Drying Apple Rings - You have these methods to choose from

Drying apple rings - inexpensive and completely without additives

Prepare apple slices

Before you can start cutting the rings, you have to decide whether you want to dry the rings with or without a shell. They are a little firmer with the shell, but softer without.

Choose a couple of equally sized and freshly picked apples. Keep in mind that the apple rings need a lot of space to spread out. Therefore, do not prepare too many slices. If there is still free space, you can add a few slices later.
Wash the apples thoroughly and then dry them with a kitchen towel or just let them air dry.
Use a core cutter to remove the housings.
If you don't want the peel to stay on, you have to thinly remove it with a peeler.
Cut the apples into 0.5 cm thick slices.
Drizzle the apple slices with a little lemon juice so that they keep their light color after drying.

Tips

When drying apple rings with the peel, you should only use apples that you know for sure are unsprayed.

This is how you can dry the slices

Air-drying apple slices in the local latitude is hardly possible in an acceptable time due to damp and cool weather. This can only be attempted in warm and dry periods. Therefore, additional heat is usually added or generated:

in the oven
in a food dehydrator
in the microwave

Dry apple slices in the oven

Although a higher temperature is set in the oven, the apple rings still take several hours to dry. Make sure that the oven is not needed for anything else during this time.

Line one or more baking sheets with parchment paper.
Spread the prepared apple slices on top in a single layer
Slide the trays into the oven.
Set the oven to max. 80 degrees Celsius. A circulating air function is an advantage, otherwise the position of the trays must be swapped during drying to achieve a uniform result.
Leave the apple slices to dry in the oven for several hours, leaving the door ajar the whole time.
Turn the apple rings in between.

The apple rings can be taken out of the oven when they feel completely dry and no more juice comes out. They should cool down on the baking sheet before they are stored in the cupboard.

Apple rings from the food dehydrator

The best result is achieved with an automatic dehydrator that is specially designed for such tasks. After filling, it carries out the drying process fully automatically.

several layers can be dried at the same time
it dries gently at low temperatures

Nowadays, a dehydrator can be found cheaply on the market and is therefore a worthwhile investment, with which not only apple rings can be made.

Express drying in the microwave

A handful of apple rings, for example as a snack for a TV evening, can be dried quickly using the microwave.

dry in several passes
at the lowest level
open the door in between to allow steam to escape

Microwave drying proceeds very quickly and can easily turn into inedible results. So stay close and keep checking the degree of dryness.

Shelf life and storage

Dried apple rings are kept cool and dry in a tightly closed can. This way, they stay tasty for a whole year. Apple rings that have become softer can be baked in the oven and get back a piece of their crispness.

Conclusion for quick readers

Preparation: wash apples; peel; Cut slices 0.5 cm thick; Drizzle with lemon juice
Tip: You can also dry organically grown apples with the skin on
Methods: Air, oven, microwave, or dehydrator drying
Air drying: takes a long time, therefore only feasible on very warm days
Oven: single layer; Max. 80 ° C circulating air; slightly open door; turn; takes hours
Dehydrator: Dries slowly; gentle at low temperatures; fully automatic
Microwave: Small amounts; lowest level; multiple passes; Let out steam
Storage: After cooling down; cool and dry in a sealed container
Shelf life: 12 months