How to properly dry pears in the oven and electric dryer. Dried pear: all possible options

Dried fruits - excellent preparation for the winter. Firstly, such dried products do not have an expiration date; they can be safely consumed after two or five years, of course, provided they are properly stored. Secondly, this method is suitable for most sweet fruits. Thirdly, they do not contain additional sugars, but retain vitamins. And fourthly, it's easy tasty treat. Pears and apples are especially good for this. We’ll figure out how to dry pears.

Selecting the best

Before drying pears, you need to determine which fruits are suitable for this and which are better left for something else. To prepare dried fruits, you should choose varieties with a small amount of juice, the so-called dry ones. Their pulp is usually dense, hard, and the chamber with seeds takes up little space. You cannot use overripe, soft or tart pears for this preparation, and you should not take fruits that were picked more than two days ago. If the pears are too hard or unsweetened, you can boil them in syrup. Selected fruits must be washed and dried thoroughly.

Drying pears

How to dry pears: in slices or whole? It depends on their size. Small specimens are quite suitable for drying in their original form, but this will require a longer time. In this case, you should remove their tails. If you prefer pieces, then remember that the optimal thickness of each slice is 1 cm. It is with this cutting that the future drying will receive the correct ratio of meatiness and taste and will be stored for a long time.

Oven or sun

What is the best way to dry pears: in the oven or in the summer sun? This largely depends on the weather. Suitable for residents of the south natural way. To do this, the fruits should be cut into pieces, placed on trays or other support and placed in a place that will receive as much sun as possible throughout the day. To prevent flies from landing on the sweets, you can cover them with clean gauze. At night, the trays will have to be brought into the house so that moisture does not soak up the slices that have dried out during the day. Drying time pear slices will be about a couple of days and the same amount will be required until the condition is fully achieved in the shade. After this, they can be packaged in clean linen bags and sent for storage.

For those who live in less sunny regions, another method of drying pears will be more convenient. In the oven, this procedure takes about a day. Fruits or their slices should be laid out on a baking sheet in one layer and dried on low heat, turning over frequently. For those who are accustomed to relying on a thermometer, the optimal mark is considered to be 70-90 degrees. The finished dryer should be viscous on the teeth and not release moisture when bent. Of course, it will take more time to cook whole pears than cut ones.

It’s not enough to know how to dry pears for the winter; you also need to save your work. Any dried fruits are best stored in fabric bags, you can also place them in glass jars or plastic containers with a tight lid. But polyethylene bags can be attacked by insects or rodents. This preparation does not tolerate moisture well and easily absorbs foreign odors. It is preferable to store in small portions, since if a pest appears in one of them, the rest may not be affected. Check inventory regularly to identify and remove spoiled product in a timely manner.

Preface

In summer you can easily prepare delicious and healthy compote, because there is enough fruit. What to do in winter: drink juices from the nearest store or still take the time and stock up on dried fruits? Undoubtedly, the second option will be advantageous, since compotes made from dried fruits are not only healthy and tasty, but also save money family budget. We will talk about how to dry pears in an electric dryer so that they can be stored for a long time and preserve their beneficial properties.

Unfortunately, not all varieties of pears can be stored for a long time. fresh. It is better to prepare from early varieties delicious jam or pear compote, you can also freeze or dry them. There are several options: drying naturally, using an electric dryer or in a gas stove. But whatever method you choose, you should start by preparing the fruit.

Victoria pear variety

To dry pears, it is better to choose fruits with juicy, sweet and dense pulp, for example, Forest Beauty, Limonka or Victoria. If the fruits are astringent and sour, it is better not to use them, because they can spoil the taste of the future compote or dessert. Ripe fruits are suitable for drying, not overripe ones. If you collect your harvest from the dacha, then remember that fruits cannot be kept for more than 2 days before drying, as they become unsuitable for such processing. It should also be taken into account that frostbitten fruits and fruits damaged by pests are not suitable.

