Manufacture of potato chips

摘要

An apparatus for cutting potato slices comprising an annular cutting head and a central impeller 302 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 potatoes are delivered to the cutting head. A plurality of knives are mounted serially and annularly around the cutting head with the cutting edges extending substantially upwardly and spaced from the cutting head. A plurality of orientation elements 308 are 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 adjacent orientation elements are circumferentially separated as to define a throat 314 for passage therethrough of a potato in a radially outward direction into the respective cutting zone toward the cutting head. The rotationally trailing side of the orientation elements may define a potato deflecting surface 330 and the rotationally leading side may define a potato supporting surface 334.