We use modern equipment: we dry pears in an electric dryer and convection oven

In summer and autumn, good owners process the harvest in different ways in order to enjoy the taste of fruits and vegetables and saturate the body with natural vitamins during the cold season. Drying and drying is a popular method that allows you to preserve almost all the vitamins in products; the product will take up little space during storage. In addition to apples, pears are often harvested. From such dried fruit you can not only cook compotes, but also add them to baked goods. They are included in therapeutic diets.

Interesting facts about pear

The pear is revered in Southeast Asian countries. The Chinese grow pears in the shape of a Buddha figure. Young fruits are packaged in a plastic form and as they grow, they acquire the desired appearance. They are quite expensive, but it is believed that a person who eats such a pear gains immortality. It is a bad omen to see a broken pear tree.

In the East, the pear is a symbol of immortality. Pear trees are known to be up to 450 years old! There are such specimens all over the world. Despite their advanced age, the trees still bear fruit. Such endurance of the tree evokes respect and surprise.

Pear wood is prized for its decorative properties. It is used to make musical instruments with amazing sound and exclusive furniture. Even dishes that can be washed in the dishwasher. After steam treatment, the wood darkens and acquires a reddish tint. With age it becomes dark amber in color.

In Japan there is a museum of a pear tree that bears fruit for more than 60 years and bears a lot of fruit. A special glass dome was built for the tree, preserving the crown and roots. An exhibition of pears was organized, where the ways of its selection were shown. There are theatrical performances and a tasting room with pear desserts. There is a pear orchard around the museum, where each fruit is wrapped in rice paper. This is protection from insects and the scorching rays of the sun.

Delicious broth recipe

This aromatic amber-colored drink is very easy to prepare. In winter, it will be an excellent immunostimulant, help cope with colds, and prevent vitamin deficiency.

• Initially, you need to wash the fruit under running water. Place in a saucepan, add water.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Simmer for about an hour.
• Sugar is added to taste, you can do without it.
• Drink warm or chilled.
• Pears go great with dried apples.

Currently reading: What are the benefits of pear, how to use it correctly

Even babies are given the drink. Recommended for women after childbirth to restore strength, increase the amount of breast milk, and normalize hormonal levels. The drink is especially useful for diarrhea and food poisoning.

Fruit selection and storage

When buying pears, you need to look at the appearance, aroma and density of the fruit. They must not be damaged or infested with worms. Do not store with dents. Fruits that are too hard and odorless are considered unripe. If the fruit is loose, this is a sign of beginning rotting. It is better to purchase unripe fruits than overripe ones. The fruit ripens during storage if it is not washed. If you put pears together with apples or bananas, the ripening process will speed up. This is due to the gas - ethylene, which is released by ripe fruits.

Soft, ripe fruits should be stored in the refrigerator. This way they can last up to 4 or 5 days.

For long-term storage, only autumn or winter varieties are used. The pear should be removed from the tree while still a little green. Ripe pears fall off the tree and are not stored for long.

• You need to collect it in clear, sunny weather directly from the tree along with the stalk.
• Pears are stored in a dry, ventilated room at a temperature from 0 to + 2 degrees.
• The fruits are placed in dry wooden boxes. The fruits should not touch each other. You can wrap it in paper or sprinkle it with clean sawdust.
• Pears need to be sorted periodically, removing damaged ones.

Storing fresh pears is difficult, especially if there are no suitable conditions. For this reason, various preparations are made from aromatic fruits. But they contain sugar. The best option is to dry pears at home.

There are several most common ways to dry pears. This is the best option for large fruit harvests. Dried pear can be stored for at least 2 years. A fragrant compote is prepared from it, which has healing properties.

My grandmother (may she rest in heaven) strictly forbade eating pears on an empty stomach. Why?

* For fever, pear decoction from wild pears is used to lower the temperature.

* Due to the presence of complex essential oils, juice from forest pears is a good diuretic.

* Pears have been used in folk medicine for thousands of years to treat prostatitis. Within a few days after using pear compote for this disease, a striking effect occurs, and its long-term use leads to a cure. And if a man is over 50 years old, then it is necessary to prepare dried wild pears for the winter so that he can drink compote and pear tea until spring. This is not only treatment, but also prevention of the disease.

