How to Make Dehydrated Kiwi Chips at Home
This recipe yields about 6 servings
If you are DIY-inclined and like dehydrated fruit snacks, chances are you have at one time or another tried your hand at making banana chips at home. But bananas are hardly the only fruit that can be turned into mouthwatering chips! Thinly sliced kiwifruit, for example, turns into wonderful fruit chips in a food dehydrator! And, don't despair if you don't have a food dehydrator: you can still make kiwi chips at home using your oven, provided that your oven can be set to around 130°F to 140°F. If your oven does not go this low, then your kiwis may cook instead of dry. A higher temperature also risks scorching the outside and not drying the inside. Your oven should also have a fan to ensure sufficient air circulation, as well as an outlet that allows moisture to escape as the kiwi slices dry. Here's how to make kiwi chips at home, with or without a dehydrator:
Ingredients
- 6 regular green kiwis
- Or: 6 golden kiwis
Directions
- Select ripe, preferably organic kiwis that are free of blemishes and soft spots, and avoid overripe fruit. Unripe kiwis can be ripened at home by letting them sit at room temperature.
- Rinse and peel the kiwis, and cut them into 1/4 inch thick rounds.
- The great thing about dehydrating kiwi fruit is that you can dry them directly after slicing, without any pretreatment! So, simply arrange your sliced kiwis on drying trays or cooling racks that fit into your dehydrator or oven. The kiwi slices should be in a single layer, not stacked atop each other.
- If you are using an oven to dehydrate your kiwi chips, place a rimmed baking sheet on the bottom rack of your oven to catch drips.
- Dehydrate the kiwi slices at about 130°F to 140°F in a dehydrator or a convection oven equipped with a good fan. If you are using a dehydrator with a bottom-mounted fan, or an oven, you will also have to rotate the trays every few hours to ensure even drying. It is also a good idea to occasionally flip the kiwi chips over with a spatula.
- It generally takes about 5 to 12 hours to make dehydrated kiwi chips in a convection oven or a dehydrator at 135°F. Dehydrated kiwi chips are done when they are pliable and a bit chewy, with no pockets of moisture when cut.
Not only is it downright delicious, kiwi fruit is also good for you. In recent years, scientists have studied the effects of kiwi fruit, or compounds found in this tropical fruit, on everything from lung function and digestive issues like constipation to DNA repair and eye health, and the results have been promising. This, however, is hardly surprising as kiwi fruit is rich in vitamin C, dietary fiber and a number of beneficial compounds. And here's the best part: when you turn fresh kiwis into dehydrated kiwi chips, none of the wonderful fiber is lost in the process and only a tiny amount of vitamin C is destroyed!
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