Potato Chips Machine

A French fries frying machine frying cut potato strips, either as a finish fryer for fresh-cooked service or as a par-fryer in a frozen fries line.

Which of those two jobs it is doing changes the specification entirely. A par-fryer gives a short partial fry that sets the surface before freezing, and the fry is completed by the customer later. A finish fryer cooks the product through to a crisp exterior for immediate service. The oil temperature, time and capacity are different in each case. Contact us with whether you are producing frozen par-fried or fresh finished fries and your hourly throughput and we will specify the fryer.

A fried food deoiling machine removing surplus surface oil from fried product immediately after the fryer, usually by centrifugal spin or by a vibrating draining conveyor.

De-oiling pays for itself twice. The oil recovered goes back into the fryer rather than into the bag, which is a direct saving on the most expensive consumable in a frying line, and the finished product has a lower fat figure and a longer shelf life because there is less surface oil to go rancid. For fragile snacks the method has to be matched to the product, as a hard spin that suits chips will break a delicate extruded snack. Contact EMC Machines Manufactures with your product and line rate.

A centrifugal dewatering machine spinning surface water off potato slices after washing or blanching, before they enter the fryer.

This machine exists because of what water does to hot oil. Water carried in on the slice boils violently, splatters, accelerates oil breakdown and lengthens frying time, which means more oil absorbed into the product and shorter oil life. Spinning the surface water off first addresses all of that at once. Spin time and speed are set so water comes off without bruising or breaking the slices. It sits directly before the fryer. Contact EMC Machines Manufactures with your line throughput and we will size the unit.

A potato washing and peeling machine removing soil and skin from potatoes, normally by abrasive roller or carborundum drum, as the first stage of any potato processing line.

Peeling loss is the figure to watch, because every percentage point of potato removed as peel instead of sold as product comes straight off the margin, and an over-aggressive peeler quietly costs more than it saves in labour. Peel time and abrasive grade are set against the potato variety and condition, since an old potato with thick skin needs different treatment from a fresh thin-skinned one. Contact EMC Machines Manufactures with your throughput and potato type and we will specify the machine.

A twist potato cutting machine cutting a whole potato into a continuous spiral on a skewer, producing the spiral or tornado potato sold at markets, fairs and street food outlets.

This is a product sold on appearance, and the appearance depends on an unbroken spiral of even thickness, which comes from blade sharpness and a consistent potato size more than from anything else. Potatoes sorted to a narrow size range before cutting give far fewer broken spirals than a mixed intake. Manual and motorised versions are available depending on serving rate. Contact EMC Machines Manufactures with your expected servings per hour and we will recommend the version.

A semi-automatic potato crisps production line covering the main processing stages with manual handling between some of them, at a lower capital cost than a fully automatic line.

Semi-automatic is the sensible starting point for many producers. It keeps the equipment that determines product quality, namely the slicer, blancher, fryer and seasoner, and saves money on the conveying and controls that only save labour. Where labour is affordable that is a reasonable trade, and the line can be automated in stages as volume grows. The limitation is output consistency during a long shift. Contact us with your output target and local labour position and we will advise on the right level of automation.

A frozen French fries production line taking potatoes through washing, peeling, cutting, blanching, drying, par-frying, freezing and packing to produce the frozen fry that a caterer finishes in their own fryer.

The economics of this product are decided by the freezing stage. An IQF tunnel freezes each strip individually so the bag pours freely, where slower freezing produces a frozen block and ice crystals that leave the fries limp when cooked. Par-frying before freezing sets the surface and is what gives the fry its texture on reheating. Contact us with your target daily tonnage and cut size and we will lay out the line and size the freezer.

An automatic potato chips production line taking whole potatoes through washing, peeling, slicing, blanching, dewatering, frying, de-oiling, seasoning and packing in a continuous automated flow.

The stage that most often gets cut from a budget line, and should not be, is blanching. Blanching washes surface starch off the slice and deactivates the enzymes that cause browning, and without it the chips come out unevenly coloured and stick to each other in the fryer. Dewatering after it matters just as much, since water carried into hot oil degrades the oil. Contact us with your target output and whether you are producing crisps or fries and we will lay out the line.