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Apple & Pear chips

By Andrew

5 from 5 votes

Last Updated September 29, 2017 · First Published September 30, 2012

Yesterday was our monthly Food Bloggers Los Angeles meeting — it’s a chance for fellow food bloggers to get together, share some food, and do some bloggy shop-talk. It’s always a potluck, and there’s usually a common theme – this one was “Apples & Pears,” as we’re in the height of the season. Since I’m scrambling to keep all the October Unprocessed plates spinning (so to speak), I needed something extremely quick and easy.

I recently borrowed my mom’s old food dehydrator (made in 1979!) and realized this was a perfect chance to use it. So I sliced up some fruit, set it in the dehydrator, and got back to work. (Truth be told, I was actually on the phone while I was doing most of the slicing.) Couldn’t have been much easier, and you’ve got to love the ingredients.

5 from 5 votes

Apple & Pear chips

By: Andrew Wilder

I made this recipe with four apples and two pears, as that was about as much as I could get in the dehydrator. That made about 4 ounces of dried fruit (it's amazing how much they shrink!), which didn't look like much, but was actually a nice amount (that's what's pictured at the top of the post). The fruit should be ripe, but not mushy.

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 6 hours hrs

Total: 6 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

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Ingredients 

0.5x1x2x3x

• ▢ Apples
• ▢ Pears
• ▢ 4 cups water
• ▢ Approx. 2 tsp. lemon juice
• ▢ Cinnamon or other spices, optional

Instructions 

• Wash the fruit and set aside. Add the water and lemon juice to a large bowl.
• For each apple, remove the core with an apple corer or small paring knife. Turn the apple on its side, and slice into 1/4" rings. As soon as they're sliced, place in the bowl of acidified water. This helps keep them from turning brown.
• For each pear, you can repeat the coring process -- though I sliced them in half (from top to bottom), and then cut out the core, and cut them into half-rounds instead. Add them to the water, too.
• Optionally, dust them with ground cinnamon or other spices (nutmeg? clove?).
• If you're lucky enough to have your parents' dehydrator, lay the fruit in a single layer on the trays in the dehydrator. Cover, turn it on, and walk away. Come back in four hours and check on things -- it'll probably take a total of 6 to 10 hours. You may need to remove some sooner than others.
• You can also dry these in the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and lay the slices flat on top. Bake at the lowest setting your oven will go (about 175-200), for approximately 2 to 6 hours (depending on the temperature and how thick you've sliced them). Just keep an eye on them every couple of hours; you may need to remove some sooner than others.

Notes

I learned the hard way that an apple corer would be really helpful -- it took me about five times longer because I had to use a paring knife (and it wasn't pretty). I also don't have a mandoline slicer, so I just did the best I could do keep the thickness of the slices as even as possible. It doesn't really matter if they're a bit uneven, though you'll have to keep a closer eye on them because some will finish sooner than others.

Nutrition

Calories: 30kcal, Sodium: 12mg, Calcium: 8mg

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