Process and apparatus for forming a wave chip product

Abstract

Thin snack chips having a curved or wave shape are obtained by forming, shaping or curling baked chips into a curved or wave configuration before they become too cold and rigid so as to result in breakage during forming. The essentially flat, malleable baked chips, still hot from baking in an oven may be continuously transported on a conveyer belt into a nip or gap formed between the conveyer belt and a rotating forming roller to curve or curl the malleable baked chips around the roller. The malleable baked chips are subjected to a guided curtain of air to cool and set the chips in a curved or wave configuration and to remove or blow the curved or wave chips off of the rotating forming roller onto the conveyor belt.

1 - 46 . (canceled) 
     
     
         47 . A wave cookie chip comprising:
 a. wheat flour,   b. a pregelatinized waxy maize starch in an amount of from about 2% by weight to about 8% by weight, based upon the weight of the wheat flour,   c. at least one sugar, the total sugar solids content of the wave cookie chip being from about 30% by weight to about 80% by weight, based upon the weight of the flour,   
       wherein said flour, said pregelatinized waxy maize starch, and said at least one sugar are least substantially uniformly distributed throughout the cookie chip, said cookie chip having a concave surface and an opposing convex surface, each of said surfaces being at least substantially free of surface bubbles or blisters, said chip having a crispy texture and a thickness of less than about 0.10 inches. 
     
     
         48 . A wave cookie chip as claimed in  claim 47  further comprising flavor chips which are visually apparent from said concave and convex surfaces. 
     
     
         49 . A wave cookie chip as claimed in  claim 47  further comprising at least one stripe of icing on said convex surface or said concave surface. 
     
     
         50 . A wave cookie chip as claimed in  claim 47  which is stackable one on top of another into a substantially uniform vertical stack.