In addition to the fact that future dried fruits must be thoroughly cleaned, in order to preserve all vitamins and nutrientsIt is important to consider some culinary tricks.
Some of them allow keep a light shade pulp of fruit, and others - to achieve uniformity of form and quality among all the slices or cloves.
Many variations were found in the formulation of solutions, as well as methods for slicing fruits, which make the preparation of drying from apples even more effective and useful.
The washing up
Do I need to wash the apples before drying?
This way you protect yourself and your family from microbes and bacteriathat accumulate on the peel. Then the apples are left to dry briefly, then to proceed to the next stage - cutting.
Cleaning
What and how to remove from the fruit before drying?
Washed fruit will need to view on the subject damage, grooves and holesleft by insects.
It is not necessary to throw out the fruit, if a worm trace was found on one side - neatly cut the excessso that the surviving part of the apple remains.
If you plan to completely clear the fruit from peel, core and tailsthen stock up with special devices. For the skin there is a knife-razor for planing fruit.
Acts on the same principle as regular razor - the peel from the fruit is “shaved off” with smooth movements. The apple core removal tool speaks for itself. Passing from the tail to the other end of the apple, this knife carefully cuts the middle of the fruit along with the bones.
Do I need to clean skin from apple before drying? It all depends on what recipes you need. ready dried fruit. Peel will not interfere with the preparation of compotes and jelly, and for charlottes, jellies and other desserts, only completely peeled fruits will be optimal.
Some believe that the skin will keep the main mass of nutrientstherefore, it should not be cut off. And the skin itself is rich in calcium, phosphorus, antioxidants and vitamins A, C. However, it is important to consider where the fruits were purchased.
Shopping apples with smooth, as if completely covered with wax peel not always helpful. This skin is better to remove.
Cutting forms
How to cut apples for drying? Variants of shapes and sizes - a huge variety, starting with circles, slices, and ending with cubes. Regardless of what type of slicing you choose, try to make slices of apples the same as possible.
Such cutting apples for drying will provide you with a reserve of not only aesthetically attractive dried fruits, but will also become a guarantee that the apples dry quickly and evenly.
Can cut off small lobules from the whole apple, carefully holding it in your free hand.
Gradually, you will cut off most of the pulp along with the skin from the fruit, and you will only have to throw out the core and tails.
In the event that drying will be on the balcony, attic or fresh air, and the apples themselves will have stick on a string, the best option would be rings or dense lobules in the shape of a month.
The optimal size of the segments
How to cut apples for drying? Do not make lobules too thin or fat. In the first case, the apples dry up and turn into a tasteless film, and in the second, the drying process will stretch. If you cut the fruit on ringsthen make each no more than half a centimeter thick. If the apples are too small, it’s best to cut them into quarters and wedges approximately 5-7 mm.
What method and whether to save light shade of pulp from the "rust" - this is an individual question. Depending on your funds, the presence of citric acid in the house and other things, you can use these tips or dry the apples immediately after cutting.
Oxidation protection
What to do to make sliced apples not darkened? Found at least three different ways to help keep the fruit from oxidizing iron in the pulp. The first and easiest is blanching. A spacious pot of water is brought to a boil, then apple slices are boiled in it for 2-3 minutes.
The second way is to use saline solution. For a 1% solution, it is enough to dilute 100 grams of iodized salt per bucket of water (1 teaspoon per liter). After keeping the sliced apples in such a solution for several minutes, after drying, you will get a product of a pleasant light yellow shade, like in fresh apples.
The third way is to hold the apples for a couple of minutes in the solution. citric, tartaric or acetic acid (2 grams per liter of cold water).
Another way is fumigation. Fumigate apples standard no longer than 10 minutes, sour gas.
A similar effect will give an aqueous solution with 0.1 - 0.2% sulphurous acidfor which will be more than enough for 2-3 minutes.
If you have processed apples by fumigation or sulphurous acid, ready-made dried fruits be sure to scald with boiling water before direct use.
What to cut?
How to cut apples for drying? Naturally perfect for work sharp sharpened kniveswhose handle is easy and comfortable in the palm of your hand.
They are small in size, with a flat or curved edge (the most convenient is a concave blade), where part of the blade does not exceed 6-8 cm.
What are the tools for cutting apples for drying? In addition to the traditional method by hand using a conventional knife, cut apples will help special tools and fixtures.
One of them - mechanical devicewhich simultaneously clears the peel and cuts the whole apple into a thin spiral. Subsequently, the apple sliced with this device is easily divided into separate half rings.
Apple slices are also developed. knives in the form of a circle with blades running to the center. Sharp blades have an additional circle inside, which simultaneously with cutting into equal lobules removes the core.
For the dessert version of dried fruit is not superfluous to keep apples in sweet water or sugar syrup.
Leave in the refrigerator already peeled and sliced apples in syrup for the night, and in the morning you can start drying.
Despite the abundance of models of vegetable cutters and devices for cutting fruit, most often it is a mechanical device that securely fixed on the table (suction cup or clamp).
The apple slides over the special teeth, and a special side blade is pressed against its edge. With help spinning knobs An apple, like on a skewer, is gradually peeled off, and at the same time it can be cut into a spiral or equal shares.
How to use special machine for cutting apples for drying, you can find out from the video:
See also video tutorial on usage. special device for cutting apples for drying:
Summarizing
Preparing apples for drying does not take much of your time, and will only contribute to harvesting. quality and delicious dried fruits.
Before you start harvesting, decide how many servings of apples will go to certain foods and drinks, and then use the necessary processing method which you can find out in our articles: “Drying apples with household appliances”, “Storing dried apples”, and also “Drying apples for cooking compote.
