The present invention includes puffed-food starch material snack, in particular starch material from grains, having an improved crispy texture and a more aesthetic appearance and methods for preparing them. In general terms, the products are snack chips, cakes, crackers or the like, made from food starch material. Preferably, the starch material is provided primarily in the form of individual kernels or pellets of a cereal grain, such as rice, corn, wheat, rye, oats, millet, sorghum, barley, buckwheat, or mixtures thereof. According to a method of making the puffed food starch material product of the present invention, a puffing chamber is provided having inner surfaces and a chamber volume. A bulk amount of the food starch material is placed into the puffing chamber. The bulk amount of food starch material is caused to volumetrically expand. The expanding food starch material is constrained in its expansion in at least a first dimension, while permitting expansion of the bulk amount in at least a second dimension.