In winter, it is not only pleasant, but also healthy to enjoy the wonderful taste of aromatic pears. There are many ways to preserve these fruits. One of the most popular is drying. Next we will talk about how to properly dry pears in several ways at home.
Features of drying pears for the winter
It should be remembered that this fruit processing has some features:
- Pears should not be overly juicy or overripe.
- Medium-sized fruits are dried. Too large for drying are not suitable.
- It is desirable that these be fruits of those varieties that do not contain a large number of seeds. After picking, fruits should not be stored for more than 2 days, as they become too soft and are not suitable for this storage method.
- Pears should have a firm texture.
- Viscosity has a bad effect on the taste of dried fruit, so it is better not to use viscous varieties.
- The thickness of the slices should not exceed 1 cm. Small pears, including game ones, can be dried whole.
Wild varieties can also be used, but the fruit must be ripe and fall from the tree on its own. Unripe fruits, as well as fruits that have been frozen, are not suitable for drying.
Preparing fruit for drying
Before drying, fruits should be prepared first. They do this as follows:
- remove unripe or spoiled fruits;
- wash thoroughly;
- dry with a towel or naturally;
- immerse in boiling water for 15 minutes, then pull out. If you are going to dry the game, add sugar to the water if desired.
- Allow the fruit to cool well.
After this procedure, the fruits are cut and the seeds are removed. Then cut into slices. The resulting workpiece is placed in a weak solution of citric acid.
Methods for drying pears at home
Several methods are used to prepare dried fruits at home.
In the oven
For such drying, the prepared fruits are laid out on a baking sheet in one layer. The oven is preheated at 60 degrees. A baking sheet with pears is placed in it and dried for two hours. Then the temperature increases to 80 degrees. Further drying in the oven of a gas stove takes about 20 hours.If the fruits are cut coarsely or dried whole, then up to 25.
The drying process requires monitoring every half hour.
During the drying process, the weight of the product decreases significantly. The disadvantage of this method is that some of the beneficial substances in pears are destroyed during heat treatment.
In the microwave
This method is the fastest of all. In this case, a portion of fruit is dried within 5-6 minutes, but if the process is not controlled, the batch can very easily become overdried.
For such drying, you need to take a flat dish suitable for microwave ovens, arrange the pears in one layer and place them in the microwave.
To properly dry the fruits, the power is set to 200-250 W, and the oven is turned on for two and a half minutes. Then you should check the condition of the pears. They should spring back slightly when pressed.
If necessary, fruits can be dried, but not more than 2-2.5 minutes.
In an electric dryer
This device is designed for drying vegetables and fruits. It is assembled according to the instructions; prepared pieces of pears are placed in it. They are dried at a temperature of 70 degrees.
In an electric dryer, the treatment lasts from 15 to 19 hours. From time to time, the pear slices should be turned over to dry evenly.
Properly dried pears do not crumble and have a pleasant light brown color. They feel elastic to the touch.
Air drying
This method is quite labor-intensive, but it preserves all the beneficial substances in the pears. You can dry fruits naturally, without laying them out, but by piercing them with a needle and thread and hanging them to dry.
First you need to choose the right place for the upcoming drying. It must meet the following requirements:
- there should be no wind or dust;
- insects (mosquitoes, flies, midges) should not have access to the slices;
- The threads with pears should be covered with gauze.
After drying for 3-4 days, the fruits are removed from the threads and placed in dry jars or containers for storage.
You should make sure that they are sufficiently dry before placing them in a dry container for storage. It is important to make sure that there is no mold on any piece, otherwise the entire batch will be spoiled during storage.
In the drying cabinet
Such devices are also designed for drying fruits, fish, meat, and mushrooms. Unlike an electric dryer, you can place a larger number of fruits for processing here, since several baking trays can be placed in it.
The drying process occurs due to the circulation of hot air in the cabinet. Baking trays with prepared fruit load the cabinet, close it and set the temperature to 70 degrees.
While drying in the cabinet, you can also periodically open it and turn the slices over. This procedure takes 12-15 hours.
Drying ovens can be used not only on an industrial scale, but also if there is a large amount of fruit from fruit trees.
In the sun
The place for this drying method must be sufficiently lit. Insects should not land on fruits.
The pears are dried in one layer on a flat dish or baking sheet. Drying is carried out during the day in the sun, in the evening they are covered with gauze and removed indoors. In this way, the fruits are processed for 3-4 days, then stored in glass containers.
Storing dried fruits
To prevent the fruits from becoming moldy and spoiled, you should follow not only the drying rules, but also the storage conditions:
- Storing too long makes the fruit tough and unsightly to look at.Therefore, dried fruits should be used whenever possible and not stored for more than a year.
- Do not store the dryer near heating systems or various heaters.
- The food being stored should be checked periodically to ensure there is no mold.
- They should not be stored near an electric stove to avoid the appearance of condensation in the containers, which will subsequently cause spoilage of the product.
It is best to store drying in glass jars with an airtight lid or in fabric bags.
Properly dried and preserved fruits will pleasantly surprise you with their taste and aroma during the cold season.
