How to dry an orange for decoration: 6 ways at home

How to dry an orange for decoration: oven, microwave, battery

Citrus fruits are always the embodiment of the holiday. Oranges, tangerines, limes are primarily associated with the New Year. Of course, they are tasty and healthy, you can also decorate your home with them.

Dried fruits will create an atmosphere of comfort, purify and saturate the air with a pleasant aroma. How happy children are when, on long winter evenings, in the bosom of the family, you can sit and do all kinds of crafts with your own hands.

Such crafts are made from dried fruits. How to dry an orange for home decoration, read our article.

How to dry an orange in slices, circles

Slices or circles (whole slices) of oranges look great in transparent glass jars, in garlands hung over the fireplace. In addition, they can be hung on the Christmas tree, decorate gifts and add to flower arrangements, make ideas for decorating a cake. And what's even better than putting a wedge in tea.

Important! To make the dried fruit look beautiful, you need to pick up ripe oranges, otherwise the unripe product may not dry out, and the overripe product will acquire a dark color. The size depends on the craft you want to create with slices or circles

How to dry an orange for decoration? The drying process consists of the following stages:

Wash the orange and wipe dry with a cotton cloth.
Cut the orange into slices or slices. Size no more than 0.7 cm.
Spread the parts on a cotton or linen cloth to absorb the juice.
Dry in any way. This could be the use of an oven, microwave oven, in the air, in an electric dryer, or on a battery. To whom, as you please.

Let's take a closer look at each method, what is needed for this and how to do it.

How to dry whole

Undoubtedly, the slices and cuts fit very effectively into the interior. But you can also dry whole oranges. To do this, you need to adhere to the following technology:

The result will depend on the size. Better to take small oranges, this will speed up the drying time.
Wash and dry the fruits.
Make several cuts on the zest. Use a sharp knife to cut through the skin from top to bottom. whole circles are left at the bottom and so that the dry fruit does not crumble in the future.
In the oven, the fruit dries up in 10 hours. Check regularly that the juice that comes out does not burn.

In general, oranges are dried in the air, in the oven, in the microwave, or on a battery. The rest of the methods are not suitable.

The resulting dried fruits go well with cinnamon sticks or vanilla stars. They can be simply laid out on horizontal surfaces, made Christmas tree decorations, wall garlands. As your imagination tells.

How to dry oranges for culinary purposes

You can dry oranges for food using all the methods described above, except for drying on a battery.

The tea wedges are best cut in half, and the chips can be made round. You can use a sprinkle of powder or ground cinnamon to make the chips.

How to cook orange chips in the oven will be described in detail by the video from the Pochavkaem channel - Orange Chips. A simple recipe.

Do not forget that orange peel is also used in cooking. The channel "IVSkorohodov" will tell you how to properly dry the peels at room temperature, as well as how to use them - Orange peels drying and use

Currently, few people are surprised by standard home decorations, so many are trying to bring something new to the home arrangement. Dried oranges will become an unusual and bright element of the decor. It turns out that this fruit can not only benefit as a source of vitamins, but also diversify the interior, placing interesting accents in its design.With the right preparation of such an original decoration, the slices will also fill the room with a pleasant citrus aroma.

Method 1. In the oven

Most products are dried in the oven according to the same scheme: they are laid out on a baking sheet, air is circulated (for this, either the door is slightly opened or the convection mode is turned on), they are dried at a temperature of 50–80 ° C for 4–10 hours, periodically controlling the process so that the products not burnt. It's our job to dry the oranges, not toasted them, so don't be tempted to increase the temperature.

Fast way in the oven (1.5 hours)

Place the slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment or Teflon mat.
Preheat the oven to 150 ° C, turn on the convection mode (it is found on most modern ovens).
Bake the oranges for 15 minutes, then turn over and leave in the oven for another 15 minutes.
Reduce the oven temperature to 70 ° C.
Bake for 1 hour more.

If your oven does not have a convection mode, then leave the door slightly ajar to allow the moisture to evaporate quickly.

Slow method in the oven (7-8 hours)

Place the slices not on a baking sheet, but on a wire rack in the oven.
Set the temperature to 70 ° C.
Leave the oranges in the oven overnight.

In the morning you will receive perfectly dried citrus fruits.

