How to Dry Pears: 5 Ways

It is unlikely that anyone will refuse a winter day, having returned home from the cold, to drink a glass of compote from dried pears. A hot, tasty and aromatic drink will warm and bring back memories of the summer when the branches of pear trees were bursting with fruit. At such a moment, every housewife will remember her troubles with harvesting and ... pour some more tea to have a bite with dried sweet rings of pear. So delicious that sweets are not needed. But this is also a real storehouse of natural vitamins - just what is needed to maintain the body during seasonal colds.

How to choose pears for drying

For drying pears, it is best to take slightly unripe fruits - those with dense flesh with pronounced small solid inclusions, the so-called stony cells. Fruits with a small seed chamber and a small amount of not very large seeds are preferable.

When choosing a pear variety for drying, it is most reasonable to dwell on the fruits of summer or early-autumn ripening, not very juicy. It can be Bergamot, Ilyinka, Bere, Victoria, Klappa's favorite, Limonka, Fragrant, Forest beauty, Zaporizhzhya, William summer and similar varieties. They are moderately hard and fairly sweet. It is not recommended to take astringent pears, as well as strongly immature ones - in dry form they will be solid and completely tasteless.

How to prepare fruits for drying

It is advisable not to store the harvested fruits, but immediately put them into processing. Having stayed at home even for a couple of days, they will become soft and unsuitable for drying.

It is necessary to sort out and put aside rotted, damaged or unripe specimens. Even fruits removed from the tree and seemingly clean at first glance must be washed, let the water drain and cut: first with quarters, and after cutting the seeds with thinner slices, about 1 cm thick. Small fruits can be dried whole.

Pears, of which it is planned to make dried fruits, must be blanched - that is, treated with boiling water. Experts say that this process not only makes them softer, but also allows you to better preserve vitamins. It is possible to lower whole fruits or sliced ​​into slices for 5–8 minutes in boiling water, but reduce the exposure time in hot water to 2-3 minutes.

Perhaps one of the housewives will be interested in the option of blanching not in plain water, but in syrup: add 1 g of water to 400 g of sugar and half a teaspoon of citric acid. As soon as the syrup boils, put pears in it, cover the container with a lid and turn off the gas. Remove the fruits with a slotted spoon after cooling completely, put them in a colander, and when the syrup drains, do further processing. Dried fruits obtained in this way will gain additional sweetness and tenderness; drinking tea with them is a pleasure.

In the air, pears darken slightly more slowly than apples, but nevertheless, to protect the slices from discoloration and in order to protect them from fruit midges during storage, you can put them in a 1% solution of tartaric or citric acid for several minutes or in a solution of sodium chloride (tablespoon per liter of water).

A separate discussion is about preparing for drying wild animals - that is, wild pears, for example, brought from the forest. They do not need to be torn from the tree, it is better to wait until they fall off, and only then collect and put them in a box where the fruits should be aged until they darken to brown.Do not think that such fruits are spoiled, on the contrary - by this time they ripen (that is, ripen) and become sweet and fragrant. But now they can be washed, cut in half (or left whole) and immediately, skipping the steps of cutting the seed box and blanching, send to dry.

How to Dry Pears at Home

You need to choose the method of drying pears based on the possibilities: if the house has a special dryer for vegetables and fruits, you can use it, if not, you can adapt an oven, microwave or air grill for this. In the end, while the weather is fine, it is possible to dry the fruit right on the street, spread out in a sunny place.

Each method has its advantages and disadvantages, the main thing is that the pears dry correctly and turn out to be not hard and brittle, but soft, moderately elastic, so they do not break when bent. High-quality pear dried fruits are fragrant, look nice, their color varies from soft brown to dark brown. The fruit slices taste sweet.

In the oven

Intending to dry the pear in the oven, it is necessary to heat it up to 55-60 degrees, cover the baking sheet with baking paper, exactly, in one layer, lay out the slices and send them to dry. After a couple of hours, increase the temperature to 80 degrees. As soon as the fruits are reduced in size, reduce the heat again to 55 degrees - and in this mode, bring the pears to full readiness. In total, the drying of slices will take from 12 to 16 hours, the whole fruit will reach the condition longer - up to a day.

