Dehydrated Orange Slices | Homemade Citrus Chips
Dehydrating fruits is a great way of preserving fruits if you cannot consume them before they go bad. With all the moisture taken out of them, the flavours concentrate, turning them into a healthy snack for a quick burst of energy. While looking for elelments and textures to enhance my Orange Panna-cotta, I came upon the idea of using dehydrated orange slices.
As explained in my Orange Panna-cotta post, I wanted to add a visual wow-factor and an element of crunch to the dish. These Orange slices act as both! They can be used as garnish or embellishments, also can be used to flavour your stews, teas and soups and even in pot pourri. Generally a dehydrator is needed to make these dehydrated delights, but with a little research I found out that if you’ve got an oven at home you can still make these citrus chips. Also, you can dehydrate them as is but can also season them with some sugar and your choicest spices to enhance their taste.
How to make Dehydrated Orange Slices:
The first step to making the dehydrated orange slices is to cut the orange into thin, even slices. For best results, use a firm orange and preferably a mandolin to slice. Else, a sharp knife also does the trick as long as you can visually slice them evenly. Preheat the oven to the temperature mentioned in the recipe card below. Spread out the slices on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. If you wish to season the slices, sprinkle them with a mix of sugar and your choicest spices and a little salt.
Bake the slices for about 3 hours, flipping every 30 minutes, until the moisture has dried and the slices crispen. (Keep a close eye towards the end of the baking time to prevent burning of the slices). Take them out from the oven and let them cool completely to room temperature. transfer these cooled and crisp dehydrated orange slices to an air-tight container and storing them.
You can use any citrus fruit of your choice. Make them before hand and store them. Enjoy!
Dehydrated Orange Slices
Equipment
- Mandolin / Sharp Knife
- Baking Tray
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 pc Orange – preferably seedless (should be firm)
for the seasoning: (optional)
- ⅓ Cup Brown sugar
- ½ tsp Ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp Ground cardamom
- ⅛ tsp Ground pepper
- ⅛ tsp Ground Ginger
- ⅛ tsp Salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 90°C
- With the help of a mandolin / sharp knife, cut the Orange into thin, even slices
- Arrange the slices on a baking tray lined with parchment paper
- If you wish to season the slices, mix all the ingredients mentioned under "for the seasoning" and sprinkle them evenly over the orange slices.
- Bake for about 3 hours, flipping every 30 minutes, until the moisture has dried and the slices crispen. (Keep a close eye towards the end of the baking time to prevent burning of the slices)
- Take them out from the oven and let them cool completely to room temperature before transferring to an air-tight container and storing them
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