| Slice unpeeled apples 1/4 inch thick ( slice Delicious apples from
top to bottom for heart shapes) Place slices in a mixture of 2 cups
bottled lemon juice and 1 tbsp. salt for 3 min. Arrange slices
on a rack in a single layer in a 175 degree oven. leaving oven
door open, dry for about 6 hours until they begin to curl. when
cool add to potpourri, glue onto wreaths, etc.
From february issue of Good Housekeeping
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| As a followup to the potato chip note, I've had excellent results
with apples. My wife has one of those apple peeler/corer/slicers, so we
use that to make thin round cored pieces of apple. They come out just
over 1/8" thick.
Spray the racks with Pam, peel/core/slice the apples, and sprinkle
them with a mixture of cinnamin and sugar (both sides). Then just arrange
them on the racks in a single layer, as close as possible. I have a 5-rack
dehydrator and it takes between 7 and 12 apples to fill, depending on the
size of the apples.
Any kind of apple works, but the apple peeler/corer/slicers work
best with firm apples. We've done most of the common varieties such as
Red Delicious, Macs, Cortlands, Granny Smiths, etc.. They've all came
out great.
I have one of the more inexpensive dehydrators (no fan). The ones
with the fans are supposed to work quicker. Mine takes about 48 hours
to get apples crispy. After 24 hours, put the bottom most racks on top
and put the top racks on the bottom to more evenly dry them. I've also
found that removing the top and wiping off the condensation on the lid
every once in a while speeds up the process a bit. BTW - A by-product of
this process is that it fills the house with an apples and cinnamin smell.
As far as I know, the apples would last indefinitely once dried,
but they don't last that long at my house. All my kids *really* like
them. Since they're fairly healthy snacks, my wife just gave them a large
zip lock bag full once. This was about 3-4 dozen apples (they shrink).
It took 4 days using two dehydrators to make these. Before my wife
realized it, they ate nearly the whole bag. Live and learn :-}
Ray
BTW - I have tried banannas and they come out with a *lot* of bananna
flavor. The bananna chips you buy are usually fried, which apparently
removes much of the flavor. You'd probably have to use plantain (sp?)
to get the equivilent taste of fried bananna chips from a dehydrator.
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