Potato cubes were blanched and partially dried in a cabinet drier prior to puffing in a Torbed 500, high-temperature fluidised bed drier. It was established that formation of a partially dried layer (PDL) on the surface of the cubes was necessary to achieve puffing. The influence of blanching and drying conditions on this layer was investigated. It was concluded that blanching for 2 min in water at 100 degreesC followed by drying in air at 90 degreesC for 40 min resulted in the maximum increase in volume of the puffed cubes.