Step-by-step instructions: how to dry a watermelon in an electric dryer and store the finished product

Watermelon is rarely used for cooking. Usually it is eaten separately and in its original form. However, the list of "watermelon" culinary opportunities is wide. It is fermented, fried, and jam is made from it, used in salads, desserts and drinks. It goes well with both fruits and vegetables.

Have you tried dried watermelon? How you can use it in cooking - in our article.

Dried watermelon: joke or not

Can this "water ball", which is 91.5% water, be dried at all? Easily, even up to the chips stage. Watermelon chips will become a wonderful delicacy in the season when you want this berry, but there is no place to buy it. In addition, unlike ordinary chips, watermelon is not only much tastier, but also much healthier.

The technology for preparing dried watermelon allows you to save all the nutrients, and this:

• most of the B vitamins;
• vitamin C;
• nicotinic acid - a vitamin that improves the functioning of the heart and blood vessels;
• calcium, iron, sodium;
• pectin, highly digestible sugars;
• magnesium - to normalize blood pressure, reduce nervous excitability;
• fiber - to improve digestion;
• Lycopene is a beneficial antioxidant responsible for the red color of watermelon. Among other beneficial properties, it prevents the formation of cancer cells.

Preparing watermelon for drying

For drying, you will need a slightly unripe fruit with dense pulp.

Before drying a watermelon in an electric dryer, prepare it:

1. First you need to wash it.
2. Then cut in half and peel.
3. Then - cut into slices. The thickness is about 5 mm, the width is at your discretion. Keep in mind that when drying, the volume of the pulp will decrease 10-11 times.
4. We peel the slices and place them in the trays of the electric dryer. Each tray contains one layer of product.

That's it, the watermelon is ready to dry!

It is interesting:

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How to understand that a watermelon has gone bad and what to do if it happened.

Drying in an electric dryer

The process of cooking dried fruits in an electric dryer is a simple matter. It is required to correctly install the trays with the product and turn on the device. An important question is the cooking temperature. At a high temperature, the product will simply bake and there will be no nutrients left in it. At a low watermelon will dry for a long time, and this is an extra cost for electricity. The optimum temperature is 50 ° C.

The cooking time depends on the desired result. To obtain lozenges, the product should be dried for at least 12 hours. If you want crispy crisps, wait a little longer.

Checking for readiness

It's easy to check if a treat is ready. If your goal is soft lozenges, then take one wedge and press it with your fingers, bend it in half, or break it. If no liquid is released from it, the dish is ready.

The situation is slightly different with chips: the slice should crunch when checked.

How to store

The finished slices are stored in a glass jar or plastic container. The shelf life is 12 months. Dry chips are stored without additives, but lozenges should be rolled in powdered sugar before storing them so that they do not stick together.

Advice... If you could not stand the agonizing wait and did not dry the lozenges to the state of chips, then just store them in the refrigerator. At this temperature, the sugar in the watermelon will caramelize and the slices will crunch.

How else to dry a watermelon

You now know the standard watermelon drying scheme. But there are a few more unusual ways: for example, candied watermelon (dried watermelon rind) or salted watermelon chips.

Candied watermelon

When preparing dried watermelon pastilles, many crusts remain, with which the hostesses mercilessly part - and in other cases we usually throw them away. But they can make quite tasty candied fruits.

To prepare them, we do the following:

1. Cut off a thin layer of green peel from the crust and discard it.
2. Cut the remaining pulp into small cubes.
3. Boil them in sweetened water. The amount of sugar depends on preference, but about 0.5 kg of sugar per 1 liter of water is recommended.
4. We discard the future candied fruits in a colander. We are waiting for the excess liquid to drain.
5. We load the cubes into the electric dryer. Dry the same way as slices: at 50 ° C until desired.

Such candied fruits are stored in a plastic or glass container. They are convenient to add to baked goods or drinks.

Important! Such candied fruits are contraindicated for people with diabetes or overweight. It is worth limiting yourself in the event of an exacerbation of chronic diseases of the genitourinary system and the gastrointestinal tract.

