Method and apparatus for preparing fat free snack chips using hot air impingement, microwaving, and hot air drying

A method and apparatus for preparing essentially fat free chips such as potato chips and the like having an appearance and taste similar to conventional chips without the use of deep fat frying is disclosed herein. The method and apparatus include exposing sliced raw potatoes and the like to a hot air fluid bed impingement oven arrangement that causes very rapid heating of the water contained in the chip and causes the chip to expand. The hot air fluid bed impingement oven arrangement preferably includes multiple dual-zone hot air fluid bed impingement ovens operating under different predetermined conditions. The slices are passed through each oven based on a desired conveyor belt speed and temperature range. The slices are then passed to a combination microwave and hot air dryer which removes entrained moisture without scorching the chips, thereby providing a lightly colored chip without a burned, overcooked taste and with an equalized moisture content. The resulting chip has an excellent mouth feel without the added fat associated with deep fat fried chip foods. Slices may be seasoned between exposure to the impingement oven arrangement and the microwave drying process.