Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Product having open-ended cavity
Reexamination Certificate
1993-08-18
2001-05-22
Sherrer, Curtis E. (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Product having open-ended cavity
C426S144000, C426S438000, C426S514000, C426S503000, C426S560000, C426S637000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06235326
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to edible snack chips, such as those made from potato slices or from a sheet of corn-based material and, more particularly, to a chip that is formed in such a manner to give it rigidity and allow it to pick up thick flavoring dips without breaking.
2. Background Art
The snack chip industry is highly competitive, with there currently being a multitude of different chip flavors and shapes available. One of the most popular snacks remains the potato chip that is produced most commonly by deep frying thin slices of potato. The potato can be either flat cut or ribbed, with the latter being necessarily thicker and more rigid after cooking.
For the most part, the flat cut and ribbed potato slices develop a wavy shape or curl slightly at the edges after cooking. The end shape is determined by a number of factors, including the moisture content of the uncooked slice, the composition thereof, imperfections therein, etc.
To enhance the taste of the snack chips, various dips are available on the market. These dips range from those with a very thick consistency, such as those that are sour cream based, to those with the consistency of water, such as salsas.
In many cases, the chips turn out to be incompatible with the dips intended therefor. For example, flat sliced potato chips, on which the thickest of dips are used, typically are the thinnest. The thin potato slice can be flash cooked, while retaining little of the cooking oil, and is therefore light and crispy, which is preferred by most consumers.
However, the thin, crispy chip is brittle and thus does not lend itself to the picking up of thick dips. If one attempts to scoop dip from a bowl, the chip tends to snap off. The result is that many small pieces of chip remain in the dip, which makes it less appetizing.
Alternatively, one can align the plane of the chip vertically and press it into the dip. The withdrawn chip generally has only a thin layer of dip adhered thereto, which in many cases does not satisfy the consumer.
While the thicker chip overcomes some of the above problems, it takes longer to cook, is heavier, retains more cooking oil, and resultingly does not have the same crisp texture as the thinner chips.
Those chips, such as corn-based chips, that are intended to be thicker, are generally used with thinner dips, such as salsa, with which the above problems are not contended. Generally the thicker chips are unsuitable for picking up thinner dips.
For example, salsas usually have a water base with chunks of seasoned vegetable therein. If one uses a flat chip to pick up this type of dip, the liquid base material runs freely off of the chip, so that the consumer is normally left with nothing more than the suspended solids on the chip. Often, a consumer performs a balancing act to keep as much of the liquid as possible on the chip. The consumer in aiding this endeavor, commonly seeks out a chip with a depression that acts as a receptacle for the dip.
The liquid that drips off of the chips commonly is spilled on clothing and furniture and, aside from the inconvenient mess it causes, may permanently stain fabrics.
Other types of chips are also available on the market. For example, some chips are formed to define a closed, hollow shell, that may be round or cylindrical. While interesting hollow shapes can be formed, the dip does not migrate to within the hollow. Consequently, the hollow shape is more advantageous from an aesthetic, rather than a functional, standpoint.
Other efforts are frequently focused on making interesting precooked shapes, such as circular, triangular, square, rectangular, etc. This generally does little in varying the functional aspects of the chips.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one form, the invention contemplates a method of forming an edible chip by providing a sheet layer of flexible, edible material, bending the sheet layer about a fold line to define first and second sheet layer walls which abut to each other at a location spaced from the fold line, and treating the sheet layer to rigidify the sheet layer with the first and second sheet layer walls bent about the fold line.
Accordingly, consistently bent chips can be formed which can be made thin, so as to be crisp, yet sufficiently rigid to allow scooping of dips without breakage. This rigidity is a result of the folded configuration of the chip.
The sheet layer can be made by slicing a potato, or the like, or can be preformed by extruding, rolling, or otherwise forming paste or dough into a sheet.
In certain cases, it is desirable to have a receptacle for dip, or the like, directly in the chip. This can be done by maintaining a space between a portion of the first and second sheet layer walls. In one form, a cup-shaped receptacle is defined between the first and second walls, with there being an unobstructed entryway thereto as to allow dip to be placed in the receptacle.
In one form, the spacing is accomplished by placing a spacing element between the first and second sheet layer walls so as to define the receptacle.
The sheet layer is treated preferably by immersion in a heated fluid, such as air or oil. In the latter case, the oil is usually heated to at least 300° F. before immersion.
In another form of the invention, a cutting element is provided with a blade and a deflecting surface. The cutting element is configured so that as the cutting element is advanced into an edible material, such as a potato, the cutting blade slices the potato and the deflecting surface bends the potato slice against itself as an incident to the advancement of the cutting element.
To facilitate bending of the sheet layer, the sheet layer can be physically altered. In one form, the sheet layer is made more flexible at the fold line, as by making it thinner, or otherwise. The thinner portion acts as a hinge.
The invention further contemplates a method of forming an edible chip including the steps of providing a sheet layer of flexible, edible material and bending the sheet layer about a fold line to define first and second sheet layer walls.
In one form, the sheet layer has no dimension that is over four inches.
The invention further contemplates a method of forming an edible chip including the steps of providing a sheet layer of flexible, edible material having a non-uniform thickness so that the sheet layer has a tendency to bend along the fold line, and treating the sheet layer so as to cause the sheet layer to bend along the fold line and rigidify in a final state.
The invention further contemplates an edible chip having a sheet layer made from an edible material that is pliable in a first state and shape retentive in a second state, with the sheet layer being bent about a fold line in its first state so that the first and second walls defined by the sheet layer abut to each other at a location spaced from the fold line.
Still further, the invention contemplates an edible chip having a sheet layer made from an edible material that is pliable in a first state and shape retentive in a second state, with there being structure on the sheet layer for facilitating bending of the sheet layer at a fold line to allow first and second walls on the sheet layer to bend relative to each other about the fold line in response to the sheet layer being immersed in a heated fluid.
REFERENCES:
patent: 714310 (1902-11-01), Laws
patent: 844266 (1907-02-01), Dotson
patent: 1039800 (1912-05-01), Pysher
patent: 1529684 (1925-03-01), Behrens
patent: 2147098 (1939-02-01), Humphrey
patent: 3384496 (1968-05-01), Robinson et al.
patent: 4247567 (1981-01-01), Momiyama
patent: 5009902 (1991-04-01), Mercenari
patent: 2091146 (1987-04-01), None
C.L. Barnhart, Ed., The American College Dictionary, Random House, New York, 1970 pp. 6.
American Needle
Sherrer Curtis E.
Wood Phillips VanSanten Clark & Mortimer
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