During the entire drying process, the oven door must be kept ajar, so that moisture has the opportunity to go outside, and pears should be turned over from time to time, especially for whole fruits.

In an electric dryer

An electric dryer is the most convenient device for harvesting dry pears. The hostess does not need any effort, dexterity and attention, except for the need to cut the fruits. The dryer is also convenient in that, due to the presence of several floor trays, it is possible to simultaneously dry a large amount of fruit.

This appliance is able to cope not only with sliced ​​slices, but also with whole fruits, although those pears that are slightly larger than the average size may not fit in the height of the tray, so it’s better to cut them at least in half.

It is not necessary to lay the slices on the pallets back to back, it is important to leave the possibility of heated air flows to move freely and blow each piece. For drying to go faster and more evenly, every two and a half hours you need to change the trays in places, lifting up those on which the fruits have dried more strongly.

It is better to carry out drying at a temperature of 60 to 70 degrees with an average blowing mode, it is not recommended to set higher parameters, since there is a danger that, having quickly dried outside, the fruits will remain moist inside.

Depending on the size of the slices, the pears reach readiness from 8 to 20-22 hours, but usually about 12 hours. The halves, of course, will dry for almost a day, and, directly on the pallet, they will need to be turned over: if they lay with the cut up, turn the cut down.

In the microwave

In a microwave oven, pears will reach their desired condition faster than with any other drying method. It will take only 2-3 minutes. However, some experience is needed so as not to overdry and not burn fruit slices. Therefore, to begin with, the following parameters are set on the panel of the microwave oven: power - 200 W, time - 2.5 minutes. When the process is completed, it is necessary to check the pears by raising them. If not dead - repeat for about 30 seconds.

Moreover, before sending the fruits to the microwave, the plate on which they will be laid out needs to be covered with a cotton napkin.

A significant drawback of this method of drying is that just a few pear slices will go into the microwave at a time, so for serious preparations you will have to lay fruit several times, maybe even a dozen.

In the air grill

An air grill will also not allow you to dry many fruits at once: its capabilities are limited by the number of pallets, and, as a rule, there are no more than four of them in standard household air grills. More than 1 kg of pears does not fit.

Lay fruit slices on pallets, which are fixed in the air grill. Set the temperature to 120 degrees. In the average ventilation mode, turn on the device for half an hour, leave the cover ajar for the duration of operation so that the moisture evaporates freely. Occasionally, pears must be mixed so as not to fry to the pan or walls of the air grill. When the programmed process is completed, you need to check the readiness of dried fruits, if necessary, turn on the air grill for another 15-20 minutes.

There is another option: set the temperature on the device from 50 to 65 degrees, the ventilation level is maximum. In this case, the pears will not stick to the lattice pallets, but the drying time will increase significantly, perhaps the procedure will stretch for almost half a day. The grill will have to be turned off a couple of times for about an hour and a half, so that the device cools down.

In the sun

This is the easiest, but at the same time time-consuming drying method. Of course, whole pears, even if they are small, cannot be dried well in the sun, therefore, dwelling on this method of drying, it is recommended to cut the fruits. The exception is for residents of the southern regions, where the sun and heat are long in the summer.

Slices of fruit should be laid out on pallets or trays covered with clean paper, and taken out into the street, where you can choose a place where dust and sand do not fall, but good access to the sun is better if it is well lit from early morning to late evening. From flies, pears can be covered with a single layer of gauze.

Every evening, pallets and trays with fruits should be brought into the room so that they do not suffer from dew, and also be always on the alert - what if it suddenly rains? That is, it is better to dry fruits in the sun during the holidays, so that there is an opportunity not to go home.

Every day, pears on pallets should be ted so that they are more evenly lit by the sun and blown by the breeze, which means that they dry more evenly. Usually good dried fruits are obtained from the fruit in three days.

If the pears are cut not into slices, but into rings, then after a day and a half you can string them on a thick thread and dry them in a suspended form - like beads.

