Modified slicing shoes and method for making food product shavings

A modified stationary slicing head assembly for use with a centrifugal slicing machine, the slicing head assembly having a plurality of modified slicing shoes arranged in a generally cylindrical arrangement around an impeller having an axis of rotation, wherein a first end of each slicing shoe is positioned adjacent to a second end of a juxtaposed slicing shoe, said modified stationary slicing head assembly comprising:

• a) a plurality of knife blades, each of which having a smooth cutting edge with top and bottom ends which protrude towards the impeller, said cutting edge consisting of a single vertex at a central transverse plane of the knife blade protruding away from said impeller, forming a vertically concave shape in relation to the axis of rotation, and wherein each of said knife blades is secured to the first end of said slicing shoe and wherein each of said knife blades further comprises an interior surface and an exterior surface;
• b) an arcuate interior surface having a vertically concave shape relative to the axis of rotation of said impeller;
• and
• c) a plurality of castings, each of which having a vertically concave interior surface, said vertically concave interior surface comprising a curvature that matches the curvature of the knife blades and wherein each of said knife blades is attached to a first end of each of said castings;
• d) a plurality of sand gates, each of which is secured to a second end of each of said castings, wherein each of said sand gates comprises an interior concave surface matching the exterior surface of each of said knife blades, and further wherein a gap is maintained between each of said knife blades and each of said sand gates of a juxtaposed slicing shoe.

A method for making food product shavings using a centrifugal type slicing machine having an impeller with an axis of rotation surrounded by a plurality of slicing shoes arranged in a generally cylindrical shape to form a stationary slicing head assembly, wherein each of said slicing shoes has a casting with a knife blade secured to a first end of said casting, said method comprising the steps of:

• a) inserting at least one food product into said impeller;
• b) causing said impeller to rotate such that the at least one food product is forced away from the axis of rotation and towards the castings of said slicing shoes, wherein each of said castings has a vertically concave interior surface relative to said axis of rotation;
• and
• c) slicing said at least one food product with a smooth cutting edge of said knife blade, wherein the cutting edge has top and bottom ends which protrude towards the impeller and consists of a single vertex at a central transverse plane of the knife blade protruding away from said impeller, forming a vertically concave interior shape that matches the curvature of the vertically concave interior surface of each of said castings, thereby producing folded or curly snack food chip products.