Dried and dried cranberries: recipes, calories

“The benefits and harms of dried cranberries, as well as dried berries”, “who and when should eat them”, “are there those who need to refrain from eating them”? Let’s try to answer all these questions. Fresh berries, including cranberries, cannot always be preserved for a long time; drying and drying is a great way to extend the period of their use.

The benefits and harms of dried cranberries

Nutritionists believe that dried cranberries retain all their beneficial properties, provided that the drying process is carried out correctly. The loss of water at the same time increases the quantitative content of vitamins and minerals: potassium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium. The vitamin composition of dried cranberries is quite rich in terms of quality. It contains B vitamins, ascorbic acid, vitamins K and E, beta-carotene and vitamin A. Their number is not large and covers only a small fraction of the daily requirement of the human body.

But the main value of the berry is not in them. Cranberries contain powerful antioxidants that can fight free radicals that are formed in the body during the oxidation of various substances. They are especially necessary for a person during infectious and other diseases. Proanthocyanidins, which are also abundant in both fresh and dried cranberries, do not allow bacteria to concentrate on the walls of the organs of the urinary system and on tooth enamel.

The positive effect of this berry on the body is difficult to overestimate:

• oncoprotective effect – by inactivating free radicals, antioxidants prevent the formation of tumors;
• flavonoids help to remove harmful cholesterol from the body, cleansing and strengthening blood vessels;
• dried cranberries help in the treatment of inflammation of the urinary tract, they are especially effective for cystitis;
• Dietary fiber helps to improve the functioning of the digestive tract.
  
  Attention! There is evidence that dried cranberries are effective in the treatment of gastric and duodenal ulcers.
• it improves the functioning of joints, serves as a prevention of osteoporosis, strengthens nails and hair;
• excellent prophylactic against caries;
• has an antibiotic and antiviral effect, so it is useful for colds and flu;
• saves from varicose veins and prevents blood clots from forming;
• normalizes blood clotting;
• strengthens the nervous system.

Like any other product, dried cranberries should be consumed in moderation. It is absolutely contraindicated only for those who are allergic to this berry. You should not give it to young children, patients in the stage of exacerbation of peptic ulcer, with gastritis with high acidity of gastric juice.

In order for berries, dried or dried, to bring only benefits and not lose their properties, they must be properly prepared.

How to dry cranberries

There are several ways to dry this healing berry:

• outdoors;
• in the oven with or without pre-blanching;
• in special dryers;
• in the microwave.

Whichever method is chosen for drying or drying, the berries are pre-sorted, washed and dried on a paper towel.

Consider each drying method in more detail.

1. Natural drying. It will require a warm, dry and well-ventilated room: an attic or a balcony, subject to good weather. It is enough just to spread the prepared berries on paper in a thin layer and mix them from time to time. The process is quite lengthy, but the benefits of such dried cranberries are maximum.

   

2. In the oven. This method allows you to get dried cranberries faster, but it is more laborious. Berries are laid out on a baking sheet covered with parchment and sent to the oven with a temperature of 45 ° C. As soon as the cranberries are dried, you can increase the temperature to 60-70 ° C, but for the benefit of the product, it is better not to do this.
   
   Advice! To make cranberries dry faster, every 2 hours the parchment must be replaced with a new one. If you slightly open the oven door, the process will go faster due to air convection.
3. You can blanch the berries before drying for a minute in boiling water, and then cool and dry. Berries with cracked skin do not require such a long exposure in the oven, but some of the nutrients will remain in boiling water.
   
   Advice! To obtain cranberries of a sweet taste, they are soaked in sugar syrup for 4 hours before drying.
4. In the dryer. An electric dryer is a great way to get dried cranberries. To do this, the temperature regime is set to 55 ° C on the device.
   
   Important! It must be remembered that the lower tier dries out faster, so the pallets will have to be swapped several times.
5. The fastest way to get dried cranberries is to use the microwave. Prepared berries are laid out on a wire rack, placing a cotton cloth under them. Cranberries are dried in several cycles, including the device for 3 minutes with a minute break, not forgetting to stir. Everything usually takes 15 to 20 minutes.
   
