Day 251.
I tried to make fruit leather in the crockpot. It didn't work.
I think it could have worked----everything was right in theory----but I cooked it way too long because I fell asleep and it was my sleep-in day so I didn't get up right away to check on it.
The house now smells like a charred apple pie.
The Ingredients.
blurry picture. I didn't change the lens.
--4 apples, cut in quarters
--2 tsp vanilla
--1/2 cup dried cranberries
--juice from one lemon
The Directions.
I used apples as a base, but you can use any fruit you'd like. Except this doesn't really work, so you'd mostly just be wasting fruit.
I didn't peel the apples, but quartered them (removing the seeds and core) and threw them into a 4-quart crockpot. Add the juice from one lemon, 2tsp of vanilla, and a 1/2 cup of dried unsweetened cranberries.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. The apples will be quite squishy, and it will be like applesauce.
Blend the applesauce mixture in a blender until the mixture is blended into a thin pulp. Cut pieces of parchment paper to fit into the crockpot you are going to use. I ended up using 10 pieces.Put a piece of
parchment into the crockpot, and spoon on some mixture. Layer another piece of parchment on top, and continue layering until you run out of fruit pulp.Cover, but prop lid open with a chopstick, and cook on low for 12-20 hours. I cooked ours for 20. That was too long.
The Verdict.
I used to have a food dehydrator. It never worked the way it said it would on the infomercial. I tried banana chips, fruit roll-ups, and beef jerky. I was disappointed each and every time. During one of our moves we gave the dusty machine to my father-in-law. He has used it to make deer jerky a few times, and it worked okay for him.
I wanted this to work. I think in principle, it could have, if I had watched it more closely. It wasn't burning, but was drying bit by bit before I went to bed. I think I figured since the food dehydrator never really worked (for me), the food would still be pretty wet in the morning.
I'm beginning to think it's cheaper and better for my self-esteem to stick to buying fruit leather at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. They make quite a few varieties now with no extra sugar and sometimes they are on sale--5 for a dollar.
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