Fruits and vegetables without oil are much more beneficial than snacks with a lot of fat and seasoning. They have long established themselves on the positive side and have every chance of replacing potato chips, but the high price makes this product available only to some segments of the population. Knowing the right ways to prepare fruit and vegetable chips in the dryer will help you make them at home and your body will thank you.
The specifics of drying vegetable and fruit chips at home
Healthy dried plates with little or no oil can be made from almost any food, but only a few fruits and vegetables should be preferred. An integral part of cooking is thin slicing. Check out our selection of the best fruits and vegetables with recipes for making delicious chips.
- Banana. Sweet bananas can be made even sweeter or, conversely, add spice and piquancy. Cut the fruit into small slices and season with orange juice and cinnamon. The Mexican version of the spice includes lemon juice, red pepper, and olive oil.
- Citrus. Of lemons and oranges, they are not so tasty, but they have an excellent appearance and are suitable for decorating desserts. They are dried without additives along with the skin.
- Apples and pears. Cinnamon is an ideal addition to apple and pear chips. Fruits are cut into slices along with the skin, sprinkled with cinnamon, optional sugar, and sent to the oven.
- Kiwi. Kiwi preparation does not require any additional spices. But the plates will taste better if they are sprinkled with lemon juice before sending them to dry. Naturally, the skin should be removed.
- Pumpkin. The fruits are peeled and cut into thin slices. Fine salt is suitable for pumpkin spices. A sauce made from Greek yogurt, dill, garlic, and lemon juice works well.
- Beet. The peeled beets are cut into thin pieces. Sprinkle with rosemary, a mixture of Italian herbs, and salt. Before sending to dry, you can sprinkle with a little oil.
- Carrot. The fruit of a juicy carrot is peeled and cut into thin slices lengthwise or across. The blanks are laid out in a bowl, mixed with a minimum amount of salt, pepper and olive oil.
Methods for drying vegetable and fruit chips
Professionals choose a dryer for making fruit and vegetable slices. A spacious oven, no worse than a dryer, will allow you to dry a large batch of fruit. At worst, an open-air space, a barn or a roomy windowsill on the sunny side is suitable.
If you decide to seriously switch to a healthy diet and plan to start drying vegetables for future use, buy a dryer, for example, VOLTERA 1000 Lux. An electric dryer will allow you to prepare the best batches of a healthy product. Try all the drying options available and choose the one you like the most.
In the oven
The most affordable way to dry vegetable and fruit slices is in the oven. The blanks are sent to it on sheets of parchment and turned over during the drying process. Set the temperature to 50 degrees and wait 4-6 hours for the final result.
The disadvantage of such drying is a large time expenditure, a small product yield. Incorrectly set temperature will deprive you of the long-awaited goodies: they can burn or remain damp.
In a dehydrator
The dehydrator is the best invention for drying fruits, berries, vegetables, nuts and even mushrooms. Its distinctive feature lies in the presence of a thermostat, which deprives the fruit of moisture, and not just dries it out. The temperature in the device should not exceed 38 degrees.
There are no drawbacks in the device, since it not only provides high-quality drying, but also keeps fruits and vegetables "alive". However, the shelf life of plates that are not completely dried is reduced. But it is the chips moist inside that are the most useful, so they can be consumed in the first days after cooking. On the other hand, completely dried slices in the device can increase their shelf life.
In the dryer
The dryer is cheaper than a dehydrator and has some differences in the device. It distributes air over the surface of fruits and vegetables, causing them to become completely dehydrated. Drying temperature averages 70 degrees. Products are arranged in several tiers, which saves space for drying. The device is compact and fits even in the smallest kitchen.
In the microwave
The microwave will cook delicious vegetable and fruit chips faster than other appliances. Moisture is removed from the fruit due to the formation of vapor pressure released during the operation of the device. Depending on the fineness of cutting the fruit, the time spent on cooking will not exceed 5-10 minutes.
Slice should be laid out on oiled parchment and removed only after complete drying. The disadvantage of a microwave oven is that it cannot dry a large volume of chips at a time and does not preserve vitamins.
In the airfryer
The airfryer is a more functional device than it seems at first glance, because in addition to juicy meat, you can cook crispy chips in it. Slices of fruits and vegetables are laid out on the lower and upper wire rack and dried for 10 minutes at a temperature of 200-230 degrees. The fan in the appliance heats the food from above by blowing hot air.
By entrusting the manufacture of an airfryer, you will receive a truly delicious and crispy snack. The disadvantage of the device is that for complete drying, you will need to turn fruits and vegetables.
On air
The most proven, safest and most loved method of drying food is outdoors. The action of the ultraviolet rays of the sun disinfects products, which makes them absolutely safe.
Direct sunlight will evaporate moisture more quickly, but storing chopped fruits and vegetables in a shed or barn will also help ensure timely drying.
The main problem that housewives face when air drying is the appearance of insects. In the evening, you will need to bring semi-finished products from the street into a covered room so that they do not deteriorate from the morning dew.
How to store and use fruit and vegetable chips
Fruit and vegetable plates are the quickest and healthiest snack. They are an integral part of the diet of athletes, children and all people who strive to adhere to a healthy lifestyle. Over a cup of freshly dried chips and an interesting movie, you can spend evenings with your family, take them with you on a hike or to work. Of course, chips shouldn't replace fresh fruits and vegetables from the diet.
Natural products are stored for no more than 6-9 months, and it is better to use them in the first weeks after production. The shelf life with a low percentage of moisture is significantly reduced. Take care of the safety of the product and place it in sealed plastic or paper bags. Choose the best manufacturing method and crunch your health!
You can also cook dried potatoes and carrots for the winter or on a hike.