Dried oranges with cloves

If the pieces are dense enough, then before putting them in the oven, make holes in the peel with a cocktail stick and insert whole cloves into them.

How to do:

Thin the slices and sprinkle them with powdered sugar on both sides.
Place on baking paper and place in oven.
To prevent the pieces from sticking to the paper, turn them over from time to time.

Candied Citrus Chips

You can use not only oranges, but also lemons to cook these delicious chips in the oven.

The recipe is as follows:

cut citrus fruits with a very sharp knife into thin slices (2-3 mm wide);
remove the bones from them;
dip generously in sugar on both sides (you can pre-soak 50% in sugar syrup);
put on a baking sheet;

bake in an oven preheated to 160 ° C until the slices are soaked in sugar (if they were soaked in sugar syrup, skip this step);
transfer to a wire rack and continue to dry in the oven;
remove the chips from the oven and place them on the parchment to dry.

Orange chips are considered a dietary delicacy - you can chew them even at night without harming your figure.

For another caramelized orange recipe, see the video:

By the way, caramelized citruses are widely used to decorate cakes.

Frosty orange slices

With the help of gelatin, dried citrus can be given a beautiful frosty effect.

How to do:

Slice the oranges.
Sprinkle generously with gelatin on both sides.
Place on a baking sheet with baking paper and bake in the oven.
Turn over frequently during baking by gently prying with a spatula or wide knife (about every 20 minutes).
Remove from oven and refrigerate. The slices will be damp and sticky at first, but then dry out.
It is best to leave them to dry on a radiator or a clean, dry towel (not a terry cloth).

Drying citrus fruits in the oven has nuances:

pieces of fruit on a baking sheet should not touch each other, so as not to stick together;
depending on the thickness of the slices and temperature, the drying time varies from 4 to 10 hours (whole oranges are dried for 10 hours). During this time, open the oven several times and turn the slices, enjoying the aroma;
on average, the slices are dried for 5 hours at a temperature of 80 ° C. To speed up the process, you can take out oranges every 2 hours and let them cool;
if you see that the fruit is burning, but not yet ready, reduce the temperature;
from time to time take out the slices that have dried out earlier than others;

chopped oranges can be simply baked on a baking sheet, without parchment. It will take less time, and more attention - so that nothing is burnt.Also keep in mind: orange acid can discolor the grill;
after taking the blanks out of the oven, dry them on the windowsill or on the battery, because moisture may still remain in them;
while drying, the slices will shrink and darken - this is normal.

Pros: simplicity and fast speed, relative to other methods.

Cons: The slices can be bent and must be monitored constantly to avoid burning.

In this photo, clockwise, you can see the pieces continue to dry and darken over time. The lightest slices (top right) are fresh from the oven. The slices that are presented at the bottom right are a week. Those on the bottom left - three weeks, and on the top left - already a year.

Thus, you can mix different shades in your compositions: it will turn out to be very effective!

Drying methods

There are several ways to dry citrus fruits. Therefore, before you dry a lemon for decoration, you need to understand how quickly you need to do it.

The fastest way to do this is in an oven or electric dryer, it will take longer to dry naturally. Therefore, we will consider each of them in more detail.

You will also be interested to learn about drying apples, plums, currants, pears, apricots, dill, butter, herbs, rose hips, garlic, spinach, walnuts, hawthorn, pumpkin seeds, mushrooms, raspberry and blueberry leaves, cherries, oranges, oyster mushrooms, thyme.

In the oven

The fruit can be dried faster in the oven. For the process itself, you will need a baking sheet or wire rack, parchment paper or foil.

Before you dry a lemon for decoration in the oven, you need to decide on the number of slices that you need.

Those who have done this before are advised to put only one baking sheet with the product in the oven.

But, if desired, you can place both a baking sheet and a wire rack.