Fruits are prepared in two ways:

  • Wash, remove the core and cut into pieces 1 cm thick. If the pear is small, it can be dried entirely.
  • After the fruits are washed and dried, they are immersed in boiling water for 10-15 minutes to make them softer. Then the fruits are taken out and left to cool and only then cut into slices. Many people believe that only in this case the pear will not darken during drying.

Which preparation method should you choose? Try both, because this is how many gardeners and housewives have been preserving their harvest until winter for many years.

For those who love dried fruits or have their own garden, an electric fruit dryer will be a very useful household device. With its help, harvesting fruit becomes even easier and you can save a bountiful harvest. Any technique has its own operating principles, modes, advantages and disadvantages. Drying pears in an electric dryer is not only more convenient, but also more effective. This method will allow you to dry fruit much faster than in the fresh air. In addition, using the device makes it possible to save your time, because you prepare the fruits and place them on pallets, set the required mode, and no more of your participation is needed.

Dried pears

A typical electric dryer operates with virtually no sound, does not consume much electricity, and has about 30 trays. They come in two types: with side hot air supply and supply from the bottom pan. The first type is considered the best, since heating and ventilation occur evenly. The main advantage of the electrical device is that with its help the fruits are protected from foreign odors and insects. Drying in this way does not depend on weather conditions.

So, how to dry fruit correctly? Wash the pears and dry them; if there are damaged areas, carefully cut them out with a knife. As a rule, the core is removed completely, but for compotes you can leave it. Small fruits You can dry them whole, but if you cut them into slices, the process will go faster. Don’t forget to blanch the resulting pieces, put them in boiling water for a couple of seconds, and then cool. This will extend the shelf life of dried fruits. The same effect can be achieved by treating the fruit with weak saline solution. Place the fruit on the tray in such a way that there is a little space between the pieces, this will allow the air to flow freely around the pears.

Drying pears in an electric dryer

To make cooking in an electrical appliance faster, you should turn over and stir the trays once an hour.

Pears in an electric dryer dry on average within 8 hours, sometimes this can take about a day. Drying time depends on the appliance itself, the quality and cutting of the fruit, and how often you change the trays. Many people have a question: at what temperature should pears be dried? It all depends on the power of your electric dryer, as a rule, it is 60-70 degrees. Ready fruits are checked for taste and touch. Everything is ready if the pieces of pears bend easily and have a little “spring” when squeezed. If the pieces of fruit stick to your fingers and are a little wet, then you should cook them for a couple more hours until they are ready.

Any food should be stored correctly, and dried fruits too. This will preserve the beneficial properties and quality of the dried pears produced and protect them from mold and insects. Humidity and heat are dangerous enemies for dried fruits. A temperature of +10 °C is ideal for storage, but you are unlikely to be able to find such a place in your home, so choose a dark cabinet or shelf in the pantry away from sunlight and electrical appliances. Temperatures from +17° to +30°C are the most favorable for the development of microbes and pests. And you shouldn’t store dried pears in the refrigerator either, because at a temperature of +6 ° C they will become damp, and you can only store them there.

Proper storage dried fruits

It is also very important to keep everything separate from each other. Even if you plan to make compote from them, you do not need to mix them. This is due to the fact that each dried fruit has its own moisture index, and if they are stored together, the fruits and berries will simply be spoiled. For storage it is very important to choose correct containers. This can be a ceramic or glass jar, or wooden molds. But the most environmentally friendly option is cotton and canvas bags, which our grandmothers used to store dried fruits until spring.

If you have doubts that the pear is dried perfectly, then add dried mint and hang the fruit in a dark place in a rag bag. If dried fruits will be stored in a kitchen cabinet, then put a little salt in it; it will absorb excess moisture and also protect against mold and insects. From time to time, go through your supplies of dried fruits; if bugs appear, then dry the pear fruits in the oven or freeze them at a temperature of -15 degrees. It is also worth remembering about the shelf life; they can be stored for 1 year, with periodic drying in the fresh air and sorting.

