Who dries them to be crispy or just rubbery ?
Does the rubbery ones keep if sealed?
I will soon find out. But I would like to know before I come down with a dose of the 'screaming abdabs" or bad stomach ache.
We dry Suncrisp crispy for long term storage with the skin on, but also eat them soft sooner than later:) I recommend this variety as it doesnt brown at all during processing, but is best dehydrated when fresh and the acidity compliments the sugar.
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I had a LOT of peaches this year. I had so many I was giving them to neighbors and people at some of the stores and the bank I use. One lady said she made " peach candy". I gave her a couple of 5 gallon buckets of peaches. What she made was dried peaches sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. That is what she called " peach candy".
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How is everyone slicing their fruit for drying? A Mandoline food slicer or that type of slicer?
By hand with knife. Wash, dry, cut in half, core, slice, dehydrate.
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Bosc make great dried pears, especially if overripe.
I don’t like dried apples, the texture. So take my opinion with a grain of salt if you like them because we probably have different preferences.
I dry apples and pears all the time, but I can only speak to commercially available apple and pear varieties.
I notice a large difference in taste between apple varieties, but not as much between pear varieties. I personally like some tartness in the apple chips we make, but really like the variety between types.
As was mentioned before, red delicious has 0 tartness to it. It has a nice mild sweetness. The texture is different too; it is much better as a chip than an apple fresh out of hand imo.
Golden delicious (might be Jonagold, just a yellow skinned apple) also has limited acidity.
Almost all others (and especially granny smith) have tartness.
I cut mine with a knife. We can cut them thin enough to have a “glass” like texture, but I usually like them thicker to have a more satisfying crunch. As for washing, because the apples I buy are from the store, I soak them in baking soda (it supposedly helps minimize some pesticides How to Clean Fruit and Vegetables | Cook's Illustrated )
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Read my review of the best mandoline I have found. Uniformity of slices makes for the best end result of drying.
Mandoline Review
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That is why I was asking- consistent slice sizes to make it easier to dry. Thanks for this information and link.
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