After collecting the apples, the question becomes their processing; jams, jams, juices, compotes are made from them and added to baked goods. The remaining apple harvest can be stored under certain conditions or dried in order to prepare dried fruits for the winter and not spoil them during storage.
Dried apples do not lose their beneficial properties, since they cannot be heat treated, are stored for a long time and take up minimal space. This is a great way to store apples. But how to dry apples correctly and which variety is most suitable for this?
For drying apples, choose autumn varieties; they have a sweet and sour taste, which is preserved after drying, unlike sweet apples. Thin skin will reduce waste. These include “Antonovka”, “Aport”, “Pepin”. Summer varieties of apples dry faster than winter varieties and are lighter in color.
Preparing apples for drying also affects the final result, whether you will be satisfied or not.
Wash the apples and wipe off excess moisture. Remove the core (seeds) and cut into slices or circles, no more than 0.5 cm thick.
Should I peel apples for drying or not? If the product is from the garden, then you can skip peeling, but if the apples are purchased in shopping centers, then it is better to peel them.
Often, cut apples darken, and in order to retain their beautiful light color, it is necessary to treat them with a saline solution. To do this, pour 100 g of salt into a bucket of water and keep the chopped apples in it for 4 minutes. In addition to lightening, this will be additional protection against insects.
After treatment with saline solution, we proceed directly to drying the apples. There is an opinion that before drying apples, it is necessary to blanch them (treatment with hot water), but then some of the vitamins and microelements are lost.
Drying apples:
—On open air
The chopped product is dried in the sun, in the open air. This is the most famous and ancient way of drying apples, although not very convenient. Especially when in autumn the sun's rays become less and less every day, drying in the sun becomes more problematic. Apples should not lie and dry for a long time, they should be dried. They are laid out in only one layer and turned over every day.
—Hanging outdoors
Apples are strung like beads on a thread and hung. Cover with fine gauze folded in 2 layers to prevent flies from landing on them. In 3-4 days in the hot sun the apples will dry out. The advantage of this method is that it saves space and time for revolutions.
A prerequisite for drying apples outdoors is the absence of rain. Do not let moisture get on the apples. Apples dry in the shade within a week.
—In the oven
Arrange the apples on a baking sheet in one layer, heat the oven to a temperature of 75°C, if it is impossible to set the temperature, then simply open the door to the distance of a matchbox. Turn them over every 1.5-2 hours, and so on for 7 hours. Watch their color, they should be pale, light, but not brown with a burning smell.
The apples are dried over a gas stove for 2 hours, but this method requires constant attention, otherwise the apples will burn and all the work will be in vain, since it is impossible to determine in absentia the height, time, diameter of the burners and the gas supply level.
—In an electric dryer
The easiest way to dry apples. Sliced apples are placed in one layer, the desired temperature is set and the finished product is obtained in 2-3 hours. There are only advantages here: saving time and labor, no need to ward off insects, fear moisture and monitor the temperature. The output will be excellent dried apples.
Determining the readiness of dried apples
The pulp should be soft and elastic, there should be no stickiness, the skin should be slightly dark. The pieces should not fall apart when pressed.
Before eating fresh, scald dried fruits with boiling water; they will become softer and more pleasant to taste.
How to store dried apples
It is important to properly dry apples, but it is equally important to be able to preserve them throughout the winter. How?
Sort those apples that have dried from those that have not yet dried. Place the dried ones in a cotton cloth; you can use an old, clean pillowcase. Apples stacked together acquire the same level of moisture; leave them this way for 2-3 weeks, then place them in fabric bags or paper bags. Dried apples should not be stored in polyethylene or a plastic container; they will spoil and become moldy from lack of air.
What kind of preparations are made from apples: compotes, jams, preserves, marmalades, mousses, juices, marshmallows. But still, the most popular, least labor-intensive and most affordable way to prepare apples at home is to dry them.
At the same time, dried fruits retain many of the beneficial properties and nutrients inherent in fresh apples, and there are quite a few of them.
What are the benefits of dried apples?
As recent research by scientists shows, dried fruits, including apples, can help the body in the fight against numerous serious diseases:
- oncological, cardiovascular, chronic diseases of the kidneys and genitourinary system;
- they perfectly clean and strengthen blood vessels, reducing the level of “bad” cholesterol in the blood;
- contribute to the growth of bone tissue in women during menopause, which has a positive effect on the prevention of osteoporosis.
