Difference between revisions of "AY Honors/Food - Drying/Answer Key"
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==5. What is important in selecting fruit to be used in making fruit leather?== | ==5. What is important in selecting fruit to be used in making fruit leather?== | ||
| − | The fruit must be ripe, or slightly overripe. Be sure to use good quality fruit, as it will make good quality fruit leather. Select fruit that is fresh, and fully sound - basically, the same things you look for when selecting fruit for the table. | + | The fruit must be ripe, or slightly overripe. Be sure to use good quality fruit, as it will make good quality fruit leather. Select fruit that is fresh, and fully sound - basically, the same things you look for when selecting fruit for the table. Cut out any bad parts of the fruit. The saying, "one bad apple spoils the whole lot" applies to fruit leather, as a bad piece of fruit can impart a bad flavor to any of the fruit it comes into contact with. In making fruit leather, the fruit is pureed before drying, so the bad fruit will come into contact with ''all'' the fruit. |
==6. How are dried nuts stored?== | ==6. How are dried nuts stored?== | ||
Revision as of 02:55, 2 July 2006
Food - Drying
1. List at least three different ways to dry foods.
Sun Drying
Food can be dried in the sun, but only if the temperatures are near 100°F (38°C) and the humidity is low.
Oven Drying
This is the fastest way to dry food, but only small quantities at a time can be dried this way. The oven is preheated to about 140°F (60°C) and the food is placed on racks in the oven. The door must be held open about two inches (5cm) for a gas oven, or about 4 inches (10cm) for an electric oven. A thermometer is placed in the center of the rack to make sure the temperature stays near 140°F (60°C). A fan should be placed near the open oven door so that air inside the oven can circulate and allow the moisture to escape.
The food trays must be rotated every 30 minutes because the heat inside the oven will not be distributed evenly. Rotate the trays from front to back, top to bottom, and left to right.
Food Dryer
Food dryers can be purchased or home-built. They can dry more food than an oven but it takes a little longer. They also use less electricity than an electric oven. A food dryer is an enclosed box with a heat source, a fan, and a set of racks upon which the food is placed. Most home-built food dryers use a 100 watt light bulb as the heat source. It takes four to six hours to dry a batch of food in a food dryer, and like ovens, they operate at about 140°F (60°C).
2. Why and how do you sulphur fruits?
Commercially prepared dried fruit may contain sulfur dioxide which can trigger asthma in sensitive individuals, though dried fruit without sulfur dioxide is also available, particularly in health stores. The sulphur is added to "fix" the colour of the product. "Organic" dried fruit is produced without sulphur which results in dark fruit and the flavour is much more charecteristic of the fresh fruit. The color of some fruits can also be "fixed" to some extent, with minimal impact on flavour, by treating the freshly cut fruit with a preparation rich in Vitamin C (e.g., a mixture of water and lemon juice) for a few minutes prior to drying.
Sulphuring fruit is accomplished by burning a block of sulphur in an enclosed box (such as a dehydrator) with the fruit inside. The burning sulphur gives off sulphur dioxide which fixes the color of the fruit. This should only be done outside.
3. How is dried fruit stored and protected from insects?
As soon as it cools, dried fruit should be packed into insect-proof containers, such as glass jars or metal cans with tight-fitting lids. Do not let sulphured fruit touch metal, as this will cause the fruit to become discolored. You can pack fruit into plastic bags and then place that in a metal container. Plastic bags are not 100% insect (or rodent) proof, so make sure you store the fruit in a place where they cannot get to it. A cool, dry place is best.
4. How are dried foods reconstituted?
Just add water. You can also simmer them in boiling water for 15 minutes.
5. What is important in selecting fruit to be used in making fruit leather?
The fruit must be ripe, or slightly overripe. Be sure to use good quality fruit, as it will make good quality fruit leather. Select fruit that is fresh, and fully sound - basically, the same things you look for when selecting fruit for the table. Cut out any bad parts of the fruit. The saying, "one bad apple spoils the whole lot" applies to fruit leather, as a bad piece of fruit can impart a bad flavor to any of the fruit it comes into contact with. In making fruit leather, the fruit is pureed before drying, so the bad fruit will come into contact with all the fruit.
