Vlasic®'s vacuum-fried pickle chips are not "freeze dried" pickle chips, they are actually vacuum "fried" pickle chips.

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From what Conagra Brands Co-Chief Operating Officer, Tom McGough presented at the April 10, 2019 Investor Day event, the new Vlasic® dill pickle chips, will be "vacuum-fried." 

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So what does vacuum fried mean? According to Wikipedia, "A vacuum fryer is a deep-frying device housed inside a vacuum chamber..."

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"With vacuum frying it is easier to maintain natural colors and flavours of the finished product. Due to the lower temperatures applied (approx. 130 °C (266 °F)), the formation of suspected carcinogen acrylamide is significantly lower than in standard atmospheric fryers, where the frying temperature is approx. 170 °C (338 °F). The fat absorption of the products is also reported to be lower than in atmospheric fryers." 

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There are also "continuous vacuum fryers" which we assume will be used in the production of the new Vlasic® original dill pickle chips.

 

"For larger production quantities, continuous vacuum fryers are available. In these installations, the vacuum frying pan is installed in a stainless steel vacuum tube. The infeed of the raw product is carried out through a rotary airlock. Depending on the application, the frying pan itself is designed to meet the different product specifications. A transport belt takes the finished product out of the fryer and towards the outfeed system. A lock chamber at the exit of the vacuum tube prevents air from entering the vacuum zone, and a belt system takes the product from one zone to another.

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The vacuum is created by vacuum pumps, and the whole system is controlled by a programmable logic controller.

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In batch fryers, the frying oil has to be replaced quite often as it is sensitive to temperature changes. Continuous vacuum fryers lead to a longer lifetime of the frying oil and therefore lower the production costs. Vacuum fryers can also reduce oil content in fried foods. The amount of reduced oil content, usually 1–3%, depends on the type of vacuum fryer."

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Vacuum Fryer article on Wikipedia

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To get an idea of what vacuum frying looks like, take a look at how they vacuum fry chips from beet, pumpkin and carrots, below.

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