# Dehydrated fruit like the supermarket!



## ufobm (May 31, 2018)

Hello.
I've done many tries, but haven't found the perfect recipe yet... I'm looking for a way and/or a recipe to get dehydrated fruit like the one you buy at the supermarket. To be clearer, I mean something like this:










I've got a cheap dehydrator and when I try to use it with any fruit (raw or with sugar sirup) I get a different result, similar to this:










The taste is ok, but really different from the fruit of the supermarket. The problem is not only with kiwi, but also with pineapple, melon, mango, etc.

Somebody could help me obtain the product in the first picture?
Thank you. Bye.


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## sgsvirgil (Mar 1, 2017)

Hi and welcome to CT!

Try soaking your sliced fruit in a 50/50 bath of water and lemon juice for a few minutes before putting them in the dehydrator. 

Good luck.


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## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

The first picture looks like they were preserved in embalming fluid. I've never been able to replicate that kind of appearance either.


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Read the ingredient labels. You'll see sulfites. And they're not fully dried either.

So they don't store that well long term. It's not what most home driers aspire to acieve; they want to avoid the artificial additives. If you look at dried fruit in organic and health food stores, it's like yours is.

https://www.wonderlandguides.com/ba...-and-sulfite-dips-for-preserving-dried-fruits Gives directions and links for buying and using sulfur.


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## maryb (Mar 21, 2008)

Most of the store fruit is freeze dried, give a much better texture. There is a home freeze dryer available but NOT cheap!


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## ufobm (May 31, 2018)

Thank you, everybody.
So, basically, you're all saying that i'll never achieve the same result  ?
Anyway, I don't know what freeze dryer is and I'm sure I'll not going to buy it for a bit of dried fruit  ! I don't think I'm going to buy sulfur either, mainly because I'm sure I'll not be able to use it in the right way and it could cause headache if overused.
The last option, as far as i understand, is to "simulate" the result, using some kind of fluid... Using lemon juice is a good idea, reading the article it's an alternative to sulfites. The problem is (maybe) that the taste would change too much! Other solutions include honey or syrup. I think a mix of water, lemon juice, honey and/or sugar should to the trick. Now, I've got two/three questions:
1) which combination of ingredients should give a good result (of course, I'll experiment, but a good base would be helpful)?
2) to have the best consistency, at which temperature should I soak the fruits? Should I boil the liquid (with or without fruits)?
3) If I have to boil/heat the fruits, for how long? The soaking (in hot or cold liquid) should continue for how many minutes/hours?
I understand there are no written rules and you could only "give a try" with your answers, but your experience could help me reduce the number of fails!!!

PS: thank you for the welcome. I've forgotten to say that I'm italian, so please be patient with my bad english  !


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## maryb (Mar 21, 2008)

Prices have come down... just $2,000 now!(was $4k) https://harvestright.com/product/small-freeze-dryer-2/

Freeze drying uses vacuum and very low temps combined and the result is a more tender shelf stable product when it comes to fruit.


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## chrislehrer (Oct 9, 2008)

$2,000 for a single use appliance? Hot diggity!

But seriously, I think you'd have to be very committed to freeze drying to get one of those. Admittedly there are a few products that can't be made any other way (Koya-dōfu leaps to mind), but it really seems like a big investment for a small usage. I guess if you're stocking your apocalypse shelter, it might make sense, though.

Sorry to digress from the topic....


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## maryb (Mar 21, 2008)

chrislehrer said:


> $2,000 for a single use appliance? Hot diggity!
> 
> But seriously, I think you'd have to be very committed to freeze drying to get one of those. Admittedly there are a few products that can't be made any other way (Koya-dōfu leaps to mind), but it really seems like a big investment for a small usage. I guess if you're stocking your apocalypse shelter, it might make sense, though.
> 
> Sorry to digress from the topic....


If I got one I would offer rental to people to freeze dry their garden harvest. Set it up in my outdoor kitchen and they bring their prepper produce/fruit in to get it going.


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## pete (Oct 7, 2001)

You will never be able to achieve the beautiful results that commercial producers achieve with just home equipment. Their machines are so much more sophisticated, measuring exact humidity and final moisture content. But you can achieve decent results. Just realize that if you want really "beautiful" dehydrated fruit you will have to sacrifice it being shelf stable. To get the same look and texture you will need to stop short of fully dehydrating it, but then it will need to be kept refrigerated. I often don't take my jerky to its finishing point as I like a bit of "chew" to it so I keep it in the fridge. It lasts a long, long time in the fridge but has too much moisture to safely store at room temp. Secondly, sugar is not often your friend when dehydrating foods as it will re-crystallize and contribute to a brittle texture. I tend to use corn syrup in my fruit leather, which helps to keep it a bit more pliable than if I use sugar.


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## ufobm (May 31, 2018)

Thank you pete! I'll give a try!


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