Cutting of large potatoes

An apparatus for cutting potato slices, the apparatus comprising:

• an annular-shaped cutting head;
• a central impeller;
• a plurality of knives;
• and
• a plurality of orientation elements;
• wherein the impeller is coaxially mounted for rotation within the cutting head for delivering potatoes radially outwardly toward the cutting head, the impeller having a base with an upper surface across which the potatoes are, in use, delivered to the cutting head;
• wherein the plurality of knives is serially mounted annularly around the cutting head, each knife having a cutting edge extending upwardly and spaced from the cutting head to provide a gap, extending in a radial direction, between the cutting edge and the cutting head;
• wherein the plurality of orientation elements is serially and annularly mounted within the impeller to define a plurality of cutting zones located around the impeller, each cutting zone being between adjacent orientation elements;
• wherein radially inner parts of the adjacent orientation elements are separated in a circumferential direction to define between the adjacent orientation elements a throat for passage therethrough of a potato in a radially outward direction into the respective cutting zone toward the cutting head, wherein the throat providing passage into each cutting zone has a width of from 70 to 140 mm;
• wherein the impeller is adapted to rotate in a specific rotational direction, wherein a first side of each of the plurality of orientation elements is a rotationally trailing side and defines a potato deflection surface, wherein a second side of each of the plurality of orientation elements is a rotationally leading side and defines a potato supporting surface;
• and wherein a radially inner surface of each of the plurality of orientation elements is arcuate and connects the rotationally trailing side and the rotationally leading side;
• wherein, for each of the plurality of orientation elements, the orientation element is inclined at an angle of from 5 to 15 degrees to the radial direction so that a reference vector drawn from a radially inner end to a radially outer end of the orientation element is directed somewhat away from the radial direction and somewhat opposite the specific rotational direction;
• wherein the potato deflection surface extends in a direction having a first component in the circumferential direction and at least a second component in the radial direction so that the potato deflection surface at least partly faces inwardly with respect to an outer periphery of the impeller;
• and
• wherein, for each of the plurality of orientation elements, a radially inner surface of the potato deflection surface is more planar than the radially inner surface of the orientation element, and wherein the radially inner surface of the potato deflection surface is inclined at an angle of from 30 to 60 degrees to the radial direction.