Dried orange slices: how to make them, and when to just buy them

Dried orange slices show up on cocktails, Christmas wreaths, cheeseboards and cake tops, and they are perfectly possible to make at home. They are also the sort of job that looks simple on a video and takes most of a Sunday in a real kitchen.

Here is how to do it properly, what usually goes wrong, and an honest comparison at the end.

The oven method

You need firm oranges, a sharp knife and patience.

1. Slice thinly and evenly, around 3 to 5mm. Uneven slices are the main reason a batch fails, because the thin ones scorch while the thick ones stay wet.
2. Blot both sides with paper towel. The drier they start, the better the colour.
3. Lay them on a rack over an oven tray, not flat on the tray, so air moves underneath.
4. Bake at 90 to 100°C for 3 to 4 hours. Fan bake if you have it, and wedge the oven door open with a wooden spoon so moisture escapes.
5. Turn them every hour. Miss this and the undersides go brown.
6. Cool completely on the rack. They crisp as they cool, so do not judge them straight out of the oven.

The dehydrator method

Better results, less babysitting. Set it to 57 to 60°C and leave the slices for 8 to 12 hours, rotating the trays once if your machine dries unevenly. The lower temperature is why dehydrator slices keep more colour than oven ones.

Why home batches go brown

Four reasons, in order of how often they happen:

• The oven is too hot. Most home ovens run 10 to 20 degrees above the dial, and anything over about 110°C caramelises the sugars.
• Moisture cannot escape, so the slices stew instead of drying. Prop the door open.
• The slices are too thick, so the outside dries while the middle is still wet, and that middle later goes dark.
• They were not dried all the way. Any moisture left behind will darken them within a week, and in a humid Waikato summer it can turn to mould.

Storing them

Airtight jar, dark cupboard, away from the stove. If your slices are properly dry they will last several months. If they feel even slightly bendy in the middle, put them back in for another hour, because that is the batch that spoils.

What it actually costs

A kilo of oranges makes roughly 25 to 30 usable slices if the batch goes well, and most first batches lose some to browning or scorching. Add the power for three or four hours of oven time, and the afternoon it takes.

Our dried orange slices are $12 for an 8 slice pouch, or $23 for a 40g pouch. They are dried slowly in small batches in the Waikato, which is how they keep the bright colour, and they are sorted so every slice is presentable enough to sit on the rim of a glass.

So the honest answer is this. If you enjoy the process, have a dehydrator and want a big batch for wreaths or gifts, make them. If you want 8 good-looking slices for a party on Saturday, buying them costs about the same as the oranges and saves you the afternoon.

If your batch does not work out

Browned slices are still fine in mulled wine or baked into something, so do not throw them away. And if you want the look without the gamble, we also sell Citrus Seconds, which are our slightly imperfect slices at a lower price. They are the ones with a small blemish or a bend, and in a drink nobody notices.

Otherwise, the full dried fruit range has lemon, lime, orange, blood orange, strawberry, raspberry and red kiwifruit, all made here and shipped New Zealand wide.