Dried Fruit

  4.0 – 8 reviews  • Apple Recipes
Level: Intermediate
Total: 1 day 18 hr 30 min
Prep: 30 min
Inactive: 1 day 18 hr
Yield: varies on amount of fruit
Level: Intermediate
Total: 1 day 18 hr 30 min
Prep: 30 min
Inactive: 1 day 18 hr
Yield: varies on amount of fruit

Ingredients

  1. 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  2. 1 quart water
  3. Apples
  4. Mangos
  5. Pears
  6. Apricots
  7. Bananas
  8. Strawberries

Instructions

  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the lemon juice and water. Set aside until ready to use.
  2. Peel, core and dice the fruit into 1/2-inch cubes, with the exception of the strawberries. Slice the strawberries 1/8 of an inch thick. Place the fruit into the lemon water and allow to soak for up to 2 minutes. Remove and drain thoroughly.
  3. Lay 1 (14 by 14-inch) plastic dehydrator sheet on 1 of the air-conditioning filters. Place the fruit on the plastic dehydrator sheet and cover with another plastic sheet. Repeat this process with remaining plastic sheets and two more filters, stacking on top of the first one. Top these with the remaining empty filter. Next, lay the box fan on its side and lay the filters on top of it. Strap the filters to the fan with two bungee cords. Stand the fan upright, plug in and set to high. Dry for 42 to 48 hours. When dry, the fruit should be pliable but not sticky. You should not be able to squeeze moisture from the fruit. If using a commercial dehydrator, follow the manufacturer’s directions.
  4. Remove the fruit from filters and store in an airtight container in a cool dry place.

Reviews

Christina Smith
Love it for meat, and fruit.

Anyone know how I could use this for veggies? Like for soup starters?
Joseph Crawford
Made one hell of a mushy mess out of my strawberries and mango. I followed the directions as stated. The food was being fanned for over 60 hours. Some of the fruit seemed to have dried, while other pieces were on the brink of mold and mushy. Are the dehydrator sheets suppose to allow the air to flow through them? Mine did not. Is there a brand suggestion for the sheets? At this point, I have wasted a lot on fruit, filters, and a fan.
Diane Johnson
It looks so amazing and delicious. I cannot wait to try this one at home. Because I really loves dried fruits and nuts. Great Job
Mark Jarvis
It is easier to buy dried fruit than to go through all of this. Too much trouble!
Benjamin Glenn
This is my second year using this method. I love it. I have a kitchen, that looks big, but has no storage space…let alone almost no available counter space.

I have done strawberries, pineapples, and now I am doing cherry tomatoes as we speak. I can easily store all of this “hardware”.

The one thing is that people don’t know is that lizard lamps come in a few different watts/sizes. I had to go to the larger one that Petco sold in order to bring it up to temperature.

Yes, the lizard lamp is a slight unitasker, but honestly as such it stores really REALLY easily into a drawer…taking up far less space than a box dehydrator would take. But if you look at it as a portable heating unit, you could also use it to proof dough on a cold day, in the oven…rather than using the “pour water into an oven pan in the oven” method…. just make sure you open the door a bit more using a dish towel to kill the light (and prop it open). Do cover your dough bowl too.

Also my fan that I have is a small lasko desk fan with a flex pivoting head.

I reuse that for making sushi rice, rather than fanning it by hand.

ALTON, thank you for this! I just wish I had more racks for my oven so I could put more sheets in my oven!

BTW, Ryan…fiberglass ones are not… I found mine at Home Depot…

Tiffany Oconnor
where do i get the paper air filters? are fiberglass ones ok?
Ryan Nguyen
It’s GOOD EATS!!!
James Sanchez
Great recipe! Didn’t see the jerky episode but loved the drying fan. Only problem is everywhere I look I can’t find those plastic dehydrator sheets he used. If anyone has found any please write another review and let me know. Thanks

 

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