How to dry apples in a gas oven. Preparing fruit for drying

Dried apples are an alternative to a frozen product. During drying, the taste and useful properties of fruits are better preserved.

They can be used not only for making pies and compotes, but also for snacks.

The quality of dried fruit depends on compliance with the rules of preparation and storage.

The most painstaking work awaits on preparatory stage. Apples need to be sorted, processed and cut.

Selection of apples. Separate damaged and rotten fruits from fresh ones. See that they are even, smooth and without damage.
Rinse under water and wipe dry. It is advisable to use products for washing vegetables and fruits.
Peel the fruit from the peel and cut the core. However, the peel is removed only from sour varieties. In sweets, only the core is removed.
Treat the fruits with 1% saline so that they do not darken during cooking. Alternatively, you can use water acidified with lemon or vinegar.
Cut into circles or slices. The thickness of the pieces should not be more than 1 cm.

Which varieties are best

For drying, it is better to choose sour and sweet-sour varieties. Any variety will do, but most often they use Antonovka, Aport, Winner and Slavyanka.

You can also choose sweet varieties. But the taste of such apples will be less pronounced, and the quality of dried fruits will be lower.

Learning to dry apples at home

A large number of various ways drying allows you to prepare dried fruits for the winter to any hostess. You can use any household appliances and special appliances or dry the old fashioned way.

Sun and open air on the balcony

It is considered a popular method. However, for the most part, it suits people who live in a private house or in apartments with balconies, which are located on the sunny side.

At the same time, the sun must be bright, and the air temperature must be high, otherwise the apples will simply rot.

Drying time: 4-6 days.

First way:

Prepare a large baking sheet. Alternatively, a wide mesh can be used.
Arrange the pieces on a baking sheet. They should be at a small distance from each other.
Place the tray in a sunny area. Roofs away from tall trees are most suitable.
Turn slices daily.

Second way:

Prepare long dense threads.
Insert a thin needle and string apples. The width of the slices must be at least 3-4 mm, otherwise they will break apart.
Hang to dry outside or in a dry ventilated area. When drying in the attic or in the barn, it is better to cover the fruits with thin gauze to protect them from dust and dirt.

In electric stove and electric oven

An electric oven is suitable for drying at home at any time of the year. However, it requires more time and effort than similar methods.

Drying time: 6-8 hours.

Preheat oven to 50 degrees.
Line a baking sheet or wire rack with baking paper.
Carefully lay out the pieces on paper so that they do not touch each other.
Place apples in preheated oven. Leave the door ajar to allow air to circulate. If the oven is equipped with convection, then it should be turned on.
Turn over every two hours.
After four hours, increase the temperature to 80 degrees. Wait until the moisture from the apples evaporates.
When the fruit is dry, lower the temperature again to 50 degrees.
Turn off the oven after four hours.

In a gas oven

The advantage of a gas stove over an electric one is that apples dry twice as fast. And you don't have to keep track of them.

Drying time: 2-4 hours.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Put the apples on a baking sheet and put on one of the lower tiers of the oven.
Dry them for one hour on each side. To dry to a crisp, increase the exposure time to two hours.

in the microwave

Most fast way- drying in the microwave. The main thing is that the household appliance is powerful enough.

Drying time: 4 minutes.

Arrange apples on a plate. Put in the microwave.
Set the power to 250 W. Turn on the microwave for 40 seconds.
Remove the plate and turn the pieces over.
Set the power to 300 W. Turn on the microwave for 3 minutes.
Hold for another 30 seconds if they are not dry enough.

In an electric dryer

The electric dryer is a special device for drying fruits, berries, vegetables and mushrooms. Usually the dryer has three temperature conditions: low, medium, high.

Drying time: 8 hours.

Arrange the apples on the dryer tray.
Set the temperature to 55-60 degrees.
Turn on the appliance and cook for 8 hours.
After the time has elapsed, check the readiness. If apples secrete a little juice, leave for another 20-30 minutes.

In air grill

Drying apples at home in an air grill is not inferior to other methods, but you need to correctly calculate the time so as not to spoil the blanks. Also, the slices should not be wider than 3 mm, otherwise they will not dry completely.

Drying time: 1 hour.

Lay the apples on the rack.
Set the temperature to 100 degrees and low airflow. You can increase the temperature to 110-120 degrees if they do not have time to dry completely.
Set a timer for 1 hour.

In a slow cooker

Drying in a slow cooker does not require much effort, but only a small portion can be cooked at a time.

Drying time: 40-50 minutes.

Put the pieces in the bottom of the bowl.
Set the baking mode.
Put to cook for 40 minutes.
Flip the slices and cook for 10 more minutes if needed.

How to determine the readiness of apples

By appearance pieces, readiness can be determined. It is important to consider a few details:

pieces lost up to 80% of weight;
the slices are soft and elastic;
skin darkened;
the pulp does not stick;
there is no moisture on the pieces;
when you press the pieces, the juice does not flow.

