Dried fruits are very tasty and healthy food. It seems to many beginning cooks that fruit drying from watermelon pulp is difficult to prepare, but following all the rules of the cooking process, you can achieve an excellent result and enjoy a delicious dish. What are the drying methods, as well as about the technology of the procedure in the electric dryer, read below.
Methods for drying watermelon
You can dry a watermelon at home in various ways. During the drying procedure, the fruit undergoes heat treatment, during which the watermelon juice evaporates and pathogens and bacteria die. The easiest way to dry the watermelon pulp is to use sun-air baths.
Important! The place to dry the watermelon should be away from the road, as well as have excellent lighting and not be exposed to draft.
Ideally, when the dryer is located in the garden - for this it is necessary to prepare a special canopy so that bad weather does not "interfere" with the cooking process. If necessary, cover the ground with a layer of gravel to avoid excessive dust entering the product.
Observing these conditions, you can get finished products in 7 days. To reduce the time of the drying process and minimize the risk of impregnation with an unpleasant odor, dust settling on the surface of dried fruits, you can use an electric dryer. The drying method in an electric oven is described below.
Is it possible to dry a watermelon in an electric dryer?
The electric dryer does an excellent job of drying the watermelon pulp. This method is considered optimal for achieving a good cooking result precisely because the product retains all the useful properties. The material can be dried to an elastic state, but for long-term storage it is brought to the consistency of chips. Such a product is better stored than dried.
Sweet fruit may not dry up to the state of chips, so the pieces are mixed with powdered sugar to prevent the product from sticking together. In order to achieve a good result when using an electric dryer, you need to carefully choose the raw materials for cooking. It is recommended to choose table varieties of this fruit, which have a thin crust and sugary-sweet soft part.
The basic rules of the procedure
To achieve optimal results when drying in an electric oven, you must observe the time interval and set the correct temperature for cooking. About the main stages in the preparation of dried watermelon, read below.
Drying time
The time interval for drying depends on what result the cook wants to achieve. If the purpose of cooking is to achieve the state of chips, then sliced watermelon is placed in the oven for 22 hours. To make soft pastille, a process lasting 10-12 hours is required.
Stages
Stages of the drying process:
- Preparation of the product for the procedure.
- Cutting fruit.
- Laying slices in a dehydrator.
It is necessary to thoroughly wash the peel of the berry from dirt and dry it with a cotton towel. Then, make a longitudinal section, having received 2 parts of watermelon, after - each slice is cut into 2 more halves. The crust is cut off and the seeds are removed. The resulting pulp is cut into thin slices - 5-7 mm. The length and width of the product is adjustable based on personal preference. Place the cut on the baking sheet in one layer at a distance of 3-4 mm between the pieces.
Important! During cooking, it is necessary to take into account the fact that during the procedure, the cutting will lose volume by 10 times.
Temperature
Temperature is very important in the cooking process. Elevated temperatures will help bake the product, not dry it. If the indicators are too low, the dish will not work at all. It is necessary to dry the sliced fruit at the following rates: minimum - + 50 ° С and maximum - + 60 ° С.
Product Benefits
The finished product is very useful, because it contains a lot of vitamins and minerals.
Nutrition value per 100 g of finished dessert:
- calorie content: 360 kcal;
- proteins: 9.3 g;
- fats: 1.3 g;
- carbohydrates: 77.3 g.
In the composition of the finished product in abundance there are such minerals as: sodium, magnesium, zinc, which strengthen the nervous system, contribute to improving the condition of the nail plates and hair follicles. Calcium and potassium interfere with bone destruction.
Did you know? A traditional New Year's treat in Vietnam is a watermelon. According to signs, its red flesh brings good luck.
The content of B vitamins in the dessert has a beneficial effect on the circulatory system. Vitamins A, C and D strengthen the immune system and reduce the risk of infectious diseases.
What dishes can be prepared?
From watermelon, excellent sweets are obtained in the form of chips or fragrant sun-dried slices, which are used in desserts recipes or consumed with tea. Dessert from drying watermelon goes well with bitter coffee, as well as a snack to red and white wine.
Ground fruit chips are added to the ice cream. Add to smoothies, milkshakes or compote. If you use spices in the form of black pepper, curry and red pepper when cooking dried watermelon, you get an original addition to meat and vegetable dishes.
Storage methods
Store the finished product in a glass container with a tight-fitting lid. You can save lozenges in the refrigerator at a temperature of + 4 ° C. During packing in glass containers, they are sprinkled with powdered sugar to avoid sticking the pieces together.
Watermelon chips can be stored without putting them in the refrigerator for 1 year. During storage, it is necessary to avoid direct exposure to sunlight on a container with products, as well as to observe optimal humidity conditions - 70%.
Did you know? The pulp of watermelon contains a large content of the carotenoid pigment lycopene, due to which it has a saturated red color.
An electric dryer can easily cope with the task of obtaining a dried dessert not only from watermelon - you can dry pears, apples, melons, berries, mushrooms and many vegetable crops in it. Such products are useful - their use in the winter will help to cope with a deficiency of vitamins and strengthen immunity.
