Here is my company's current procedure for cooking potatoes in a
retort (autoclave):
We steam peel white potatoes, clean them and remove the skins, dice
the potatoes, bathe them in a preservative solution, and dispense them
into perforated stainless steel trays.  Each tray measures 20" W x 22"
L x 4.5 H and holds 30-35 lbs of diced potatoes.  We then load 26
trays onto a cart and wheel two of these carts into the retort.  This
makes 52 trays at ~1700 lbs. per "cook."  The potatoes are cooked at
240 degrees for 27 mminutes at 17 psi.  We then draw a vacuum inside
the retort for 20 minutes to cool the potatoes to 40 degrees F.  From
there, we remove the carts, take out each tray, and dump each tray
into a large tote.  In order to dump these trays, one person slams the
tray over an opening while another person scrapes the potatoes with a
PVC paddle.  This process will be repeated over and over throughout
the week and is VERY labor intensive.  As a result, potato starch
bulids up and is baked onto the trays.  This makes it extremely
difficult to clean even with a rotating cleaning schedule.
We use steam hoses, "green pads" (like what is in your kitchen), along
with soap and elbow grease to clean these trays.  It takes forever and
we need to change our process.  Our goals are to increase the release
of the potatoes from the trays, to reduce the amout of labor needed to
release the potatoes, to clean the trays quicker and more effectively,
and to speed up the overal process.  Here are my questions:

What chemical will breakdown potato starch?  This chemical must be FDA
and/or USDA approved and be safe for human handling.

How does this chemical work?

Do the trays have to soak, be agitated, etc?  If so, for how long?

What machine will automatically clean these trays?  Or, how can we
reduce the labor involved in cleaning these trays?

Is there a better way to cook, cool and remove these potatoes while
still using the retorts?

What INEXPENSIVE coatings can be used on the trays?

Are there release agents that we can add in the process to facilitate
the potatoes releasing from the trays.

What other suggestions do you have?

I am sure there will be questions from you and I am eager to help.

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Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 28 Jun 2005 12:47 PDT

Wow, that was a lot of detail!


Have you tried Pam spray:


http://www.pam4you.com/pages/products/index.jsp



or even plain old cooking oil, for that matter?  You might also want
to try and source large, no-stick trays (Teflon-coated, eg).


Preventing the sticking in the first place seems preferable to
allowing a lot of build up.


Let us know a bit more about your experience with these things.


As for chemicals being FDA/USDA approved, what did you have in mind
here?  I don't think cleaning chemicals -- even for food handling
facilities -- are generally approved by either agency.


pafalafa-ga

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Clarification of Question by bedmonds1-ga on 28 Jun 2005 13:00 PDT

We have tried general nonstick sprays (i.e. Pam).  They do not work. 
Teflon coatings are uneconomical for this application.  There are
cleaners and other chemicals that are FDA/USDA approved for use in
food facilities.  We can find out if they can be used; we just need to
know what will do the job.

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Request for Question Clarification by hummer-ga on 28 Jun 2005 13:33 PDT

Hi bedmonds1, how about, after they are diced, remove some starch by
soaking in cold water (about an hour), strain and air dry a bit.
Regards, hummer

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Clarification of Question by bedmonds1-ga on 28 Jun 2005 14:05 PDT

This is a continuous process.  We do not have an hour to soak
anything.  Besides, even if you wash off the starch on the outside,
the starch on the inside comes out when they cook.

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Request for Question Clarification by czh-ga on 28 Jun 2005 14:22 PDT

Hello bedmonds1-ga,

Have you asked the manufacturers of the autoclave and/or the steel
trays for suggestions on how to clean the trays?  What is the brand
name of the equipment? Is there a trade association for your business?
I would expect that you're not the only one with this problem and that
someone must have developed some solutions for the users of these
trays in such an application. The more information you can give me,
the more likely I can get you the answer you need. I look forward to
your clarification.

~ czh ~

"We use steam hoses, "green pads" (like what is in your kitchen), along
with soap and elbow grease to clean these trays."

Presumably the starch is not carbonized (burnt) onto the trays, a la
the crust you get in ovens. If it is, then the process would be
different.

Soaking in hot ammonia-and-detergent water would work, but you seem to
want a faster, less labor-intensive method.

You could experiment with a heavy-duty drill with a steel wool polisher attachment.

What about lining the trays with baking paper or aluminum foil and
just throwing it away after each use?
If this would work, I guess you might have to order the foil or paper
in rolls or sheets of the right width or dimensions to cover the
bottom and sides of the trays.
Myoarin