How to Dry Tomatoes – Drying tomatoes is a great way to preserve tomatoes and can enhance their flavor. Oven-dried tomatoes have a delicious taste like those dried in the sun. However, using the oven will speed up the tomato drying process.
Tomatoes that have been slightly dried have an influential taste. So, you don’t dry a lot of tomatoes because the fresh tomatoes taste a lot better. Dry only a few tomatoes for long-term use.
How to Dry Tomatoes in the Oven
The bottom shelf of the oven is covered with aluminum foil, to accommodate drips so they don’t contaminate the oven. You can also place a large baking sheet at the bottom to catch the drips.
Then preheat the oven to 140 F by propping the oven door slightly open. This is so that air can enter the oven. In the oven, place the oven thermometer and adjust the temperature as needed. This aims to keep the temperature at 140 F even when the door is open.
Take a tomato, wash it, slice the middle. Cut a small tomato in half and a large tomato into quarters. The seeds and mushy meat on the inside are thrown away.
Arrange the tomatoes in a single layer skin side down on the oven rack. Between each drained tomato, leave about 1 to 2 inches of space. This is for air circulation, and sprinkle the tomatoes with salt to taste.
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Next, put the tomatoes in the oven, turn the tray every one to two hours. This is so that the tomatoes can dry out completely. Try pressing the top of the tomato with a spatula, if the tomatoes roll, this will usually be half the drying time. Oven-drying tomatoes to dry completely takes about 6 to 18 hours depending on the humidity of the tomato juiciness.
Remove the dried tomatoes from the oven, this is done if the tomatoes are dry on the edges. Remove and rest the tomatoes at room temperature, if the temperature of the tomatoes is appropriate to room temperature, put them in a jar or in an airtight storage bag.
Now you have oven dried tomatoes. Store in a jar in the refrigerator or freezer and this can last up to a year. Storage in a cool place like this can prevent discoloration and taste.