   Important! With any method of drying, the finished berry should not stick to your hands.

dried cranberries calories

If dried cranberries were prepared without adding sugar, its calorie content is low – only 28 kcal / 100 g of product. It is perfect for those who are on a diet to lose weight.

Use in cooking

The peculiar sour taste of berries dictates how they are used for cooking. First of all, these are drinks: fruit drinks, teas, kissels, compotes, kvass. It is very appropriate in confectionery, especially in baking. This sour berry is also good for meat in the form of a sauce or an additive when stewing. It will make the original taste of vegetable or fruit salad, porridge or muesli.

One of the recipes for using dried cranberries is presented in the video:

The benefits of dried cranberries

Cranberries can not only be dried, but also dried. The benefits of dried berries are the same as those of dried berries, but there is much more sugar in it. Therefore, patients with diabetes need to use dried cranberries with caution.

How to wither cranberries

Cooking dried cranberries requires special preparation. To do this, choose dense fleshy berries.

• Sugar syrup is made from equal amounts of sugar and water.
• After boiling, it is boiled for 2-3 minutes and sorted and washed cranberries are added. Its ratio with sugar syrup is 1:1.
• You can boil the berries in it until they burst. But when cooked “with aging” they are soaked with sugar much better. To do this, boil the berries over low heat for only 2 minutes. Allow to cool for 3 hours. There should be 3 cook-cool cycles.
• Strained berries (do not pour out the syrup!) Are placed on a baking sheet with baking paper. Next, dried cranberries are prepared in the same way as dried ones. The temperature in the oven should be around 60°C. The process of preparing dried cranberries takes from 8 to 10 hours.

Dried cranberries calories

This dried berry has a considerable calorie content – 308 kcal / 100 g. But this product is not consumed much, so dried cranberries are quite suitable for those who are on a diet, it will help diversify the taste of products.

Cooking application

Dried cranberries are a delicious dessert in and of themselves. Based on it, you can prepare a variety of drinks, add it to pastries, decorate any sweet dish. Dried cranberries with porridge or cottage cheese casserole are good, suitable as a filling for pies in combination with apples or other fruits. You can put dried cranberries with baked pumpkin, it will add a “zest” to gourmet salads.

Storage

Dried cranberries keep well in paper bags, canvas bags or glass jars with plastic lids. The main thing is that the storage room is not damp, then the product is guaranteed not to deteriorate for a year, and usually longer. Dried cranberries are less resistant. But when stored in the dark and at a temperature not exceeding 25 ° C, it remains suitable for a year. And if you put a container with dried berries at the bottom of the refrigerator, this period increases to 2 years.

Candied cranberries

Dry jam or candied fruits can be made from any berries and fruits, cranberries are no exception. Their preparation resembles the preparation of dried berries, but with its own nuances.

You need:

• 2 kg of berries with dense pulp;
• 1400 grams of sugar;
• 400 ml of water;
• 1 lemon.

Preparation:

1. Mix sugar with water and bring the syrup to a boil.
   
   Attention! It must be constantly stirred so that it does not burn.
2. After a couple of minutes, the berries are immersed in it and, having reduced the heat, boil for about 15 minutes.
   
   Important! Time is counted from the moment of boiling.
3. Allow to cool completely and repeat the cooking process, but this time boil for only 10 minutes.
4. Squeeze the juice from the lemon and add at the end of cooking.
5. Transfer to a sieve and allow the liquid to drain completely. It can be used as an impregnation for cakes, diluted with cognac or liquor.
6. Dry the berries by placing them in one layer on a baking sheet. The temperature in the oven is 40 °C. Drying time is approximately 3 hours.

Store in a glass container sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Contraindications and harm

This product contains a lot of sugar, so it is better for patients with diabetes to refrain from it. You should not use it for overweight people – the calorie content of candied fruit is high. If the acidity of the gastric juice is increased, they can be harmful, only aggravating the situation. With caution, this delicacy should be used by people with a diseased liver, with problems with the gallbladder.

Conclusion

The benefits and harms of dried cranberries and dried berries are a topic that worries many housewives. There are very few contraindications to the use of this dried or dried product, for the rest it will bring great health benefits if used in moderation.