Let's make vegetable chips

Set up your vegetable chips production line

Making vegetable chips is quite similar to making potato chips. First, those vegetables need to be washed in a drum washer and dried off. Then, their skin is removed in a peeler and sliced in a vegetable cutter – a rotary continuous cutting device is often chosen for vegetable chips. At this point, the production line is a bit different from potato chips as the vegetables will not be soaked in the water like the potato chips. Root vegetables like beet and carrots contain relatively less amount of scratch, and they do not need an additional process to remove the starch like potatoes. 

You can always add flavorings such as seasoning, herbs, spices, cheeses, and artificial additives to the cooked chips. This can be done in the drum coaster, where the cylinder drum is circulated continuously, mixing the materials thoroughly without any residue. Finally, these chips are ready to be packed in bags and pouches through the bagging machine. 

Frying, baking, or drying, that is the question!

Among the three cooking methods – frying, baking, and drying – frying through a vacuum fryer are most commonly adopted. Vacuum fryer technology is a relatively new technology that developed a new way of frying at low pressure and temperature. Hence, compared to atmospheric deep frying, vacuum frying can enhance the color, taste, and general quality. It can also absorb less amount of oil compared to the traditional frying method, allowing them to be a healthier processing method. 

Lastly, you can also dry the vegetable if you are intending to produce the most “healthy” and least fatty chips. A dehumidification cabinet, or drying cabinet, can be used for this process. In the cabinet, heated air flow constantly circulates through the space, which can evenly dry the vegetables inside. This method can preserve the vitamins and taste of the vegetables, even if the crunchy mouthfeel might not be present in these chips. Another equipment option for drying is triple-pass driers. This machine particularly specializes in drying thin slices of vegetables, as it moves the chips around many times from one belt to another to achieve even color and drying.

Making a healthy and delicious veggie chip – lower the temperature!

Generally, the goal of making veggie chips is to make a healthy alternative to potato chips. Hence, the prioritized factor in producing veggie chips is making them as healthy and delicious as possible. By adjusting the frying temperature of your chips, you can reduce the risk of causing cancer; lowering the frying or baking temperature can decrease the formation of acrylamide, which can cause cancer when one continuously consumes a large amount of it. Also, as a side benefit, this lowering of temperature can improve the color of the chips, making them look more appetizing.