Dry lemon and lime slices - DIY instructions

• Dry in the oven
• Dry on the heater
• Dry in the dehydrator

Limes, lemons and other citrus fruits are part of the kitchen like vegetable oils, the refrigerator or spices. But lime and lemon slices offer not only for a coke or for baking, but also as a decoration, as a snack for in between or as a room fragrance, which pampers the nose with a fresh aroma. To use the fruits in this way, you need to dry them, which is easy in your own home.

You are looking for solutions to dry your lemon and lime slices "> Dry in the oven

Whether you want to decorate with the lemon and lime slices or use them in the kitchen, the oven is perfect for drying. Since it allows a high heat effect on the citrus fruits, it is deprived of sufficient water, so that they are long lasting and can even be used as a decoration. As there is actually a stove in almost every kitchen, the fruits can be dried without problems. For this you only need the following ingredients and utensils, besides the lime and lemon slices of course:

• sugar
• grid
• baking paper
• knife

When choosing lemons and limes, make sure that they are unsprayed. You do not want to eat the bowls if they are mixed with sprays. In itself, the shells of conventional citrus fruits are not toxic, at least if they are of biological origin. For this reason, you can consume the fruits after drying without worrying about possible side effects. The drying works as follows:

Step 1: Before you start drying, you need to think about what to do with the dried lemon and lime slices. Here are three variants:

• sweetened dried fruit that softens after about 24 hours
• sweetened dried fruit that lasts for several days and stays dry
• Unsweetened dried fruit, which is long-lasting, completely dry and the skin is leathery

Only the unsweetened dried fruit offers itself as a decoration and room fragrance, as this way of preparing the lime and lemon slices extracts most of their total moisture. Thus, they do not start to rot and can be used easily over a long period of time. For example, have you prepared a big dinner for which you need dried, sweet lemon or lime slices? Then especially the fastest version is the best choice.

Step 2: If you choose sweetened slices, start by washing the fruits. Even if the fruits are untreated, it is important to wash the skin with very warm water.

Step 3: Then prepare the grid with baking paper and preheat the oven to 90 ° C. Do not set the oven higher, otherwise the water evaporates too quickly and the panes may burn.

Step 4: Cut the fruits into thin slices. The thinner these are, the better. The maximum thickness should be about half a centimeter, everything else would be too thick and would take forever to dry.

Step 5: Remove the seeds and then sugar the slices. This can be done in two ways:

• Thoroughly turn into sugar on both sides
• Boil 100 g of sugar in 100 ml of water and simmer the slices in the sugar water for five minutes

Both varieties work well, but the lime and lemon slices glaze from the sugar water, while the sugar-turned over the sugar crystals even after drying. You decide which kind you like better.

Step 6: Now place the slices generously on the baking paper. If you opt for the sugar water, be careful not to burn yourself with the hot sugar water when placing it.

Step 7: After that the sheet is placed in the oven, but not completely closed. In an electric furnace, a gap of at most two to three centimeters, in a gas oven, a gap of about 20 centimeters is needed.

If you want to use the sweetened slices within 24 hours, let them dry for a maximum of 60 minutes. Then allow to cool in the oven and collect lukewarm from the baking paper.

If you want to have the slices dried completely, you must keep them in the oven until they are no longer soft and have a leathery shell. Turn the slices about every two hours and rotate the sheets in the oven if you are drying a large quantity of fruit. The dehydration time can be either five to six hours or loosely longer here.

Unsweetened slices should be washed, cut and spread on the grid like the sugared slices. They take a little bit of time to dry as they have not absorbed any extra liquid through the sugar. They are dried in the same way.

Sugared lemon and lime slices have a pleasant bite and combine sweet and sour aromas thanks to the drying process very well together. In contrast, unsweetened lime and lemon slices are even more acidic and can easily be used as a decoration.

Tip: if you want extra long-lasting slices, you need to dry them until they can be easily broken apart. Although they do not taste that intense anymore, they are perfect for the Christmas decoration.

Dry on the heater

Heating is also an option for you if you want to dry your lemon and lime slices. A great advantage of this method is the gentle drying, which also exudes a beguiling citrus fragrance in the room, as the fruits are dried over a period of several days. For this you need the same utensils as mentioned above. The drying succeeds in the following way:

Step 1: Prepare the lime and lemon slices in the same way as for the oven, ie, wash, cut and spread on the grid with household paper. Baking paper is also suitable for this.

2nd step: Now place the grid either directly on or a radiator. Alternatively, storage on the windowsill above the heater is possible or in a room that is well heated during the cold season. The room should not be too humid.

Step 3: Let the slices dry for a period of three to five days. Over this period, you can enjoy the great aroma all the time.

Tip: many fruits can be easily dried over the summer in the sun, if the weather plays along for a few days. For this, the slices are simply cut into slices of at most half a centimeter thick and stored on a grid in the garden or on the balcony, covered with a fly screen as insect repellent and then you just have to wait for them to dry completely.

Dry in the dehydrator

The dehydrator is probably the most effective, fastest and simplest variant and also saves quite a lot of energy compared to the oven. Although not everyone has a dehydrator, but this is ideal for drying the lemon and lime slices. The reason for this is the design, which is designed for slow drying of the fruits while keeping the temperature constant without getting too hot. The fan does not collect moisture on the discs, reducing the time needed to dry. Proceed as follows:

Step 1: Prepare the fruits as with the other methods. After you have washed them, cut them and spread them on the sheets of the dehydrator, push them into the appliance.

2nd step: Set the dehydrator to a maximum of 80 ° C.

Step 3: Now the dehydrator takes over the work and depending on the thickness and amount of slices the dehydrator needs between 24 and 36 hours until the fruit slices are completely dried.

4th step: Rotate the sheets, if you use several, in between every now and then.