Dehydrating Tomatoes

Dehydrating tomatoes can provide a wonderful treat for several months. There are several ways to dehydrate, dry, tomatoes. Sun dried tomatoes were quite popular for a while and while they are relatively simple to dry that way, you still have to set up a screen and for drying and protect them from insects. The easiest method is to use a dehydrator or oven when you dry your tomatoes.

Select the best variety of tomatoes to dry. You need tomatoes that contain a lot of meat and less juice. Examples of these are the plum, Roma or the traditional one used to sun dry, Principe Borghese. Since you'll be draining most of the juicy section out of the tomato, you'd have very little left to dry in the juicier varieties.

When dehydrating tomatoes,wash them thoroughly and cut out any bad spots. Cut the stem and any green away from the tomato. If you have smaller tomatoes, cut them in half. For larger tomatoes, you'll need half-inch slices. Scoop out the seeds. Drain the tomatoes on a paper towel and carefully place them on the dehydrator or oven rack. You need plenty of air circulating around the tomatoes for them to dry properly, so don't over fill the rack.

If you're using a dehydrator, turn it on and allow it to dry between eight to sixteen hours. You'll know when it's dry because it becomes leathery, yet pliable and not sticky. Thicker slices and halved tomatoes may require a longer drying period.

If you don't have a dehydrator for dehydrating tomatoes, you can use the oven. You can oven dry the tomatoes on a cookie sheet but works best when you place the tomatoes on a rack and use the cookie sheet underneath the rack to prevent drips. This allows the air to circulate better. Set the oven temperature to the lowest setting in electric ovens, warm, but you'll need to leave the door open slightly to vent out some of the heat. Gas oven pilot lights provide enough warmth to dry the tomatoes properly. Periodically rotate the cookie sheets.

Check the tomatoes every hour or two after 10 hours, more as they feel dryer. Just as the tomatoes dried in the dehydrator, you don't want them to be sticky but have a pliable leathery quality. These have the same texture as dried fruit, such as raisins or apricots.

Storing the tomatoes is simple. First, allow them to thoroughly cool. You can put them in an airtight container or zip lock style plastic bag for storage up to six months. If you find any condensation on the inside of the bag, you need to dry the tomatoes longer. If you don't believe you'll use them rapidly, you might consider freezing the dried tomatoes. Use a zip lock freezer bag for this.

Preparing the dried tomatoes for use is also another simple matter. You need to soak them in a warm liquid. Water does nicely but warm broth with a bit of garlic or wine also provides a delicious alternative.

If you want to store the dried tomatoes in oil, you have to soak them a bit first to rehydrate them. Once they plump slightly but are somewhat chewy, dip them in distilled vinegar or wine. Put them into a jar partially filled with olive oil. Pack in the tomatoes with oregano, basil, garlic or any other herb you desire to flavor them. Close the jar and let the tomatoes sit for approximately 6 hours then refrigerate.

The thing about dehydrating tomatoes, is it can provide a wonderful treat for several months. There are several ways to dehydrate, dry, tomatoes. Sun dried tomatoes were quite popular for a while and while they are relatively simple to dry that way,While the tomatoes have a long shelf life, if left unrefrigerated, the oil turns rancid. If you want to keep the tomatoes in the refrigerator longer, omit the herbs because the addition of fresh herbs cuts the refrigerator shelf life down to three weeks.

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