Restaurant Recipe Reviews

Dehydrating fruit is simple and fun. Cut the fruit into small, equal-sized pieces; spread in a single layer on the dehydrator trays, and crank up the dehydrator. It takes from 6 to 36 hours to dry fruit, dependent on the juiciness of the fruit, but the wait is worth it when you taste the final product.

Dehydrating fruit concentrates the natural sugars so your apples will taste more sweet for your snacks. Choose mature, firm fruits for the highest sugar and nutritive content, but avoid bruised or overripe fruit.

When dehydrating fruits such as apples with the skins on really wash and rinse the fruit to remove any wax and pesticides. Always carefully wash apples to get rid of insecticides and waxes that could be present whether or not you plan to peel off the skin.

As the skins contain nutrients I leave them on. You can core and slice apples into rings or cut them into whatever size pieces you like. I quarter the apples first and remove the core and stem with a sharpened knife. I then cut the quarters into 18 slices. Dehydrate till pliable 7 to 15 hours.

Because the inside of apples turns a little brown when exposed to air a few individuals soak their cut apples into a bath of water and sodium bisulfate or ascorbic acid for two minutes before dehydrating. Preparing apples with either of these anti-oxidants is safe and will stop the fruit from turning brown. I am not bothered by the slightly darker color of my apples so I avoid the dip.

Dehydrating fruit will fill your apartment with pleasing, fruity smells. If you might be like me, you may get hungry and start snitching before the fruit is dry. Not to worry, because dehydrated fruit is so healthy for you an early taste so you can reward yourself for your effort is a good thing.

Marjorie J McDonald experienced growing up in a gardening family. Each and every year a large garden was planted and all extra food was sold, frozen, canned or dehydrated so the extra foods lasted all thru the year. Creating food dehydrator recipes was especially fun for her family to do. Her grandfathers apple orchard was a special treat for the family. Dehydrating apples was easy and a special item to buy for those who stopped by the fruit stand.