Instead of chips, gummy bears & co., dried carrots are a delicious speci alty. Unfortunately, they are very expensive in stores, which is why you can easily dry the carrots yourself. We have presented 3 variants to you here.
Vegetables and fruit can be preserved in a variety of ways. One of them is drying or dehydrating, for which you don't even necessarily need a special device. People dried vegetables early on, in warm regions all you need is a few warm summer days with lots of sun. But the oven is also great for drying.
It is important that you only use perfect vegetables for drying. Since carrots are very hard, you should blanch them briefly before drying, then drying will not take that long.
Of course, dried carrots no longer contain as many vitamins as raw carrots, because they are low in acid, a large part of them is lost during drying. Don't peel the carrots before drying, because most of the vitamins are under the skin.
Introduced 3 ways to dry carrots
Air drying
The oldest and easiest way to dry your vegetables and fruit is to dry them in the fresh air. All you need is an airy and warm place, for example a sheltered spot in the garden or an attic.
You can slice the carrots and then string them on strings. An alternative is to cover a wooden frame with light fabric or gauze, on which the vegetable slices can then be spread out.
» Tip: If you want to dry the carrots outdoors, you should protect them from insects with gauze to avoid contamination. Drying in the sun takes about three to four days.
Drying in the oven
Of course you can also use the oven to dry or dehydrate carrots. To do this, spread out baking paper on the wire shelf or a baking tray and place the vegetable slices on it.
The oven is set to circulating air and a maximum of 70 degrees. Because during the drying process moisturemust escape, the oven door should be left ajar. For example, you can clamp a cooking spoon between them.
The drying process can take a few hours, so it can take up to 12 hours. Check from time to time whether the carrots are completely dry or whether they can still be pressed together.
Drying in the dehydrator
Buying a dehydrator is only worthwhile if you regularly want to preserve fruit and vegetables in this way.
Several drying baskets fit into the electrical device, which you can stack on top of each other after filling. You can then set the temperature individually according to the manufacturer's specifications. The duration of the process depends on the water content of the carrots, their thickness, size and humidity. The process is complete when the vegetable slices stop leaking juice and have a leathery consistency.