How to properly dry apricots

How to properly dry apricots?

Almost everyone loves apricots Ripe apricots have a gentle and subtle aroma.

For the winter, apricots are used to make various preparations: preserves, jams, juices, compotes, and dried.

We will carefully consider how to properly dry apricots at home , the usefulness of dried apricots, devices and equipment for drying.

Apricot drying methods

Dried apricots are considered the healthiest; they contain more vitamins than those rolled up in jars.

Apricots can be dried with or without pits. Seedless apricots, cut in half, are called dried apricots. If the apricot is whole, and the pit was removed through the stalk, then it is kaisa.

In stores and markets they sell dried apricots that are bright yellow in color and have a pretty appearance. Homemade, dried apricots do not have this appearance. This is due to the fact that dried apricots at the market, during drying, are fumigated with sulfur dioxide, so the fruits do not darken.

We do not recommend taking such dried apricots for children. You can dry apricots at home, without using chemicals, although it may not look so great, but it is very useful.

To dry apricots, prepare ripe, one hundred percent ripe fruits without external damage or worms in the middle.

Rinse the fruits in water, divide them in half and remove the seeds.

To prevent your dried apricots from darkening during the drying process, you need to dip the apricot halves for 10 minutes in a solution with citric acid.

Prepare the solution: 1 tsp. Dissolve citric acid in a liter of water. Instead of acid, you can use lemon juice.

After 10 minutes, remove the apricots from the solution and place them on a mesh to drain.

Then place the apricots, cut side up, on the racks so that the fruits do not touch each other.

Surely dried apricot

Apricots are properly dried in the hot sun for 3-4 days. Then the apricots are placed as tightly as possible on the net and dried in the shade. The space must be well ventilated.

Properly dried apricots will be yellow-orange in color and not overdried. To get 1 kg of homemade dried apricots, you will need about 4 kg of ripe apricots.

You can dry apricots with pits, this way the maximum of vitamins and essential substances will be preserved. Dried apricots with pits are called apricots. Apricots are dried in the hot sun for 7 days, then transferred to a shaded, well-ventilated space and dried.

Useful characteristics of dried apricots

The huge content of vitamins and mineral salts has a great effect and strengthens the immunity of people after illness.

Dried apricots are useful for pregnant women and children, thanks to it the heart muscle works normally.

Dried apricots are used in making compotes, added into yoghurt, cut into cubes, and healthy and tasty fruit soups are prepared from dried apricots.

Drying apricots in a gas oven

They also use the oven to dry apricots. The prepared apricot halves are placed on a baking sheet or mesh covered with parchment, the temperature in the oven at the beginning of drying and at the end is 50-60 degrees, and after 1-2 hours (the middle of drying) it is set at 70-80 degrees.

Here and there in the center of drying, open the oven slightly (or open it for 10-20 minutes a couple of times during drying), and turn the apricots over so that the moisture evaporates freely.

During the entire drying period, you can turn it a couple of times, the apricots will dry moderately, you can also take breaks of 1 hour, the moisture will be moderately distributed, then continue drying.

When drying apricots in the oven, do not allow high temperatures, otherwise the fruit may burn.

Using this drying method, after 4-5 hours the dried apricots will be ready, the fruits will become elastic, dry and no juice will be released when pressed.

Drying apricots in an electric dryer

For drying apricots, household appliances are also used - special dryers for fruits and vegetables . Follow the instructions for the device and in 10-12 hours the dried apricots will be ready.

Video - Dried apricots at home - the usual method

Dried apricots are stored in bags made of dense fabric (the structure of tissues of living organisms is studied by the science of histology) , in a suspended state. Dried apricots are also perfectly stored in wood jars in a cold and dry room. Well-dried dried apricots can be stored for up to 2 years.

How to cook homemade dried apricots: methods and aspects

Dried apricots are dried apricot halves. It contains a huge amount of necessary substances and is a popular delicacy. You can prepare dried apricots yourself; there are several common and accessible methods for this.

Individualities of drying apricots for dried apricots

To obtain high-quality products, it is necessary to take into account the following aspects of its manufacture:

The variety chosen is large-fruited, containing 10–20% sugar, with dense, evenly juicy pulp and an easy-to-remove seed

Apricots for the production of dried apricots must be of high quality: with dense, not very juicy pulp and an easily detachable stone

In industrial production, they are treated with sulfur dioxide, which gives the product a nice, catchy yellow-orange color. Its use is not prohibited, but is not considered completely harmless. Homemade dried apricots turn out dull brown if the raw materials are previously steamed or soaked in citric acid - uniformly yellow or orange . You will not get the same effect as when processing grayish.

