How to beautifully dry an orange for decoration and food: 7 ways, quick and not so fast

Orange is the number one way to lift your spirits at any time of the year. And how much benefit there is from it! Fragrant citrus is useful not only as food, but also as a bright decor for all occasions. Just first you need to dry it properly. How to do this in several ways - read in this article.

What is dried orange useful for:

for making chips, desserts, aromatic tea, mulled wine;
for decorating different rooms (bathroom, kitchen, etc.);
for panels and other decorative compositions (in combination with other fruits and spices);
for New Year's decor - Christmas tree, candlesticks, Christmas wreaths, garlands;
for scrapbooking;
for filling vases, aromatic potpourri.

Below, options for using dried oranges will be discussed in more detail.

How to prepare an orange for drying?

To begin, select specimens of the desired size and color. If you are planning to decorate a card, choose a smaller fruit, make a panel or a garland, or a larger one. The main thing is that the citrus fruits are bright and of medium ripeness (dried unripe slices look faded, and overripe ones may darken).

Wash and dry the orange with a paper towel or clean towel.

Cut into even rings 3–5 mm thick. If you cut it too thin, the slices will look transparent and will not hold their shape.
Remove the seeds from them.
To maintain brightness, soak the cut rings in acidic water for 20 minutes (1 lemon per liter of water).
Dry the citruses thoroughly with paper napkins or a clean towel, otherwise they will not dry, but will boil in their own juice.
If you want to dry the orange whole, then make longitudinal cuts in it, as in the picture (they will need to be renewed during the drying process).

Now you need to decide on the drying method.

Method 2. In an electric dryer

This is the easiest way, although it takes longer. The procedure is as follows:

Cut the oranges as in the previous version.
Preheat the dryer to a maximum temperature of 70 °C.
Place the slices in a single layer on trays.
Leave to dry overnight, a maximum of a day (depending on the power of the electric dryer).

To ensure that citrus fruits are dried evenly, it is advisable to change the trays every 1.5 hours.

We wrote about how to choose the right dryer for fruits and vegetables here >>>

Pros:

minimum effort;
there is no such heating of the air as when using the oven.

Minuses:

not everyone has an electric dryer (dehydrator) at home;
deformation of oranges with this drying method (perfectly even circles will not be obtained).

Drying oranges on a Walter electric dryer 1000 lux with a timer

Thus, the method is simple, but not ideal. Luckily, there are other options for drying oranges.

Method 3. On the battery

An elementary way is to cut oranges and place them on parchment directly on the radiator for 2-3 days.

When the pieces are almost dry, you can make a hole in each with a sharp object (if you plan to make some kind of hanging decor from the oranges - garlands, Christmas tree decorations, etc.).

You can also make a homemade battery dryer. To do this you will need 2 identical pieces of corrugated cardboard and thread.

Make a lot of holes in the cardboards for air circulation.
Place orange slices between two cardboards and wrap the resulting “sandwich” with thread so that the citrus fruits do not fall out.
The structure can be placed behind the battery or between sections for 5–10 days. It needs to be turned over once a day.

Of course, the option without cardboard is much faster, but in this case cardboard is needed so that the pieces do not deform during drying. If you don’t need an ideal shape, then the method without cardboard will also work.

Interesting fact! Orange is not a fruit, but a multi-celled berry. Moreover, according to statistics, most oranges have exactly 10 segments.

Pros: With this drying method, oranges will retain their beautiful orange color and shape.

Minuses:

for a long time;
you need to do homemade drying if you need perfectly smooth workpieces;
can only be done during the heated season;
blanks can only be used for decoration, due to the unhygienic nature of the method.

As you can see, there are quite a few disadvantages, but one “fat” plus outweighs them all if you are drying oranges specifically for decoration.

How to dry orange slices in the oven (video):

Well, we have answered the question - how to dry oranges for decoration, we hope that one of the presented methods will help you in creating the much desired orange slices. And here you can see compositions made from dried orange slices. See you again on the pages of our website.

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What is dried orange useful for:

for making chips, desserts, aromatic tea, mulled wine;
for decorating different rooms (bathroom, kitchen, etc.);
for panels and other decorative compositions (in combination with other fruits and spices);
for New Year's decor - Christmas tree, candlesticks, Christmas wreaths, garlands;
for scrapbooking;
for filling vases, aromatic potpourri.

