Tips on Drying Orange Slices for Crafts

Description: Easy tips for drying oranges that you can use for later craft projects.

The use of orange sections for craft purposes is a centuries-old tradition. Their wonderful scent and natural appearance add warmth to any craft. You can make your own dried orange slices at home by following these directions and then use in your next craft project.

A dehydrator can work quite well for this. The simplest method to dry out an orange, or any fruit would be to work with a dehydrator. These are used as a tool to keep food edible by thoroughly drying it. You can dry out the orange slice and use it on a crafting project. Use a dehydrator on orange ¼" in length to dry them faster and to help preserve the beautiful orange color. It will dry once you follow the dehydrator directions. The whole drying procedure for the slices ought to require in the range of 6 to 10 hours time. (Make sure your dehydrator is set to 'fruit' for best results.)

Make use of the oven. You can also use your oven to dry the orange. It's the nearby replacement for a dehydrator if you don't have one. Cut your oranges into quarter inch slices in order to obtain moisture from them. Make sure you don't squish the orange. Just use a paper towel to blot up any orange juice. If you want to try this, sprinkle a small amount of cinnamon onto each orange prior to drying it, this will provide a nice amount of additional aroma. Also don't forget to place them in lemon juice to add color.

After you have finished preparing your orange slices, put them on the center rack of your oven. The orange will have a burnt side if you utilize a baking sheet. When the orange slices have been arranged in the oven, bring the oven up to 275 degrees, for a period of an hour. Reduce the heat to 225 degrees for an additional 120 minutes. Routinely check on the orange slices to make sure they are okay. They will dry quicker with the following method. You can remove extra moisture which makes the drying process quicker by occasionally opening up the oven. Get the dried orange slices from your oven after 3 hours. While they may seem a little moist in the center, they will continue drying as they cool down.

Capture the sun's energy. If you live in a warm climate, consider yourself lucky! You can dry orange slices outside instead of in the oven. You only need an old screen from a window. Slice the oranges into quarter inch wedges and place them flat upon the screen. Use a paper towel to remove excess juice. Next, lift the screen above ground level to allow air for free air circulation. You need to be certain that your screen is located in a bright, sunny spot. You flip the oranges about once every hour, however, you might do it more or less depending on how sunny it is. It will take four to six hours to dry orange slices in this way.

Click here for a printer friendly version of this page.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Receive new article links via the Web, SMS, or instant messages via Twitter!
Recommend this article to a friend!
Search our article archives.

Sponsor: FamilyStickers.com offers one of the largest selections of family stickers, family car decals, and stick family stickers. These easy to apply vinyl window family car stickers are available in several themes and sizes or customized to your request.