Store-bought dried apricots treated with sulfur vapor look more beautiful than homemade ones

If the dried apricots have dried unevenly, they should be kept in a closed cardboard box for several days so that the moisture is distributed throughout the product.

The preparation of apricots for making dried apricots is similar for all drying methods; it is carried out in the following sequence:

Whole fruits are selected.
Apricots are washed in advance so that the finished dried apricots can be consumed immediately, because when they are washed, the necessary substances are lost.
Divide the fruits into halves, removing their seeds.
To improve the color, the slices are kept for 5–10 minutes in a colander over bubbling water or soaked for 30 minutes in a solution of citric acid, dissolving a teaspoon of dry matter in a liter of water.
The raw materials are laid out on cotton fabric (a medical system of cells and intercellular substances united by a common origin, structure and functions) to dry.

When making “store-bought” dried apricots, the raw materials are boiled in sweet syrup, then the cooled halves are combined and pressed tightly so that they stick together. Products soaked in sweet syrup are the most elastic, and also the most caloric and contain fewer vitamins.

Methods for making dried apricots at home

There are several methods you can use to dry dried apricots without the help of others. Each of them has its own personality.

In the freshest air

When dried apricots dry, they naturally retain more of the necessary substances. The drying space must be well ventilated and unshaded. The slices are laid out on wooden or fabric-covered (a collection of different and interacting tissues form organs) iron gratings with the cuts upward and make sure that they do not touch each other. They are kept in the shade for three to four hours, preferably in a breeze or draft. Then the blanks are placed under the sun. When the wilted halves have reduced in size and lost their stickiness, they can be arranged as densely as possible. The drying time depends on the air temperature and the parameters of the pulp; it can last from one to 2 weeks . At night (that is, in the dark) and in bad weather, the preparations are brought indoors.

When drying dried apricots in the open air, more necessary products come out

Halves of apricots with dense, dryish pulp can be strung on a nylon thread or fishing line and secured in a horizontal position. Apricots that are not dense enough can be strung on hard rods secured in special holes. In windy and hot weather, fruits strung using both methods dry well even in a shaded place.

Video: one of the methods for drying dried apricots in the fresh air

In the oven

Dried apricots can be dried in a regular oven. Place the apricot halves, cut side up, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in a preheated oven. Dry dried apricots at a temperature of 60–65°C. It is necessary to open the oven slightly for ventilation from time to time or secure the door with a piece of wood ajar. Drying duration can vary from 4–5 to 8–9 hours depending on the parameters of the initial raw materials . When the dried fruits are half ready (the surface of the halves dries out and their edges begin to curl), you need to watch so that they do not dry out, occasionally taking out the baking sheet to assess the degree of readiness of the dried apricots.

In an electric dryer

The specifics of working with a specific model of electric dryer are outlined in the annotation. During the drying process, the general rules for handling raw materials and temperature conditions are taken into account. The apricot halves are placed on trays at intervals so that they do not stick together. Drying on average lasts about 9–10 hours without interruptions . For the first 2 hours the temperature is maintained at 45–50°C, then it is increased to 55–60°C. 1.5–2 hours before the end of drying, the temperature is again reduced to 45–50°C. The cheapest dryer models do not have a thermostat; they are set to the best value - 45–50°C. This temperature allows you to dry the fruit, but control the degree of readiness in the same way as when drying in the oven. Then the dried apricots are taken out of the dryer and laid out on a cotton towel to cool. The readiness of cooled dried apricots is determined by the previously described signs.

With the help of modern electric dryers, you can quickly prepare benign dried apricots

Video: how to dry apricots at home

In industrial production, dried apricots are processed with chemical substances. Dried fruits prepared at home will bring more benefits. They can be safely used for children's and dietary nutrition.

How to dry apricots for dried apricots at home - quickly, simply and deliciously

Have a nice day, dear readers! Dried apricots are a very popular dried fruit. It is able to provide the necessary complex of vitamins to a person in the winter season, when ripe fruits are a huge drawback.