Method 4. In a frying pan

Line a thick frying pan with parchment, place orange rings there and place over low heat. Drain the juice and turn the slices over as often as possible, otherwise they will burn.

Pros: speed of preparation.

Cons: there is a high chance that the oranges will burn; constant monitoring is required.

Method 5. In the microwave or convection oven

Cover a plate with parchment, lay out the citrus slices, and put in the microwave. Every 10–30 seconds, you need to remove the slices and blot them with paper napkins, pouring the juice from the plate if necessary.

This is a rather extreme method - if you miscalculate the time and temperature, the citrus will burst into flames in the microwave like a torch.

In an air fryer, thin slices will dry in an hour at 100 °C, thick ones in two hours.

Method 6. Outdoors

Nothing will dry fruits and berries better than air and sun - and oranges are no exception. You can hang them on a line in the kitchen or balcony, or lay them out on the windowsill (on cardboard or parchment) and wait until the slices dry naturally.

If you live in your own home, you can dry oranges outside. Depending on the dryness of the air, the process will take 1–3 days.

As a result, you will not get very even circles, so natural drying is often combined with one of the methods listed earlier. For example, citrus fruits are first dried in the oven, and then dried on a windowsill or table.

How can you tell if oranges are dried correctly? There are two criteria for readiness:

fragile core;
rustling sound.

Under-dried citrus fruits are a little soft inside and may soon become moldy.

Harm and contraindications

Despite the beneficial properties of berries, eating them fresh or dried can cause the following negative consequences:

burping;
heartburn;
discomfort and pain in the gastrointestinal tract (gastrointestinal tract);
allergic reaction to citrus fruits;
damage to tooth enamel.

The consumption of fresh or dried fruits is contraindicated for patients suffering from chronic diseases of the digestive system (pancreatitis, gastritis, cholecystitis, ulcers). It is undesirable to include berries in the menu of people who have been identified as individual intolerant to one of the components of oranges.

Method 7. Drying the zest.

The zest is usually dried for culinary purposes, so it is recommended to use non-waxed citrus fruits - but which seller will admit to you that their fruits are rubbed with chemicals? Therefore, at least wash the peel very thoroughly. Then:

Carefully cut off the rind, being careful not to touch the white part.
Place the cut peels on a muslin cloth.
Leave to dry in a warm, dry place.

With the same success, orange peels can be dried using an oven or electric dryer (5-8 hours until completely dry). By the way, you can simply chop them finely or coarsely, depending on what purpose you need the dried peel for.

How to store it correctly?

Please note: the slices may be slightly sticky immediately after drying, but they are ready to use. The main thing is to make sure that over time they do not turn from bright and orange to green and fluffy - for this they need to be stored correctly.

Three storage options:

In a sealed plastic bag (you can also put cinnamon and cloves in there).
In a paper bag or towel.
In a glass container.

Some more storage tips:

keep dried oranges in a cool, dry place;
A plate of salt will help get rid of excess moisture in the storage area;
dry citrus fruits break easily, so handle them with care;
It is better to store dried orange separately from other berries and fruits;
To prevent moths from getting into the jar, put a sprig of mint in it.

Check the dryer from time to time for moisture, mold, or moths. Typically, dried oranges are stored for no more than a year - then stocks are renewed.

Use in cooking

Dried slices are ideal for lovers of natural snacks. Orange chips are very healthy. They will replace any candy. Children especially like this treat.

You can make compote from dried oranges. This drink perfectly quenches thirst. Many people add dried cloves to tea.

Alcohol tinctures are prepared from this product and added to mulled wine. It is used as a decoration for many desserts and baked goods.

Mulled wine

Beautiful cake decoration with dried oranges

How to use dried oranges?

Let's look at the most interesting ideas for using these southern fruits.

Make a Christmas wreath. You can make the base for it yourself or buy it in a store. In any case, the process will bring you joy, and your home - comfort and a pleasant aroma. Any spices, dried berries and fruits, pine cones, ribbons, etc. can be used.

Decorate the Christmas tree. If you love the “country” style in the interior, then you can decorate the Christmas tree with everything that comes to hand. Any dried citrus fruits will look very organic in this decor. And by adding a cinnamon stick to the decoration, you will get not only an interesting toy, but also a natural flavor.

