Oven-Dried Tomatoes

That's my project today. I have sliced plum tomatoes covered with oregano and basil on parchment paper on a baking sheet in the oven.

We use a lot of sun-dried tomatoes in bread doughs, in salads, and with meat and vegetable dishes. Pasta dishes, too. Wonderful on pizza! So I figured I'd try to dry some in the oven and see what happens.

If it works out, I'll put olive oil in a small jar, add some dried tomatoes and more herbs and they ought to be pretty darn good if I store them in the fridge for awhile.

The rest of them I'll throw in the freezer and pull them out in slices as I need them.

Never tried this before so I hope it works!

I remember being astonished when I learned back in high school that tomatoes have a higher water content than milk does...

I like the way you are always trying new things, using vegetables you've grown yourself. Bravo!

If it works, show us how it came out, how you bottled it up, and what it looks like, etc.

It worked! I did take pictures and will post them. Rick and I were standing in the kitchen, eating dried tomato slices...they're really good. As fast as I was taking the finished slices from the cookie sheet, Rick was munching on them. Some of the slices got too dark, but we were eating them anyway. I did get some into a jar with some olive oil and herbs. The rest I put into a freezer bag and tossed them into the freezer to use later. I'm going to do more when we get more ripened tomatoes. (Yesterday afternoon, we had enough ripe tomatoes that I was able to cook down some tomato sauce for the freezer....it takes a lot of tomatoes just for one quart of sauce.)

I'm sorry. I know that not many of you are into cooking and into food the way I am and I apologize for being so excited about trying new things. I just find it so intriguing to do this stuff and to have foods that I've prepared instead of buying them. I get very interested in doing things in the kitchen and I like to share the things I've learned. I'm really not trying to be a Betty Crocker or a Martha Stewart; I just like working in my kitchen.

I'll post the pictures when I get home from work.

That sounds delicious, and like something I'd like to try with my tomato addicted daughter. What's the temperature and for how long do you bake the tomato slices?

Oooh they sound good! I never thought of doing that before.
Keep posting your cooking adventures; lots of us are actually interested!
Just our of curiosity, how many tomatoes does it take to make a quart of sauce?

Yay post those pictures! I can't wait!

Originally Posted by MiLu

That sounds delicious, and like something I'd like to try with my tomato addicted daughter. What's the temperature and for how long do you bake the tomato slices?

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Yes, I would like to know this too. I have tomato plants that are just loaded and when they ripen I'll need to find a way to use them.

Sounds great! Do you think I could oven dry cherry tomatoes? If so, how? I have lots and lots of them still.

Yes, you can dry grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes. And they are delicious.

Basically, preheat your oven to about 225 degrees (I went to 250 and I think the next time, I'll take it only to 225 degrees because I had some brown slices). Halve your tomatoes. Put them on parchment paper on a large cookie sheet. Sprinkle with some basil and oregano, maybe some salt and pepper....not a lot! You want to taste the tomato, not the herbs!

Bake, uncovered, for about 3 hours or until they're dry, but not crispy or brown. They can be just a bit juicy, if you want. It depends on how your oven works, too; some ovens are faster than others.

Let them cool, then place them in a freezer bag and toss them in your freezer. Or place them in a jar with olive oil and the herbs of your choice and place them in the fridge until you're ready to use them. Use them in pasta, on top of pizza, in salads. Use them to stuff a chicken breast (please! You'll be so glad you did!)

I just love tomatoes!

And here are my pictures....keep in mind, they are not perfect by any stretch. But it's my first time!

Raw tomatoes, cored....I sliced them about 1/4-inch thick.



After drying in the oven....they are so good. You don't want them as brown as what some of these are. (Brown yes, but still quite good.)



I put some slices into a jar of olive oil, basil and oregano, with just a wee bit of marjoram thrown in, too. I did not use sugar or salt and pepper. The rest went into a freezer bag.



And here's the jar. There aren't too many left anymore. Since Saturday, Rick has been getting into the jar and snacking on them. (You should keep your jar in the fridge. It may cloud the oil, but it will be OK. I hesitate to leave it in the pantry at room temperature.)



Oh, and do you need an idea of how to use your tomatoes? How about this? Yeast rolls made with dried tomatoes....right before I put a very thin coat of butter on them. They are delicious.



