b'SPUD HISTORY|INSTANT MASHED POTATOES1905 1912 Mid-1950s 1961 1962 Ernest W. Cooke appliesErnest W. CookesRT French Company, thenEdward A.M. Asselbergs, HughEdward A.M. for a U.S. patent forpatent granted a subsidiary of the BritishHamilton and Patricia Saidak,Asselbergs patent Dehydrated Potatoesfirm Reckitt & Colman,who all worked at the Canadiangrantedand Process of Preparinglaunches instant mashedDepartment of Agricultures the Same potatoes onto the retailPlant Research Centre at the market Experimental Farm in Ottawa, Ont. filed a Canadian patent application ORIGIN for a new process for preparing dehydrated cooked mashed One of the earliest convenience foods was dehydratedpotatoespotatoes. In 1905, Ernest W. Cooke applied for a United States patent for Dehydrated Potatoes and Process of Preparing the Same, which was granted in 1912. Under Cookes process, potatoes were cut up into small pieces, shredded, cooked slightly, then dried. They could be reconstituted by simply adding water. Previously, the hydration of dried potatoes whose cell walls had been crushed caused a starchy mess that wasnt very tasty.IN 2003 MORE THAN2.4 BILLION POUNDS OF POTATOES WERE TURNED INTO DEHYDRATEDPOTATO FLAKES IN THE U.S.6.3%IS THE GLOBAL COMPOUND ANNUAL GROWTH RATE OF THE MASHED POTATOES MARKET DEMAND FOR INSTANT POTATOES ROSE DURINGTHE FIRST WORLD WAR BUT THEN FELL DURING THE 1920sAND1930s . DURING THE SECOND WORLDWAR INSTANT POTATOES BECAME POPULAR AS THEU.S. MILITARY BOUGHT THEM TOFEED THEIR TROOPS.THE TOP DEHYDRATED POTATO COMPANIES AREMCCAIN FOODS, BASIC AMERICAN FOODS, LAMB WESTON, IDAHOAN FOODSAND PACIFIC VALLEY FOODS .Sources: American Chemical Society, CityNews, Cognitive Market Research, Fortune Business Insights, Yahoo64SPUDSMART.COMSpring 2024'