* Pears are used as an antimicrobial agent, the fruits of which create an unfavorable environment for pathogenic bacteria. Pear fruits contain organic acids, which, together with hydrochloric acid of gastric juice, acidify the food in the stomach. Pectin and tannins, found in large quantities in pears, deprive these bacteria of mobility. The fruits contain the antibiotic arbutin, which kills germs. The antimicrobial effect of pears affects the intestinal flora and microbes that cause inflammation of the kidneys and bladder. Wild pear is more effective as a bactericidal agent.

* For lung diseases, it is recommended to eat pears, and a decoction of dried pears helps with cough and fever.

* Boiled and baked pears are used as an antitussive for bronchitis and pulmonary tuberculosis.

* Pear decoction is given to feverish patients to drink; it quenches thirst and promotes urination. The diuretic effect of the decoction is explained by the fact that it contains the same substances as the leaves of bearberry (“bear ears”) - the glycoside arbutin. This decoction is effective both for urolithiasis and for inflammatory processes of the urinary tract.

* Pear juice and decoctions have an antibacterial effect, help clear infected urine and remove toxins from the body.

.* For diseases of the circulatory system, pears are used as a means to strengthen capillaries. Pear juice contains many substances with P-vitamin activity, and vitamin P reduces the increased permeability of the walls of blood vessels.

* In the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders, ripe pears, due to the tannins they contain, are effectively used as a fixative. Some varieties contain up to 20% tannins. For the mucous membranes of the stomach and intestines, the combination of tannins and pectin is a protective agent.

* Pears are especially helpful in treating dyspepsia in children. Pear jelly and compotes have an astringent effect. It is also recommended to boil dried pears and eat them with oatmeal broth.

* For diabetes mellitus, it is recommended to regularly take 50-70 g of fresh pear juice 30 minutes before meals. If well tolerated, the dose is gradually increased to 1 glass.

We recommend reading: How to Boil White Mushrooms to Freeze for the Winter

* For obesity, diabetes, diseases of the kidneys, liver and biliary tract, for urolithiasis and cystitis, the diet includes fresh and dry pears. Their fruits have low energy value, they contain about 84% water, so they can be used in a restrictive diet.

* Pears are used as an antimicrobial agent, the fruits of which create an unfavorable environment for pathogenic bacteria. Pear fruits contain organic acids, which, together with hydrochloric acid of gastric juice, acidify the food in the stomach. Pectin and tannins, found in large quantities in pears, deprive these bacteria of mobility. The fruits contain the antibiotic arbutin, which kills germs. The antimicrobial effect of pears affects the intestinal flora and microbes that cause inflammation of the kidneys and bladder. Wild pear is more effective as a bactericidal agent.

How to choose the right pears for drying

The correct choice of fruit is necessary, since the quality of the dried pear depends on it. There must be firm flesh. There should be a small seed chamber and a small number of not very large seeds.

Early varieties or autumn ripening are better suited. They shouldn't be very juicy. These are firm and quite sweet varieties. It is not recommended to take unripe and astringent varieties. Dried - they will be hard and tasteless.

It is best to pick pears from the tree. Carrion is not suitable, as the fruits may be damaged. Choose firm pears with intact skin. If stored for several days, they will become soft and not suitable for drying.

Wild pears (proper drying)

To obtain a fragrant and sweet product after drying, wild game must be properly collected and prepared for future preparations. You should not remove it from the trees, you need to wait until it naturally falls to the ground.

Then the fruits are placed in a box or bucket so that they rest and after a while turn brown.

After drying, stale and darkened wild game will become sweetish and have a rich aroma instead of a bitter and tart taste.

Often, uninformed people mistake such pears for spoiled ones and throw them away, but this is considered a mistake.

After selection, the game is washed and chopped into pieces, or dried entirely by any available method.

The seed nest is not removed, and the products are not blanched or fumigated.

The pliability and elasticity of the slices when bent indicates the complete readiness of the product.

When to collect wild game for drying

The trees begin to bloom at the end of April, the fruits are fully ripened at the end of the first month of autumn. During this time period they are harvested for various purposes.

Fruits can be collected by shaking, churning, or by hand, placing a cloth under the tree crown.

Falling fruits can be damaged and break on the ground, which significantly reduces their shelf life.

Next, the game is sorted, small twigs and leaves are removed, and the fruit is examined. Rotten and damaged ones are not suitable for harvesting. They taste sour and bitter. They must be left to rest.

After a while, they turn light brown and become juicy.

How to dry it properly

You will need ripe fruits that are not beaten or cracked, without black areas.

