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Oven dried tomatoes

B3B3 Posts: 27,505
edited December 2020 in The potting shed
I have some frozen cherry tomatoes which I would like to dry in the oven. In the past, I have slow cooked tomatoes for a long time - hours and hours. Although they were delicious, they never actually dried. I ended up with a thick sauce.
Can anyone tell me how to do it properly?
In London. Keen but lazy.
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  • Desi_in_LondonDesi_in_London Posts: 731
    Morning -- I'm not a professional cook so am sure there will be others along who can advise better , but I'd say frozen tomatoes ( esp cherry ) are hard to dry. I've only done it with bigger firm fleshed tomatoes ( plum / roma or whatever the biggish oval shaped ones are called), from fresh. Halve , get rid of as much of the pulp in the halves as you can , toss the halves in olive oil and sea salt flakes , lay cut side up on a rack ( above a baking sheet) in a v low oven ( 100 degrees C or a tiny bit higher 200-225 F) for several hours. Sorry that doesn't help you a lot on your frozen ones , but i think once they have been frozen and defrosted they will def go mushy/saucy , I would cook long and slow ( with oil and salt and garlic or whatever else you like )  to get a flavourful tomato paste ( i do that on the hob ) . 
    Kindness is always the right choice.
  • Ferdinand2000Ferdinand2000 Posts: 537
    I did some halved cherry tomatoes in my dehydrator, and they gave nice little flavour bullets. See last half of this thread for experiments. I found a warming drawer better than an oven. https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/1046577/ideas-for-eater-apples/p1
    “Rivers know this ... we will get there in the end.”
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Thanks @Desi_in_London and @Ferdinand2000. I haven't got a dehydrator or a warming drawer but there's a slow cooker setting on my oven. I'll put them in for the day. The worst that can happen is I'll get some more good tomato paste😊
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • Ferdinand2000Ferdinand2000 Posts: 537
    B3 said:
    Thanks @Desi_in_London and @Ferdinand2000. I haven't got a dehydrator or a warming drawer but there's a slow cooker setting on my oven. I'll put them in for the day. The worst that can happen is I'll get some more good tomato paste😊
    Keep checking them, and leave the door ajar. The need is to dehydrate.


    “Rivers know this ... we will get there in the end.”
  • Desi_in_LondonDesi_in_London Posts: 731
    @Ferdinand2000 -- out of curiosity ( since  I don't have one ) -- does the dehydrator work on frozen/defrosted things too? I'd have thought that would be a tough ask ( read your thread on apples -- I love your dedication to the scientific method!) 
    Kindness is always the right choice.
  • Ferdinand2000Ferdinand2000 Posts: 537
    Have not tried, but I do not see why it wouldn’t.

    The shape changes so much that I cannot see that the traditional defrost self-squash would be an issue.

    I will try frozen blueberries in the next run.
    “Rivers know this ... we will get there in the end.”
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    It is hard enough to dry fresh tomatoes in an oven.  I do it and it takes hours to get them half dried - enough to store in jars of olive oil and make delicious bruschetta or pizzas.

    I can't see it being successful with ones whose cell structure will have been mushed by the freezing process.  Better to boil them down gently with some garlic and herbs and make in interesting sauce or soup.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Well, they're in the oven now. It looks like it's going to be more tomato sauce. No Italian herbs in this one so it should be more versatile😊
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • Ferdinand2000Ferdinand2000 Posts: 537
    If you wanted to, you could make and freeze portions of salsa, or "rats".

    Will save work later.

    @B3 My standard dehydrator time has standardised at approx 10 hours (+/- 2hours) for nearly everything.

    Have not tried some things yet, though.
    “Rivers know this ... we will get there in the end.”
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Just had a look in the oven. They seem to be holding their shape and drying a bit. The foil underneath looks pretty clean too. They've been in for about 4 hours now.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
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