Knowing how to properly prepare fruits for the drying process, how to use an electric dryer and store dried fruits until winter, you can be sure that fruits and berries will replenish your energy reserves. They can be consumed in dried form, as well as in various desserts and drinks.

Dried fruits from the store in most cases undergo chemical processing. This gives them a beautiful presentation or speeds up the drying process. Pears are no exception. At first glance, you cannot determine whether the product has been subject to additional manipulations. Therefore, it is better not to take risks and prepare dried fruits at home yourself. And on their basis you can cook delicious compotes or other sweets all year round.

5 options for drying pears and proper preparation of fruit

Despite the many options for drying pears at home, pre-processing fruits are the same. Fruits chosen are not fully ripe and firm with thick skin.

  • Medium-sized pears are cut in half, larger ones - into slices (1 cm wide), small ones can be dried whole. If desired, remove the core. If the fruit has small bruises, it is better to cut them out. After careful selection, the raw materials are washed and dried.
  • Under no circumstances should you take spoiled, wormy, frozen or rotting fruit.
  • To preserve maximum vitamins, blanching is used. Prepared pears are immersed in boiling water for 2 minutes and sliced ​​when cooled.
  • There is another processing option. From a liter of water, 400 g of sugar and 10 g citric acid boil the syrup. And after boiling, pears are poured into it. Cover the pan with a lid and turn off the gas. When the product has cooled completely, place it in a colander and allow the syrup to drain.

Outdoors

The raw materials are placed on a sieve, tray or baking sheet and placed (at an angle) in a sunny, dust-free and windless place. A balcony is good for this. In the private sector, you can dry fruits on the roof of buildings under the rays of the sun, and in the evening cover them with film and bring them into the house.

After 2 days, the workpiece is laid out in a shaded place and continued to dry for another 2-3 days, turning it over periodically. And also in the middle of the drying process, you can flatten the slices between the boards, tie them with thread and dry them in a vertical position.

Oven

It is important to constantly monitor the temperature, lower and increase it in time.

The raw materials are laid out in an even layer on a baking sheet and drying begins at 50 degrees. Thanks to slight heating, the pear halves and their peels will not crack. After 2 hours, the slices will dry out a little and you can increase the temperature to 80 degrees.

After the fruit begins to decrease in size, the degrees are again lowered to 50. This heating is maintained until the very end of drying in the oven. Drying time depends on the size of the pears. Small slices dry within 12-14 hours, large ones - 24-26 hours.

Microwave oven

This is the fastest way to dry the product. But it has disadvantages - radiation harmful to health and the risk of drying out the raw materials (if there is a large amount of it). The surface is covered with cotton cloth. Place pears on it. Place in the microwave. Dry for 2.5 minutes at 200 W. They check. If the fruit is not ready, repeat the procedure.

Air fryer

Place pear slices in a single row on each tray. Set the heat to 65 degrees and turn on the fan to maximum. The process is performed in 2-3 sessions for half an hour. Between drying stages, the workpiece is cooled completely. And periodically turn the fruits over for uniform convection. In total, you need to perform the action 6 times in 3 passes. After 28-30 hours, the dried fruits will be ready.

Electric dryer

The electric dryer is great for large volumes of fruit. The temperature is set to 70 degrees. The cooking time will be 15-30 hours, depending on the size and quantity of the product.

To better dry the fruits, they are turned over periodically. Readiness is checked by color; it will turn brown. Meanwhile, the pear will remain elastic and will bend easily without breaking.

How to store dried fruits?

It is important to store the workpiece correctly, otherwise it will harden or become moldy.

