Dehydrating food is a cost-effective, easy and fun way to prepare fresh meals for snacking or storage. And when it is prepared in your kitchen, it tastes even better. Turning grapes into raisins makes sense, when you have an abundance of this fresh fruit and because it is delicious.
It is quite easy to learn how to dry them. Raisins are an excellent addition to the variety of recipes; the chewy texture is delightful, and they add just a touch of sweetness. When dehydrating grapes on your own, you will find they plump up more and taste better than store-bought ones.
We all know that they are a perfect handy snack, whether you are backpacking in the outdoors or you sat at home. You can preserve them for up to fifteen months, even longer if you store them properly in an airtight container or vacuum seal. In this article, we will show you how to make raisins and amaze your family with this perfect homemade snack.
Keep reading to know more.
Grapes Nutrition Facts
“One of the most popular among the regularly featuring table fruits, grapes are widely considered as the “queen of fruits” since earlier times. These tiny berries of the Europe and Mediterranean origin are the storehouse of numerous health-promoting phytonutrients such as polyphenolic antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. No wonder why so many of us often include them in our diet; be it as a fresh table fruits, dry fruits (raisins), juice, or simply in salads!” according to Nutrition and You.
Grapes has flavonoids like quercetin and myricetin that will slow down aging and help your body to reduce the damage that free radicals have caused. They have some significant benefits such as the ability to treat macular degeneration, bone health, kidney disorders, fatigue, indigestion, and constipation. You can also use them as a cure for asthma.
This fruit prevents blood clots, increasing the nitric oxide levels and reducing the chance of a heart attack. To cure a migraine drink it without mixing additional water, early in the morning. Some studies have shown that their antioxidants prevent all types of cancer, especially breast cancer.
Grape Dehydration Process
The best choice for dehydration is seedless grapes. There are many colors, types, and brands of them. The first thing you want to do is to wash the fruit and remove it from the stems. Pour water into a large bowl and place the grape clusters and thoroughly wash them.
A word of advice – Dehydrating berries and fruits that have a waxy skin will be more efficient if they are checked or blanched in hot water, for about one or two minutes. That way, the moisture can better escape through the cracks that skin will develop after hot water.
After you have done this, drain them and leave to dry for about an hour and a half, making sure there won’t be any moisture. Before you place them on the trays of the dehydrator, it is important to dry them properly. Use a paper towel to roll them over with your hands making sure that you wiped them enough.
If the grapes have seeds, it is best to remove them. Slice them in half to do that, but don’t cut it if they don’t include seeds. When you have done that, place them on the trays of the dehydrator in one layer. Don’t crowd them, because they will not dry properly. Just spread them so the air can reach each one of them equally and dry them adequately. Don’t worry if they touch that is ok.
Set the dehydrator at 135 degrees F and dry fruits for about twenty-four to forty-eight hours. It is important to test them to make sure they are done. When they have a little squish left inside of them, they are ready.
Tips:
2. As they dry, juices and water will be released from the fruit, which will cause a little outside spot where the sticky, sweet juices are trying to come out. To prevent sticking, shuffle every eight hours. You will notice this more on the red grapes than to green ones.
3. Red raisins will be smaller than the green ones, although they are the same size before drying. Some people prefer green raisins because they have that unique flavor.
4. If you want to speed up the drying process, you can always raise the heat to 145 degrees F for the first twelve hours. To avoid over-drying or burning, reduce the temperature to 135 degrees F.
5. If you want to preserve it for winter, you will need to store it in the airtight jars, vacuum sealer or airtight bag and place it in the pantry. That way they will last for months, and you won’t need to buy dried fruits from the store in those cold winter days. Also, to keep them last for a couple of months it is better to dehydrate them for 48 hours.
6. If you want to check whether they are done or not, just shut off your unit and leave them to cool for about thirty minutes before you taste them. If they are not done, continue drying.
Conclusion
Dried grapes are super easy to make and very nutritious. Your whole family will enjoy this perfect snack whether they are spending time at home, or going on some outdoor adventure. With the professional food dehydrator, you will master the drying process quickly and prepare different kinds of fruits and vegetables like a chef. We hope that this article was helpful for you to make this delicious food. Enjoy your raisins!