gelatinized starch and said separated potato cells; (d) forming said heated dough into pieces of strips about 1/8-1/4 inch in thickness; (e) predrying said piece or strips to about 65 percent moisture content out of contact with one another to remove the surface moisture so as to prevent them from adhering to one another; (f) drying said formed pieces or strips to a moisture content of about 71/2 percent; and (g) reconstituting said pieces of strips with water to absorb about 1.5-2.0 times their dry weight resulting in permanently agglomerated pieces or strips suitable for use without loss of piece identity as a substitute for natural potatoes in the preparation of such potato dishes as pan fried or hash browns. 
     
     
       2. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein said dough is formed debris-free, the debris being initially removed from the potatoes by removal of skin, eyes and other defective portions by mechanical and/or manual trimming. 
     
     
       3. A process in accordance with claim 1, wherein said dough is formed debris-free, the debris being removed during slurrying of the cooked potatoes and thereafter thickening the slurry. 
     
     
       4. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein the raw starch added is about 6-20 percent of the solids content of the dough. 
     
     
       5. The process of claim 1 in which a cooling step is performed following the forming step and prior to the drying step to create a more stable gel structure. 
     
     
       6. The process of claim 1 in which said reconstituting step can be accomplished in about 15-30 minutes in cold water, 5-10 minutes in water at 140° F., or 3-5 minutes in water at 200° F. 
     
     
       7. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein said dough comprises about 9 percent by weight of said ungelatinized raw starch. 
     
     
       8. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein said separated potato cells are a combination of freshly cooked and previously dehydrated separated potato cells. 
     
     
       9. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein the solids content of said dough is in the range of 20-25 percent to facilitate physical handling and to prevent sluffing of the end product upon reconstitution. 
     
     
       10. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein the raw starch is raw corn starch. 
     
     
       11. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein said forming step precedes said heating step.