  1. 1. The shelf life is maximum 1 year. If there is anything left, they throw it away and prepare a new portion.
  2. 2. The place should be dry and dark.
  3. 3. Cotton bags or jars with airtight lids can serve as containers.
  4. 4. It is prohibited to place dried fruits near the heating system, electrical or gas stove and ovens. Otherwise, condensation may form, which will lead to product spoilage.
  5. 5. It is necessary to check the preparations from time to time for the absence of insect larvae, mold, fruit moths and bugs.

Gradually the pears darken and become tough. Therefore, you should not stretch out the use of the preparation for 12 months; it is better to eat everything over the winter. But if hardening has occurred, you can heat the product in the oven on a baking sheet, under which you place a bowl of water to steam.

With the advent of experience in preparing pears, there will be applications for too solid product- you can make a scrub for your face or body from it. Dried fruits are ground in a coffee grinder (blender) and mixed with thick sour cream.

If a housewife is seriously thinking about stocking dried fruits for her family, she should take a responsible approach to their selection and preparation. It’s worth choosing a convenient processing option based on the equipment at hand and the time that can be spent on the workpiece.

The desire to feel the warmth on winter days and feel the aroma of summer again is not alien to everyone. Modern methods preparation of fruits and vegetables for winter period Housewives limit themselves to preparing jams, compotes, pickles, and “frosts.” This is extremely rarely used old method blanks are like drying, but in vain. A large number of useful microelements are better preserved in dried fruits. We suggest you remember today how to properly dry pears at home for the winter.

Selection and preparation of pears for drying

The decision to provide yourself with dried fruits for the winter requires some knowledge. For harvesting, choose ripe, slightly tough fruits with thick skin. Acceptable quantity seeds in pear – moderate. Scrupulous conduct of all stages of processing and drying, as well as selection suitable variety, will allow you to get quality product. When drying, some housewives add sugar. In this case, the result will be sweet dried fruits that can be used as a dessert.

The following varieties are considered suitable for dry harvesting:

  • Victoria;
  • Limonka;
  • Forest beauty;
  • Clapp's favorite;
  • Zaporozhye;
  • Ilyinka;
  • Bergamot;
  • Fragrant.

Important! The use of frostbitten, worm-eaten, rotten or damaged fruits is prohibited. Discard such fruits immediately.

After cutting out unsightly places, use them for food (cook compote, make fruit puree).

Selected fruits are washed well with water and wiped dry.

Small fruits can be dried whole. Cut the largest ones into slices no larger than 1 centimeter, removing the seeds.

There is a method when, before drying, the processed fruits are immersed in boiling water for 15 minutes, cooled, then cut and dried.

Forest wild pear. Nuances of preparation

Wild pears, commonly known as wild pears, are somewhat different in taste from garden varieties. The fruits are small appearance, may be slightly bitter. The processing of wild pears is similar to the processing of garden pears. They are often dried whole. To preserve its presentation during drying, it is treated with a solution of tartaric or citric acid. Blanch the pear in boiling water for about five minutes. The drying process is the same, the only difference is in the harvesting process.

The forest pear is harvested when it begins to fall from the trees. The fruits are placed in containers and wait until they turn brown. When stored, pears of this color lose their astringency and bitter taste and become aromatic and sweet. Dried fruits from their forest pears have more interesting taste and strong aroma.

Drying pears at home for the winter

Dried fruits from garden or wild pear– a storehouse of easily digestible carbohydrates, vitamins and microelements. Their peel contains a lot of useful substances necessary to maintain immunity in winter and spring. You just have to stock up on the gifts of nature, and then no diseases will be scary. The thing is that, compared to fresh ones, these dried fruits have long terms storage and “survive” without problems until spring. The pear fruit is rich in glucose, sucrose, fiber, acids, and pectin. A large amount of vitamins B1, C, P, PP, carotene make the fruit unique. Proper drying of the pear does not allow it to lose its beneficial properties.

How to dry pears at home

Several options are used:

  • naturally - in the fresh air;
  • in an electric dryer;
  • in the microwave;
  • in the oven.

