Top 6 recipes for making dried apricots at home

Dried apricots are healthy and delicious, containing many vitamins and minerals that are destroyed by heat. This fruit can be consumed year-round, providing health benefits. Dried apricots are also often included in diets because they stimulate bowel function, cleanse the gastrointestinal tract of toxins, and have a mild laxative effect.

What are dried apricots called and what are their benefits?

The name of the fruit depends on its properties:

1. Kaisa is a pitted, whole dried apricot.
2. Dried apricots are fruits cut into halves with the pits removed.
3. Dried apricots are often used to make compotes; they are fruits with a seed inside.

Now it's time to discuss the beneficial properties of dried fruits. They include the following:

• contain useful minerals and vitamins;
• improve bowel function and remove toxins;
• They are used for weight loss because they have a laxative effect;
• improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system when consumed in moderation.

The fruit promotes satiety, it contains sucrose and fructose, satisfies hunger well and stimulates metabolism.

Methods for drying apricots at home

There are several methods that can help you get fruits with different characteristics.

We prepare kaisa – whole, pitted fruits

This recipe will help you create a similar product. Here's what to do:

1. Wash the fruit, remove the pits, and inspect.
2. Cover them with sugar so that they release juice in 3-4 hours.
3. We drain this juice and prepare sugar syrup from it.
4. Pour syrup over the fruit; the syrup temperature is 85 degrees.
5. Then we place the apricots on a baking sheet in the oven and send them to dry.
6. We carry it out at a temperature of 85 degrees for half an hour.
7. Then we reduce the temperature to 60 degrees, after 35 minutes – to 40.
8. We lay out the fruit, wait until the juice drains, then place them in a sunny place.
9. In 7 days the apricots will be ready.

Preparation of dried apricots - pitted apricot halves

Cultivated varieties are used for this purpose. Large, fleshy fruits can easily be turned into dried apricots. To do this, cut the apricots in half, remove the pits, and then dry them using your preferred method.

Drying dried apricots – fruits with pits

Apricots are dried in the sun. In southern regions, the fruits are left on the tree to dry before harvesting.

But you can also dry fruits in the open air, simulating natural conditions.

How to dry your harvest at home

There are devices that will help you prepare dried apricots yourself.

Drying in the oven

It goes like this:

• Place the fruits on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper;
• First, remove the seeds, wash and inspect;
• set the temperature to 50 degrees and add the fruit;
• do not close the oven door completely, but rather cover it to allow moisture to escape;
• The process will take up to 10 hours, but despite this, it is considered fast.

Drying in an air fryer

Having this appliance in your kitchen will help you dry fruit quickly. What to do:

1. Place pre-washed apricots on the grill racks of the appliance.
2. Set the temperature to 120 degrees, wait 20-30 minutes.

In the microwave

Microwave ovens dry out fruits significantly by evaporating their water, so the process requires careful attention to how it occurs:

• Place the fruits in a bowl, having previously washed them under running water;
• We set the power to no more than three hundred watts, and the timer to 2 minutes;
• If the fruit does not dry out during this time, then increase the time by 30 seconds.

Sun drying

Sunlight will help dry the fruits, what we will do:

1. Place them on a wire rack, cover with gauze, and leave for 5-6 hours.
2. During this time, they will dry out and stop releasing juice.
3. Then we move the apricots to a sunny place and dry them until ready.
4. The process will take from one to two weeks, depending on the size of the fruit and the weather.

Outside, in the fresh air

Perhaps the simplest method, which is suitable for those who live in the southern regions of the country:

• the fruits are laid out on a baking tray, after having been washed and examined;
• do not cover with a lid or newspaper, put it in a place that is well ventilated, air circulation is important;
• leave for several days, turning over periodically so that they do not start to rot.

Tip: It is important to protect fruits from insects. Gauze can help with this; it is often used to cover fruits that are being dried.

In an electric dryer

It will take a long time to get tasty dried apricots:

1. Place the fruits in a single row on the drying tray.
2. We will dry for the first 2 hours at a temperature of 50 degrees.
3. Then 8 hours at a temperature of 60 degrees, the remaining 2 – again at 50 degrees.

Tips and recommendations from housewives

There are a few subtleties you should know before you start preparing dried fruits:

• You shouldn't use wild varieties, they are not suitable;
• fruits may start to rot if they are dried in the sun, open air, without following the rules;
• It is better to store prepared dried apricots and dried apricots in clothes bags in a cool place;
• Before you start drying the fruit, you will have to wash it, sort it, and inspect it for rot.

Dried apricots are healthy and delicious, and they're used in cooking and cosmetics. Dried apricots and kaisa can be used as garnish for homemade desserts. And dried apricots can be used to make a delicious, sweet compote.