Electric dryer for fruits and vegetables: types, selection, preparation of fruits for drying in electric devices

Summer pleases with an abundance of fruits, vegetables and fruits are an irreplaceable source of vitamins and minerals. To preserve the crop for a long time, canning and freezing are used, but these methods have some drawbacks. The most convenient way of harvesting, which makes it possible to maximize the value of the gifts of nature, is drying fruits using electric dryers for vegetables and fruits.

Drying benefits

Even ancient people began to think about the need to preserve food, prepare them for the winter, when there is no way to harvest. Archaeological excavations indicate that people used various methods of storing food food: meat and fish were sprinkled with salt, vegetables were salted and fermented, fruits were dried, dried, placed in cold rooms.

With the discovery of pasteurization, fruits and vegetables began to be canned in glass containers. But of all the ways to preserve fruits, drying remains the most convenient and simplest.

, which can be explained by the following facts:

• For drying products, no complicated devices are required, the simplest way of harvesting is drying the fruit in the sun. Our ancestors most often used natural heat to remove excess moisture from berries and vegetables, the second most popular drying method was the use of ovens.
• When dried, the products become light and take up little space.
• Fruits, devoid of moisture, become resistant to mold, so they can be stored for a year or more.
• There is no risk of developing botulism (as with canning), you do not need to monitor the storage temperature (as when freezing).
• Dried foods are high in calories and fruits become sweeter as sugar is concentrated in the remaining fiber.
• The main advantage of dried fruits is their chemical composition - microelements remain practically unchanged. There is a slight loss of ascorbic acid (vitamin C), as this substance is destroyed on contact with air during cutting of the fruit. Vitamin A is completely preserved during drying in order to prevent its destruction, the dried products are placed in a dark place.

Modern housewives can dry fruits and vegetables in the sun or in ovens, but it is most convenient to do this in special electric dryers - dehydrators.

Types of dehydrators

An electric dryer for fruits and vegetables greatly facilitates the harvesting process, the device has several undeniable advantages. The advantages of electric drying include: compactness, ease of use, high quality of dried products.

There are several types of dryers for fruits and vegetables on the market, depending on the parameters, they are divided into the following types:

• By the type of heating - convective and infrared. In convective models, moisture loss occurs under the action of a stream of hot air, which is forced into the chamber by a fan. Infrared devices work on the principle of sunlight - the radiation of the same name heats the fruits, while there is no such powerful air circulation as in convection dryers.
• By type of loading - trays (pallets), in which products are placed, can be positioned vertically or horizontally. When loaded vertically, they are stacked sequentially on top of each other; when loaded horizontally, they are pulled out of the apparatus like trays independently of each other.
• By power - it is determined by the volume and purpose of the device. For household appliances, this figure is no more than 1 thousand. W, for homework it is enough to purchase an electric dryer with an average power (about 500 W).
• If possible, temperature control - can be with or without a thermostat. Models without a thermostat provide a constant drying temperature and do not provide an opportunity to prepare a wide range of products. In devices with a thermostat, you can set the temperature depending on the type of product: greens are dried at 35-40 ° C, fruits - at 55-60 ° C, vegetables - at 50-55 ° C.

Choosing an electric dryer

Before buying an electric dryer, the hostess must determine the purpose of the device: whether it will be used only for homemade products or dried food will be sold. The parameters that are guided by the purchase depend on the purpose of purchasing a dehydrator.

When choosing a dryer, pay attention to the following characteristics:

• Capacity - for a family of 2-3 people, it is enough to purchase a device with a volume of 3 kg, for 4-7 persons, a drying capacity of 5-7 kg is required. A dehydrator for industrial blanks must hold more than 7 kg. The number of pallets in the electric dryer depends on the weight of the products that are placed on them: from 0.5 to 1 kg of fruits can be placed on one tray.
• Power - the more powerful the machine, the faster it dries food, but for some housewives it is also important to save energy. Therefore, the best option for the home is a device with a power of 300-500 watts.
• Thermostat - its presence is desirable, since models with a wide temperature range are universal and are suitable not only for drying vegetables and fruits, but also for drying meat or fish.
• Heating type - in order to preserve the taste, color and vitamin composition of products as much as possible, it is recommended to purchase devices with an infrared type of heating. Such dryers are more expensive than convector models, but they justify themselves during operation.
• The presence of a timer is a useful feature that allows the hostess not to be distracted by checking the condition of the food. The duration of the device's operation is programmed depending on the type of raw material placed in the trays.
• Manufacturing material - pallets and the body of the device can be made of plastic or metal. Plastic models weigh much less, but their drawback is fragility and the ability to absorb odors, change color under the influence of food dyes. If you like plastic dryers, you need to buy models from well-known manufacturers that guarantee the quality of the material. Also, when buying, you need to smell the trays - low-quality plastic will smell unpleasant. Metal electric dryers are durable, but with low quality material, they corrode very quickly.
• Additional functions - in some electric dryers you can prepare yoghurt, kefir, marshmallow.

Fruit preparation

In order for vegetables and fruits to be stored for a long time, up to 90% of the water must be removed from them during the drying process. The quality of the dried fruit depends not only on the mode of operation of the dehydrator, but also on the correct preparation of the raw material.

For harvesting, they choose healthy vegetables and fruits that are not damaged by pests and various diseases. They also pay attention to the degree of maturity: unripe and overripe fruits are discarded. Sorted raw materials are thoroughly washed in running water; to remove the remnants of fertilizers and pesticides, a baking soda solution (5 g per liter of water) is used for washing. After removing the contamination, the fruits are rinsed with clean water, the roots are peeled, the berries are freed from the stalks, and the core is extracted from the fruit.

Prepared fruits and vegetables are cut into slices or strips no more than 7 mm thick to prevent darkening from contact with air, they are soaked for 10 minutes in a citric acid solution (10 g per liter water). To speed up the drying of apples, they can be blanched in hot water. or scalded in sugar syrup, but heat treatment reduces the amount of nutrients.

The sliced ​​fruits are laid out in one layer on pallets, the drying time is set, being guided by the manufacturer's recommendations. Estimated Drying Time for Certain Fruits and Vegetables in Home Dehydrators (in hours):

• apples - 8;
• cherries - 11;
• pears - 10;
• carrots - 6;
• plums - 12;
• tomatoes - 8.

The drying time depends on many factors: the size of the cut, the moisture content in the original product, the density of the stacking of the raw material on the trays, the selected mode. The sign of the finished product is the absence of moisture release under strong pressure.

Storage of workpieces

Only well-dried fruits can be stored for a long time, therefore, before storing them, they are checked for compliance with the required indicators. For example, apples when properly dried are soft but do not release liquid when bent; plums turn black.

Dried vegetables and fruits are placed in paper or cloth bags, glass jars, stored in a cool dry place, in a well-ventilated area. There should be no substances with strong odors near dried products, since dry fruits easily absorb foreign aromas. You cannot store the workpieces in the light, under its influence the products will quickly lose color and smell.

To exclude damage to dried fruits by mold and pests, you need to periodically review the workpieces. If bugs and moths are found, disinfection is carried out by drying at a temperature of 70 ° C for 30 minutes. Moldy fruits are thrown away.

Electric dryers are a great way to preserve the summer's abundance of vegetables and fruits for the winter table. Before use, the dried fruits must be soaked for several hours in cold water, then they can be added to various dishes, consumed without cooking as a delicacy.