Thank you for looking! And thanks so much for reading my cooking posts!

Oh, great pics and descriptions. This is now at the top of my to-do list

Do you have a regular or convction oven?

It is a convection oven, but I didn't use convection on the tomatoes.

I usually use convection when I'm in a hurry to get dinner on the table, but that's about the only time. I have used it when making large batches of cookies.

I hope you try the tomatoes.

I remember when I oven dried for the first time and opened the oven to check the vast amounts of steam that came from the oven! I froze all of the ones I did and toss them into chili and various other dishes that call for tomatoes.

I also tried oven drying cherries but it didn't work very well.

I'm really enjoying your posts. This year we have joined forces with SIL and have pickled green beans (84 pints) tuna (34 1/2 pints. Next weekend we are planning on freezing corn and the next week-end canning tomatos and tomato juice. It's so much fun doing it as a team besides feeling good about processing your own food!

Originally Posted by spudsmom

I'm really enjoying your posts. This year we have joined forces with SIL and have pickled green beans (84 pints) tuna (34 1/2 pints. Next weekend we are planning on freezing corn and the next week-end canning tomatos and tomato juice. It's so much fun doing it as a team besides feeling good about processing your own food!

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I am impressed....and I mean that. That's a lot of food. Where are you storing your food? In the basement? I've asked DH to build me a larger pantry in our basement so that I have room for jars and such. I've tomato sauce, but haven't tried canning it yet. I like the idea of doing juice, too, as I go through a lot of tomato juice in a year.

Are you growing your vegetables? And how did you can tuna???

Gail, DH is thinking about getting a dehydrator. He's getting intrigued with drying foods as a way to preserve them, basically tomatoes, maybe some apples. Bananas. Wonderful for baking.

When I had a dehydrator I dried zucchini and made my own fruit leather.

For tomatoes I make my own catsup, pizza sauce and BBQ sauce and paste. I used to make pasta sauce but now just chunk up tomatoes and process them.

I'm going to freeze come corn and green beans later today. They are picked and ready to go.

Originally Posted by Winchester

I am impressed....and I mean that. That's a lot of food. Where are you storing your food? In the basement? I've asked DH to build me a larger pantry in our basement so that I have room for jars and such. I've tomato sauce, but haven't tried canning it yet. I like the idea of doing juice, too, as I go through a lot of tomato juice in a year.

Are you growing your vegetables? And how did you can tuna???

Gail, DH is thinking about getting a dehydrator. He's getting intrigued with drying foods as a way to preserve them, basically tomatoes, maybe some apples. Bananas. Wonderful for baking.

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We have three bedrooms and there is only 2 of us, so we actually have a room to store our treasures. (The cats have their own room also)

We bought the beans locally as we live in a farming area.

We bought the tuna fresh from the boat on the dock at Newport, OR. They filleted it for us there. BIL did a quick smoke of 3/4 and the rest was plain. Added some non-iodized salt and olive oil and then pressure cooked it. It is amazing. Our only mistake was not buying more tuna. We'll keep that in mind for next year, or may do another batch before tuna season is over.

Hopefully our tomatoes will be ripe when we do those. Otherwise we will buy those, but splitting the cost between 2 families and buying local, right off the farm, still makes it economical for us. Plus we know what is going in our food.

We would have corn from the BIL garden, but his goats got in it and ate those along with the tomatoes and the tops of his carrots. Ate every ear of corn and every tomato including the plants!

We only have a side by side fridge. But My MIL is in assisted living and we are using her freezer to store our goodies, what we can't fit in ours.

I appreciate hearing your success stories on preserving. The tip on tomatoes is awesome!!

Originally Posted by Winchester

...I'm sorry. I know that not many of you are into cooking and into food the way I am and I apologize for being so excited about trying new things. I just find it so intriguing...

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So do we! Please don't apologize -- your culinary adventures are SO MUCH FUN! And you've inspired me... I've only had sun-dried tomatoes once in my life (over pasta at the Albion River Inn, just south of Mendocino, California, overlooking the rocky Pacific coast ), and they were so good! Now you've got me excited about drying some of my own...

And your yeast rolls... oh my gosh...

I keep waiting for you to post your address with an invitation for dinner.