Tomatoes up to the ears? Can't stand the idea of another soup or an experiment, like a tomato and peanut butter sandwich? STP (Too Many Tomatoes Syndrome) affects even the greenest thumbs. So why don't you dry some to enjoy them even when the season ends? Dried tomatoes are a healthy and delicious addition to salads, soup bases and sauces, and even make a great snack. Read on to learn how to start drying your tomatoes.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Prepare the Tomatoes
Step 1. Choose the best, ripe tomatoes you would like to dry
Any variety is fine, whether they are bought from the supermarket in bunches or grown by you in the garden. Choose those that are ripe and good-looking, with no marks or discoloration.
- The Roma variety, with its fleshy and succulent pulp, is particularly suitable for drying. It takes less time than any other type of tomato.
- The tomatoes to be dried must be ripe but not too ripe. Extremely juicy ones are difficult to dry out due to excess liquid. Try tomatoes at the peak of maturity.
Step 2. Remove the peel (optional)
If you don't like it, there is this quick extra step to have delicious peeled dried tomatoes. To prepare the peel for blanching, cut a small X so you can remove it more easily.
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Prepare a medium saucepan of boiling water and quickly blanch the tomatoes by dipping them in for no more than 30-45 seconds.
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Then quickly throw them into a bowl of ice water to lower the temperature. This process should technically cook the skin of the tomato so that it comes off easily, without affecting the texture of the pulp too significantly. Since you will dry them anyway, it works easily.
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Peel or peel the tomatoes. The peel shouldn't resist thanks to the incision. If you can't get it off completely, no problem.
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Step 3. Cut the tomatoes in half
Depending on the size you can simply make them in half, or in quarters if they are very large and you want smaller pieces. As big as they seem to you now, once you get rid of the liquid, the tomatoes will shrink considerably. Once dried, one half will end up being no bigger than a small plum.
Step 4. Remove the damaged or dented parts
Cut off the white part where the stem joins the fruit and the discolored parts.
If you want, you can also remove the seeds. Roma tomatoes usually don't have many, that's why they always remain the best candidates
Part 2 of 3: Drying the Tomatoes
Step 1. Place the tomatoes on the surface you intend to dry them on
You will need to space them well so that the process is uniform. Do not make a pile but spread them well in a single layer over the entire surface of the grate or pan that you will use depending on the drying method chosen.
Step 2. Season them
You can choose whatever you want to give your dried tomatoes a pinch of flavor, although a little salt and pepper remains a classic. Remember that tomatoes will shrink considerably when you cook them and the flavor will intensify, so don't overdo the salt. For a whole pan the suitable dose is about a teaspoon of salt.
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Basil and oregano are also common additions. You can use them both fresh and dried.
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Accentuate and intensify the sweetness of a variety of tomatoes by adding a little sugar. Drying them, some varieties of tomatoes can be slightly bitter: adding a few pinches of sugar will allow you to keep them fresh and sweet as in origin.
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Step 3. Use a dehydrator
The best way to dry tomatoes is using a food dehydrator. Most models will have a tomato program that will bring the machine to the right temperature.
Follow the instructions of your dehydrator and always check the tomatoes to make sure you are not reducing them to a squash
Step 4. Using the oven
Put the oven on the lowest possible temperature. It is easy to overdo it if you use the oven, so choose it only if it can reach a minimum temperature of about 65 ° C.
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Place the tomatoes in baking sheets or grills. It will take around 12 to 24 hours to complete the drying process and you will probably need to check the tomatoes periodically to make sure you don't burn them.
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Flip the tomatoes halfway through cooking to make sure both sides dry properly. If you have an oven that doesn't cook well, move them every now and then.
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Step 5. Take advantage of the hot days and the car
If you live in an area where it is particularly hot at certain times of the year and you have a lot of tomatoes, you can use your machine to dry them without wasting energy.
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Arrange the tomatoes on a baking sheet, season them, and place them on the dashboard after parking in full sun. Cover the tomatoes with cheesecloth or kitchen paper to keep them from collecting dust or bugs and bring them back into the house at night when the temperatures drop. It may take more than two days with this method but you won't waste electricity or gas.
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Step 6. Remove the tomatoes from the heat before they dry out
They will be ready when they still have some wrinkles and a red, leathery texture. They should look like raisins and not dried, still slightly sticky peppers.
Part 3 of 3: Storing Sun-dried Tomatoes
Step 1. Preserve them in oil
A common way to store dried tomatoes is in a jar or jar in extra virgin olive oil. Fill a jar or bowl with dried tomatoes and add oil. Keep them in the refrigerator for up to a few months.
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Add some minced garlic or other flavors like chili or rosemary for more flavor.
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Step 2. Store them in a resealable bag
If you have dried them well, tomatoes should also keep in resealable bags, on a shelf or in the refrigerator for a few months. Fill the bags up to halfway and try to squeeze out as much air as possible to make them last.
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You can also keep them in airtight containers or jars in the same way. They should last anywhere from six months to a year.
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Step 3. Freeze them
While it won't do much for you to freeze them once they are dry, if you have nowhere else, the freezer is still a viable option. Put them in the freeze bags by removing the air and freeze them, virtually forever.
Advice
- When the tomatoes are dry you can eat them or put them in a jar with olive oil to preserve them and maybe put them in a salad.
- This is a very simple snack to make.
- Be patient!
- Occasionally you can put them on a hot surface like that of an oven, but not for long or they will burn.