Knowing all these wonderful properties of dried fruits, many nutritionists advise their patients to include at least 75 grams of dried apples in their diet daily, which is equivalent to two fresh ones, citing the fact that dried fruits are rich in:
How to properly dry apples at home in order to preserve all their wonderful properties?
There are many ways to prepare dried fruits, one of them is drying in an ordinary oven.
How to dry apples in the oven
What varieties to use for drying
For drying in the oven, it is better to choose winter, sweet and sour or sour apples. These include the following varieties: Anis, Antonovka, Aport, Titovka, Slavyanka, Borovik.
We can use summer, sweet varieties, and even carrion, but then we will get a lower quality final product. It should be remembered that it is better to dry summer apples with the skin on.
Fruit preparation process
Fruit drying process
Line the baking sheets in which the apples will dry with parchment paper. Place the chopped fruits on them. The oven must be preheated to 80°.
Place the apples in the oven and after half an hour, reduce the temperature to 70°.
About 5 hours after half the moisture from the apples has evaporated, turn the slices over to the other side and lower the oven temperature to 50°.
To obtain well-dried fruits, it is better to leave them in the oven for another 4 hours, turning them over periodically to dry evenly on all sides.
As soon as the apples acquire a light brown tint, stop releasing juice and do not break when you try to squeeze them, you can safely remove them from the oven.
It is advisable to place dried apples in kraft paper bags or canvas bags. They should be stored in a dry, dark place at room temperature.
How to dry apples in the microwave
Many housewives, in order to speed up the drying process of apple fruits, prefer to dry them in the microwave.
And this has its own undeniable logic: this process takes much less time than oven drying, and the result is excellent.
Apples retain all their beneficial properties, while in a short amount of time, you can prepare a larger amount of dried fruits.
The main thing is to choose the right power at which the process will take place and the processing time, so as not to burn the valuable product.
Therefore, they must be dried in two stages.
Stage one:
- place the prepared fruits on a plate, preferably in one layer;
- place the plate in the microwave oven;
- First set the oven timer to 30–40 seconds and the power to 250 W.
Stage two:
- remove the plate with half-cooked fruits from the microwave;
- turn the pieces over to the other side;
- We set the timer to 3 minutes, and the power of the microwave oven to 300 W;
- take out the finished product.
If you feel that the dried fruits are not ready enough yet, let them dry for another 20–30 seconds. Now you can put the dried fruits for storage.
How to dry apples in an electric dryer
Experts say that the best alternative for drying dried fruits is, of course, a specialized electric dryer.
In it you can prepare not only apples and other fruits for the winter, but also any vegetables, mushrooms, edible or medicinal herbs, berries, and even meat and fish products.
Now such dryers are very popular among housewives, especially those who have their own dacha.
How does an electric dryer work?
This unit operates very simply and does not require special preparation of products for drying. The electric dryer consists of several components:
- a plastic container with high sides, very similar to a saucepan;
- plastic trays with through holes where fruits or vegetables are placed;
- the kit may include special nets with small cells for drying berries and plates for making marshmallows;
- The container is closed on top with a lid with holes for steam to escape;
- Such a container is installed together with trays filled with fruits on top of the base, where there is a compressor that pumps hot air, which dries the products. The air temperature can be adjusted. The juicier the product, the higher the temperature.
Apple fruit drying process:
- Place prepared apples, cut into slices, into trays. In this form they will take up less space on pallets.
- Place trays with fruits several stories high in a container.
- The air temperature for proper drying should be 55–60°.
- The drying process will take about 8 hours.
After turning off the dryer, make sure that the apples do not release moisture when pressed on them. If everything is in order, you can put them in bags.
How to dry apples outside
Some owners prefer to dry apples outdoors in the sun to save energy. This method is less effective, since the weather is not always sunny and the air has high humidity.
In addition, apples ripen in August–September, when it often rains. In these cases, it is better to dry the apples in the oven or electric dryer. There are two ways to dry outside:
In the open air with low humidity and on sunny days, you need to dry the fruits for no more than 4–6 days, then it is better to bring them into a well-ventilated dry room until completely dry.
When storing dried fruits for a long time, periodically remove them from the bags and carefully inspect them. At the slightest sign of rotting or mold, it is better not to use them for food, so as not to get severe poisoning.