Immediately after cooking, you need to put the apples on a flat surface covered with paper, and leave for a day in a ventilated room. Then you can start packing.

In the video experienced hostess shares the secret of how to dry apples in electric oven.

How to store dried apples

Ready apples must be packed in bags made of natural fabric.

Cellophane bags and containers made of plastic or glass are not suitable for this purpose, since they do not allow oxygen to pass through. As a result, they may begin to "suffocate".

However, instead of fabric bags, you can take paper or cardboard.

The storage location must be dry and cool. High humidity and temperature will lead to mold growth. It is also important that the room where the dried fruits, ventilated.

Lovers of cooking in winter fresh compotes or make pastries with dried fruits know that you need to do the preparation of dryers in the summer. most accessible and useful fruit That's what an apple is for. This tree in our climate grows well and bears fruit. Therefore, almost everyone has the opportunity to collect or buy homemade apples.

Apples are mostly water, and as a result of drying, they lose almost all the liquid, but at the same time all useful trace elements and vitamins are preserved. Therefore, do not doubt the benefits of dried fruits.

And also keep in mind that the dryers at the output will be no more than 10 percent of the mass fresh apples. It is very easy to prepare dried fruits, and if you use modern kitchen appliances, in general, it is a pleasure.

Benefits of dried apples:

Retain useful properties;
High taste qualities;
Compact and long storage;
Easy preparation.

Which fruits to choose

Sweet and sour or sour varieties of apples are ideal for drying. Sweet apples do not retain a special taste. To get a greater yield of the product, it is worth choosing fruits with a thinner skin and fewer grains.

Preparing apples:

How to avoid oxidizing apples:

Now that the fruits are ready for further processing, it is necessary to decide on the method of drying them. There are many options here. It all depends on the technology that you have or lack of it.

Drying apples with home appliances

At home, you can dry apples using a dryer, oven, microwave, air grill and, in the end, just in the sun.

In an electric oven

An electric oven is great for high-quality drying of fruits. For this you need:

During this time (6-8 hours), the fruits should be dried to the required condition. Become plastic, not breaking and not oozing light brown dryers.

In an electric convection oven

An electric oven with a convection function solves the issue of creating artificial air circulation by not closing the door and significantly speeds up the process.

A convector is a fan built into the oven that provides a uniform flow of hot air. Consider the process of drying with convection in stages:

Preheat the oven to 40-50 degrees;
Place baking sheets with chopped apples in it;
After 1–1.5 hours, turn the slices over and increase the temperature to 70–80 degrees for more intensive evaporation of moisture;
When the water has almost evaporated, reduce the temperature to its original value and leave for another two hours.

In an oven equipped with this function, the entire drying process will take from 3 to 6 hours.

On a gas stove

On the gas stove you can also dry apples if for some reason you cannot or do not want to use the oven. There will be some difficulties with the choice of the intensity of the fire and the height of the baking sheets, but this is quickly eliminated through trial and experiment.

Thus, the drying process is reduced to 3-4 hours, but requires constant attention.

other methods

if you have aerogrill, then you can perfectly dry apples in it, the principle will be approximately the same as in a convection oven, only the process will take only an hour in time. In this case, the device must select the circulation mode at a low speed, set the temperature within 100 degrees. Slices lay out loosely to each other, for maximum airflow.

Dryer- a specially designed device for drying any fruits and berries. The device is equipped with all the necessary containers, grids, tiers so that you turn it on for a certain time and forget about it - it will turn itself off when it has completed its function.

It is necessary to distribute the prepared apples on the grids (there are a lot of them in the device for this), set the desired temperature and in a few hours you will get perfect drying.

In the microwave You can also dry apples. The process will take about 5 minutes. The main thing is to choose the required temperature and power to get drying, not coals. Because the microwave will also quickly burn the fruit, as well as dry it.

To do this, you need to spread the slices evenly and in one layer on a dish and set the mode to microwave. Power - 250 W, turn on for 30-40 seconds. Then turn the half-dried apples over, increase the power to 300 W and turn on the timer for 3 minutes. Get ready-made dryers.

You can use the old method of drying apples - in the sun. But this option is suitable, first of all, for owners of private houses living in a hot climate. Since the harvesting of apples takes place mainly in late summer - early autumn, and during this period the sun is no longer so hot and it often rains.

Prepared apples are strung on threads and hung or laid out on baking sheets and exposed to the open sun, not forgetting to turn them over periodically.

At the same time, care must be taken to ensure that insects do not have access to the fruits - for example, cover them with double gauze. At night, when air humidity rises, drying should be removed in a closed, but ventilated space. The drying process will take 6-7 days.