But dried fruits have a high price and not everyone can buy them. For this reason, it is necessary to prepare for the winter season in advance.

You can dry dried apricots on your own, which will last for a long period of time. To do this, it’s worth finding out what methods there are for drying apricots.

How to choose apricots for drying

In order to obtain dried apricots, cultivated apricots are chosen. With all this, wild varieties of fruit do not approach. Experts recommend choosing mature and sweet specimens with the least water content.

It is also taken into account that the fruits for drying must be of late varieties. Before drying, the fruits are carefully sorted. It is important to throw away wormy, dented and rotten specimens.

Overripe fruits are usually avoided. To make the right choice, feel the fruits. They shouldn't be very soft. It is normal to choose apricots that are bright orange in color.

How to cook fruits

After the apricots have been selected, you can begin washing the fruit. First, rinse the fruit with cold water. This will help remove the film. Then they must be pitted.

The fruit is divided into two parts. If by chance you come across a wormy fruit, it is thrown away, because the larvae can be reborn when dried. When the fruit is already broken in half, there is no need to wash it again.

In order for the dried apricots to have a pleasant light color, the raw material is placed in a colander and kept over steam for 15-20 minutes. This applies to any drying method.

There is another method. You can prepare syrup from 200 gr. sugar and a mug of plain water. The fruits are kept in the solution for a couple of minutes. Next, the apricots are left on a flat surface until the water drains from them.

On a note! To get 1 kg. prepared dried apricots, you need to prepare 3-4 kg. new apricots.

How to dry apricots for dried apricots

Dried apricots contain a lot of necessary substances. Depending on the preparation of raw materials and the drying process, there are several varieties of this sweet.

When the fruit is cut into two parts, the pit is removed and the fruit is dried, dried apricots come out. And if the fruit is dried together with the pit, then the dried apricot is called apricot.

Dried apricots are used in medicine and cooking. It is an ingredient in dietary nutrition programs. But it’s important to dry apricots correctly.

In the oven

1. Drying in the oven begins with painstaking preparation of the fruit. Apricots are sorted, washed, and cut into halves. Fruits need to be washed in advance. It is not allowed to do this just before drying begins.

Then the moisture will not evaporate one hundred percent. The seeds should be removed very carefully, otherwise there is a risk of destroying the fruit pulp. Accordingly, dried apricots will have an ugly appearance.

2. Next, the raw materials are placed in a colander and kept over steam for half an hour.

3. After this, the apricots are laid out on cotton cloth (a medical system of cells and intercellular substance, united by a common origin, structure and functions) , and dried for an hour. During this period of time, the mold is prepared.

In an electronic dryer

Almost all housewives have a special dryer. When using this, you must follow the recommendations of the device manufacturer.

1. Usually, after preparation, the fruits are laid out on the device’s mesh with the cuts facing up. It is worth checking that the fruits do not touch each other. If the rule is not followed, the dried apricots will stick together.

2. The mesh is placed inside the device. The best temperature for drying is 45 degrees, and the approximate time is 2 hours.

3. When this time is over, the temperature is increased by 10 degrees and drying continues for another 6 hours. After this, the dryer is again set to a temperature of 45 degrees, and the process is continued for 1.5 hours.

4. After these procedures, the device is opened, the dried fruits are placed on a cotton towel. As the dried apricots cool, transfer them to a fabric bag or cardboard box with good ventilation.

In the microwave

It’s easy to create dried apricots in the microwave. But here it is important to select the fruit correctly and follow the technology, otherwise you will end up with burnt pieces instead of dried apricots. Microwaves dry fruit very quickly.

If we talk about apricots, then you should choose a power of no more than 300 watts. Drying will be completed within 2 minutes.

Next, the product is inspected for readiness. If the time is not enough, drying is extended for another 30 seconds or longer.

In the sun

This drying method is considered natural. Here, too, the first thing to do is prepare the fruits - wash, cut, and remove the pit. The fruits are kept over steam. Next you need to take wooden trays and cover them with parchment paper.

The fruits are placed bottom-side down. First, the apricots are dried in the shade for 3 hours. Later they can be placed under the sun's rays until completely dry.

After the sun sets, the fruits are covered with gauze and taken indoors, saving them from insects. According to this drying technology, the entire process takes about 10 days.

This is how apricots are dried in the sun.