This method of preparing apples allows you to preserve a variety of vitamins and microelements, which are abundant in the fresh product. Dried fruits are tasty, have a pleasant delicate acidity, and successfully diversify the winter menu. To provide your family with a healthy natural product, you should look at the step-by-step photos.
How to dry apples in the oven
Previously, apples were dried in the sun, constantly turning over, saving them from rain and insects. Modern household appliances offer less troublesome methods: you can use a microwave, convection oven, even a battery radiator. Excellent drying can be achieved using an oven. Electric is preferable to gas, because it provides stable, even heating. How to dry apples in the oven in order to eat delicious and, importantly, beautiful dried fruits that retain beneficial minerals, fiber, and pectins?
Temperature for drying apples in the oven
Drying in an electric oven requires choosing high-quality, ripe, undamaged fruits. It is best to opt for autumn varieties, sweet and sour. The fruits must be cut so that the thickness of the slices is the same - no more than a centimeter. It should be laid out in one layer (see photo). If you cut in advance, the pieces will quickly darken. To prevent this from happening, they need to be filled with cold water with salt or citric acid. You can blanch the slices in advance or heat them over steam using a colander, and then dry them.
It is necessary to vary the temperature of drying apples in the oven. If you plan to complete cooking in 6-8 hours, you should first set it to 45-50 degrees. After a couple of hours, you need to increase the heating to 65-70 °C, and half an hour before the process is completed, you should reduce it again to 50 °C. However, there are other tips on how to prepare drying: heat a baking sheet with pieces of fruit for 1 hour at 60 degrees to dry them, then raise the temperature to 70 °C, and at the end turn up the heat to 80-100 °C. Stir the pieces every hour and do not close the oven door tightly.
How long to dry apples in the oven
Fruits laid out in an even layer take 6-8 hours to dry. Drying apples in an electric oven can be done on two or three metal sheets at once. A dense lattice is perfect - the slices will be elastic and unbreakable. To understand how long to dry apples in the oven, you need to correctly assess the degree of moisture in the original product. The interior of the oven will be filled with steam; you need to turn the pieces over so that it comes out. Then you need to lay out the finished dryer on a dry cloth so that it dries completely.
Drying apples in the oven at home
This is not a labor-intensive process - drying apples in the oven, but it takes time. The fruits must be washed, if desired, peeled, cut into slices or circles, after removing the core, and placed on a baking sheet covered with paper. You need to constantly monitor the process; you can close the door at the end, when the moisture has evaporated. The pieces should be turned over every 40-50 minutes to dry evenly so that they do not thin out to a crust or burn. The temperature should be low; as the water evaporates, you can increase it to 80 °C.
Drying apples in an electric oven with convection
- Preheat the oven, place baking sheets with slices.
- After an hour and a half, turn the fruit pieces over. Set the temperature at 70-80 °C.
- Reduce heat when excess water has evaporated. Keep it in this mode (50 degrees) for 2 hours.
- Cooking takes 3-6 hours, depending on the initial moisture content of the fruit.
In what mode to dry apples in the oven
How to cook fruits in the oven so that they do not lose their benefits, appeal to the whole family and become a real delicacy? The following algorithm of actions must be followed:
- First, they languish and dry at 50 degrees.
- After an hour, the heat can be increased to 70 °C. Then the process of evaporating excess water will begin. It is important not to close the stove tightly.
- Then the temperature rises further, to about 80-90 °C.
The recipe for preparing aromatic fruit treats for the winter varies, it depends on the power of the electric oven, on how juicy and ripe the fruits are chosen. The housewife chooses which mode to dry the apples in the oven. The principle remains stable: increase the temperature gradually, to about 60-80 degrees, keep the oven half-open so that the apple pulp releases moisture faster. Sliced fruits must be turned over and tossed - they should not “stick” to the baking sheet or parchment paper.
Video: how to dry apples in the oven
How to make dried apples at home
There are at least three simple ways to make dried apples at home.
Two of these methods do not require any special skills or kitchen equipment and are probably known to everyone: dried fruits using the oven (simmering at 40 C) and drying apple slices in the sun or in the shade.
