Method of preparing preserved food products

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS OF PREPARING PRESERVED FOOD PRODUCTS CONTAINING COOKED WHITE POTATOES, BALLS, PIECES, SLICES AND LIKE POTATO SOLIDS, WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF PARTIALLY COOKING SUCH POTATO SOLIDS BY SUBJECTING SAID SOLIDS TO HEAT AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 140* AND ABOUT 212*F. FOR A TIME WHICH INACTIVATES ENZYMES IN THE POTATO SOLIDS, THE TIME BEING SUCH THAT SAID POTATO SOLIDS HAVE LOST THE TEXTURE AND FLAVOR OF RAW POTATO BUT WITHOUT COOKING SAID POTATO SOLIDS TO THE STATE OF EDIBILITY, PARTIALLY DRYING SAID PARTIALLY COOKED POTATO SOLIDS, BY THE CONTROLLED EVAPORATIVE REMOVAL OF MOISTURE THEREFROM, SAID PARTIAL DRYING BEING SUCH THAT NO PORTION OF SAID SOLIDS HAS LESS THAN ABOUT 40% OF WATER NOR MORE THAN ABOUT 68% OF WATER, EACH BY WEIGHT, AND FREEZING AND UTILIZING SAID PARTIALLY DRIED SOLIDS, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES AT LEAST PARTIALLY REHYDRATING AND AT LEAST PARTIALLY COOKING SAID SOLIDS IN THE PRESENCE OF WATER AND PRESERVING SAID REHYDRATED AND COOKED SOLIDS IN A SEALED CONTAINER AND IN THE PRESENCE OF AN AQUEOUS SUSPENSION OF STARCH.