Process of preparing dehydrated potato food products

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PREPARING A WHITE, OPAQUE, DEHYDRATED POTATO PRODUCT COMPRISING DISCRETE PIECES HAVING A SOFT POROUS TEXTURE, WHICH CAN READILY BE CRUSHED BETWEEN THE FINGERS, WHICH READILY BREAKS APART UPON STIRRING WITH WATER PRODUCE FLUFFY MASHED POTATO ANS WHICH ABSORBS AT LEAST TWICE ITS WEIGHT OF WATER AT 70* F. IN ONE MINUTE, COMPRISING: PROVIDING DISCRETE PIECES OF COOKED POTATO, THE COOKING BEING UNTIL TENDER BUT NOT SO LONG AS TO FORM A HUSH, THE PIECES RETAINING THEIR SHAPE, THE CELLS BEING VERTIALLY INTACT AND IN THEIR NATURAL POSITIONS, SLOWLY FREEZING THESE DISCRETE PIECES OF POTATO BY SUBJECTING THEM TO A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 20* F. TO ABOUT 28* F. AND ALLOWING THEM TO REMAIN AT THIS TEMPERATURE UNTIL FROZEN, WHEREBY THE SOLUBILIZED STARCH WITHIN THE CELL SETS UP A RIGHT STARCH SPONGE WHICH PRESERVES THE SHAPE AND POROSITY OF THE POTATO PIECE EVEN AFTER THAWING AND DEHYDRATION, AND THEREAFTER DEHYDRATING THE DISCRETE PIECES OF FROZEN POTATOES TO A MOISTURE CONTENT OF LESS THAN ABOUT 10% BY SUBJECTING THEM TO A BLAST OF AIR.