The composition and calorie content of dried apples, the benefits, harm when abused. Features of application in cooking and popular recipes.
Contraindications and harm of dried apples
Despite the large number of useful properties, this product does not always benefit everyone. When we talk about a beneficial effect, we mean eating dried fruits in a reasonable amount, and not abusing them, because they have a high calorie content and contain a large percentage of sugar.
Who should refrain from introducing dried apples into the diet:
- Suffering from toothache … Fruit acids and sugars, which are stored in dried fruits after drying, destroy tooth enamel, for this reason, the product is not recommended.
- Patients with exacerbation of an ulcer … Dried fruit contains organic acids and fiber, so it cannot be included in the diet for such ailment.
- Patients with late stage diabetes … The high calorie content and the large amount of sugar in the product make it dangerous in the presence of diabetic problems.
- Obese people … For the reason already mentioned above (sugar and calorie content), you cannot eat dried apples in large portions.
In addition, when overeating these dry foods, colic and bloating arise.
Only the pulp and peel of apples, whether fresh or dried, has a beneficial effect on the body. But the seeds contain the poisonous substance amygdalin glucoside, which tends to break down in the body into hydrocyanic acid - the strongest poison. The permissible amount of consumed seeds without harm to health is 3-4 pieces, you can not eat more. To improve the presentation, dried apples are treated with sulfur dioxide. Both the appearance and shade of the product are preserved, but the benefits are significantly reduced, because this element is highly toxic. It can cause headaches, vomiting, nausea, sore throat, coughing, choking, and even pulmonary edema.
How to dry apples
First you need to rinse the fruits with cold water, then remove the core and cut them into slices or slices. To prevent the fruit from darkening after drying, you can sprinkle it with lemon juice or hold it for a few minutes in slightly brackish water (20 g of salt per 1 liter of water). There are two ways to prepare dried apples: solar drying and oven drying. Drying in the sun will take longer than cooking in an electric oven. In the first case, we will lay out the apple pieces on clean paper or metal sheets, which we will place in the open air, in the shade or in a well-ventilated attic. In order to avoid chapping of the product, it must be turned over from time to time. This process will take 7-10 days. This is how fruits were once dried in Russia. If you are interested in how to make dried apples in the oven, then they need to be placed on baking sheets covered with paper and cook for 1, 5-2 hours. Drying apples in this way will ensure greater vitamin retention.
With the development of modern technology, electric dryers have appeared, with which you can cook delicious dried apples. With the right approach to the procedure, from 10 kg of fresh fruit, you can get 1-1.5 kg of dry.
Before storing dried apples, prepare a glass container with an airtight lid. Place it in a dry, dark, cool place. With this storage method, no pests will be dangerous to the product, and you can enjoy it at any time of the year.
Dried apple recipes
Dried apples, having a unique aroma and pleasant taste, are widely demanded in the cuisines of the world. Drinks, pastries, sauces, desserts - this is an incomplete list using dried fruits. It should be noted that many people eat this product at lunchtime, replace unhealthy chips or buns with it.
Dried Apple Recipes:
- Chickens with fruit … First, let's divide each chicken into two parts, for our dish we need to take 2 pieces. Grease the meat with 2 tablespoons of sour cream, sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of flour and fry the pieces until golden brown. Add the chopped onion and continue the frying process. Then pour in 2 cups of chicken broth, put 1 cup of dried apples, 0.5 cups of raisins, 1 cup of prunes (the fruit must be soaked first), salt and simmer on the stove for 15-20 minutes. The finished meat can be sprinkled with dill and parsley.
- Dried Apple Jam … First of all, we wash the dried apples (1 kg), then fill them with water for 48 hours to soak. Fresh apples (1 kg) are also washed and cut into slices. We drain the liquid from the dried fruit and fill it with new water so that it covers them. Add a bag of fruit mix (raisins, dried apricots, pears, figs and prunes) and fresh apples. We put on fire and cook until the fruit is boiled. Then add 1-2 cups of sugar and continue the cooking process for a few more minutes. Enjoy your tea!
- Dried apple and prune soup … We wash 700 g of dried fruits and prunes and boil. Add 200 g of sugar, lemon zest and cinnamon to taste. 1 cup of starch (potato flour) should be diluted in 1 cup of cranberry juice. Pour into a saucepan with our dish, bring to a boil and pour in 1 glass of wine and boil again. The soup is ready. Bon Appetit!
- Dried apple compote … We wash 1, 5-2 kg of a glass of dried fruits and 0, 5 cups of raisins, pour these components with 3 liters of water and put on the stove to cook. After boiling, add 1 glass of sugar and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1 cinnamon stick to the product. The drink can be served by draining the apples, or together with dried fruits, without draining. Compote is drunk both hot and chilled, this does not affect its taste.