Video: How to dry apricots for dried apricots

How to check the readiness of fruits

Checking the readiness of dried apricots is very simple. First you need to touch the dried apricot. When drying was carried out according to all standards, the dried apricots come out slightly wrinkled. But at the same time it remains elastic.

It is pleasant to the touch, languid, and contains a small amount of water. To check the readiness of dried apricots, the fruit can be placed in boiling water. When this swelling occurs, the fruits are cooked correctly.

This means that they retain many minerals and vitamins. When drying apricots at home, no chemicals are used. For this reason, dried fruits have a yellow or brown color.

On a note! If dried apricots with a pronounced color are sold on the market or in a store, then there is a certain presence of chemicals during drying. It’s better not to take such a product!

How to store dried apricots?

How to store

Dried apricots are usually stored in cotton bags.

To do this, dried apricots are placed in such bags, hung on cloves at the usual level of humidity, in a place protected from the sun.

From time to time, plastic bags are taken for such purposes. This method is considered the most convenient.

From time to time the bag is opened to ventilate the dried fruits. Dried apricots can also be stored in the freezer. Then dried fruits can lie there for up to one and a half years.

The ideal storage temperature for dried apricots is 15 degrees and humidity is 70%. Dried apricots can be stored in a cool, dark place for six months.

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What can you cook from dried apricots?

Dried apricots are needed for making desserts and drinks; they are added to baked goods, porridges, and salads.

Gourmets are very fond of sweets made from dried apricots. It's very easy to prepare them.

100 grams – chocolate
70 grams – dried apricots
70 grams – walnuts
70 grams – peanuts
1 tablespoon – sesame seeds

1. The nuts and apricots are crushed to crumbs, and the chocolate is melted in the microwave. This will take about a minute and a half.

2. Later, nuts and dried fruits are dumped into the chocolate. All ingredients are mixed.

3. After the consistency has cooled, it is worth making small balls from it. Then they are rolled in sesame seeds.

4. These balls are left in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. After this time, the sweetness can be eaten.

How to create dried apricots at home? How to dry apricots for dried apricots

The beneficial characteristics of dried apricots are known to everyone, but not everyone understands how to create dried apricots at home, because there are several important details that will make production easier and reduce the loss of vitamins. Dried apricots are widely used in cooking; they are a priority for vegetable and raw foodists, as well as for people susceptible to cardiovascular diseases, due to the high content of potassium and magnesium, which are so necessary for the human heart.

What is dried apricots?

The orange sunny miracle fruit apricot, broken into halves and separated from the seeds, is dried apricots, a dried fruit with a pronounced taste and smell, retaining all the beneficial characteristics of the freshest.

What are dried apricots made from? Naturally, from ordinary ripe apricots. The main thing is that they are not overripe (otherwise the dried fruit risks losing its shape during processing), also that they are not underripe and tough, otherwise the dried apricots will turn out hard and tasteless. To make one kilogram of finished dried apricots, you need about 4 kg of new apricots.

It is difficult to name the best variety of apricots for dried apricots. All cultivated varieties, calibrations and modifications are suitable. Only wild apricot is not suitable due to the excess bitterness of the fruit, although some, on the contrary, like this unique taste (especially in uzvars). Fruits for dried apricots must be selected without damage or garden pests, especially if they are collected by hand and not by shaking the tree.

Kaisa, are apricots also dried apricots?

No, these are separate types of dried fruits, although also made from apricots. Here's how they differ from each other:

dried apricots are dried halves of pitted apricots, ideal for making the insides of pies and pancakes, desserts and as an additive to porridges;
kaisa is a whole fruit from which the seed has been carefully removed and dried whole; it is good for making uzvar and for a raw food snack;
apricot is a dried whole apricot fruit from which the pit has not been removed; This dried apricot retains the most vitamins, which is why it is so valued by doctors and nutritionists.

That's the whole difference, small, but very significant in culinary art. If apricots can be nibbled as a snack, then you can’t add them to a pie due to the presence of a seed, but they are stored better, so they are indispensable on long hiking trips.

Homemade options

How to create dried apricots so that they retain the maximum of necessary substances and vitamins? There are only three options:

The fastest and most successful: drying in a dehydrator is a special machine for removing water from new vegetables and fruits.
In the oven: an activity that requires time, constant observation and an always-on oven, albeit at a low setting.
Using the old “grandfather’s” method: in the sun, the way our grandmothers and other ancestors dried apricots. A method that does not require an electricity bill, but at the same time takes up a lot of space. If you don’t have a spacious loggia or the balcony is so blocked that you can’t get through, it’s better to give up trying, so as not to curse everyone and everything later.

