Dehydrating apples is a thrifty way to satisfy your sweet tooth without sacrificing your waistline. And, drying apples gives you an affordable source of fruits for snacking and cooking, regardless of the time of year.
What Types Are Best for Drying Apples?
When drying apples, it can be hard to know what type of apple to choose. With over 500 different varieties available, there certainly are plenty of different types to try. When dehydrating apples, whatever type you choose to use, be sure that the fruit is ripe (but not so ripe as to be overly soft) and relatively free of brown spots.
For good drying apples, look for firm fruits with deep coloring and, if you're choosing yellow or green apples, a slight blush. And remember the following:
- Red and Golden Delicious are the sweetest
- Pippin and Granny Smith are the most tart
- The best apple varieties for drying are the autumn and winter varieties like Red Delicious, Golden Delicious and Rome Beauty. Fuji work well too.
Dehydrating Apples: How to Prepare the Apples
Dehydrating apples is actually quite easy. To prepare your apples for drying:
- Wash the apples. If you choose to use soap to wash them, be sure to rinse them thoroughly.
- Cut out bruises and soft spots.
- If desired, remove the skins. (You can do this by hand or use a mechanical apple peeler. If using an apple peeler, it's especially important that your apples be firm and bruise-free.)
- Core the apples and slice the apples into 1/4 to 1/2 inch rings or slices.
Making Dips for Drying Apples
Before drying apples, it's important to dip them. Dipping apples before dehydrating them prevents oxidation, vitamin loss and unsightly browning. The two most common dips used for drying apples are ascorbic acid and lemon juice.
- To make a lemon juice dip, mix 1 part lemon juice to 4 parts water and fully submerge apple slices (covered) for 8 to 10 minutes.
- To make an ascorbic acid (citric acid) dip, add one tablespoon ascorbic acid to one quart cold water, mix thoroughly, and fully submerge apple slices for 3 to 5 minutes. (Not only is an ascorbic acid dip more effective, it slightly increases the vitamin C content of your fruit.)
After washing and dipping, spread the apples in a single layer on a drying tray (if using a food dehydrator) or a glass dish (if using an oven). Be sure to leave enough room between each apple slice to allow air to circulate between them during drying. If desired, flavor the apple slices with cinnamon, sugar and/or nutmeg.
Drying Methods for Dehydrating Apples
The most popular methods for drying apples are in the oven and in a food dehydrator but it is possible to go completely electricity-free and use the power of the sun.
- To dry apples in an oven, your oven must be able to maintain a temperature as low as 135F. Depending on how crispy you want your dehydrated apple chips, dry them for 10 to 20 hours.
- To dry apples in a food dehydrator, set the dehydrator to 140F and dry fruit for 8 to 24 hours (depending on how crispy you want the dried apple chips to be).
- To dry apples using the sun, place apple slices on a screen and leave in the sun for 2 or 3 days (flipping at least once). For best results, you'll need a high temperature (at least 100F), low humidity environment and you'll need to bring fruit inside at night (to prevent it from collecting night-time moisture. (Note that sun drying tends to be the least consistent method of drying fruits and should be used with caution. Using a solar dehydrator may improve consistency and results.)
For either apple drying method, periodically check the fruit for doneness. Fruit is sufficiently dry when it is pliable (like soft leather) and moisture-free when cut in the center.
After drying apples, it's important to condition the dried apple chips. This ensures that enough moisture has been removed from the dried apples and that they will not spoil during storage. To condition dehydrated apples, place them in an air tight container for several days (preferably see-through) and check daily for condensation. If condensation appears on the sides of the container, fruit contains too much moisture and needs to be dried more.
What to do With Dried Apples
Dehydrating apples isn't just a great way to save a buck, it's a fantastic way to keep heart-healthy fruit on hand year round. Dried apples are quite versatile and can be used for:
- Snack chips (season with cinnamon sugar for a sweet treat)
- Homemade flavored tea
- Salad add ins
- Baked goods like muffins and pies
- Potpourri
- Homemade flavored oatmeal
Reconstituting dried apples is easy. Depending on how you're planning to use them, dehydrated apples can be soaked, steamed or boiled to reconstitute them for use in recipes.
If you liked this, you may also like:
- Winter Foods: 5 Fall and Winter Foods Great for Dehydrating
- Dried Pears: Drying Pears for Snacks and Recipes
Jennifer Silva - Jenn is a professional writer and editor with experience in: technical communications (medical, manufacturing and publishing ...
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