Drying orange peel - how to proceed step by step

Drying orange peel - it's easy, but only organic, please!

Organic quality is a must

Conventional fruit has a lot of residue from pesticides and other agricultural chemicals on its skin. If only the inside of the orange is eaten, that may still be acceptable. They have no place on bowls that are used in the kitchen.

Pieces, zests or grated?

The shell can be brought to the required size or grated before drying.

small pieces of bowl look decorative in tea
grated shells are ready for baking pleasure
Long orange zest are ideal for a scented pot pourri

The three ways to a successful drying

There are three possible alternatives for drying orange peel:

Air drying
Drying in the oven
Drying in the dehydrator

Orange peel can also be dried in the microwave. Since this type of drying is not particularly gentle with the delicate orange aroma, it should only be an exceptional case.

Air drying

Spread the bowls out on a wooden board and place it in a warm but dry place. Turn the shells every now and then. After a few days they will be completely dry.

Tips

You can also cut out motifs from orange peel, e.g. B. Stars or Hearts. So that they do not curl when drying, they should be placed between two layers of kitchen paper and weighted down with another wooden board.

Drying in the oven

Larger pieces can be dried faster in an oven.

Heat the oven to 50 ° C.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Spread the orange peel evenly on top.
Place the tray in the middle of the oven for 2-3 hours.
Leave the door open a little to allow moisture to escape.

Drying in the dehydrator

The washed, dried and chopped up peel is distributed evenly in the dehydrator. There it dries out at 50 ° C for about 2-3 hours. If you can crumble the peel with your fingers, it has reached the optimum level of dryness.