But the third method of preparing apple stock appeared relatively recently. The appearance of fruit dehydrators on the shelves of stores with household appliances has caused a huge stir among raw foodists and people watching their health. A dehydrator is a “dryer” for vegetables, fruits, legumes, mushrooms, herbs, raw bread, and so on. This is truly a great find! A dehydrator simplifies the preparation of vitamin-rich foods for the winter, helps retain maximum benefits in fruits and vegetables, and also saves a lot of time.
This dryer is great for apartments, as it takes up minimal space on the kitchen counter. After adding food, the dehydrator does not require any attention, unlike preparing vegetables or fruits using an oven or drying in the open air.
Any variety of fruit is suitable for making dried fruit from apples. You can also use apples that have fallen from a tree, after cutting off the “injury” site.
What a fruit dehydrator looks like and how to use it. Method No. 1
Dehydrators may look very different from each other in appearance, but the essence of their work is the same: the fan supplies a flow of air (warm or cold, depending on the selected mode). Usually there are several drying modes to choose from: for grass and greens, for bread (raw bread, raw food baskets or dessert shortcakes, for regular bread from which you need to make crackers), for plants, roots, flowers, fruits. and vegetables and even for fish and meat, which we, of course, won’t need. Depending on the products, you will need different temperatures: from 35 C to 70 C. For raw foodists, the maximum heating degree is 40 C. At a higher temperature, the products will be considered thermally processed.
To dry apples in a dehydrator, you need to peel the apples from the core and seeds, cut out spoiled areas, if any, and cut the fruit into slices. Then place on a baking sheet in the dryer and select the desired mode according to the instructions. Practice shows that even at a minimum temperature, just with air supply, apples dry perfectly within 4-7 days. In this case, the room temperature can be no more than 20 C.
The approximate thickness of the apple slices is 2 - 2.5 cm. It is important that the dried apple does not fall into the cracks of the baking sheet. Preparation time: 5-7 days depending on the variety of apples and air temperature.
Drying apples in a dehydrator is the easiest way to prepare fruit for the season. The dryer is not expensive, about $20-$25. Try to choose a model that has baking trays of different shapes: with a solid bottom and with a bottom like in the picture. This will make it more convenient to dry not only vegetables and fruits in slices, but also to prepare shortcakes, marshmallows, and so on.
Drying apples in the shade or in the sun. Method No. 2
If you live in a private house or in a country house and you have enough open-air space, then an excellent option would be to prepare dried apples outside. The advantage of this method is that there are no financial costs. Minus - a lot of fuss + you need to prepare gauze and a sieve or strong threads or skewers.
In fact, everything is very simple: you need to wash the apples (if you collected fallen ones), dry them with a clean towel, then remove the core with seeds and the tail, cut out the broken places (if the apple was hit when it fell) and cut into thick slices. The thickness of the apple should be convenient for stringing on a nylon thread or skewer so that the fruit does not fall apart and can remain suspended for about a week.
If you decide to string apples on a thread, be sure to use a “gypsy” needle, this will make the process much faster.
If it is not convenient for you or there is no space for drying apples on a thread or skewer, then place the apple slices on a sieve so that there is a supply of fresh air from below and cover with gauze to prevent flies and other insects that can spoil the drying. If you dry on the balcony, then there is no need to cover the fruits with gauze.
The workpiece should be hung or placed in the shade, and only moved into direct rays in the morning or evening sun. In the morning and evening, you should turn the fruit over so that drying occurs evenly.
How to dry apples in the oven. Method No. 3
Another simple way to prepare dried apples is to use the oven. If you have the ability to regulate the oven temperature, then this recipe will definitely come in handy. The only negative is that this process takes a very long time, approximately 5 to 8 hours. Just like in other methods, apples need to be cored with seeds and cut into 2-2.5 cm slices. Place the slices on a wire rack or baking sheet covered with parchment paper and place in the oven, preheated to 40 C-45 C for 5- 7 o'clock.
If you want to prepare raw dried fruits (preserving all the vitamins), then you will have to simmer the apples for more than 6-7 hours, depending on the variety. If the “vitamin” result is not important to you, and the main goal is to prepare delicious dried apples, then the oven temperature will need to be changed in order to speed up the process. The first hour is 40 C-45 C. Then the temperature should be increased to 70 C so that the main moisture evaporates. After that, lower again to 40 C - 45 C and so on until fully cooked.
The finished dried apples should be transferred to a bag made of natural fabric or a glass jar and placed in places where the dried fruits will not be accessible to house moths.
Bon appetit!
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