Watermelon peels for health

The recipe is as follows:

1. We prepare the crusts in the same way, by cutting off the green layer.
2. Cut the light pulp into thin slices.
3. We load them into the dryer, dry them at 50 ° C until they completely lose moisture. They should become brittle and light.

The finished crusts are used for medicinal purposes. They retain in themselves all the useful substances and help with disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, constipation or inflammatory processes of the digestive system. Such dried peels are taken in the form of a decoction or infusion. Sometimes, for greater efficiency, other herbs are added to such decoctions. For example, calendula or yarrow.

To prepare the broth, pour 0.5 l of boiling water into crushed dry crusts and put in a water bath. After twenty minutes of languor, remove from the heat, let it brew for half an hour. Then the broth is filtered.

Sweet watermelon chips

This way of using watermelon slices will appeal to real gourmets and those with a sweet tooth. For cooking you will need:

• ready-made dried watermelon (crispy);
• milk (or bitter) chocolate - 100 g;
• pistachios - 50 g.

Preparation:

1. First, grind the pistachios.
2. Then we melt the chocolate in a water bath.
3. Then we dip each slice of watermelon in chocolate.
4. Sprinkle with pistachios at the end.

A dish for the most sophisticated sweet tooth is ready!

Salted watermelon chips

A special dish is salted watermelon slices. The technology of their preparation practically does not differ from the preparation of standard watermelon chips. One difference: sprinkle the slices with coarse salt before drying. These chips have an unusual taste - worth a try!

Watermelon candy

Watermelon marshmallow will become a memorable delicacy at any tea party, it will successfully decorate your dessert. At the same time, it is prepared no more difficult than a simple dried watermelon.

In a dehydrator

Any watermelon is suitable for making pastilles - overripe is also good. Loose, fibrous flesh will come in handy.

The marshmallow is prepared in this way:

1. We clean the watermelon from the peels. Cut the pulp into pieces, remove the bones.
2. Grind the pulp in a deep bowl with a blender. Squeeze out excess juice. It is better to leave it - it may come in handy for the next culinary experiment.
3. We taste it. If the puree is not sweet enough, add a couple of tablespoons of honey, or to taste.
4. Lubricate trays for marshmallows with vegetable oil, spread mashed potatoes, level with a spoon. To prevent the marshmallow from getting rough, we make the layer no thicker than 5 mm.
5. Dry in a dehydrator at 55 ° C for four hours. Then, lowering the temperature to 40 ° C, dry until tender. The finished candy should not leave marks on the hand when touched.

In the oven

Another experiment is candy in the oven. To prepare it, watermelon honey is boiled from watermelon juice:

1. Filter the watermelon juice through cheesecloth.
2. Cook the juice over low heat. In the process of cooking, remove the foam with a slotted spoon. The cooking time depends on the sweetness of the watermelon. On average, it takes at least three hours.
3. When the juice acquires a consistency like honey, remove it from the heat. It will darken during cooking - this is normal.
4. Preheat the oven to 100 ° C. Cover the baking sheet with baking paper. Lubricate it with vegetable oil.
5. Pour honey into a prepared baking sheet, put in the oven.
6. Dry with the door open for 6-8 hours. We check the readiness in the same way - there should be no marks on the hand when you touch the pastille. If prints remain, lower the temperature slightly and wait a little longer.

For convenience, the finished pastille is cut into squares or long strips. It is permissible to sprinkle with icing sugar to taste.

Read also:

How to cook a delicious and healthy watermelon compote.

How to germinate watermelon seeds correctly and what to do next with the finished planting material.

How to prepare tasty and healthy watermelons in your own juice for the winter.

Conclusion

Harvesting food in an electric dryer is an interesting and not too troublesome business. Now you know that watermelon is dried in different ways. The advantage of cooking in a dryer or dehydrator is that with this method of harvesting, the berry retains useful substances. As a result, you will get not only tasty, but also healthy delicacy.