Methods for storing sun-dried tomatoes without refrigeration

For those who love Italian cuisine and appreciate originality in dishes, sun-dried tomatoes are one of their favorite additions. You can prepare dried tomatoes at home.

In a house, and especially in a city apartment, it can be difficult to allocate space for preservation, which is why recipes that allow you to keep the product without a refrigerator are so valuable.

We'll talk about storing sun-dried tomatoes without a refrigerator in this article.

Can it be stored?

Sun-dried tomatoes are essentially dried vegetables cut into pieces. Additionally, during drying, spices can be added, which makes the product even more aromatic and tasty, with piquant notes.

Well-dried tomatoes, with virtually no water left, can be stored even without refrigeration.

Where should I keep it?

The most suitable air temperature for storing workpieces is up to +10°C, maximum – up to +15°C. Therefore, using a refrigerator is preferable.

If for some reason this option cannot be used, you should choose another cool, dark and dry place.

For storing workpieces a cellar, basement or pantry where the air is dry may be suitable and the temperature does not rise higher than +10-15°C. If the apartment has an equipped glazed balcony suitable for storing vegetables, then it can also be used.

The place chosen for storing sun-dried tomatoes must provide the necessary conditions.

In what container?

The container that will be used for sun-dried tomatoes must be clean and dry, and the lid must be sealed. If the product is not designed for long-term storage and is planned to be consumed in the near future, You can use a food grade plastic container.

A tight-fitting lid guarantees that the tomatoes will not absorb foreign odors and that moisture will not get inside the container. Glass jars are the most popular packaging option. To better preserve tomatoes, jars need to not only be washed, but also sterilized.

Sun-dried tomatoes It is recommended to prepare in small portions, placing them in separate jars. Once the container is opened, the contents must be used within a few days. Sun-dried tomatoes cannot be stored in the warmth of an apartment, especially for a long time.

Rules

To prevent sun-dried tomatoes from spoiling very quickly, you must follow storage rules. These include:

1. Using reliable packaging, the best choice is a glass jar.
2. Store in a dry, cool and dark place.
3. If there is a danger of moisture getting inside the vessel with tomatoes, you can pour a little salt on the bottom.
4. Inventory should be inspected from time to time to detect spoilage in time.

How to wilt tomatoes for the winter?

Drying tomatoes cut into halves or quarters can be done in several ways.

On the hot Mediterranean coast, where the idea of ​​making sun-dried tomatoes came from, drying is carried out simply in the open air.

But in areas with a less hot climate, you cannot do without the use of special equipment. You can use an oven, electric dryer, multicooker or even microwave.

If you plan to store sun-dried tomatoes without refrigeration, you need to dry them very thoroughly.

Oven

Most often, tomatoes are dried in the oven. To do this, cover a baking sheet with parchment and lay out the prepared tomato pieces on it.

The next very important point is the choice of temperature at which drying will take place. The best option is a setting of 50°C. At this temperature, the tomatoes will dry gradually and evenly.

The main advantage of this choice is the preservation of most of the nutrients. There is also a downside - it takes a very long time to process.

So, at a temperature of +50°C, oven drying can take up to 20 hours, which is very inconvenient. If the temperature is set to about 100°C, the process will take 4 hours average. But at the same time, some of the beneficial substances will be lost.

This video will show you how to dry tomatoes in the oven:

Electric dryer

An electric dryer for vegetables and fruits is specifically designed for drying fruits for future use. Before placing on pallets, the tomatoes are cut, seeds and juice are removed. The pieces are laid out in one layer and the temperature is selected at 40-50°C.

The video will show you how to dry tomatoes in an electric dryer:

Multicooker

For cooking tomatoes You can use the multicooker in the “Baking” mode. At a temperature of 100°C, tomatoes may take an average of 1 to 3 hours until fully cooked.

Sun-dried tomatoes in a slow cooker, video recipe:

Microwave

Tomatoes can even be cooked in the microwave.This approach will affect their appearance, making them look more baked rather than dried, but the results will be achieved.

Vegetables are prepared as in previous methods, cut and laid out on a flat plate. Procedure:

1. The microwave is set to 800 watts. The processing time is set to 5 minutes.
2. If juice is released, it must be drained.
3. After this, process for 5 minutes more 3-4 times, turning the pieces on different sides.
4. After the last cycle, the tomatoes can be left inside the oven turned off for another 5 minutes.

Sun-dried tomatoes in the microwave, video recipe:

Conclusion

Storing sun-dried tomatoes without refrigeration is a last resort. Whenever possible, the product should be kept in or close to its most suitable conditions. Otherwise, the likelihood of rapid spoilage of dried tomatoes increases.