Make a decorative composition or aromatic potpourri. There are many options here. For example, you can dry citrus slices, zest, spices, various fruits and berries, add a drop of essential oil (orange, spruce, eucalyptus, etc.) and keep this mixture in a closed zip bag for 24 hours. Then pour it into a glass jar or plate and enjoy the pleasant aroma.

Decorate a gift bag or box. Both an adult and a child will be pleased to receive a gift in such packaging.

Make handmade soap. A wonderful gift for lovers of all things natural, or just a loved one.

Make a garland. This decoration can be hung on the door, above the table, fireplace, bed, on the wall - it will look original and fresh anywhere. Oranges in a garland can be supplemented with spruce branches, cones, ribbons, jute rope, etc.

For decorating cakes, mousses, cocktails, preparing mulled wine, tea. Dried citrus fruits retain their taste, aroma and pleasant sourness, so they are perfect for preparing various dishes.

Recipe for spiced tea with dried orange and lemon

You will need:

50 g black tea;
1 dried orange;
1 dried lemon;
0.5 tbsp. l. cardamom;
1 cinnamon stick;
1 tsp. carnations;
0.5 tsp. allspice;
50 g dried cranberries (optional).

Heat a dry frying pan, hold the spices on it for 1-2 minutes, then grind with a blender or mortar. Grind the dried citruses (not to powder). Mix spices and citruses with tea, place in a glass jar and leave to steep for 2 weeks. Deliciously aromatic tea is ready.

For festive, themed photo shoots. Now, in the era of Instagram and aesthetic pleasures, high-quality, thoughtful photos are highly valued. Bright citrus slices can become a juicy accent and decorate any frame, evoking the right emotions in the audience.

As you can see, there are a lot of options for using dried oranges. This is the case when the source material is cheap, but jewelry made from it is expensive and stylish.

For food

Dried orange is beneficial

Dried orange slices are also used in cooking, as they are tasty and healthy. Their calorie content is only 301 kcal per 100 g of product. The energy value is:

proteins - 2 g;
fats - 1 g;
carbohydrates - 71 g.

when stewing meat;
for tea;
in mulled wine;
in a mixture of spices.

Dried citrus fruits are especially tasty in caramel and chocolate. When making chips, a sprinkle of ground cinnamon is often added. In addition to orange slices, the skin, called zest, is also used for drying.

Drying methods

You can dry oranges at home for food using the same methods as for decoration. The sugaring method is also often used. It takes more time and effort to implement it, but as a result the slices turn out much tastier. Cooks use this recipe:

3 oranges sprinkled with 4 tbsp. sugar, add 1 tbsp. water.
Boil or pour boiling water for a few minutes to remove the bitterness.
After this, the slices are placed in a vessel with cold water for 2 days, changing the water periodically.
The soaked rings are placed tightly in a saucepan, poured with boiling sugar syrup, and left for 6 hours.
Then boil for 5 minutes. over low heat and leave for another 12 hours. The procedure is repeated 3 times.
The slices are dried using the above methods.

The use of dried vegetables and fruits has been known for a long time. Dried or sun-dried oranges are used to decorate baked goods and create cocktails. Citrus fruit in this form retains its taste and aroma, sweetness and light natural sourness. Dried oranges have more beneficial properties than fresh ones. They are low-calorie, therefore they belong to the category of dietary products. The dried product contains concentrated vitamins B, C, E, as well as calcium, potassium, magnesium and phosphorus. Dried citrus fruits last longer at home than fresh ones. A snack in this form is healthy and enjoyable. The product can be taken to work or on a trip.

Beneficial features

Dried orange is a low-calorie dietary product. During the drying process, all vitamins (B, C, E, minerals calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, etc.) remain in it, so it is an excellent alternative to fresh berries and fruits; it is convenient to use as a snack.

The calorie content of the dried product is 246 calories per 100 g.

Thanks to its rich vitamin composition and dietary fiber, dried orange is a healthy and tasty treat that improves metabolism and lifts your mood.

What else do you need to know

The smell of orange plays an important role; this is what becomes an additional argument in favor of drying in the peel, especially when it comes to whole fruit. Essential oils are baked, so the smell becomes less pungent, lasts for a long time, and continues to freshen the air in the room, giving a good mood.

However, if you use orange slices in an application, it is better to fill them with a fixative that suits your composition - wax, varnish or other substances that block contact with air.

If your soul requires creativity, try this simple way to decorate your house or cottage - and perhaps this idea will give you a feeling of comfort and magic among ordinary everyday life.