Apples, as edible fruits, are known to mankind for 165 million years. So, at least, archeologists argue.
But in Russia apples have always been the most beloved and revered fruits. And no, perhaps, in central Russia, a garden or a summer cottage, where this miracle tree would not grow.
At the end of August, when the fruits ripen, the good owners try to keep them as long as possible, in order to have a favorite treat then all winter.
At the same time, dried fruits retain many useful properties and nutrients inherent in fresh apples, but they are not so few.
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What is useful dried apples?
According to recent research by scientists, dried fruits, and among them apples, can help the body in the fight against numerous serious diseases:
- oncological, cardiovascular, chronic diseases of the kidneys and urogenital system;
- they perfectly clean and strengthen blood vessels, reducing the level of "bad" cholesterol in the blood;
- promote bone buildup 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 in their diet at least 75 grams of dried apples daily, which is equivalent to two fresh ones, arguing that the dried fruits are rich in:
- vitamins of group, and also vitamins Ε and C;
- mineral, bioactive antioxidants and microelements such as: flavonoids and carotenoids, iron, copper, selenium, zinc and potassium;
- iodine content in dried apples is higher than in fresh oranges and bananas. And as you know, iodine has a positive effect on mental activity, especially of the elderly and children;
- dry fruits contain fiber, pectin and dietary fiber, which contribute to the digestive process, stabilize the bowels, being an excellent diuretic and laxative.
How to properly dry apples at home to preserve all their wonderful properties?
There are many ways of harvesting dried fruits, one of them is drying in an ordinary oven.
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How to dry apples in the oven
What varieties to use for drying
For drying in the oven it is better to pick up apples of winter, sweet-sour or sour varieties. These include: Anis, Antonovka, Aport, Titovka, Slavyanka, Borovik.
You can use summer, sweet varieties, and even a drop, but then we will get a lower quality final product. It should be remembered that the summer varieties of apples are better dried with the skin.
Fruit preparation process
- Collect even, undamaged and unbroken fruits without obvious signs of decay.
- Wash them thoroughly in running tap water.
- Peel each fruit and remove its core.
- To prevent apples from darkening during processing, they are best placed in cold water, acidified with citric or acetic acid.
- After washing and cleaning the apples should be cut into slices or circles of 5-7 mm.
- Many blanch the fruits before drying. But you can do without it - it is better to preserve the vitamins and trace elements of the fruit.
The process of drying fruits
Cover the parchment paper with parchment paper, which will dry the apples. Spread the sliced fruit on them. The oven must be heated to 80 °.
Place the apples in the oven and in half an hour reduce the temperature to 70 °.
Approximately 5 hours after evaporation of half the moisture from the apples, you should turn the slices to the other side and lower the oven temperature to 50 °.
For well-dried fruits, it is better to leave them in the oven for another 4 hours, occasionally turning them over for uniform drying on all sides.
As soon as the apples get a light brown shade, they no longer produce juice and do not break when trying to squeeze them, you can safely remove them from the oven.
How to dry apples in the microwave
Many housewives in order to speed up the process of drying apple fruits prefer to dry them in the microwave.
And this has its own incontestable logic: this process takes much less time than drying in the oven, and the result is excellent.
Apples retain all their beneficial properties, while in a small amount of time, you can prepare a greater amount of dried fruit.
The main thing is to choose the power at which the process will take place, and the processing time, so as not to burn a valuable product.
Therefore, they must be dried in two stages.
Stage one:
- lay the prepared fruits on a plate, preferably in a single layer;
- put the dish in the microwave;
- Set the oven timer first for 30-40 seconds, and the power to 250 W.
Stage Two:
- remove the plate with the half-cooked fruit from the microwave;
- turn the pieces on the other side;
- the timer is set for 3 minutes, and the power of the microwave oven at 300 W;
- take out the finished product.
If it seemed to you that the dried fruits are not sufficiently ready, put them to dry for another 20-30 seconds. Now you can put the dried fruits in storage.
How to dry apples in an electric drier
Experts say that the best alternative for drying dried fruit, of course, is a specialized electric dryer.
Not only apples and other fruits can be prepared for winter, but also any vegetables, mushrooms, edible or medicinal herbs, berries, and even meat and fish products.
Now such dryers are very popular with hostesses, especially those who have their own dacha.
How does the electric dryer work
This unit works very simply and does not require special preparation of products for drying. The electric dryer consists of several components:
- plastic container with high sides, very similar to the pan;
- plastic pallets with through holes where fruits or vegetables are put;
- special nets with small cells for drying berries and plates for making pastes may be included;
- on top of the container is closed with a lid with holes for steam;
- Such capacity is installed together with pallets filled with fruits, on top of the base, where the compressor is located, forcing hot air, which dries the products. The air temperature can be adjusted. The juicier the product, the higher the temperature.
The process of drying apple fruits:
- Fold the prepared apples into slices. In this form, they will take less space on pallets.
- Place the pallets with fruit on several floors in a container.
- The air temperature for proper drying should be 55-60 °.
- The drying process takes about 8 hours.
Turning off the dryer, make sure that the apples do not emit moisture when they are pressed. If everything is in order, you can put them in bags.
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How to dry apples in the street
Some owners prefer to dry apples outdoors in the sun to save electricity. This method is less effective, as 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, apples are better to dry in the oven or electric drier. There are two ways of drying in the street:
- In trays or on a grid with cells, spreading on them the fruits prepared for drying. Cut apples for this method of drying should not very thick circles. Cover the apples with gauze or linen cloth to prevent dust from falling on them. Put trays in the sun. At night, it is better to remove the trays from the street into the room, since the humidity of the air at night is much higher than during the day.
- You can simply string the apples on a string of string, like mushrooms, or on wooden skewers and hang them on the sunny side. It is necessary to ensure that there is no direct moisture on the fruit.
In the open air with low humidity and on sunny days it is necessary to dry the fruit no more than 4-6 days, then it is better to bring them into a well-ventilated dry room until completely dried.
During long-term storage of dried fruits, periodically remove them from the bags and inspect them thoroughly. At the slightest signs of decay or mold, it is better not to use them in food, so as not to get severe poisoning.