Although the price of store-bought sun-dried (dehydrated) tomatoes has dropped in recent years, it’s still worth making your own at home.
In particular, if you have a tomato garden or several at home. The process of making dried tomatoes is relatively easy.
Most prefer to start with Roma tomatoes, as they have fewer seeds and a higher proportion of pulp, but you can use any tomato, including cherry tomatoes.
Read on to find out how to make dried tomatoes at home.
// Recommended: Dried, dehydrated tomatoes – Properties and benefits
How to make sun-dried tomatoes at home?
No matter which variety you choose, the important thing when making sun-dried tomatoes at home is to choose fruits of uniform size to dry at the same time.
The traditional way to make sun-dried tomatoes at home is in the sun. However, you can also speed up the process with an oven.
What do you need?
- A metal tray and a glass jar
- Fresh tomatoes, olive oil, salt, and sunny days
How to make sun-dried tomatoes at home:
- Step 1 – Cut the tomatoes in half
If it is the first time, you can try ten tomatoes. Make sure that when cutting, you keep the same size
- Step 2 – Place them on a metal tray, lightly sprinkle with salt
Adding salt is essential to remove the water. Make sure the tray is clean.
- Step 3 – Cover the tomatoes with cheesecloth and put them in the sun.
The gauze is to prevent germs from growing and to provide adequate ventilation.
- Step 4 – Take them home overnight.
This step ensures that the afternoon dew doesn’t interrupt your drying process.
If the old-fashioned method sounds too slow or if you live in an area with few sunny days, you will be happy to know that you can achieve the same results with the oven; this will take less time.
How to make dried tomatoes in the oven:
- Step 1,2,3 is repeated.
- The oven is preheated to 100 ° C, and the tomatoes are placed on a non-stick tray.
- Sprinkle them with a bit of sugar, bake for two hours, then turn over and bake for two more hours.
- When they are dry, they are kept in a clean glass jar. You can add olive oil and store them in the fridge.
How to store dehydrated tomatoes?
While dehydrated foods and fruits keep much longer, they can still go wrong.
Your sun-dried tomatoes should last up to seven months when stored under proper conditions.
The final product of sun-dried tomatoes must be dehydrated but not crisp, without moisture to prevent the growth of bacteria. Sun-dried tomatoes with oil or fresh herbs should be refrigerated after opening. Don’t eat smelly or moldy sun-dried tomatoes.
