How to Dehydrate Cherry Tomatoes

Tomatoes are one of the fruits that adds flavor to our tables and are most suitable for meals. In addition to its taste, this fruit is very nutritious. It is a fruit rich in vitamin C, potassium, folate, and vitamin K, as well as protective against heart diseases and cancer.

One of the most popular types of our red friend, one of the indispensables of the summer season, is the cherry carpet with its tiny structure. Although it is not winter season, we can find this fruit, which we consume abundantly in the summer, in markets and greengrocers. Of course, some of us do not want to consume it because it interferes with what is produced in winter. In this case, we serve many vegetables and fruits on our tables by preserving them by canning and dehydrating them to consume them when the season is over.

In this article, we will learn how to dehydrate them for those who do not miss tomatoes in winter or for those who say that dehydrated tomatoes should not be missing from the table. You may be asking why cherry tomatoes. You can dry your regular tomatoes in the same way. If you prefer cherry tomatoes, you will notice that it is easier to dehydrate than others, and you will understand that they are tastier than others.

While learning how to dry, we will also discuss the points to consider in the dehydrating process. 

The dehydrating process of dried tomatoes is done the same way as other tomato types. You can go for two different methods to dry your tomatoes at home. The first is the sun drying process, one of the most classical and known methods. The second method is oven-drying for people who live in a damp and sun-drenched house or do not want to deal with the first process. Let’s go into the details of these two methods.

How To Dehydrate Cherry Tomato In The Sun?

When you want to dry cherry, the favorite fruit of the summer season, in the sun or the oven, the first point you should pay attention to is the structure of the fruit you choose. When choosing tomatoes, be careful to buy the freshest and hormone-free ones. This is because dehydrated and medicated tomatoes can be dangerous for your health.

After choosing the freshest and most beautiful of our tomatoes in the amount you want, we should wash them well and separate the stems. Let’s dry the cherry we have completed cleaning and sorting. Cut the dried cherry in half vertically. Arrange on a wire rack or a tray with the juicy side up. A wire grid will allow the water to flow and dry faster. Of course, you do not need to buy a wire rack. When you choose a tray, it will be enough to wipe the water spilled on the tray and be careful about it.

In the meantime, let’s give a secret that not everyone knows about the dehydrating process, which will add flavor to your tomato. Salting is done at this stage of the process. We recommend that you prefer rock salt in this salting process. If you prefer rock salt in the salting process, you will get better results in the dehydrating process with the minerals you will get from the rock salt.

Now that we have shared our secret with you let’s continue with the salting part for the dried tomato. Use one teaspoon of salt on the exposed juicy sides of the tomatoes we put on the grill or the tray. You can add flavor to the flavor of your tomatoes by adding spices such as thyme, basil, and salt during the drying process.

Now that our cherry tomatoes have taken their place on their trays and grills, you can put them in a sunny garden, balcony, or any place you see fit. The only point you need to pay attention to in this part is that the place where you put the cherry is well sunny and not in a humid structure.

Caring for Tomato Dehydrate in Sunlight

We lined up our tomatoes and placed them in a sunny and non-humid location to dehydrate. We don’t just leave these tomatoes, which will be dried in a week. On the contrary, we have details that need attention so that they dry faster and do not get moldy. Let’s talk if you’re ready.

Suppose we are dehydrating our tomatoes in an open place exposed to the sun. In that case, we recommend that you take them indoors at night so that they dry faster and do not get moldy while dehydrating. Because there is no sun at night, the temperature drops, and the drying time is prolonged. In addition, turning our cherry tomatoes inside every two days will allow us to save time in the dehydrating process and proceed in a balanced way.

Depending on the sunny days, there will be variations in the drying time of the tomatoes. In addition, since tomatoes’ sizes and water ratios will be different, drying times may differ for each. For this, you can collect the ones that you think are dried without waiting for the other tomatoes to dried, that is, those that have completed the process before they harden.

Now that we have covered the details of the sun dehydration process, let’s talk about the oven dehydration process, which is the savior of non-sunny and humid environments.

How to Dehydrate Cherry Tomato in the Oven?

Oven dehydration is the best natural method for sun-drenched and damp homes. In addition, you do not need to wait for an article for this method. You can easily do it at any time you want.

We apply all of the first processes we do in the sun dehydrate method in the same way in the oven process. We choose the best tomatoes and clean and sort them. Dry the wet parts of the cherry tomatoes thoroughly with the help of paper towels or a clean cloth. This part is essential in the baking process. The skins will become very soft if the tomatoes are left in a wet structure. This causes the tomatoes to leave themselves and cook before they dry out. Let’s be careful that our efforts do not go to waste and that our tables are not left without dried cherry tomatoes.

Let’s place the tomatoes we cut in half in a tray with baking paper, so there is a distance between them. Again, we make salting as in the sun-dried method. While salting, those who know our secret use rock salt, and those who want to add any spice they want and put them in the oven.

We seem to hear you say how the temperature, time, and points should be considered in the baking process, so let’s talk about these issues immediately.

Let’s place our cherry tomatoes in a preheated 150-degree oven. This process will take 3 hours. But suppose you are not in a hurry and want your tomatoes to dry by slowly absorbing their juices. In that case, you can dry them between 8 and 10 hours by bringing the oven temperature to 60 degrees.

Things to Consider While Cooking Cherry Tomato

Please do not leave your tomatoes alone while cooking; check them frequently. The reason for this is that, as we mentioned before, each tomato’s structure and water ratio are different. At the control stage, do not forget to turn the tomatoes upside down according to their cooking state. One of the most critical points is that we must take it out of the oven before it darkens.

We have another little tip for those who don’t have time to cook and want the tomatoes to dry quickly.

Suppose you want your cherry tomatoes to dry faster. In that case, you can increase our recommendation of dividing in half to three and even remove the juicy parts by taking the parts you can get from the insides.

We talked about how to dehydrate our tomato and their tips. 

If you are wondering how to store them, continue reading our article.

How Should Dehydrate Tomato Be Stored?

If our tomatoes are completely dried, they are ready to be taken out of the oven. Let’s leave the tray we took out of the oven to rest at room temperature. Transfer the rested tomatoes to a glass jar. If you want, add flavor to this glass jar by adding oil, a few cloves of garlic, and spices. Make sure that the dehydrated cherry tomato you bought in the glass jar is not airtight and that the mouth of the jar is tight. After putting it in the jar, let’s choose a dry place that does not get direct sunlight.

As I explained, applying this method to the cherry tomatoes you can’t get enough of in the summer is straightforward and practical. 

Let’s run to the kitchens, do the cherry tomato dehydration process, the tricks which you have learned, and add flavor to the tables.

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