Dehydrated Fruit

carlynishere
carlynishere Posts: 330 Member
edited September 24 in Recipes
I bought a dehydrator last summer at a yard sale and I haven't used it until now. My step son was over a few weeks ago and wanted to make jerky. We marinated it in A1 Mesquite Marinade and it was delicious. Of course I only had a couple pieces b/c of the sodium in the marinade.

Anyway, it made we want to try it out. So this morning I got out my Bullet Express (also the first time I used it since I got it as a housewarming gift last year) and I sliced up 2 kiwis, 2 bananas, 1 granny smith and 1 red delicious. Ended up with 1 red, 1 green 2 banana and 1 kiwi tray. They dehydrated for 6 hours...and being that they were all the exact same thickness, they all ended up exactly the same. Woohoo!! And they are absolutely delicious!!

Replies

  • lilcrittert
    lilcrittert Posts: 105
    What brand of dehydrator are you using? Sounds like fun and easy....I'm into easy for sure. Did your fruit turn out like a fruit leather since they were pureed?
  • dreamc08
    dreamc08 Posts: 74 Member
    Bump...I love dried fruit but avoid buying it because of all the added sugars. Would love more details on this!
  • RocketsGirl75
    RocketsGirl75 Posts: 648
    love the idea! I will have to look into this for sure! love dried fruit but so many out there are not just dried but candied!
  • carlynishere
    carlynishere Posts: 330 Member
    What brand of dehydrator are you using? Sounds like fun and easy....I'm into easy for sure. Did your fruit turn out like a fruit leather since they were pureed?

    It is called: The Food Dehydrator by Mr Coffee.

    I actually used the slicer blade for the fruit, so I just sliced it in evenly thick slices. When I first turned the dehydrator off the fruit was warm and pliabe, but once it cooled it was kind of crunchy. The bananas and kiwis are crunchy and the apples are crunchy but in a soft way if you know what I mean.

    It was super easy...I just sliced the fruit, put it on the dehydrator trays and turned it on. Nothing else until they were done. Like I said, it took six hours to get to the point that I felt they were done. I checked after 4 hours and moved the kiwi from the bottom and moved the apples to the bottom b/c they seemd to be too soft in comparison to the kiwi and banana.

    Hope this helps!

    ~Carlyn~
  • carlynishere
    carlynishere Posts: 330 Member
    Has anybody tried this?
  • carlynishere
    carlynishere Posts: 330 Member
    Anybody???
  • ladybg81
    ladybg81 Posts: 1,553 Member
    I got one last year because my son loves dried fruit but it all has so much added sugar I did not want him eating it. I tried bananas once and I think I did it too long because they were hard as a rock. I need to try it again for a lot less time. He loved the bananas but I have not tried it again. I need to.
  • trishlambert
    trishlambert Posts: 213 Member
    Bumping this

    I used to oven dry apple slices and roma tomatoes (not at the same time, laugh)...and love them, but it took a long time and heated up the house. I just dried my first batch in my new dehydrator...a bunch of bananas and some kale chips.

    I used to buy the dried bananas at Trader Joe's...delicious! Mine came out the same...sweet and chewy.It's a good thing I looked up the nutrition info in the MFP database...close to 150 calories for 1 ounce of dried banana chips! I've bagged my batch in 1 ounce portions so I don't end up gobbling up more than I should.

    Now I'm thinking I need to buy a Foodsaver vacuum to store my results for long periods...

    On to the apples and tomatoes!!!
  • JenniferH81
    JenniferH81 Posts: 285 Member
    what's the point of dehydrating it? Just that it's different than eating the fruit raw?

    Sorry, quite clueless here. ;)
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    what's the point of dehydrating it? Just that it's different than eating the fruit raw?

    Sorry, quite clueless here. ;)

    that taste is intensified, and the texture is pleasing. It also extends the life of the fruit, as dehydrated in a ziplock can last for weeks, and a raw banana can't.


    Something to consider next time you dehydrate: The more moisture content the fruit has, the longer it takes, so doing kiwis (very wet) in the same batch as apples (more on the dry side already) will produce uneven results.

    Try this, as kids we LOVED it! Puree your fruit, line the dehydrator trays with plastic wrap, and pour the fruit puree onto the plastic wrap. Smooth it out to an even thickness, more or less, and then dehydrate. Homemade fruit rollups, SO much tastier (and no additional ingredients)
  • shander7
    shander7 Posts: 613 Member
    bump! I got one last year and it came without instructions so I've been clueless! can't wait to try this!
  • guidnca
    guidnca Posts: 64
    what's the point of dehydrating it? Just that it's different than eating the fruit raw?

    Sorry, quite clueless here. ;)

    I have 2 grapevines in my backyard. There is no way for me to eat all of the grapes off of my vines. For me to preserve the fruit, I have to make raisins which is easy. Put out a butcher paper and lay the grapes on the ground like they do it in the fields.
  • Hotbottom
    Hotbottom Posts: 168 Member
    I'm dehydrator addicted and use mine every week. I made heaps of dried fruits that I put in nice jars that sit on the side so the family when hungry grab a handful of that instead of rubbish. I make my yogurts in it and crackers and breads. I also soak nuts and seeds and then dehydrate them and they turn into wonderful crunchy more healthy snacks. ( As nuts should be soaked before eating to make them more easily digestible). I also make fried rice with Jimica and noodles out of courgettes instead of pasta... I could go on and on. Look up on the internet: raw food and dehydrator for heaps of recipes.
    My dehydrator is an excalaber. It is like the king of dehydrator and you can adjust the temperature.
  • carlynishere
    carlynishere Posts: 330 Member
    I'm dehydrator addicted and use mine every week. I made heaps of dried fruits that I put in nice jars that sit on the side so the family when hungry grab a handful of that instead of rubbish. I make my yogurts in it and crackers and breads. I also soak nuts and seeds and then dehydrate them and they turn into wonderful crunchy more healthy snacks. ( As nuts should be soaked before eating to make them more easily digestible). I also make fried rice with Jimica and noodles out of courgettes instead of pasta... I could go on and on. Look up on the internet: raw food and dehydrator for heaps of recipes.
    My dehydrator is an excalaber. It is like the king of dehydrator and you can adjust the temperature.

    Hi Hotbottom - would love to know how you make yogurts and bread and crackers in the dehydrator. Please explain.
  • abyt42
    abyt42 Posts: 1,358 Member
    I bought a very large amount of strawberries, ate some fresh, brought some to work to share, dehydrated a bunch of thick slices (to use as snacks on car and camping trips) and made jam with the rest....how handy do I feel right now?
  • carlynishere
    carlynishere Posts: 330 Member
    I bought a very large amount of strawberries, ate some fresh, brought some to work to share, dehydrated a bunch of thick slices (to use as snacks on car and camping trips) and made jam with the rest....how handy do I feel right now?

    Wow, that's awesome! I wish I could get into canning jams, etc too! Great job!
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