Dried tomatoes made by hand. Step-by-step recipe, personal experience, pros and cons.

For several years, we have been experimenting in our summer cottage with growing different varieties of tomatoes, and this year the harvest turned out to be particularly abundant, although we only planted 40 bushes (compared to 130 last year). So, it was natural to raise the question of what to do with such a quantity of tomatoes? We eat them to our heart's content in fresh salads, make gazpacho from them, use them as a dressing for zucchini caviar, and also decided to prepare a delicacy version – dried tomatoes. We share a step-by-step recipe for preparation and our subjective “pros” and “cons” of making them in this post.

up to 8 hours for preparation (preparation and actual drying time)

2 out of 5

average (due to the olive oil)

We selected tomatoes of roughly the same size, fruits in the shape of large plums. This way, they dehydrate evenly and will be ready for further processing. Each fruit is cut into quarters, the stem is removed, and all the pulp is cut out. We did not throw it away but used it in making zucchini caviar (blended and used as part of the tomato dressing). As a result of this stage, we ended up with 1 kg of quarters ready for drying from 1.5 kg of tomatoes.

We place the tomato quarters on a baking sheet and a rack lined with silicone parchment. We place them skin side down. Lightly salt each piece, sprinkle with basil and dried garlic. At this stage, you can choose any of your favorite spices.

We place the baking sheet and rack in the oven preheated to 70 degrees Celsius. We turned on the upper and lower heating elements and set the convection mode. This way, we will dry the tomatoes for 7 and a half hours, until the maximum amount of moisture evaporates from them. They should not be dry and brittle like chips but should retain elasticity without being overly moist.

If you use a different variety of tomatoes, the drying time may vary in both directions depending on the size, juiciness, and fleshiness of the fruit. The way you cut the tomatoes (into quarters or halves) may also affect the drying time.

As a result, our tomatoes dehydrated so much that we were able to transfer them to one baking sheet and dried them together for the last hour and a half. As a result, from 1 kg of prepared fresh fruits, we ended up with 179 grams of dried tomatoes.

We prepare a mixture of dry spices (a ready mix of “Italian herbs,” dried smoked garlic, a pinch of salt) and olive oil. We sterilize the jar in which we will store the tomatoes. Until the last moment, we hoped to prepare at least 2 jars of 330 ml each, but in the end, we only got one.

We tightly pack the tomatoes into one third of the jar, sprinkle with spices. We do this three times until we fill the entire jar. We pour in the oil so that it covers all the tomatoes, and screw on the lid (we used a jar with a twist-off lid).

We leave it in the refrigerator for at least a month to allow the tomatoes to soak up the flavors and aromas of the oil and spices.

In the photo for comparison – store-bought tomatoes (which we purchased here, the prices are very democratic), as well as those we made. As for the flavors – we will wait a few months for comparison, although the dried ones were already quite tasty, sweet, and spicy.

Among the arguments “for” – the opportunity to try to make something new with your own hands, using tomatoes grown in your own garden, confidence in the choice of oil and spices.

Among the arguments “against” (but this specifically in our case) – relative energy and time consumption. Since our oven only has one baking sheet and rack, we used it at half capacity. If you use a larger specialized device – a dehydrator or dryer, probably this “against” point can be turned into a “for”.

But we are completely satisfied with the experiment. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and try something new in the kitchen! Cook for your pleasure! ;)