10 



BULLETIN 1055, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



apple corers and vegetable peeling knives retailing at 10 or 15 cents 

 (figs. 2 and 3) was used for this purpose. In potato-chip factories 

 a number of women or girls are employed to go over the potatoes as 

 they are emptied from the peeler to cut out the eyes and imperfect 

 places. 



Some form of vegetable slicer is essential, as it is impossible to 

 slice the potatoes thinly enough and evenly enough by hand. Satis- 

 factory slicers may be obtained, either turned by hand power or 

 motor driven. A small hand-power slicer used in 1914-15 did not 

 prove satisfactory for laboratory tests, for the slices were thicker at 



Fig. 7. — Draining the excess oil from the potato chips by spreading them on brown paper. 



one side than the other, because of an imperfection in the casting of 

 the knives. As it was necessary to secure uniformly even slices for 

 experimental work, a larger slicer, also hand driven, was obtained 

 at the beginning of the 1915-16 season (fig. 10). A number of large 

 power-driven mechanical slicers, suitable for use in factories, are 

 on the market. 



"When making chips at home the slices may be soaked in any kind 

 of pans that are available. In factories they are generally soaked 

 in tubs with fresh water fed in through rubber hose or in big 

 tanks especially built for the purpose with fresh water flowing in 

 at one end and an outlet pipe at the other end to carry off the wash 

 water and starch. "When working with large quantities it is gener- 

 ally found worth while to salvage the potato starch deposited by 

 this wash water and by the waste from the potato peeler. 