The natural drying method is less expensive and preferable. There is no energy consumption, no need to waste time monitoring the temperature. All your labor costs come down to moving the pallet of chopped fruit indoors in the evening, and outside in the morning. Therefore, if you have the opportunity to take advantage of natural sources of heat and ventilation, use this method.

Tip: to prevent chopped fruits from losing color during drying, you can sprinkle them with lemon juice.

Drying pears in the fresh air

Place the prepared fruit in a thin layer on a baking sheet or spread out. Place the container in a place where the sun's rays fall. In the evening, bring the pear indoors, since the humidity of the street air increases significantly at night. Cover the fruit container with plastic wrap. Perform this manipulation for two days. Then move the pear to the shade. The place should be well ventilated. The pear is kept in the shade for four days.

Some owners use a modified method natural drying. The pear slices, dried until half cooked, are pressed into a thin layer using two boards, then strung on a thread with a distance of 1 millimeter. The thread is suspended, and the pear is dried in this form.

Oven drying

When choosing this drying method, expect that minimum time for work oven will be about fourteen hours. The principle of laying out sliced ​​fruits on a baking sheet remains the same as in the first case. Must select correct mode oven operation - drying. Maximum temperature regime should be set to 60 degrees. At this temperature, the fruit is in the oven for about 2 hours. After this time, the temperature can be increased by 10-20 degrees and drying can continue. As the fruit begins to shrink in volume, the temperature should be reduced to 50 degrees. At this temperature, dried fruits are brought to full readiness. The time spent on drying is affected by the type of pear and size. Drying whole fruits will take about a day, slices – about eighteen hours.

Drying pears in an electric dryer

Immerse the pears prepared for drying in boiling water for a few seconds, remove the pear with a slotted spoon and cool quickly in cold water. Such a shock bath is necessary for the fruit to prevent darkening. After the excess liquid has drained, the pear is placed on a tray and sent to an electric dryer. The temperature in the dryer is set to about 70 degrees. The pieces should be turned over to the reverse side from time to time. The drying process takes from fifteen hours to the meshes. Dried fruits can be considered ready when they acquire a golden color. When bent, they should not break; when pressed, the structure will be soft and elastic.

Drying pears in the microwave

Drying pears in the microwave is considered one of the most quick ways preparations. The whole process takes no more than 4 minutes per serving. It is important for this method to ensure that the pears cut into slices or cubes do not dry out.

So, place the prepared fruits on a plate previously covered with linen or cotton cloth. Select oven program for 2 minutes and 200 W. After the time has passed, turn the fruit over and repeat drying at the same parameters. Repeat the process until the product is completely ready. When dried, the moisture in the fruit evaporates and it acquires a beautiful golden hue.

IN winter time not only pleasant, but also useful to enjoy wonderful taste fragrant pears. There are many ways to preserve these fruits. One of the most popular is drying. Next we will talk about how to properly dry pears in several ways at home.

It should be remembered that this fruit processing has some features:

  1. Pears should not be overly juicy or overripe.
  2. Medium-sized fruits are dried. Too large for drying are not suitable.
  3. It is desirable that these be fruits of those varieties that do not contain large number seeds After picking, fruits should not be stored for more than 2 days, as they become too soft and are not suitable for this storage method.
  4. Pears should have a firm texture.
  5. Viscosity has a bad effect on the taste of dried fruit, so it is better not to use viscous varieties.
  6. The thickness of the slices should not exceed 1 cm. Small pears, including game ones, can be dried whole.

Wild varieties can also be used, but the fruit must be ripe and fall from the tree on its own. Unripe fruits, as well as fruits that have been frozen, are not suitable for drying.

Preparing fruit for drying

Before drying, fruits should be prepared first. They do this as follows:

  • remove unripe or spoiled fruits;
  • wash thoroughly;
  • dry with a towel or naturally;
  • immerse in boiling water for 15 minutes, then pull out. If you are going to dry the game, add sugar to the water if desired.
  • Allow the fruit to cool well.

