GB
Chief Eating Officer
I made fruit roll ups in my dehydrator the other day. I just blended the fruit(s) and poured onto a plastic sheet and put in the dehydrator. The instructions said it would take between 4-6 hours and would be done when they were shiny and no longer sticky. Well at 6 hours they were still wet and it was bedtime, so I put them on for another 6 hours.
In the morning they were dry, but not like I expected. They were dull, not shiny on the top. The bottom of most of them were shiny. Must of them were brittle though. They were not pliable (except for the ones that were 100% banana) and shattered into shards when I tried to bend them. They still taste great and the kids can not get enough of them.
What did I do wrong? How can I get them to be more like store bought fruit roll ups? Do I need to cook the mixture first? Do you think they got shiny and pliable at some point, but then because I dried them so much longer they became brittle and non-shiny? I really want to get this to work right because I can see myself doing this a lot. The kids absolutely love it and while they have always been great fruit eaters this would be a way to make it easier. I do not allow fruit in my car (too messy), but fruit roll ups might be a different story. They are also so portable and such a healthy snack that I do not feel bad letting the kids (or myself or DW) snack on them instead of chips and cookies and other junk.
In the morning they were dry, but not like I expected. They were dull, not shiny on the top. The bottom of most of them were shiny. Must of them were brittle though. They were not pliable (except for the ones that were 100% banana) and shattered into shards when I tried to bend them. They still taste great and the kids can not get enough of them.
What did I do wrong? How can I get them to be more like store bought fruit roll ups? Do I need to cook the mixture first? Do you think they got shiny and pliable at some point, but then because I dried them so much longer they became brittle and non-shiny? I really want to get this to work right because I can see myself doing this a lot. The kids absolutely love it and while they have always been great fruit eaters this would be a way to make it easier. I do not allow fruit in my car (too messy), but fruit roll ups might be a different story. They are also so portable and such a healthy snack that I do not feel bad letting the kids (or myself or DW) snack on them instead of chips and cookies and other junk.