It turns out that tomatoes can not only be salted and dried, but also dried. True, the drying of tomatoes in Russia is not particularly common, it is more trusted in Europe and Asian countries. Use dried tomatoes in stews, sauces, pizza, in the first courses. Today we will tell you how to dry tomatoes at home.
The first step is to prepare suitable tomatoes for cooking in a similar way. You should take medium-sized fruits that contain a small amount of juice inside. Tomatoes must be ripe, not have stains and traces of rot. A fragrant product will turn out if you dry tomatoes that are not grown in a greenhouse, but in the garden, preferably your own, because only in this case you can be sure that vegetables are not stuffed with dangerous chemicals.
Suitable for drying tomatoes are well washed, remove the stem, cut in small rings (thickness depends directly on cooking time), tomatoes should not be peeled, but it is better to clean the seeds. To dry tomatoes for the winter in several ways:
1. In the oven, 2. In the electric drier, 3. In the sun.
And now more about each method.
How to dry tomatoes in the oven
We spread the slices of tomatoes prepared for drying on a baking sheet. Sent in the oven, preheated to 80 degrees. At this temperature, dried tomatoes will have up to 15 hours. Do not forget to periodically turn the tomatoes and make sure that they are not dry. Ready-made dried tomatoes should not break when pressed.
How to dry tomatoes in an electric dryer
Drying tomatoes in an electric dryer is almost the same as performing this procedure in the oven. Put the tomatoes into portions, cut into portions, if desired, sprinkle with spices - black pepper, thyme, and ship to dry at a temperature not exceeding 80 degrees. Do not forget to change pallets in places, this will ensure uniform drying of vegetables.
How to dry tomatoes in the sun
Cut slices of tomatoes must be laid out on non-metallic gratings. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Expose the sun. Cover with gauze on top. Tomatoes should be turned over during the day. At night, tomatoes should be brought into the room so that they do not get too much moisture. Tomatoes, depending on the variety, size of the slices and the intensity of the sun will be ready in 5-10 days. Drying tomatoes is quite laborious, but worth it. However, it is not enough just to dry the tomatoes, they should also be preserved until winter.
How to store dried tomatoes
You can store dried tomatoes in several ways:
1. Put the dried tomatoes in a bag and put in the refrigerator. So they will not lose their properties for two months, if stored in a freezer, then the shelf life of the product will be increased to 6 months.
2. Fold the dried tomatoes in a pre-sterilized glass jar, add seasonings (pepper, garlic, rosemary, basil), pour olive oil and roll. Thus, tomatoes can be stored for at least six months.