The baking tray must be washed well. There should be no other products left on it that can subsequently give the lemon unpleasant odors. Then dry it completely or wipe it. There should be no water residues on it. The baking sheet is covered with parchment or foil, this is done so that the slices do not stick to it.
Both together with a baking sheet, and separately, you can use the wire rack. According to experts, the process is faster on it. It is also cleaned of dirt residues and covered with parchment paper.
Place the lemon wedges on a baking sheet or wire shelf in the order you like. The main condition is that they should not touch each other.
The oven is heated to 50 ° C and a baking sheet is placed there. It should be located in the middle of the instrument. You can place up to two baking sheets, but this is not recommended.
The oven temperature can be between 60 ° C and 180 ° C. At low temperatures, the lemon seems to dry out, the shape of the lobule will remain unchanged, but the process will be very slow in time. At high temperatures, there is a possibility that the slices will burn, may bend, but this will take much less time.
The drying time in the oven, depending on its type, the selected temperature and the width of the wedge, can be from 2 to 8 hours.
During drying, the lemon circles should be turned over periodically. This will allow them to dry at the same time and prevent them from burning.
You can only take it out when the pulp and skin are completely dry. If all the moisture does not go away during drying, the decor items may subsequently become moldy.

In an electric dryer

It is now very popular to decorate a room using exclusively environmentally friendly materials.

Dried citrus fruits, including lemons, may well serve as such a material for decoration.

We will learn how to dry them properly, what methods have been invented for this.

If you have an electric fruit and vegetable dryer, it will work just fine for drying lemons.

Prepared circles, namely without excess moisture, are placed on its grates.In this case, the number of gratings does not matter, since due to air circulation, the process goes evenly

It is important that the slices do not touch each other. After that, according to the operating instructions for the device, the appropriate mode is selected and the process of preparing lemon decor begins.

Depending on the drying power, lemons dry after 6-8 hours.

Behind the battery

Drying citrus for decoration in a battery is the most budgetary way. Gas and electricity savings are evident, and the fruit dries naturally. It's better if you have old batteries rather than modern radiators.

Important! If you forget or haven't removed the excess moisture from the slices, they may become moldy.

You will need two pieces of corrugated board to dry. In size, they should be such that they fit between its sections, namely, about 30 cm in length and a third less in width.
In the pieces, using any tool, you need to make many through holes at a distance of one from one to a centimeter. Air will circulate through them.
Next, citrus slices are laid on one sheet and tightly covered with another. It is necessary that the lemon is tightly pressed against the cardboard on both sides, so the sheets can be fastened with clamps or rolled up with a rope. The slices inside should not "fidget".
After that, the "lemon sandwich" is placed between the battery compartments. If they are narrow, then you can dry the bundle at the top, but at the same time it must be turned over periodically. Depending on the temperature of the radiators and air humidity, drying lemon for decoration in a battery lasts from three days to a week.

How to dry oranges for decoration: 6 ways to dry citrus fruit slices

With the New Year holidays approaching, many people are thinking about festive decor, and they want all the decorations not only to look spectacular, but also to fill the air with a light, unobtrusive aroma.

Citrus fruits - tangerines, oranges, lemons and limes - will perfectly cope with this mission. They can be laid out in beautiful vases fresh, or dried. Moreover, dried citrus fruits will look the most interesting and unsoiled.

In this connection, today the site "Comfort in the House" intends to tell you how to dry oranges for decoration at home.

1. In the oven

What you need:

Orange;
Sharp knife;
Cutting board;
Parchment;
Baking sheet;
Oven (oven);
Powdered sugar optional.

Cut the orange into circles (previously washed and wiped dry with napkins). By the way, the circles should not be too thin, the thickness should be moderate, do not forget that they will dry out and the thickness will go away (3 mm will be enough). Then all the orange slices must be blotted with a paper towel, which will slightly remove excess moisture.

Cover the baking sheet with parchment paper and lay out the orange circles. Next, we send the baking sheet to the oven, preheated to 100-120 degrees, for 4-6 hours. If there is no air outflow in the oven, then the door should be left open a little.

During the entire drying time - open the oven, turn over the slices and make sure that they do not burn. If you see that the oranges have started to burn, reduce the temperature.

After that, all fruit slices should be laid out on a tray and left for 1-2 days to air dry naturally.

If you sprinkle the slices with powdered sugar before drying, you will end up with an interesting stained glass effect, the caramel will crystallize and give the citrus a very nice glow. We do not recommend sprinkling all oranges with powder, since the sugar at some point may start to burn, and you will have to get them much earlier, and then subject them to further air drying.

2. In a frying pan

What you need:

Bake;
Pan;
Parchment;
Orange sliced into circles.