Those who do not have a private house with a personal plot and conditions for a free arrangement with pallets and trays, dry the pears on the balcony. This is also acceptable, but it must be understood that in urban conditions particles of soot from factory pipes, harmful substances from automobile exhausts can settle on decomposed fruits.

How to store dried pears

Dried fruits, including pears, need to create a number of conditions so that they do not mold and rot.

First of all, they need to prepare not very large cotton bags, perforated cardboard boxes so that their contents “breathe”, or glass jars with tight-fitting lids. Pour dried fruits into them and put them in a dry room, where light does not penetrate. Do not place containers with dried fruits near a heating battery, stove or gas stove, as condensation may occur that can permanently spoil the product.

Once every two to three weeks, it is necessary to check in what condition the dried fruits are: whether mold has appeared on them, whether bugs or fruit moths have started.

If all these conditions are observed, then the dried pear lies very well until the next harvest. It is not worth storing the product longer; it is better to prepare new servings of fruits.

If, during the time the pears were lying, they began to darken and became stiff, they can be “resuscitated”. It is enough to lay out dry pieces of fruit on a baking sheet and send in a non-hot oven, placing a bowl of water on its very bottom. Boiled water will give off steam, on which it is necessary to hold the product so that it becomes softer.

What are the benefits of dried pears

1. When dried, pears retain the entire gamut of valuable nutrients that are fresh in them.This fiber, and organic acids, and vitamins C, P, B1, PP, carotene, as well as iodine. Dried pears are highly recommended for people who have problems with the pancreas, decoctions are prescribed for intestinal upset. Patients suffering from diseases of the heart and vascular system, these dried fruits are also useful.
2. To protect your family from acute respiratory viral infections during the cold and slush, you can prepare delicious fragrant healing broths from dried pears. This is a good tool for prevention and help in the treatment of viral infections and colds. Especially these drinks will be useful to children. They help thin the sputum and thereby reduce the night cough in the baby, relieve fever and relieve sore throat.
3. 100 g of pear dried fruit contains one third of the daily fiber. Its fibers swell, absorbing water in the intestine, and accelerate the excretion of its contents, while purifying from harmful substances and toxins, normalizing the amount of cholesterol and glucose in the blood. In parallel, the brain receives a message about satiety, which is why a person needs less food. Therefore, the product is very useful for those who are on a diet and struggling with excess weight. You can take pears with you to the office as a snack, without fear of an increase in the sides, drink tea with them without adding sugar.
4. Dried pears are recommended for pregnant women, their benefits are due to the presence of a large number of minerals - potassium, manganese, copper, as well as the content of folic acid, which obstetricians prescribe to all expectant mothers in the first three months of pregnancy. Folic acid is the second name for vitamin B9, and it is prescribed to prevent abnormalities in the development of the child. Pears have more of this beneficial substance than even currants.
5. Magnesium is useful in that it allows you to block the tone of the uterus. Copper is an active participant in the formation of the baby's cardiovascular and nervous systems, as well as its skeleton. Potassium contributes to the normalization of water-salt metabolism, due to which liquid is more likely eliminated from the body and edema disappears, from which many pregnant women suffer.
6. The ability of dry pears to improve the balance of liquids and salts brings relief from a hangover, it is worth preparing and drinking a couple of cups of broth for 2-3 hours. They will relieve nausea, soothe a headache.
7. Dry pears are also useful for people with diabetes, as they are saturated with fructose, which is absorbed without insulin, in addition, they improve the functioning of the pancreas.
8. If fresh pears have a mild laxative effect and relieve constipation, then dried ones, on the contrary, are strengthened. And all due to the fact that these dried fruits are rich in thiamine (vitamin B1) and pectin, which helps fight diarrhea, for which they prepare a decoction of dried pears.
9. Pear seeds stop diarrhea and, in addition, demonstrate good anthelmintic properties, proven by practice.
10. Dried pears are a hypoallergenic fruit, you can safely eat it and prepare various culinary dishes from it without fear of a negative reaction, even when the situation is complicated by seasonal exacerbations of allergies.
11. Whole dried fruits of the wild pear, or wild game, benefit patients with tuberculosis.
12. Dry pears should also be used as a means of preventing possible problems with various organs and systems of the body. So, thanks to the iron, which is a component of the chemical composition of these fruits, it is possible to prevent the development of iron deficiency anemia, improve the production of red blood cells - red blood cells, and normalize blood formation.

