Drying fruits is one of the most common harvesting options for the winter. In fact, only moisture is removed from the products, and most vitamins and nutrients remain. Another plus is that in this state the fruits are more convenient to store and the harvesting process is not at all time-consuming.
Fruits are dried in the fresh air, in the oven, but special electric dryers are most convenient for this. They allow you to evenly dry the fruit, avoiding rotting or insects.
Preparing fruits for drying
A variety of fruits can be placed in an electric dryer: apples, pears, apricots, plums, and housewives also dry mushrooms, berries and herbs in it. The duration of the process depends on the amount of moisture in the product, the thickness of the pieces and the humidity of the room in which the dryer is installed. Fruits are prepared as follows:
- To begin with, we select whole fruits without signs of decay and other damage. It is allowed to use fruits with damaged areas, having previously removed such places.
- All is well washed, if necessary, remove the seeds and peel and cut into pieces. Apples and pears can be dried with or without skin, depending on taste preferences.
How to lay out fruits in the dryer
Before placing slices in the dryer it is advisable to cover each tier with a thin clothfor example, gauze, which will not allow pieces to fall through. We spread the fruits in one layer at a minimum distance from each other.
ATTENTION!
Lemon juice or an aqueous solution of citric acid, which is sprayed with slices before drying, will help preserve the natural color.
It is possible to dry different products at the same time, but it must be borne in mind that they will have different cooking times due to different amounts of liquid content. The transparent sections of the electric dryer make it easy to determine the degree of readiness.
ATTENTION!
Pieces located in the lower tier are dried faster as warm air flows from below..
How to dry different types of fruits in a dryer
Consider a few simple drying recipes.
- Apples
Cut the fruit into slices or plates 5 mm thick, after washing and removing the seeds. Sprinkle with lemon juice or an aqueous solution of citric acid. We lay on pallets, leaving the distance between the pieces. Dry for about 10 hours at 60 ° C.
- Pears
Unripe fruits are used for drying. We put clean sliced pieces in an electric dryer. Set the temperature to 55-60 ° C. Cooking time depends on the variety and is approximately 10-18 hours.
- Apricot (dried apricots).
Cut the fully ripened fruit into two halves, remove the bone. We lay the driers on the pallets, having previously turned the peel inside. Dry apricots for at least 12 hours at 55 ° C.
Electric dryers allow you to keep the maximum beneficial properties of fruits, so they are considered the most suitable for drying.
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