When the seeds are separated from the fruit, you should not throw them away: the kernels from them are an excellent substitute for almonds when making nut pies and other delicacies. You just need to dry them in the fresh air and pour them into a glass jar.

How to dry apricots in a dehydrator?

To begin, we prepare the apricots using the usual method: wash, peel and place the apricot halves on a drying rack with the cuts down. We set the mode to 60 degrees and wait just a couple of hours. The fragrant dried fruit is ready! If you like the driest dried apricots for long-term storage, then it is better to dry them for at least three to four hours.

Oven drying

How to dry apricots for dried apricots if you don’t have a dehydrator? Naturally, use the oven! The recipe for homemade dried apricots is simple: first, wash the fruits in hot water to remove possible bacteria, dry with a towel or cardboard napkins, cut into halves and remove seeds.

It is better to cover the baking sheets with parchment or cooking paper, on which to place the cooked apricots with the cuts facing up. It is important that the pieces of fruit do not touch; the heat of the oven should entwine the apricots on all sides, drying them moderately.

The heating temperature of the oven should be no more than 100 degrees, although some home preparation experts advise even less: no more than 60, citing the fact that this is how dried apricots dry most naturally and retain all vitamins (a group of low-molecular organic compounds with a relatively simple structure and varied chemical properties). nature) and is stored longer. In this mode, the apricots will dry for about four to five hours (if the temperature is 60 degrees, then all eight), they should wrinkle and darken slightly. After cooling, experts advise throwing the dried fruits in an unvarnished wooden container for two to three weeks - then the dried apricots will acquire an even richer taste and forever retain their beneficial characteristics.

Sun drying

Grandmother’s advice on how to make dried apricots from apricots still lives in the memory: cooked seedless fruits are boiled in water slightly acidified with citric acid for only 5 minutes, drained in a colander to drain all the liquid. You can throw it on a linen towel to absorb excess moisture.

How to create dried apricots at home that look similar to oriental ones? There is a little secret: when the liquid drains from the fruit, glue each half with the outer edges inward, giving the dried fruit an oval shape. Then place the cooked apricots on baking sheets or wooden trays and place them in direct sunlight.

Depending on the weather, the dried apricots will dry from a week to two weeks, the presence of bright sun is of the first importance: this way the apricots will dry quickly and will not become moldy, which often happens in damp or rainy weather. To avoid damage to drying apricots by insects, you should cover the trays with them with gauze or mosquito nets. It is also not recommended to dry dried apricots in places with high gas pollution, in other words, on a balcony facing the roadway: the fruit will absorb harmful elements floating in the air, such a product will be harmful to health.

How to dry apricots if there is no sun and it’s raining? There is no way out: only in the oven, otherwise the initial product will begin to rot and all the work will be in vain.

How to properly store dried fruits?

After the dried apricots are ready, they should be transferred to glass jars or linen bags and stored in a dark place, well ventilated and difficult to reach by insects. Can also be stored in a wooden container with a lid. Some housewives store dried apricots in plastic bags - this is not entirely true, because in this case the dried fruit can become rotten and spoil. You can also store dried apricots in the refrigerator in the greens drawer.

What is important to know before buying dried apricots on the market?

In hypermarkets and food markets, you can often find beautiful sunny dried apricots with a catchy, cute appearance, which sharply contrasts with the inconspicuous dried apricots of grandmothers. Why such a contrast if both are dried apricots?

Grandmothers dry it in the sun at home, drying it to a tight state, without using anything else, they are not bothered by the appearance - only useful characteristics. And on an industrial scale, salability is important - that means appearance, which is why dried apricots in drying boxes are treated with sulfur dioxide (a gas to give dried fruits a catchy color). Therefore, if you have a choice, then it is better to buy homemade dried apricots, and if there are no options, then before eating, soak the poisonous yellow dried fruit in water for at least 10-15 minutes.

If the dried apricots are soft to the touch, simply crushed and have a not very pleasant “wine” smell, then under no circumstances should you take them: they are unnecessarily treated with chemicals and can only cause harm to your body.