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Signs of fully cooked dryers

Regardless of the drying method, the degree and characteristics of finished dried apples are the same:

Drying should not break or crunch, it is plastic;
It is unacceptable to release moisture when it is squeezed;
The color may be light brown, but not light yellow or dark.

If at least one of these signs does not match, or you suspect that the apples are not ready, it is better to dry them a little more to avoid spoilage.

Long term storage

After proper drying, apples can be stored for a long time. How to store dried apples? Cotton bags or pillowcases are great for this. You can also use paper, wooden or cardboard boxes, glass jars. But by no means plastic bags or plastic containers - dryers suffocate in them.

Dried apples should be stored at room temperature in a dry, well-ventilated, dark place. Do not forget to periodically review the drying for damage so that they do not show signs of mold or decay.

Drying apples finished product for use. But they are also used in the preparation of compotes, jelly, all kinds of pastries. Before this, it is better to soak the apples in water for several hours, strong tea, you can even in cognac or liquor. Some more mothers twist drying through a meat grinder with nuts and mold sweets for their children. In general, the application of this the most useful product in food - a free flight of fancy.

In conclusion, I would like to give a comparative table of the advantages and disadvantages of different apple drying processes, depending on the devices used:

Dryer	Advantages	Flaws	Process duration
electric oven	- almost everyone has a device	- swap baking sheets; - open door	6–8 hours
Oven with convector	- acceleration of the drying process; - uniform blowing of fruits	- not everyone has this feature	3–6 hours
gas hob	- present in all	— energy costs; - duration; - constant surveillance	3-4 hours
air grill	- hot air circulation	- not everyone has this device	Approximately 1 hour
Dryer	- the device is specially designed for this process	- the lack of it in your kitchen	3-4 hours
Microwave	- the minimum duration of the process	- apples can burn quickly	5 minutes
The sun	- does not require other devices	- duration;

How to dry apples in the oven - this question is of interest to many city dwellers, because not everyone has a balcony or a loggia for drying fruit on fresh air. Sometimes auxiliary rooms are simply littered with rubbish or simply very cramped and hardly used for drying clothes. In this case it is better to consider alternative ways apple preparations. For example, dry them in the oven.

Is it possible to dry apples in the oven

Not only possible, but necessary! It is best to use a convection oven.

Convection is an additional blowing of hot air with the help of fans. It allows the heat to be evenly distributed throughout the entire volume of the oven, so that you do not have to change the baking sheets, open the door slightly during drying and endure the heat coming from the red-hot oven for 10 hours (which is how long it takes to dry apples in a conventional oven) .

By the way, almost all modern ovens are equipped with a convection mode. Read the instructions for your oven carefully and find out how to turn on this mode, if any.

How to prepare apples for drying and what varieties to use

Suitable for oven drying ripe apples sweet and sour varieties. If you have a choice, take fruits with dense pulp, preferably autumn ripening. Summer juicy apples tend to be too tender to dry. Please note: drying is one of the most unprofitable ways to harvest fruits. From 1 kilogram of fresh apples, only 100-110 grams of dried fruits are obtained!

Preparing apples for drying is very simple. Sort them out, throw away the rotten and cracked ones, and the fruits good quality wash, dry with a clean towel and cut. There are 2 ways to cut:

1. Regular slices - divide the apples in half, cut each half, discard the core.

2. Round plates - core special device, then cut the whole apple into thin slices.

What to do next

Take a regular baking sheet, cover with baking paper, arrange the apple slices in 1 layer and send to the oven. The drying time depends on the variety of apples and the thickness of the slices, as well as on the type of oven. In an electric oven, the fruits are dried at a temperature of 80-100 degrees for 5-6 hours. In gas - 50-70 degrees, always with the door ajar. Periodically, the gas oven must be turned off. Be sure to turn over the apple slices during the drying process!

An alternative drying method is on a wire rack. At the same time, preheat the oven to no more than 50 degrees, dry the apples for 12-14 hours with the door ajar. In this case, the fruits will dry better.

Oven-dried apples retain their qualities - taste and aroma - perfectly and do not deteriorate for 2 years if they are folded dry glass jar, close nylon cover and put in a cool place.

Growing a rich harvest of apples is only half the battle. It is necessary to keep it tasty for the winter, and without losing useful properties and vitamins. Drying is perfect for this purpose. This method allows you to store apples long time. Dried apples can be cooked in a conventional oven.

For drying, you need to choose sour or sweet-sour varieties. Do not choose sweet apples. When cooking compote or other heat treatment, they lose part palatability. If the apples have not had time to fully ripen, then they are unsuitable for drying. The most successful varieties are: Simerenko, Antonovka, Aport, Orleans, Renet.
For drying, cut the apples into slices or slices. If desired, remove the core and skin, but this is optional. The thinner the cut, the shorter the cooking time. Immediately after slicing, dip the apples into the solution with citric acid for a while. For 1 liter of water, take 2 grams of acid. This is necessary so that the apples retain their color and do not darken. Do not cut slices thicker than 1 centimeter.

