Minus H2O: we dry apricots according to all the rules

There are several ways to dry apricots: there are both traditional and modern recipes. The simplest is to peel the fruits, divide them into halves, and put them in an electric dryer or oven to dry. You will get dried apricots. Gourmets will also enjoy a delicacy called ashtak-pashtak, which is a dried whole apricot with a kernel inside. We will tell you all the intricacies of preparing dried fruits from sunny fruits!

How to dry apricots correctly?

Few people know that apricots are one of the best cleansers for the body. The fruits contain a lot of fiber and antioxidants. With regular use, the body becomes younger, blood pressure normalizes, and immunity increases. Dried apricot retains 90% of its nutrients: vitamin A, beta-carotene, vitamin C, silicon, cobalt and many others.

But to preserve the benefits, you need to dry the fruits correctly. Only dry apricots are suitable for long-term storage. At the same time, they should not be overdried, tasty, and meaty.

The main secrets of delicious and healthy dried fruits from apricots:

Choice of variety. Only certain varieties are suitable for drying dried apricots. It is optimal to choose the Central Asian subspecies: Crimean Amur, Kharostar, Naslazhdeniye (Magic), Isfarak, Tabarza, Kolkhoznye, Red-cheeked, Carlson, Pineapple. The fruits should be sweet, with an easily removed pit, dense, and fleshy.
Degree of maturity. Apricots should be taken mid-ripening.It is important that they are not too juicy, but not green either. When dried, overripe fruits resemble dried paper, and unripe fruits taste bitter.
Sorting. For dried fruits, you need to select whole, undamaged fruits. They must be the same size. Apricots of different diameters are dried unevenly - when large ones are ready, small ones are already overdried and become too hard.
Preparation. Before drying, the fruits are washed and dipped in acidic water to prevent them from darkening. It’s easy to prepare the solution – you need to add 1 tsp for every 1 liter of water. citric acid.

Dried apricots are halves of a fruit without a pit. They also make other varieties of dried fruits from apricots: apricot - a whole fruit with a pit, kaisu - a whole fruit, hollow inside, sheptalu - a particularly large whole apricot without a pit, and ashtak - a whole apricot with a kernel from the pit inside.

3 ways to dry apricots

Drying is one of the oldest methods of preserving fruits, berries, mushrooms and many other gifts of nature for the winter. Moisture is removed from apricots, but the beneficial substances, aroma and taste are preserved. For this purpose, the prepared fruits are exposed to heat and wind.

Previously, dried apricots were simply made in the open air. The apricots were laid out on newspapers and covered with gauze to prevent flies. They dried under the rays of the sun (this took about 1.5–2 weeks), and then the family feasted on dried fruits all winter.

Today, the process of production of dried apricots has been established. It will take no more than a few days, or even hours, to make it. You just need to choose the appropriate drying method. At home, it is popular to dry apricots in an electric dryer or dehydrator. But in the absence of special equipment, you can make dried apricots in a regular oven.

In an electric dryer

In the dryer, apricots retain maximum of their aroma and taste. Most often the device is made in the form of a cylinder. The basis is a stand with a heating element and a fan for cooling. Lattice trays for fruits and vegetables are lined up in tiers on top. The smaller the object, the faster it dries. For example, greens will be ready in 2 hours. For apricots, it will take longer - from 14 to 40 hours, depending on the size of the fruit and the power of the device.

How to dry them correctly in an electric dryer?

Divide the washed fruits into halves and remove the seeds.
Dip in citric acid solution to preserve color.
Turn on the dryer and set the temperature to 55 degrees.
While the appliance is warming up, place the apricot halves on trays.
Turn each half with the flesh out and make sure that they do not touch in the tray.
After 14 hours, check the readiness of the dried apricots. Rub the cooled dried fruit between your fingers. He shouldn't drive around and leave marks.

100 g of dried apricots contain 12 times more calories than 100 g of fresh fruit.

In a dehydrator

The dehydrator has the same operating principle and is an improved version of the electric dryer. Available in cube shape and with drawers-trays. Drying in a dehydrator is carried out using infrared radiation. The device is able to set the optimal temperature itself and is equipped with humidity sensors.

Apricots are dried in a dehydrator as follows:

Clean, prepared, seedless fruits are laid out in one layer in boxes.
Turn on the dehydrator and select the “fruit” mode.
In 10–14 hours, the dried fruits will be ready.

How much dried apricots do you get? From 10 kg of fresh apricots you can get about 1.5 kg of dried fruit.

In the oven

The oven of a gas stove is not entirely suitable for drying apricots. The fact is that at the lowest heating level it maintains a temperature of 150 degrees. And to prepare dried fruits, it should not exceed 70 degrees. But there is one trick that will help you achieve your plan.

So, we dry the apricots for dried apricots in the oven:

Remove the seeds from the fruits and keep them in an acidic solution.
Place the halves on a paper towel to drain.
Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the pieces on a baking sheet at some distance from each other.
Turn on the oven. Select the lowest temperature.
Place the baking sheet on the very top and leave the door open.
After 2 hours, turn the dried fruits over and leave to dry for another 1.5 hours.
Check the dried apricots for readiness. If necessary, dry it for another hour and a half.

Do not rush to throw away apricot pits. The kernels hidden inside are very tasty and resemble almonds. To crack a nut, you need to place it on its edge and hit it with something hard. And if you have a nut cracker, you can use it.

Apricot dried fruit recipes

As mentioned at the beginning of the article, there are not only different ways of drying apricots, but also recipes with different ways of preparing the fruit. We present to your attention the best of them:

Dried apricots “like in a store.” To make dried fruits juicy and sweet, you need to squeeze the pit through the hole, leaving the fruit whole, and first boil the apricots in sugar syrup. Take a bamboo stick and press on the seed from the side opposite the stalk (tail). Place the fruits (300 g) peeled in this way in a syrup of 100 ml of water and 100 ml of sugar.Add 4 lemon slices. Simmer the apricots over medium heat for 2-3 minutes and leave in the cooling syrup for another 1 hour. Then fish out the slices and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Dry in the oven slightly open for 3 hours or 14-22 hours in the dryer.
Dried apricots. Apricots dried with the pit are the easiest to prepare. Simply wash them and place them in the oven on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The fire is turned on to a minimum, the door is left open. Turn the apricots every 3 hours. In total, apricots take 12–17 hours to cook, and in an electric dryer – 40 hours or more. Whole fruits are especially good in compotes.
Ashtak. Many people eat dried fruits instead of sweets. Ashtak is a wonderful substitute for unhealthy sweets. To prepare it, you need to squeeze the pits out of the apricots without disturbing the integrity, and boil the fruits for 2-3 minutes in sugar syrup. At this time, the apricot kernels should be split and the kernels removed. Place the kernels inside the caramelized apricots. Dry them at 60 degrees.

Anyone can dry apricots for the winter. At home, it is best to do this in a dryer or dehydrator. The devices help preserve maximum taste, smell and benefits. Try different recipes and drying methods - each of them will certainly please you!