It is easiest to work with strong fruits. Too soft and ripe produce a lot of juice, so it will be difficult to cut them neatly. Try to dry oranges not only with orange, but also with red flesh, they also look interesting in the decor.
Take a sharp knife and cut the oranges into 0.3–0.5 cm wide circles. You do not need to make them thicker, otherwise the pieces will not dry properly.
Also take out the bones, otherwise holes may remain in their place later. Blot each slice with a paper towel on both sides to get rid of excess liquid. Make the number of blanks you need and start drying.
Cover the baking sheet with parchment and spread the orange circles on it in one layer. Place it in a preheated 110-120 °C oven on a medium level. The drying process will take about 2-4 hours. Open the oven door briefly every 30 minutes to release excess steam. Also turn the slices over periodically. If they start to burn, you can reduce the temperature.
When the citrus fruits are half dried, you can sprinkle them with powdered sugar, which will give them a bright caramel shade. When the oranges are completely dried, remove them from the oven, transfer them to a tray or cutting board and let cool.
Arrange the oranges in a single layer on a flat plate lined with parchment. Put the dishes in the microwave for 30 seconds. Turn the slices over and turn the timer back on for 30 seconds. Repeat the procedure until the oranges are dry.
Just be careful: the slices can burn very quickly. So this way of creating decor is not the most successful.
Arrange the orange circles on the dryer tray in one layer. If all the citruses do not fit, use several pallets that are stacked on top of each other.
If the device allows you to adjust the temperature, set it at 50-70 °C. If there is no such function, just turn on the dryer. The drying process can take about 8-24 hours and depends on the power of the machine. Periodically check how well the slices have dried. As soon as you are satisfied with the result, turn off the device and take out the oranges.
Lay the foil on the battery, and spread the citrus slices on top in one layer. Turn them over to the other side every 2 hours. This procedure should be done 3-4 times. If you see that the surface of the oranges has tightened and no juice is released, you can remove the foil and put the mugs directly on the battery, so they will dry faster. Usually the process takes no more than 2-3 days and depends on the temperature of the heater. If the heating in your house is very hot, oranges for decoration will be ready in a day.
Thread the needle. Thread orange circles on it at a short distance. You can also dry the slices one at a time. And if you use a beautiful string or ribbon instead of the usual thread, you will immediately receive a ready-made decoration.
Hang the oranges in a dry, warm and well-ventilated place. The drying process takes an average of one to three days. However, unlike other methods, orange slices will not turn out to be so smooth, although this has its own charm.
