The Best Way to Soften Dried Fruit (2024)

FAQs

What is the best way to soften fruit? ›

The classic paper bag trick is the simplest way to soften your fruit: Place whatever you have in a paper bag, seal it as best you can, and wait. Check on the bag's contents after a few days. To speed things up, you can also add an apple or a banana to your paper bag.

So when you want the fruit to ripen faster, you can put the fruit in paper bags, plastic bags, cotton towels. These materials may promote rapid ripening of some fruits. Because essentially in all fruits there is ethylene gas and this gas will disperse the gas during the self-ripening process of the fruit.

Put your dried fruit in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Let it steep for 10 to 15 minutes, and then strain the fruit and discard the water. The fruit will be plumper, juicier, and softer. To give your fruit some extra flavor, swap the water for fruit juice or a liquor, like rum, bourbon, or brandy.

Soaking can reduce anti-nutrients such as phytic acid, tannins, and enzyme inhibitors present in nuts and dry fruits. This enhances the bioavailability of nutrients, which leads to better absorption. Soaking nuts and dry fruits provides hydration and may help counterbalance the dryness associated with Vata dosha.

Cover and let sit at room temperature at least a couple of hours, preferably overnight. (This gives enough time for the dried fruits to absorb the tea so they become plump, juicy, and flavorful.)

Place just the amount of dates you plan to use in a bowl, then cover with boiling water to fully submerge the fruit. Let the dates soak for about 10 minutes, then and then strain the fruit and discard the water. The fruit will be more plump, juicy, and soft.

Softening is a developmentally programmed ripening process, associated with biochemical changes in cell wall fractions involving hydrolytic processes resulting in breakdown of cell-wall polymers such as cellulose, hemicelluloses and pectin etc.

As your experiment showed, you can use one to soften an underripe fruit, but you can't accurately say you've ripened it. And you didn't mention this, but I'm betting your nuked pear — although softened — didn't really taste ripe. But okay: You were able to eat it and avoid waste, and that's a win.

Ethylene, a gaseous plant hormone that enhances fruit ripening and can be produced by the fruit itself, plays an important role in fruit flavor development during postharvest. High ethylene levels during storage enhance the development of aroma volatiles, but make fruit become soft and last less in storage.

Fruit can be marinated by soaking it in a mixture of sugar and liqueur or fruit juice. The mixture is then set aside to soften and release its natural juices. This is known as macerating.

How to make dried fruit softer? ›

For evenly moist rehydrated fruit without much extra liquid, put fruit in a bowl or jar and add 1/2 cup cool water for each 1 cup dried fruit. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate overnight, mixing well several times.

Make sure foods are well dehydrated

Some items, like pineapple are still going to feel a little bit sticky even when dehydrated properly. If your dehydrated food feels soft, spongy, or sticky it's probably not dehydrated enough. Put the product back in for additional time. Hard and crunchy or breakable pieces are done.

Rehydrate the fruits: Dried fruits can be quite hard and dry, so it's often a good idea to rehydrate them before adding them to your baked goods. To do this, simply soak the dried fruits in warm water or fruit juice for 15-20 minutes until they are plump and tender.

Rehydrate the fruits: Dried fruits can be quite hard and dry, so it's often a good idea to rehydrate them before adding them to your baked goods. To do this, simply soak the dried fruits in warm water or fruit juice for 15-20 minutes until they are plump and tender.

Cover fruit with water or fruit juice and place in the microwave. Cook until the liquid boils and then let stand 5-10 minutes to plump. Once moisture has been returned to dried fruits, they are quite perishable and should be used soon or refrigerated.

If your dehydrated food feels soft, spongy, or sticky it's probably not dehydrated enough. Put the product back in for additional time. Hard and crunchy or breakable pieces are done.