Process for Making a Healthy Snack Food

Abstract

The present invention is directed towards a method for making a healthy snack food having an appearance and taste similar to conventional fried snack products without the use of an oil-frying process. The method of the present invention includes the steps of providing food slices from a starch-based food or dough. The food slices can be blanched and a controlled amount of oil can be added to enhance final organoleptical properties. The food slices are then rapidly dehydrated to a much lower moisture content in a primary drying step that simulates conventional frying dehydration rates. A food snack, such as a corn or potato-based snack, produced by this method is a low-fat, ready-to-eat snack having the conventional texture and taste associated with fried snack products.

1 .- 99 . (canceled) 
     
     
         100 . A method for preparing shelf-stable food slices comprising the steps of:
 a) blanching a plurality of food slices in a warm oil dip, wherein the oil temperature of said warm oil dip is about 60° C. to about 99° C.;   b) cooking said food slices in a non-oil medium to a moisture level of less than 10% by weight of the finished slice.   
     
     
         101 . The method of  claim 100  wherein the duration of said warm oil dip of step a) is about 30 seconds to about 300 seconds. 
     
     
         102 . The method of  claim 100  wherein the oil temperature of said warm oil dip of step a) is about 75° C. to about 99° C. and further wherein the duration of said warm oil dip is about 50 seconds to about 150 seconds. 
     
     
         103 . The method of  claim 100  wherein the oil temperature of said warm oil dip of step a) is about 85° C. to about 95° C. and further wherein the duration of said warm oil dip is about 50 seconds to about 150 seconds. 
     
     
         104 . The method of  claim 100  wherein said warm oil dip is about 60 to about 120 seconds in duration and wherein further said food slice is brought to a temperature of about 60° C. to about 99° C. during said warm oil dip. 
     
     
         105 . The method of  claim 100  wherein the food slices are de-oiled after step a) and before step b). 
     
     
         106 . The method of  claim 105  wherein said food slices are subjected to a pre-drying step after de-oiling and prior to the cooking step b). 
     
     
         107 . The method of  claim 100  wherein said cooking of step b) comprises microwave cooking. 
     
     
         108 . The method of  claim 107  wherein the microwave cooking of step b) comprises a first dehydration rate and a second dehydration rate. 
     
     
         109 . The method of  claim 108  wherein said microwave cooking at step b) comprises a first dehydration rate of between about 0.02 grams of moisture per gram solid per second and about 0.20 grams of moisture per gram solid per second. 
     
     
         110 . The method of  claim 108  wherein said microwave cooking in step b) comprises a first dehydration rate of between about 0.06 grams of moisture per gram solid per second and about 0.18 grams of moisture per gram solid per second. 
     
     
         111 . The method of  claim 108  wherein said microwave cooking at step b) comprises a second dehydration rate of between about 0.004 grams of moisture per gram solid per second and about 0.08 grams of moisture per gram solid per second. 
     
     
         112 . The method of  claim 108  wherein said microwave cooking in step b) comprises a second dehydration rate of between about 0.01 grams of moisture per gram solid per second and about 0.06 grams of moisture per gram solid per second. 
     
     
         113 . The method of  claim 108  wherein said cooking at step b) further comprises a third dehydration rate of between about 0.0005 grams of moisture per gram solid per second and about 0.03 grams of moisture per gram solid per second. 
     
     
         114 . The method of  claim 113  wherein said third dehydration rate is between about 0.002 grams of moisture per gram solid per second and about 0.02 grams of moisture per gram solid per second. 
     
     
         115 . The method of  claim 107  wherein said microwave cooking at step b) occurs in a rotary microwave. 
     
     
         116 . The method of  claim 100  wherein one or more of said slices in step a) is a food product consisting primarily off a food material selected from the group of corn, waxy corn, oats, wheat, sorghum, rice, waxy rice, kidney beans, pinto beans, lentils, chickpea, potato, Jerusalem artichoke, yam, tapioca, yucca, tarot, sweet potato, beet, carrot, arrowroot, cassaya, and parsnip. 
     
     
         117 . The method of  claim 100  further comprising the step of:
 c) further dehydrating said slices in a non-oil medium to a moisture content of less than about 3%.