It should be noted that dark yellow game birds, as well as green ones, are not used for harvesting.

Cooking sequences:

1. Rinse and dry the game.

2. Cut into 2-6 pieces, leaving the core.

3. Place in a solution of 1% citric acid for one hour.

4. Transfer the slices to boiling liquid for 2 minutes, then dip into cold liquid. This is how they blanch.

5. Dry using any of the methods.

If desired, the treatment can be carried out on the fabric under direct sunlight. Fruits are good for 2 years.

Preparing pears for drying

After harvesting the fruits, they are carefully sorted, removing damaged and wormy ones. It is better to remove unripe, green pears immediately.

Fruits must be washed despite the fact that they were collected from the tree. There may be dust on the skin that is not noticeable at first glance.

You need to let the water drain. After this, first cut the pears in half. If the seeds are small, then you can not remove them and cut the pears into slices. If there are a lot of seeds, then they need to be cut out and the pears cut into thin slices, about 0.5 cm. Small fruits can be dried whole, but the process will take a longer time.

Drying whole fruits

The question also arises of how to dry whole pears at home. There are no special points here; the principles of drying them are almost identical to the rules for drying crushed fruits. To do this, take small fruits and keep them in the sun for 6-8 days.

For cooking in the oven, whole small fruits . They need to remove the sepals and stalks; there is no need to remove the skin. Dry for about 20 hours, turning frequently. The process speeds up 2-3 times in the presence of good ventilation. The color of properly dried pears is light and dark brown.

Blanching

Pears for dried fruits need to be blanched. To do this, you can take baking soda - 1 tsp. for 1 liter of water. Boil the solution and lower the pears for 30 seconds. Rinse under running water and let dry.

You can blanch cut pieces or whole fruits.

The blanching process allows the pears to dry while retaining their vitamins and minerals. The pears become softer, the skin becomes more permeable, and the slices dry faster.

You can blanch in a 1% solution of citric acid or a solution of table salt (1 tablespoon per 1 liter of water). This prevents the fruit from darkening and protects against insects, mold and fungi.

Blanching in sugar syrup

If the pears are unripe and hard, they can be blanched in sugar syrup.

• For 1 liter of water take 300 g of sugar and 1/2 tsp. citric acid. You need to boil the syrup and add the pears, cover with a lid and turn off the heating.
• After cooling completely, remove the fruit into a colander with a slotted spoon. When the syrup has drained, lay out the fruit to dry. This is a great opportunity to get delicious dried fruits that do not spoil for a long time, but are very quickly eaten by household members.

You can drink tea with them like you would with sweets.

Ways to use dried pears

Dried pears are often eaten as a separate dish or dessert. But they can be used to prepare drinks, added after soaking to cold appetizers, hot meat dishes, as well as to cereals and flour products. The most popular recipes that will be useful to housewives are given.

Uzvar

Uzvar is an ancient drink, which is now often called compote made from dried fruits (pears, apples, etc.).

Compound:

• water – 2 l;
• dried apples, pears – 200 g each;
• prunes – 100 g;
• granulated sugar – 6 tbsp. l.

Advice! You can select a set of fruits and berries for compote at your discretion, experimenting with taste. Instead of sugar, many housewives add honey, but only when the uzvar has cooled down a little, so as not to lose its beneficial properties.

How to cook uzvar:

1. Sort all dried products, rinse, pour boiling water over them and place in an enamel bowl.
2. Pour in the specified amount of water and set over high heat.
3. As soon as the mixture boils, reduce the flame to low, skim off any foam if it appears, and add granulated sugar.
4. After mixing well, leave on the stove for literally 2-3 minutes and turn off.

Cover the pan with a lid, wrap it up and let it brew for 20 minutes. You can strain it before use.

Options for drying pears at home

There are several ways to dry pears. In the southern regions, dried fruits are dried in the sun. This is the best option to prepare a lot of dried fruits in a short time. A necessary condition is the absence of rain and bright sun.

How to dry pears in the sun

In central Russia, drying outside is problematic due to frequent rain and cool weather. But if the weather permits, the fruits can be dried outside.

• You need to prepare a place under a canopy that is well ventilated.
• Cut fruits are placed on sheets. The slices do not touch each other.
• It is best to place it on parchment and cover with gauze. This will protect against dust and insects.
• It is better to bring pears home or onto the veranda at night. At night they may become wet from dew or rain. Drying time outside can be about a week.
• Pears need to be stirred periodically for ventilation.