After this procedure, the fruits are cut and the seeds are removed. Then cut into slices. The resulting workpiece is placed in a weak solution of citric acid.

Methods for drying pears at home

Several methods are used to prepare dried fruits at home.

In the oven

For such drying, the prepared fruits are laid out on a baking sheet in one layer. The oven is preheated at 60 degrees. A baking sheet with pears is placed in it and dried for two hours. Then the temperature increases to 80 degrees. Further drying in the oven of a gas stove takes about 20 hours. If the fruits are cut coarsely or dried whole, then up to 25.

Every half hour the drying process requires monitoring.

During the drying process, the weight of the product decreases significantly. The disadvantage of this method is that some of the beneficial substances in pears are destroyed during heat treatment.

In the microwave

This method is the fastest of all. In this case, a portion of fruit is dried within 5-6 minutes, but if the process is not controlled, the batch can very easily become overdried.

For such drying, you need to take flat dishes suitable for microwave ovens, spread the pears in one layer and place in the microwave.

To properly dry the fruits, the power is set to 200-250 W, and the oven is turned on for two and a half minutes. Then you should check the condition of the pears. They should spring back slightly when pressed.

If necessary, fruits can be dried, but not more than 2-2.5 minutes.

In an electric dryer

This device is designed for drying vegetables and fruits. It is assembled according to the instructions; prepared pieces of pears are placed in it. They are dried at a temperature of 70 degrees.

In an electric dryer, the treatment lasts from 15 to 19 hours. From time to time, the pear slices should be turned over to dry evenly.

Properly dried pears do not crumble and have a pleasant light brown color. They feel elastic to the touch.

Air drying

This method is quite labor-intensive, but it preserves all useful substances in pears. You can dry fruits naturally, without laying them out, but by piercing them with a needle and thread and hanging them to dry.

First you need to choose the right place for the upcoming drying. It must meet the following requirements:

  • there should be no wind or dust;
  • insects (mosquitoes, flies, midges) should not have access to the slices;
  • The threads with pears should be covered with gauze.

After drying for 3-4 days, the fruits are removed from the threads and placed in dry jars or containers for storage.

You should make sure that they are sufficiently dry before placing them in a dry container for storage. It is important to make sure that there is no mold on any piece, otherwise the entire batch will be spoiled during storage.

In the drying cabinet

Such devices are also designed for drying fruits, fish, meat, and mushrooms. Unlike an electric dryer, you can place more fruits for processing, since several baking sheets fit into it.

The drying process occurs due to the circulation of hot air in the cabinet. Baking trays with prepared fruit load the cabinet, close it and set the temperature to 70 degrees.

While drying in the cabinet, you can also periodically open it and turn the slices over. This procedure takes 12-15 hours.

Drying ovens can be used not only on an industrial scale, but also if there is a large amount of fruit from fruit trees.

In the sun

The place for this drying method must be sufficiently lit. Insects should not land on fruits.

Pears are dried in one layer on flat dish or nasty. Drying is carried out during the day in the sun, in the evening they are covered with gauze and removed indoors. In this way, the fruits are processed for 3-4 days, then stored in glass containers.

Storing dried fruits

To prevent the fruits from becoming moldy and spoiled, you should follow not only the drying rules, but also the storage conditions:

  1. Too much long-term storage makes fruit tough and unsightly in appearance. Therefore, dried fruits should be used whenever possible and not stored for more than a year.
  2. Do not store the dryer near heating systems or various heaters.
  3. The food being stored should be checked periodically to ensure there is no mold.
  4. They should not be stored near an electric stove to avoid the appearance of condensation in the containers, which will subsequently cause spoilage of the product.

It is best to store dry food in glass jars with an airtight lid or in fabric bags.

Properly dried and preserved fruits will pleasantly surprise you with their taste and aroma during the cold season.

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