Cover the pan with parchment, lay out the oranges and put on a small fire.In the process of such drying, you need to turn the citrus slices as often as possible.

3. In the microwave

What you need:

Microwave;
Refractory flat cookware;
Sliced orange;
Parchment.

We cover the plate with parchment, lay out the citrus slices, and send it to the microwave, it is better to do approaches for 30 seconds. Constantly monitor the condition of the slices; in extreme heat, they can quickly burn out.

4. In the air

What you need:

Sliced orange slices;
Roomy flat dish;
Parchment.

Cover the dish with parchment and put orange slices on it. In this form, we send it to the balcony, the owners of private houses can simply take it outside - in the sun they dry out pretty quickly (1-3 days depending on the degree of dryness of the air).

5. In an electric dryer

Everything here is extremely simple, and the result is beyond praise. The slices just need to be laid out on the shelves of the dryer, and left for about a day, perhaps even overnight, they will dry out, depending on the power of the device. The result is bright, beautiful slices that really look very impressive.

6. On the heating battery

What you need:

Cardboard sheet;
Awl, you can use a screwdriver;
Sliced citrus fruit.

We take a sheet of cardboard and pierce it thickly with an awl or screwdriver so that holes are formed for the passage of air. Poke oranges onto a cardboard box, and put everything together on top of the batteries. Leave to dry for about 1-3 days, remembering to periodically turn the fruit slices. After that, the oranges can simply be left on the table for a day for final drying.

What is a dried orange useful for?

It's amazing how simple decorative elements can bring an interior to life. Pieces of fruit, decorated in the desired geometry, can be used in paintings and appliqués, as a “Christmas tree” decoration, in still lifes and more.

Fruits are combined with berries, flowers and herbs, but for obvious reasons, citrus fruits are the most popular: their slices are very beautiful in the cut, fruits have a lively palette and retain their spectacular appearance. In "summer" compositions they can be accompanied by kiwi, and in winter decorations often appear viburnum, apples, cones. The indisputable advantage of the porous fruit is that it hardly shrinks in the crust, looks appetizing and gives the room a great aroma.

To create artistic compositions, the orange and its citrus counterparts are dried in rings and half rings to get hot slices glowing in the sun, and sometimes the fruit is preserved whole. It is enough to do some magic over the design, and the decoration is ready.

In some cases, the elements are prepared in a standard way, and after that the installation is assembled from them, and sometimes you need to take care of the fasteners in advance, since the dried fruit becomes fragile. We will tell you how to prepare oranges for decoration below.

What else do you need to know

An important role is played by the smell of orange, this is what becomes an additional argument in favor of drying in the peel, especially when it comes to whole fruit. Essential oils are baked, so the smell becomes less harsh, lasts for a long time, and continues to freshen the air in the room, giving a good mood.

However, if you use orange slices in an applique, it is better to fill them with a fixer that suits your composition - wax, varnish or other substances that prevent contact with air.

If your soul requires creativity - try such a simple way to decorate a house or summer cottage - and perhaps this idea will give you a feeling of coziness and magic in the midst of ordinary everyday life.

How to dry

There are many methods for drying natural materials. Everyone can find a suitable one using a battery, oven, microwave or a special berry drier.In some cases, the slices will be ready to use almost immediately, in others, you will have to be patient.

In the microwave

The easiest way is to use a microwave oven. Algorithm:

Line a plate with baking paper.
Lay out the slices.
Start the microwave.

Better to do several "approaches" for 30 seconds. Turn the oranges during breaks.

Chopped orange circles can be dried in the oven. In this case, both an electric stove and a gas stove are suitable. Algorithm:

Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Lay out the slices.
Place the baking sheet in an oven preheated to 100 degrees for 4-6 hours.
Throughout the entire time, the mugs need to be constantly turned over and checked.
If the orange starts to burn, the temperature should be reduced.
After removing the decor from the oven, leave it to dry at room temperature for 1-2 days.

On battery

The most popular option for harvesting orange slices is drying on central heating radiators. To get even workpieces you will need:

Orange;
cardboard or small pieces of flat plywood;
awl or drill;
paper;
stationery clips (or clothespins).