There are people who have individual intolerance to pears. They, of course, should not eat fruit.

Discomfort in the intestines awaits those who decide to experiment and drink pears with milk.And with sour-milk products, pear dried fruits are in good harmony, so this combination can be used in culinary dishes.

What can be prepared from dried pears

Pear dried fruits are universal, which is good: they can be used both for baking or desserts, and for cooking compote, in addition, they prepare meat dishes, snacks and even soups.

Dry pear dessert

You need to boil 1 liter of water with sugar. Those who do not like sweets can add just a spoonful of sugar, sweet tooth - 4–5. Dip two handfuls of dried pears in syrup, boil for 25-30 minutes, remove them with a slotted spoon and put on a plate to cool.

Take two chicken eggs and gently separate the proteins. Beat the whites with a mixer: first at low speed, then gradually increase it, carefully adding a teaspoon of sugar. When the squirrels turn into a thick mass, stop pouring sand and start slowly, with an incomplete teaspoon, pour cocoa - a total of no more than a tablespoon. It will turn out to be soft brown in color.

String pears boiled in syrup on skewers, dip them in meringue and send to the oven, preheated to 120-150 degrees. The door is best left ajar. In half an hour, a delicious dessert will be ready.

On the remaining syrup, you can cook the compote by adding water and putting dried apples, prunes, dried apricots, figs.

Sugar Free Compote

You will need 150 g of dried fruits: 100 g of apples and 50 g of pears. Rinse the fruits and put in cold water for half an hour, then drain the water, rinse the apples with pears and, boiling 1 liter of water, put them there and boil for another half hour.

If you plan to give compote to children, you can make it sweeter by adding dried banana or apricot.

Turkey Salad

For 250 g of boiled turkey, take 100-150 g of pickled cucumbers, onion, green apple and 3 whole dried pears. Basil (fresh or dry) and ground black pepper will be used as seasoning.

Finely chop the turkey meat, apple, cucumbers and onions. Whole dried pear should not be pre-soaked, take dry. Chop it in larger pieces than the rest of the ingredients. Season the salad with mayonnaise and leave to soak for at least 2.5–3 hours. The pear will have time to become soft during this time.

Roast in Ukrainian

1. Soak in advance in cold water and put in a refrigerator 3 whole dried pears (in about 10 hours).
2. A kilogram of not very oily pork (with a bone) can be cut into small pieces.
3. Dice 300 g of onions, cut into quarters (lengthwise) a pound of medium-sized carrots. Peel 850–900 g of potatoes, cut into large cubes - about 4x4 cm.
4. Melt 50 g butter in a cauldron and, when it is hot, toss the pork and fry thoroughly over high heat. Remove the meat from the cauldron, put the chopped onion in it, bring it to a golden color and add the chopped prepared carrots.
5. Spread the vegetables and put in the center of the cauldron 6 tablespoons of tomato paste and another 100 g of butter. Fry vegetables with tomato paste while stirring.
6. Again, return the meat to the cauldron, pour a large glass of meat broth (or water), bring to a boil and reduce the heat.
7. Put the pears cut into halves for the meat and simmer on a very low heat until the meat is almost ready, then add three bay leaves and chopped potatoes. Continue to simmer it until the potatoes are soft - it will take 30 to 40 minutes. Shuffle and turn off the fire.

Hercules pie

For such a pie, you need molasses - this product is not sold in many stores, it can be found where organic goods are sold. If you can’t buy it, you can try to make it on your own, in fact, molasses is a regular syrup: boil 350 g of sugar in 150 ml of water, when it dissolves, add 2 g of citric acid and boil for 40 minutes with constant stirring, then add a pinch of soda mix thoroughly and turn off.

