Float-frying and dockering methods for controlling the shape and preventing distortion of single and multi-layer snack products

A method for controlling the shape of a fried snack food product made from a thin, flat dough piece having a moisture content from about 35% to about 60%, by weight of the dough, at the time the dough piece is fried, the method comprising the steps of:

• maintaining a smooth, essentially laminar flow of hot cooking oil at a shallow depth through a continuous fryer pan having an elongated, flat bottom extending from an inlet region to an outlet region of the fryer pan for producing said smooth, essentially laminar oil flow along the fryer pan without interference to or significant turbulence being present in the shallow depth oil flow through the fryer pan, and
• introducing said dough piece into the shallow depth flow of oil at the inlet region of the fryer and allowing the depth piece to float freely along the shallow depth of oil to fry to a controlled set shape while the dough piece is conveyed by the smooth flow of oil through the fryer,
• the dough piece being initially submerged within the shallow depth of oil while unsupported and unrestrained externally for transferring sufficient heat to the submerged dough piece to evaporate water from the dough piece and evolve steam from under the submerged dough piece to raise the dough piece to the surface of the shallow depth of oil so that the oil flow therein causes the dough piece to continue floating freely along the surface of the shallow depth of oil as steam collecting beneath the dough piece naturally forms the dough piece into a set shape having a convexly curved upper surface and a concavely curved lower surface,
• the depth of the oil flowing through the fryer being sufficiently shallow in relation to the size of said dough piece to prevent the dough piece from overturning in the oil while traveling from the inlet region to the outlet region of the fryer pan,
• the smooth, essentially laminar oil flow being maintained along the shallow oil depth for producing a smooth, uniform flow rate of the dough piece along the shallow oil depth as the dough piece is being formed into its set shape.

A method for controlling the shape of a fried snack food product made from a thin, flat layered dough piece having at least a first layer adhered to and overlying a dissimilar second layer, and in which the layered dough piece has a moisture content from about 35% to about 60%, by weight of the dough, at the time the dough piece is fried, the method comprising the steps of:

• maintaining a smooth, unobstructed flow of hot cooking oil at a shallow depth through a fryer, and
• introducing said layered dough piece into the shallow depth flow of oil with the first dough layer on the bottom and the second dough layer on the top of the dough piece and allowing the layered dough piece to float freely along the shallow depth of oil to fry to a controlled set shape while the dough piece is conveyed by the flow of oil through the fryer,
• the layered dough piece being initially submerged within the inlet region of the shallow oil depth while unsupported and unrestrained externally for transferring sufficient heat to the submerged dough piece to evaporate water from the dough piece and evolve steam from under the submerged dough piece to raise the dough piece to the surface of the shallow depth of oil so that the oil flow therein causes the dough piece to continue floating freely along the surface of the shallow depth of oil as steam collecting beneath the dough piece naturally forms the dough piece into a set shape having a convexly curved upper surface formed by the second layer and a concavely curved bottom surface formed by the first layer of the dough piece,
• the depth of the oil flowing through the fryer being sufficiently shallow in relation to the size of the dough piece to prevent the layered dough piece from overturning in the oil while frying from initial submersion to its set curved shape in the shallow depth of oil to form a fried product in which the second layer forms the upper layer of the fried product and the first layer forms the bottom layer of the fried product,
• the smooth, unobstructed flow of oil being maintained along the shallow oil depth from initial submersion of the dough piece until the dough piece forms its set curved shape.

A method for making a bi-layer fried snack product of controlled shape from a dough in the form of a thin layered dough piece having at least a first layer adhered to and overlying a dissimilar second layer, in which the layered dough piece has a moisture content from about 35% to about 60%, by weight of the dough, at the time the layered dough piece is fried, the method comprising the steps of:

• maintaining a smooth, essentially laminar flow of hot cooking oil at a shallow depth through a continuous fryer pan having an elongated, flat bottom extending from an inlet region to an outlet region of the fryer for producing said smooth, essentially laminar oil flow along the fryer pan without interference to or significant turbulence being present in the shallow depth oil flow through the fryer pan, and
• introducing said layered dough piece into the shallow depth flow of oil with the first dough layer on the bottom and the second dough layer on the top of the dough piece and allowing the layered dough piece to float freely along the shallow depth of oil to fry to a controlled set shape while the dough piece is conveyed by the smooth flow of oil through the fryer,
• the layered dough piece being initially submerged within the inlet region of the shallow oil depth while unsupported and unrestrained externally for transferring sufficient heat to the submerged dough piece to evaporate water from the dough piece and evolve steam from under the submerged dough piece to raise the dough piece to the surface of the shallow depth of oil so that the oil flow therein causes the dough piece to continue floating freely along the surface of the shallow depth of oil as steam collecting beneath the dough piece naturally forms the dough piece into a set shape having a convexly curved upper surface formed by the second layer and a concavely curved lower surface formed by the first layer of the dough piece,
• the depth of the oil flowing through the fryer pan being sufficiently shallow in relation to the size of the dough piece to prevent the layered dough piece from overturning in the oil while traveling from the inlet region to the outlet region of the fryer pan,
• the smooth, essentially laminar oil flow being maintained along the shallow oil depth for producing a smooth, uniform flow rate of the dough piece along the shallow oil depth as the dough piece is being formed into its set shape.