The main condition is uniform and complete drying. Fruits should be elastic, aromatic, soft brown in color, and sweet in taste.

Oven drying

The preparation of the pear is similar. Thin slices should be placed on a sheet of parchment paper in a single layer.

• You need to dry at 55 degrees – 6 hours
• Then increase to 75 degrees – 1 hour.
• Then reduce to 60 degrees and dry until ready.
• Drying takes from 12 to 14 hours. Whole fruits – up to 24 hours.

The oven door should be ajar or you can turn on convection. Pears need to be turned over from time to time to ensure even drying.

The disadvantages include the small amount of fruit that can be dried in this way. Also high power consumption.

Drying in an electric dryer

This is the best option for preparing dried fruits. The electric dryer holds a large number of fruits that can be dried at once. Even whole fruits can be dried in an electrical appliance. Several trays of floors are well ventilated, the fruit dries quickly.

It is better to arrange the sliced ​​pears not close together, in one row. Every two and a half hours you need to change the trays.

The drying process is carried out at a temperature of 60 to 70 degrees with medium airflow. The temperature should not be set higher to avoid that the pears will simply cook or dry unevenly.

You need to dry for 8 to 12 hours. It is best to dry for a day, gradually drying and turning over.

Microwave drying

Drying a pear in the microwave takes 2 to 3 minutes. But certain conditions must be taken into account. Power is set to 200 W, time 2.5 minutes. After the expiration date, check the pears. If not completely dry, dry for 30 seconds.

The fruits should be placed on a cotton napkin. The disadvantages include the unprofitability of the process. You can dry a very small number of slices at a time.

Air fryer drying

This is a small electrical device whose capabilities are limited.

Drying sequence:

1. Pear slices are placed on pallets. The temperature is set to 120 degrees.
2. The average ventilation mode is turned on for 30 minutes, the lid should be slightly open for free evaporation of moisture.
3. The pears need to be stirred periodically to prevent them from caking.
4. When ready, you need to watch the pears.

Candied pears

Candied fruits are a less dietary product than dried fruits, however, they are lower in calories and, accordingly, more healthy than other sweets.

Just like dried pears, candied fruits from this fruit are rich in fiber and retain vitamins, minerals and trace elements.

According to the method of preparation, candied fruits are pieces of fruit boiled in concentrated sugar syrup and subsequently dried.

Pears, ideally not fully ripened, are washed, cored and cut into fairly large slices, dipped in sugar syrup (the amount of sugar should correspond to the weight of the sliced ​​pears) and cooked over low heat until the syrup has almost completely evaporated.

The finished pears are laid out on parchment, sprinkled with sugar and dried in the sun or in the oven over low heat.

Candied fruits should be stored in the same way as dried fruits.

How to preserve ready-made dried fruits

Pears can be stored in linen bags or thick paper bags. The main condition is the absence of insects and a dry microclimate in the room. Dried fruits are placed in glass jars and covered with a lid.

You cannot store pears near heating appliances for fear of condensation, which can ruin all the products.

Every 2 or 3 weeks, the pears need to be shaken in a jar or bag so that they do not stick together. You need to check for fruit moth or mold. Spoiled slices must be removed immediately.

If all conditions are met, dried fruits can be stored until next year.

Step-by-step instruction

Now we will try to describe in more detail the procedure for drying pears in the oven for the winter.

You will learn how to properly cut pears, at what temperature you should dry pears, how to determine the readiness of dried pears and much more by reading the information below.

How long (hours) does it take to dry pears in the oven? The drying time of pears directly depends on the form in which the fruits are dried in the oven. If you have whole pears on your baking sheet, it will take 18-24 hours for them to completely “dry”.

If you preferred to cut the pear into slices before sending it to dry, then the result can be expected in 12-16 hours. In both cases, the procedure for drying pears is not a very long and time-consuming process. And most often it takes less than a day.

At what temperature should you dry pears in the oven? The heat temperature during the pear drying procedure changes three times. Therefore, we denote the drying process in three stages:

1. First stage. For the first time, when putting pears in the oven, you should set the temperature to 55°C...60°C and keep them in the oven for at least 2 hours.
2. Second phase. After the set time has passed, the pears should be stirred and the temperature increased to 80°C.
3. Third stage. After the pears begin to shrink in size, you should mix them again and reduce the temperature again to 55°C...60°C. This will be the final indicator at which the drying process is completed.

