Have you collected too many chillies and don’t want to waste them? In 3 hours at 60 ° C you can transform them into a spicy stock to be kept up to 12 months, without smells or mold.
Dry the chillies in the oven is the fastest way and zero waste To keep them even for 12 months: they are enough 3 ore a 60°C And a glass jar to keep them perfect, crunchy and full of aroma.
Whether they are collected from the garden or bought fresh on the market, red peppers – spicy or sweet – lend themselves to a thousand uses in the kitchen. But preserving them in the right way makes the difference between an extinguished flavor and a real explosion of taste. The trick to not make mistakes? Make them dry well, without compromising its color and perfume. And no, you don’t need a professional dryer: a home oven and some care is enough. Tested also on the balcony exposed to the south: guaranteed results!
Because the oven is the most comfortable method for drying chillies
Not everyone has room to hang them in the sun for weeks, nor do you want to check the humidity every day. That’s why The oven becomes the perfect ally: It is fast, hygienic and allows precise temperature control. Drying the sun is an ancient ritual, but it requires optimal time, patience and climatic conditions. And if you live in wetlands, the mold risk is always around the corner. With the oven, however, you can also act on a rainy day, without fear of ruining the harvest. Just set the right temperature, distribute the peppers on the pan and have some patience. After all, who has never lit the oven just to take a thought?
Like a slow roasting, the heat of the oven gently dries the fruits, preserving the essential oils and the live color. The perfume that invades the kitchen is a promise of future fiery dishes. And then, do you want to put the satisfaction of having your own stock of home-made chili pepper, without dyes, preservatives or waste?
Necessary for drying in the oven
Before starting, it is good to prepare with everything you need. No special tools are needed, but some precautions make the process easier and more safe.
- Fresh chilliespreferably just collected
- Oven letter or silicone mats
- Wide trays with low edges
- Static or ventilated oveneven small size
- Sharp knife o Kitchen scissors
- Glass jars with airtight closure
Make sure the chillies are intact, without dents or mold. Wash them only if strictly necessary, and in that case dryings very well before proceeding.
Quick steps to dry peppers perfectly
The procedure is simple, but every step has its own reason. Here’s how to do it correctly, without improvising:
- Cut the chillies in halfin the sense of lengthwise, to accelerate drying.
- Remove the seeds If you don’t want too spicy flavor.
- Arrange them on the pan lined with parchment paper, with the internal part upwards.
- Set the oven at 60 ° Cpreferably in ventilated mode.
- Leave the door slightly open to bring out the humidity.
- Dried for about 3 hourschecking every now and then and turning them in half time.
When the chillies are rigid, fragile and light, they will be ready. They must not be rubbery or humid to the touch.
The secrets to keep them perfectly for 12 months
Once dried, it is essential to keep them correctly. Here too, few precautions avoid waste and surprises.
Better to wait for them to cool completely before closing them in the containers: residual humidity could favor the formation of mold.
The ideal jar? Dark glass, with hermetic closure, preserved in a cool and dry place.
Alternatively, they can be blended until they reduce them in chilli powderor crumble them coarsely to get a rustic mix.
Here are some ideas to keep them:
- Whole, in the jar
- In small pieces, in sachets for quick use
- Powder, with the help of a mixer
- Mixed with coarse salt to create an aromatic mix
- In oil (only if first well dried)
Thus preserved, the chillies maintain taste and intensity even after a year. Indeed, over time the perfume seems to even exalt.
Errors to avoid that everything can ruin
It takes little to compromise all the work. Better to know in advance what to avoid.
- Don’t cut them before drying them: they will dry badly.
- Too hot oven: the risk is to burn them out and leave them raw inside.
- Humidity in the kitchen: if possible, open a window or use the hood.
- Closed jars with still warm chillies.
- Excessive washing: the water only goes if strictly necessary.
A trick not to be forgotten? Insert a grain of rice into the jar to absorb any residual humidity.
When to do it: the ideal time for drying
The best time to dry peppers is Between August and Octoberwhen they are at the peak of maturation and richer than capsaicin.
Blush them freshly collected allows you to retain all the aroma, avoiding that they dehydrate alone and lose quality.
Those who grow on the balcony can make a progressive harvest and proceed with small quantities every time. After all, better one baking tray at a time than letting them mold on the bottom of the basket.
For those who buy them, it is better to choose local productswell mature, red and turgids. And maybe take advantage of the offers at the end of the season to stock up.
A simple technique that gives great satisfaction
Dry the chillies in the oven is not just a practical method: it is also a small ritual that smells the whole house and gives long -term satisfactions.
After all, it takes little to transform a harvest into a spicy treasure: a pan, some time and a hot oven.
Those who have tried this technique often do not go back. Also because knowing what you have in the jar – without preservatives, dyes or mysteries – is priceless.
And you? Have you ever tried to dry them like that? It could become your new ally in the kitchen.
Photo © Stock.adobe and Ai
FOLLOW CASTLI NEWS ON
