Dried fruits have plenty of practical uses. When you feel like you won’t get through all your fresh fruit, dehydrating fruit will help it last for longer and prevent waste. It’s an easy and cheap way to keep plenty of dried fruit snacks on hand. And decorating your home with dry fruits is a planet-friendly alternative to using plastic.
You don’t even need a dehydrator to dry fruit. Forcing the moisture out of fruit requires low heat, dry air and air movement. An electric oven makes an excellent fruit dryer as it can do all of these things.
Is there any difference in the end product when drying fruit in your oven instead of a dehydrator? Your fruit needs to be ‘dry-dry’ – or you introduce the risk of a mould problem. Your oven must be able to maintain the low temperatures needed to dehydrate fruit fully, so that it’s crispy. If it can’t, though, an oven warmer drawer may do the trick instead.
Your oven isn’t the most energy-efficient way to dehydrate food. But if you’re experimenting, it’s better than buying a dehydrator and deciding next week the DIY dry fruit life isn’t for you.
HOW TO DRY FRUIT IN THE OVEN
Here’s how to make dried fruit using your electric oven:
- Preheat the oven to between 50 and 60 degrees C
- Slice your fruit into 6mm thin strips, or leave small fruit (like raspberries) whole if you’d prefer
- Arrange the fruit in a single layer onto a rack and place inside the oven, closing the door
