In the interest of scientific research on what happens to apples when they are dehydrated, I conducted an experiment.
Actually, it was sheer curiosity that prompted the study: apples needed drying anyway.
To proceed: 4 apples were cored and weighed before dehydration. Weights ranged from 7 ounces to 7.5 ounces. Apple slices were soaked for about 5-10 minutes in a mixture of lemon juice and water. This pretreatment helped maintain texture and nutrients, and prevent oxidation (the discoloration that occurs during the drying process).
Four dehydrator trays were used, with one apple per tray. This ensured a more accurate post-dry apple weight. The trays were placed in the dehydrator in the order in which the apples were weighed.
- Tray 1: 7.25 ounces
- Tray 2: 7.50 oz.
- Tray 3: 7.00 oz.
- Tray 4: 7.50 oz.
The apples were dried at a temperature of 135 degrees for approximately 13 hours. After dehydration, each apple was weighed again. The trays were removed from the dehydrator in the order in which the apples were first weighed.
- Tray 1: 1.25 ounces*
- Tray 2: 1.25 ounces
- Tray 3: 1.00 oz.
- Tray 4: 1.25 ounces
*rounded to the nearest .25 ounces; actual weight was slightly less
On average, each apple lost approximately 16.22% of its original weight, for a total loss of 16.24%. The 4 apples were divided into 9 small bags for easy storage in lunch boxes. They were stored in a pottery jar until needed.
Total cost of apples at $1.99 per pound, cored: $3.64. Lemon juice added a negligible amount. Total cost of dehydrated apples: $0.77 per ounce.
How does that compare to store-bought dried apples?
There was only 1 brand to compare, surprising in such a large supermarket chain. A 2.5-ounce bag of apple chips costs $1.99, or $0.80 per ounce, a total of $0.03 less than homemade.
Before you exclaim that the savings aren’t worth doing your own dehydration, consider what you get for your money.
- Both the homemade and store-bought apples were of the Golden Delicious variety.
- Homemade apple chips consisted of apples pre-treated with lemon juice and water.
- The store-bought apple chips consisted of apples; safflower, sunflower and/or canola oil; corn syrup; sugar; dextrose; citric acid; ascorbic acid; malic acid; and natural flavor.
What’s in your lunchbox?
Disclaimer: Because the subjects used in this study were very limited, any conclusions may be inapplicable to other situations. Results will vary, depending on how much juice is left in the apples, the brands available to compare, and the price of apples in your area.