The drying algorithm is quite simple:

Cut 2 identical pieces of cardboard or plywood. Use an awl or drill to make holes in them.
Put the orange rings on the paper.
Cover the citrus fruits with another piece of paper.
Place the paper with oranges between the cartons and fasten with clips in several places.
Place the sandwich on the battery.

Advice!

This method is convenient in that circles can be dried both vertically and horizontally. Many slices can be dried at the same time due to the compactness of the method.

After 2-3 days, you can check the readiness of the decor. If necessary, leave for another 1-2 days.

In an electric dryer

The easiest way to get pretty dry slices is to use a special electrical appliance. The dryer allows you to dry the fruit quickly and efficiently. Algorithm:

Cut citrus fruits into even slices.
Place the slices on pallets.
Switch on the device, select the mode.
After 18-20 hours, see the finished result.

In an electric dryer, the slices can be deformed. Therefore, if ideally even circles are required for a creative idea, it is better to choose a different method.

Handicraft lovers often share the secrets of their craft. The following recommendations can be heard regarding orange slices:

You can separate the orange stuck to paper or cardboard with a sharp knife.
Dry oranges (especially those left over from last year) are very fragile and can break easily. Therefore, you need to work carefully, and it is better to have spare slices.
So that the slices do not darken during drying, but retain their color, they must first be soaked in a solution of water and lemon juice for 10 minutes. Then pat dry with a paper towel and dry using either method.

How to dry oranges for decoration

For decoration, you can use oranges of different diameters, the main thing is that they are bright orange and, preferably, do not contain seeds.

First of all, the fruit must be thoroughly washed. Next, it is cut into rings, up to 5 millimeters thick.

For even drying, it is important to keep the cut evenly along the entire diameter. It is not worth cutting too thin, as the slices will eventually turn out to be translucent and will look less impressive in the composition.

To maintain brightness, the slices are soaked in acidified water for 20 minutes. To do this, prepare a solution of 1 liter of water and the juice of one lemon.

To speed up the evaporation of the liquid, the cutting should be thoroughly blotted with paper towels or napkins.

Now let's decide on the drying method. To do this, you can use an oven, an electric dryer or a regular room battery. The latter option is relevant only during the heating season. In the summer months, you can dry oranges for decoration on the windowsill under the influence of the sun's heat.

In the oven

Prepared citrus slices are spread on a baking sheet covered with parchment. Layout should be carried out at some distance from each other in order to avoid sticking of products.

The pallet is placed in an oven preheated to 100 - 120 degrees. To allow air to circulate freely, the door should be left slightly ajar.

Drying time varies from 4 to 8 hours and depends on the thickness of the orange slices. The drying process must be strictly controlled to prevent overdrying and burning. Several times the baking sheet will need to be taken out and the fruit turned over.

You can also dry whole oranges as decorations. To do this, the fruits are washed, and then the skin is cut in several places around the entire circumference. The workpieces are placed in an oven and dried for about 10 hours.

In an electric dryer

The process of drying orange slices in an electric dryer takes a little longer, but it is more comfortable, since this unit heats up the ambient air much less than an oven.

Sliced orange slices are laid out on trays in one layer. The pallets are placed on an electric dryer heated to a maximum value of 70 ºС. Approximately every hour and a half, the trays will need to be changed in order for the fruit to dry more evenly. The total drying time is 10 - 12 hours. Readiness is determined by the rustling sound of crusts and brittle pulp. Underdried oranges will be elastic inside, which can lead to their rotting in the future.

On battery

This method allows you to make the slices absolutely even, without dents and bulges. But in order to use it, you need to build a special drying chamber.

To do this, 4 blanks are cut from dense corrugated cardboard: two - 30 * 10 centimeters, two - 10 * 2 centimeters. Large parts are pierced with an awl in several places, and then small strips are glued to them. You can see how to do it right in the photo.

The prepared orange slices are inserted between the plates and held together with paper clips or rubber bands.

In this form, the structure is sent to the battery. Drying time takes 3 - 4 days.

If the heating season has not yet begun, then the cardboard with oranges can be simply put on the windowsill and wait for the fruits to dry completely under the influence of the sun's heat.

In order for the cardboard structure to retain its shape as long as possible, do not forget to dry the oranges thoroughly before laying.

Watch a video from the channel "Vekoria Handmade" - how to dry citrus fruits for decoration