How to Dehydrate Fruit in a Convection Oven
Most people have eaten dried fruits, such as raisins and prunes, but few have tried to make them at home. If you have a convection oven, you can dehydrate fruit in your home kitchen. The steps needed will depend upon the type of fruit you have; keep in mind that the drying times will vary wildly based on the size and amount of the fruit. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Cheesecloth
- Cooling rack
- Baking pan
- Vegetable steamer basket
- Pot
- Stove
- Lemon juice
- Zip-top storage bags
Instructions
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1
Turn on the convection oven and set it to 135 degrees F.
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2
Place the vegetable steamer basket into a pot with a tight-fitting lid, and with 1 inch of water in the bottom.
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3
Put the pot on top of the stove over high heat. Bring the water to a full, rolling boil. Add the fruit (sliced thin or chopped fine) into the vegetable steamer, and steam, covered over high heat, for one to two minutes.
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4
Pull the fruit out of the steamer and rinse under cold water. Toss the fruit with 2 tbsp. of lemon juice. The above steps will protect fruit such as apples, peaches, apricots, pears and bananas from turning brown while you dry them.
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5
Cover the cooling rack with a piece of cheesecloth. Put the cooling rack over a baking pan. Place the prepared fruit on top of the cheesecloth on the cooling rack. Make sure the fruit is also over the baking pan to catch any drippings.
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6
Place the pan into the convection oven at 135 degrees F and let the fruit dry for two to 8 hours. The fruit should be pliable and leathery after you pull a piece from the oven and let it cool.
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7
Store the dried fruit in a heavy-duty freezer zip-top bag with the excess air squeezed out.
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