- Dried apple uzvar with honey … We wash 200 g of dried fruits, fill them with 1.5 liters of boiling water. Leave to infuse for 4 hours. We filter the drink, add 4 tablespoons of honey. Our uzvar is not only very tasty, but also healthy.
- Dried apple patties … The first thing to do is sift 3 cups of wheat flour. Then slightly heat 150 g of milk and the same amount of water, add 3 cups of sugar, 0.5 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of yeast (Saf-moment fast-acting), pour in 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Knead the dough. We leave it to come up. In the meantime, we prepare the filling in this way: pour a 1.5-liter jar of dried apples with boiling water and leave to steam. We drain the water, pass the fruit through a meat grinder and add 3 cups of sugar. The first time the dough rises, you need to knead it. After the second time, we divide it into small ball-pieces and make cakes from them, from which we will sculpt pies. Leave the formed buns for 20 minutes, so that they rise a little more. We bake the pies at a temperature of 200 degrees until golden brown, after having greased them with a beaten egg. You can eat pastries both warm and hot.
- Dried apple marshmallows … First of all, cook 4.5 cups of dried apples with 0.5 cups of sugar. Then grind 8 yolks with 1 cup of sugar and mix this mass with apple cider. Add 8 proteins, mix everything and put the dough in a greased form, sprinkle with flour on top and send to the oven. The dish is ruddy - we take it out, decorate it with powdered sugar and serve it with cream or milk.
- Dried apple charlotte … First you need to boil 2 tablespoons of semolina in 1 glass of milk and cool the product. Then beat 2 eggs with sugar (2/3 cup) into a foam. Add 100 g of soft butter or margarine and beat again. We also add semolina and repeat the whipping process. Pour in 1, 5 cups of flour and 1 teaspoon of yeast and knead the thin dough. Sprinkle 1, 5 cups of boiled dried apples with cinnamon (to taste), and the filling for our dish is ready. Grease the form with vegetable oil, lay out half of the dough, then put the dried fruits, then pour out the second part of the manna-flour mixture and bake the charlotte for 40 minutes at a temperature of 180 degrees.
- Dried apple tincture … Rinse with 2 cups of dried apples, finely chop 50 g of ginger. We put these products in a jar, add 2 tablespoons of raisins, pour 1 liter of good vodka. We put in a cool place to infuse. After a month, you need to filter the drink, add 1 tablespoon of honey and leave to infuse for 1 week. We bottle and cork.
- Kissel from dried apples … We wash with 100 g of dried apples, fill with 4 glasses of water and cook for 15 minutes in a sealed container. Strain the fruit, add 2-3 teaspoons of starch. Sugar can be added to taste.
- Dried apple filling … Take 450 g of dried apples, rinse them and, pouring water in proportions of 1: 3, cook until soft. We pass through a meat grinder, add 200 g of sugar. In order to improve the taste and aroma, you can use cinnamon or citric acid as an additive, as well as orange, tangerine or citric zest.
Interesting facts about apples
People grew apples 6500 BC. Charred fruits have been found in prehistoric settlements in Switzerland.
A long-lived apple tree is currently growing in America. It was planted in 1647 by Peter Stuvesant in his garden in Manhattan. This is the oldest representative of the "apple kingdom" in the world, which still produces tasty and healthy fruits. Karl Wilhelm Scheele in 1785 extracted an organic acid from unripe fruits, called malic acid, which is widely used both in medicine and in cooking.
And a gardener, Markus Cobart from Switzerland, grew an interesting fruit: from above it looked like an apple, and in the middle it looked like a tomato. This cultivation process took him 20 years, the fruit was named "Red Love". The image of an apple can be seen on 80 official coats of arms of the world, and it is also used in heraldry.
These fruits do not sink in water, because 20-25% of their weight is air. Each fruit contains approximately 70-100 calories. Raiki are the smallest apples in the world.
There are holidays in many countries of the world associated with the fruits we are considering. On October 21, the British celebrate Apple Day. Residents of Orthodox countries celebrate Apple's Savior in August.
Watch a video about dried apples:
So, dried apples have a pleasant aroma and excellent taste, which makes them an indispensable component of many dishes and drinks. In addition, these dried fruits provide many health benefits. You can find this product on the shelves of shops and supermarkets without any problems. But, remembering about sulfur dioxide and hydrocyanic acid when processing them for a better presentation, you begin to think about harvesting these dried fruits yourself. It is not difficult, and more reliable.
