Quick Answer: How to Dry Persimmons?
One of the easiest methods to dry persimmons at home is through a food dehydrator. Persimmons can also be dehydrated using an oven and even by simply hang-drying.
In this article, I will be outlining the best methods to dry persimmons from the comforts of your home.
You’ll be requiring your everyday kitchen appliances for the same.
I’ve not only poured my personal experience with drying persimmons but have also incorporated hours of research on what food bloggers and experts have to say on drying persimmons at home.
There are many ways to dry persimmons and I’ve got you covered with the three simplest methods.
Since each of these methods are unique in their own way, let’s kick things off with the most common method referred to for drying persimmons at home.
How to Dry Persimmons Using Electric Food Dehydrator?
A food dehydrator is one of the best and most common methods to dry persimmons to extend their shelf-life. You will get evenly dried persimmon slices from the comfort of your home within 8 hours. However, you will need to keep an eye out to prevent your persimmons from overdrying.
Materials
- Paper towels
- Cutting board
- Dehydrator trays
- Sharp knife
Tools
- No special tools needed
Instructions
- Wash the persimmons - Rinse the persimmons under running water. Properly clean each persimmon because if you dry the fruit with dirt attached to it, the dirt particles may end up causing molds to grow.
The taste of the fruit also changes since the dirt mixes with the original taste. - Pat the fruit - Spread a single layer of paper towel on a platform and place the persimmons on top. Grab another paper towel and gently pat the persimmons dry.
- Slice the persimmons - Place the fruit on a cutting board and evenly slice the persimmon.
Since there is no core or pit in this fruit, you can simply cut through it and slice even slices. Make sure you slice the fruit ⅛ inches thick for a faster drying process. - Arrange the slices - Evenly place all your slices on the dehydrator tray. Place each slice at a distance from one another to ensure proper air circulation.
- Dry the slices - Set the dehydrator to the required time and let the slices dry for 8 hours.
When the process is halfway through, flip the slices and let them dry until the time is complete.
Properly dried persimmons are comparatively smaller in size. This is because, during the drying process, the fruit shrinks and loses its moisture.
Dry Persimmons Using Hang-drying
Time Taken: 3 to 4 weeks
What You Need:
- Hooks
- A carrot peeler
- Twines
Hang-drying is quite an old technique that has been passed down through generations in Japan and Korea.
It is a method that doesn’t require artificial heat and takes up to 3 or 4 weeks before you get perfectly dried persimmons in the comfort of your home.
Wash the Persimmons
Rinse all the persimmons required under warm running water.
Properly clean each persimmon because if you dry the fruit with dirt some attached to it, the dirt particles may end up causing molds to grow.
The taste of the fruit changes since dirt mixes with the original taste.
Pat the Fruit
Spread a single layer of paper towel on a platform and place the persimmons on top.
Grab another paper towel and gently pat the persimmons dry to get rid of excess moisture.
Peel the Persimmons
Use a carrot peeler to peel a thin layer of skin from the persimmon. Leave the cap as you will need it later while hanging the fruit.
Hook the Fruit
Using your steel hooks, push one end into the cap of persimmon and leave the curved side out to hang the fruit.
Make sure you don’t let the side inside the fruit curve out.
Hang the Persimmons
Tie one end of the twine to the hook and the other one to a nail or somewhere suitable.
In case you can’t use nails or can’t find a suitable place to hang the fruit, you can simply hang it around a curtain rod.
Dry the Fruit
It is essential for the fruit to get at least 4 hours of sunlight every day.
The drying process may become faster or slower depending on where you place the fruit to dry.
Dry Persimmons Using an Oven
Time Taken: 5 to 6 hours
Optimum temperature – 170 degrees Fahrenheit
What You Need:
- Paper towels
- Cutting board
- Oven trays
- Sharp knife
- Baking sheets
The oven method is quite simple and only requires a maximum of six hours before you get perfectly dried persimmons from the comfort of your home.
Wash the Persimmons
Simply rinse all the persimmons required under running water.
Properly clean each persimmon because if you dry the fruit with dirt attached to it, the dirt particles may end up causing molds to grow.
The taste of the fruit also changes since dirt mises in with the original taste.
Pat the Fruit
Spread a single layer of paper towel on a platform and place the persimmons on top. Grab another paper towel and gently pat the persimmons dry to get rid of excess moisture.
Remove the Cap
Get rid of the green cap on top of the fruit as you will not need it.
Slice the Persimmons
Place the fruit on a cutting board and evenly slice the persimmon.
Since there is no core or pit in this fruit, you can simply cut through it and slice even slices. Make sure you slice the fruit ⅛ inches thick for a faster drying process.
Arrange the Slices
Spread a single layer of a baking sheet on the tray and evenly place all your slices on top. Place each slice at a distance to ensure proper air circulation.
Dry the Slices
Set the oven to the required time and let the slices dry. When the process is halfway through, flip the slices and let them dry until the time is complete.
Properly dried persimmons are comparatively smaller in size. This is because, during the drying process, the fruit shrinks and loses its moisture.
Fresh vs Dried Persimmons; Which is Better
Fresh persimmons and dried ones contain various nutrients and are excellent to consume if you are on a diet.
Fresh persimmons taste better than dried ones since they contain more moisture and are packed with extra flavor too.
Dried persimmons do lose water but, they contain 4 times more carbohydrates and fiber which helps you stay full for a longer time.
Both dried and fresh persimmons can be consumed as a snack or mixed together with other edibles to create a proper meal.
The Right Way to Store Dried Persimmons
Once dried, let the persimmons cool down before storing them in polythene bags. You can opt for glass containers with lids as well.
Place the storage containers in the refrigerator to extend their shelf life.
If stored properly, dried persimmons can remain edible for up to 6 months.
Refrain from placing the dried slices in areas with high temperatures as that may affect the color as well as the nutritional value of the fruit.
Our Take on Which Method is Best
If you wish to dry some persimmons without any electrical appliances or equipment, you can simply hang-dry it for a few weeks.
In case you want to dry persimmons instantly within just a few hours, refer to an oven since it’s the fastest method there is to dry persimmons at home.
You can use the electrical food dehydrator in case you wish to dry fresh persimmons in bulk and quickly.
FAQs
Yes, dehydrated persimmon slices can theoretically be shelf-stable if the moisture level has been successfully reduced to a minimum.
If they still feel damp or you are not sure, put them in the fridge for the best results if you are not going to consume them that very day.
You can cook them at a higher temperature but 180 degrees Fahrenheit is as far as you can go while still extracting moisture from the fruit without actually cooking it.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a way to instantly dry persimmons. You can use an oven as it is the quickest way to dry persimmons in the comfort of your home.
However, you need to turn the slices over every few minutes to evenly dehydrate them.
Bottom Line
We’ve gone through three simple ways to dry persimmons for various situations.
Hopefully, this guide has aided in your understanding of how to dry fruits like persimmons at home.
If that is the case, kindly share it with your friends and family. Also, feel free to leave us any questions in the comments section below!