Dehydrated Fruits with Pretreatment
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Produce Protector
- – Or 1 Teaspoon Citric Acid
- 1 Quart Water
- Sliced Fruit
Instructions
Apples
- Wash, peel, and core apples into 1/4-inch slices.
- Follow pretreatment and dehydration steps below.
- To test, fold the dried apple slice in half. It will not stick together if it is dried properly. If the apples do stick when folded, dry the apples a little longer. Another way to test is to tear the apple slice in half and look for moisture. The apple is not dry enough if you can see beads of moisture along the tear. If you like your dehydrated apples crunchy like a chip, dry them until they snap when you bend them.
Bananas
- Using a knife, slice bananas very thin (approximately 1/8-inch thick).
- Follow pretreatment and dehydration steps below.
- Dehydrate until banana slices are crisp like chips.
Pears (including Asian Pears)
- Pears can be peeled or not, your preference. Slice pears in half, core and remove stem and blossom end. Use a mandolin slicer to make 1/4-inch slices.
- Follow pretreatment and dehydration steps below.
- Dehydrate until dry like paper, but still flexible.
Pretreatment
- Combine Produce Protector or Citric Acid and water in a large bowl.
- Soak fruit in treated water for 5 to 10 minutes to prevent browning.
Dehydration
- Place fruit slices in a single layer on food dehydrator trays and dry at 145 degrees for 1 hour and then lower temperature to 125 degrees until they show no signs of moisture.
2020 Recipe – April Ferre