How to determine readiness? When the set period for drying the pears comes to an end, we need to arm ourselves with a regular fork, which will help us determine the readiness of our fruits.

How to dry large pears? Large pears should be cut into slices 1 cm thick. Medium-sized fruits should be cut in half or quarters. In order to avoid oxidation and darkening of pears after contact with the environment, pears must be washed with a solution of citric acid.

If you come across hard fruits, then before putting them in the oven, they must be placed in boiling water and boiled for 4-5 minutes.

How to dry whole pears in the oven? You can dry wild pears whole. Regular varieties of pears differ somewhat from wild pears in the way they are dried.

Wild pears are harvested when the ripe fruits begin to fall to the ground. After this, it is put in a box and left to be stored in a dark, cool place until the peel of the fruit darkens.

Darkening of the skin of the fruit indicates that the fruit has become sweet, juicy and aromatic. Unlike large pears, wild pears are dried with whole fruits without cutting them. It is also not recommended to peel and cut out the core. It is believed that wild pear fruits have a brighter and more pronounced taste.

How to properly dry pears in the oven? You will learn how to properly prepare dried fruits from pears using the oven from this video:

The benefits of dried pears

Dried pears retain all the beneficial substances that fruits are rich in. These are mineral salts, vitamins, organic substances.

• Dried pears are useful for people with intestinal, heart and vascular disorders.
• Dried fruits increase immunity, especially during ARVI. During colds, pear decoction will help relieve fever, relieve cough, and reduce sore throat.
• The high fiber content cleanses the intestines and removes toxins.
• Many people who want to lose weight use dried fruits to quickly fill them up. Less food required. Perfect for maintaining a diet and fighting excess weight.
• Pregnant women are advised to consume dried fruits to normalize the acid-base balance and prevent edema. Prevents the development of congenital pathology in the child. It also contains all the minerals for skeletal development.
• Useful for diabetes, as they are rich in fructose.
• Pear is a hypoallergenic fruit that almost never causes allergies in people.
• Wild dried pear was used for tuberculosis patients.

If you have an individual intolerance, you should not take dried pear with milk!

Composition and calorie content of dried pears

In a freeze-dried pear, after loss of moisture, beneficial substances are concentrated, and the calorie content of the product also increases. From 1 kg of fresh fruit you can get about 130 g of delicacy. 100 g of dried fruit, prepared without sugar, contains about 270 kcal.

Indicators of BZHU for the same weight:

• proteins – 2.3 g;
• carbohydrates – 62.6 g;
• fats – 0.6 g;
• water – 24.0 g;
• dietary fiber – 6.0 g;
• ash – 3.0 g;
• organic acids – 1.5 g.

Dried pears contain vitamins: thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), ascorbic acid (C), alpha tocopherol (E), vitamin PP and niacin. Among macroelements, doctors highlight large amounts of potassium and calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and sodium.

Diabetics and people who want to lose weight are always interested in what the glycemic index of a pear is. After drying, it is 82 units, which is quite a lot for this disease. They should not risk eating the delicacy.

Product preparation

Suitable varieties should be selected for drying. As a rule, late-ripening and winter varieties are not suitable for this, as they are usually soft and too juicy. To dry, choose pear varieties that have a firm texture and a sweet, rich flavor. There is no need to wait until the fruit is overripe and becomes soft, just as you should start drying immediately after harvesting, without waiting for the fruit to ripen and soften.

First of all, the fruits must be thoroughly washed and dried. If it is assumed that the whole pear will be dried, then the preparation can be completed. If you plan to dry the fruit into pieces, then you need to cut it. To do this, the fruit is cut in half. Remove the core and cut into slices. Their width should not exceed one centimeter, otherwise the pear may not dry completely.

Often the flesh of fruits cut into pieces darkens during drying. To avoid this, you should soak the chopped product in a one percent solution of wine vinegar. And just before drying, the pieces are immersed in boiling water for two minutes.

Pros and cons of drying fruits in the oven

The strength of this preparation method is that the preparation time for dried fruits is significantly reduced. If you dry pears naturally, that is, in the sun, you will have to wait about a week for the fruits to be suitable for subsequent preparation of compote.

The weakness of the method is the elimination of some of the vitamins after drying the pears in the oven. And if you overdid it and turned on the oven at 90 degrees, then you won’t find useful elements in future dried fruits. By the way, their appearance can be spoiled, since elevated temperatures lead to the darkening of this useful fruit.