1. Hercules porridge from 140 g of cereal and two incomplete glasses of water should also be boiled in advance.
2. In 100 g of warmed molasses add 85 g of butter, 2 tablespoons of brown cane sugar, and put in a mixture of herculean porridge and chopped dried fruit - 85 g of dried apricots and 50 g of pears.You can pour half a teaspoon of vanillin for flavor.
3. Put the resulting dough into a mold greased with vegetable oil and send to the oven preheated to 180 degrees. Bake for half an hour, then cool and remove from the mold.
4. First, pour dried water with cold water - 50 g each of pears, prunes, dried apricots and raisins.
5. To make rice porridge, boil two glasses of water and pour a glass of round grain rice into it. Cook viscous porridge until cooked for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Rinse dried fruits while porridge is cooked. Cut pears, dried apricots and prunes into slices.

In dried cereal, put dried fruits, mix, pour 2 tablespoons of honey, turn off the heat - and after 5 minutes you can serve.

Dried fruit tsimes

Rinse and soak dried fruits in cold water for an hour: 200 g pears, dried apricots and pitted prunes.

Dice 3 large carrots, 300 g of beef tenderloin into cubes of about 3x3 cm.

Fry the meat in a deep frying pan - first over high heat until golden brown. Then reduce the heat to medium and add soaked and washed dried fruits, salt, pour two glasses of water and simmer until half cooked meat. Then pour a glass of orange juice into the pan and, under a closed lid, bring the dish to readiness. About ten minutes before turning off, add 6 slices of lemon, sprinkle with ground black pepper and pour 2 tablespoons of liquid honey.
Garnish is best served with rice or boiled potatoes.

Pear

Uzvar is a traditional dish of many national cuisines. In Russian cuisine it would be called compote.

Pour 100 g of raisins and 200 g of prunes with cold water, rinse them with running water and other dried fruits in 10 minutes: 300 g of pears and 200 g of apples.

In the pan, put the washed dry pears, pour them 1 liter of water and cook for 20 minutes over low heat. Then lay out all the remaining dried fruits and boil for another 15 minutes. At the end, add 200-250 g of honey, stir and turn off the heat. Leave to cool under a covered lid. Serve strained to the table strained.

Chicken Hearts with Pears

Rinse a kilogram of chicken hearts, trim fat and remove blood clots. Heat vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat, adding a couple of cloves of garlic to it. When the aroma spreads throughout the kitchen, take out the garlic and put hearts. Fry them for about a quarter of an hour without covering, then add soy sauce and 300 g of washed dried pears to taste. Reduce heat and continue to simmer under closed lid.

Meanwhile, in another skillet, fry a pound of onion, cut into half rings. It must be brought to a state of light goldenness and put in a pan with hearts, pepper and continue to simmer. Then put two small jars of processed cheese “Amber” to the hearts and stir until it spreads throughout the gravy. As soon as the mass becomes homogeneous, carefully scatter flour over the entire surface of the pan and mix again so that not a single lump forms. It remains to extinguish for another 10 minutes, so that the sauce is slightly thickened.

As a side dish, buckwheat, boiled potatoes or spaghetti are good for this dish.

Dry pear soup

Wash thoroughly 250 g of dried pears, put them in a pan and pour 1 liter of hot water. An hour later, send the pan to the fire, add 50 g of washed rice and cook until cooked. Then add sugar to taste (whoever does not like sweets can do without it), cinnamon and starch, which must first be diluted with cold water. Vigorously stir the contents of the pan, bring to a boil and turn off the heat.

Serve such a soup with sour cream or cream. Usually sweet soup is considered a cold dish, but this one is tasty and hot.

Scrub

Dry pears can be used not only in recipes, but also in cosmetics.

If the new crop is ripe, and the dried pears of the last year have not yet been eaten, and you don’t want to use them anymore, since they have become hard and darkened, you can easily make a face and body scrub. It is enough to grind dried fruits in a coffee grinder or using a blender and mix them with sour cream, and the thicker it is, the better. The proportions should be as follows: a spoonful of dried fruit - one and a half tablespoons of sour cream. Such a composition will not only cleanse the skin, but also nourishes it.