After soaking, (3-5 minutes) air dry the apples. You can dry it with a napkin or towel. Then place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Try to put everything in one layer. Place the tray in a warm oven. No more than 70 degrees.

For the first 2-3 hours, dry the apples at a temperature of 70 degrees. During this time, the pieces will dry out a little. Next, lower the oven temperature to 50 degrees. Stir or turn apples every two hours. This will help speed up the drying process.

To test for doneness, fold the slice in half. It should be flexible and bend easily. Color dried apples should be yellow-orange.

It is better to store ready-made dried apples in a cool, dark place in paper bags or boxes. Clean, dry wooden boxes may be suitable. If there are few apples, you can wrap them in parchment paper and store in a dark place.

Dried fruits accompany a person for more than one century. It is assumed that this was one of the first products of our distant ancestors. Apricots and apples that fell from the tree, chopped and not harvested in time, dried up in the sun, weathered, lost excess moisture and turned into a real delicacy. It is noteworthy that such a delicacy could be stored for a long time. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of years have passed. The harvesting technology has not changed much. Today, many people love dried fruits and dishes made from them. And even novice housewives know how to dry apples in the oven.

The benefits of dried fruits

It is no secret that dried fruits are health products. They contain many vitamins, especially group B. In addition, they contain mineral elements: calcium, sodium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, magnesium. Apple "drying" contains vitamins A, B and C, essential oils, pectin, organic compounds. Glycemic index this delicacy is low, so even those who follow strict diets can use it.

The benefits of dried apples are also confirmed by doctors. They advise eating this food for those who have problems with sugar levels, suffer from gout, rheumatism, and atherosclerosis.

And cosmetologists appreciate this product for its beneficial effect on the skin, hair, nails.

Choosing raw materials

Almost any variety of apples is suitable for drying. Before drying apples for the winter, they need to be sorted according to size. Large ones will have to be cut, and medium ones can be dried in halves. Forest wild apples of a very small size are very tasty. They can be prepared whole.

Making dried fruits in the oven

Today, you can easily find dried fruits of all kinds in the supermarket. Dried slices of pineapple and melon, colorful berries, "drying" of tangerines, plums, watermelon, papaya and passion fruit flaunt on the shelves. There are also apples for sale. No smaller assortment can be found in the markets. Among the imported delicacies, you can easily find the most common fruits dried by local grandmothers.

Buying is always easier, however, in order to be sure of the quality of the product, you have to deal with it. self-cooking. Moreover, there is nothing complicated in drying apples at home. This will require an oven and the apples themselves. And patience.

Apples need to be washed, dried and cut. Can you do it in the usual way, or you can use a special recess for the middle. Then you get beautiful rings. If before drying in the oven, soak the apples in cold salty water, their color will remain light. Slices should be laid out on a wire rack or baking sheet and put in the oven. At what temperature should apples be dried? Of course, at the minimum! And keep the oven door open. This is done so that the fruits do not fry, but dry. If the slices lie on a baking sheet, they must be stirred. This should be done at least once every 30 minutes. They will be ready in 8 hours.

How to dry apples on a wire rack in the oven? Similar. Only the pieces should be larger so as not to fall through. And you don't need to stir or shift anything. Such apples will dry completely in 5-6 hours.

Alternative procurement methods

In addition to drying in the oven, there are other methods for harvesting apples. Previously, they were simply dried in the sun, laid out on pallets. This method is primarily good for its economy - it does not require almost any costs. In order to dry the apples in the sun, you will need several baking sheets. You can spread the slices only in one layer so that the fruit does not deteriorate. The process will be long. For the fruit to completely lose moisture, you will have to wait at least a week. But no intervention is needed. Sliced fruits can simply be covered with gauze so that insects do not sit on them.

The second method, on the contrary, is the most modern. A few years ago, electric dryers appeared on sale. In such dryers, dried fruits are cooked for several hours. Washed and chopped apples just need to be put on pallets and the machine plugged into the network.

Slices of apples can be strung on a thread and hung in a draft. Harvesting "drying" in this way will be interesting and easy even for children.

Recipes from apple "drying"

The most common recipe with dried apples is compote. Its taste is known to everyone since kindergarten. The main rule of dried fruit compote is that it should not be boiled for too long. Otherwise, the apple flavor may evaporate. No less popular are baking recipes, which include such a useful and delicious ingredient. Anyone who knows how to dry apples in the oven probably bakes pies with them in winter. In order to add to the dough, dried fruits need to be prepared. To do this, they are poured with boiling water and allowed to stand. Then you can cut into slices small pieces and add to the dough.

But with all the abundance of recipes, the use of "drying" in pure form. This is a great alternative to overseas chips and sweets.