The process of drying the fruit is basically a good way to preserve the taste of the fruit. Sometimes the dried fruit is superior to the fresh variety because of its better taste. Some fruits are more abundant than other fruits in some seasons of the year.
Delicious dried strawberries reduce appetite when they are of good quality and are very popular.
If you want to use fruits in different seasons of the year, it is necessary to dry the fruits and use them.
How to dry strawberries?
There are different ways to dry fruit. 3 methods of drying strawberries include the following:
- Drying strawberries with a fruit dryer
- Drying strawberries in the oven
- Drying with strawberry sun
1. Drying strawberries with a fruit dryer
Using a fruit drying machine causes the fruit juice to evaporate very gently, slowly and with very low heat. Most of these fruit dryers have a mesh electric element at the bottom, on which there is an air vent.
Depending on the type of fruit and the type of fruit drying machine, it takes 24 hours for the fruits to dry completely. If you intend to dry a lot of fruits and vegetables, using fruit drying machines is one of the best options.
How to do the work:
Place the fruit dryer on the fruit drying setting, and if it does not have such a setting, set it to a temperature of 57 degrees Celsius. Place the strawberries in the dryer.
Strawberries need 24 to 48 hours to dry in this device, depending on the fruit and its thickness. Check the strawberries regularly after the first 24 hours to prevent them from drying out too much.
Collect dried and crunchy fruits. Dried fruits should be relatively hard because their moisture has been lost.
2. Drying strawberries in the oven
Another method of drying fruit is drying with air flow, which is a combination of air flow and low heat, this work is usually done in an oven.
Oven drying is the best method you can use because you don’t add sugar or other additives and it only takes a few hours.
The advantage of doing this at home is that you have control over the results of your work and you can dry the fruits in any size and shape you want.
The quality of dried fruit depends on the size of the fruit pieces and the drying time.
How to do the work:
In this method, to prevent the growth of bacteria, the fruits are heated at a low temperature so that their water evaporates sufficiently.
Prepare the strawberries, it is better if these fruits are completely ripe. Wash the strawberries with cold water, remove the stained part and remove the stem of the fruit.
Cut the strawberries in the same size so that they dry at the same time. Medium fruits can be cut in half or rings, and large or very hard fruits should be sliced.
To preserve the beautiful appearance of strawberries and to minimize their color change, put them in lemon juice and water for 10 minutes, then put them in a colander and dry them gently with a lint-free towel.
Preheat the oven to 54-71 degrees Celsius. Use a lower temperature for thinly sliced fruits.
Cover the baking tray with wax paper and arrange the fruit pieces keeping a distance. Place a round pizza grid or a silicone liner over the fruit to prevent them from curling up.
Put the strawberries in the oven and rotate the oven tray every two hours. When the dried fruit has a leathery texture and is somewhat pliable, it is ready to be taken out of the oven.
After taking the dried strawberries out of the oven, put them in plastic or glass containers and leave the containers open for 4 to 5 days to evaporate the remaining moisture.
During these days, shake the container so that the fruits move a little. After 5 days, close the container.
3. Drying strawberry fruit in the sun
The most common and basic method of drying fruit is using the sun. In this method, the fruit is cut in half or chopped and placed outside in the sunlight for several days.
Steps of drying fruit in the sun
To dry strawberries, choose a warm, sunny day when the air humidity is below 60% and the weather is sunny and warm.
This will take several days, so it is necessary that the weather is clear and good for several days in a row.
Place the strawberries on a stainless steel, plastic, or Teflon-coated fiberglass mesh tray and arrange them on the mesh with a little distance.
Place the fruit tray on two bricks so that it is away from the ground and throw a thin net on it and place it under the sun. Placing the tray on the brick allows for better air flow and faster drying of the fruit.
To speed up the drying process of strawberries, place an aluminum or tin sheet under the tray.
Cool night air can re-moisten the fruit. So put the tray in a covered place at night.
Visit the fruit a few times each day and collect the shriveled and chewy (crunchy) strawberries.
Delicious and stylish dried strawberries with their attractive color give a very beautiful and special effect to the dry fruit basket.
Daily intake of one unit of dried strawberries increases the amount of folate in the blood and also reduces high blood pressure.
One unit of dried strawberries is equivalent to 8, which has 50 calories of energy.
Due to the limited harvesting season, dried strawberries have a relatively lower volume than other fruits, but they can be supplied in packages upon request.
What are the properties of dried strawberries?
Dried strawberries are useful in preventing esophageal cancer.
American doctors say that dried strawberries are useful in preventing esophageal cancer. These doctors emphasized that consuming frozen and dried strawberries greatly prevents the formation and growth of esophageal tumors in people who have pre-cancerous tissues.
Dr. Tong Chen from Ohio University and his assistants reached these results by studying 36 participants during a six-month period who used the frozen form of this fruit.
Dr. Chen emphasized that this study is important because it shows that dried strawberries have a significant effect in slowing down the activity of precancerous tissues and its effect is so great that it can be used as an alternative or together with chemical drugs. .
Antioxidant seekers should eat dried strawberries
Dr. Kyomarth Daneshvar, nutrition specialist, said about the properties of dried strawberries: dried strawberries are a rich source of fiber, vitamin C, potassium and antioxidants. This fruit can be used to increase heart health, reduce the risk of various types of cancer and overall improve the health of the body.
Due to the presence of iron and vitamin C, dried strawberries are effective in blood formation in the body, and due to the presence of sufficient amounts of calcium and phosphorus, they are very effective in the growth and development of children and adolescents, the strength of teeth and the repair of broken bones.
This fruit also contains calcium, iron and phosphorus salts, the phosphorus present in this fruit improves brain function, so students and people who do mental exercises should definitely eat dried strawberries.
Studies have shown that dried strawberries increase the amount of hormones that help increase metabolism, reduce appetite and regulate blood sugar after receiving meals containing starch.
This hormone is adiponectin, whose high level in the blood is also associated with a reduced risk of heart attack, while its low level has been reported in obese people.
Dried strawberries and teeth whitening
Mix fresh and ripe dried strawberries with half a teaspoon of baking powder and then use it to whiten your teeth.
The secret of this composition or rather its result is malic acid, which is a very strong cleaner for the stains from smoking and coffee on the teeth, and on the other hand, it has whitening properties.
It is also recommended not to use this method more than usual because you may damage the enamel of your teeth. The certainty of this method is not the same as scaling under the hands of a dentist, but it is cheap and it will work in a short period of time.
Dried strawberries are effective in the growth of children, the strength of teeth and the repair of broken bones
Recent research has shown that daily intake of one unit of dried strawberries causes a significant increase in the amount of folate in the blood and also reduces high blood pressure. One unit of dried strawberries is equivalent to 8, which has 50 calories of energy.
It should be noted that dried strawberries are effective in blood production due to the presence of iron and vitamin C in the body, and due to the presence of sufficient amounts of calcium and phosphorus, they are very effective in the growth and development of children and adolescents, the strength of teeth and the repair of broken bones.
Students and people who do intellectual exercises, it is better to eat dried strawberries, because eating this fruit provides the phosphorus needed by their brain.
It is worth mentioning that this fruit is effective in reducing and eliminating fear, anger, depression, anxiety, excitement and laziness due to its vitamin B content. Dried strawberries cure gout.
Vitamin A present in dried strawberries also promotes the growth of nails and strengthens the eyes.