BY means of an evaporator, or drier, a number of fruit and vegetables may be preserved by the removal of the moisture which they contain. Quite cheap evaporators are now to be obtained, such as the Quorn, of Messrs. Lumley, of the Minories, London. As the makers of the various evaporating appliances supply full instructions for their use, it is not necessary here to give more than the briefest summary of the treatment to be adopted in drying one or two typical fruits and vegetables.

The method of preparing apples to be evaporated is as follows:—

After the apples have been pared, cored, and sliced, they are placed in a tub of perfectly clean water, containing a small quantity of salt, which prevents oxidation and discoloration. They are then cut once vertically, and all bruises, specks, and parings trimmed away to produce the well-known apple-rings of commerce. These are placed thinly on one of the trays of the evaporator and entered at the lower end of the upper flue. Sometimes a little sulphur may be sprinkled on the furnace with great advantage for the purpose of bleaching the rings. The first tray remains in the position just mentioned until the second tray is ready to be placed under the first tray which will be in four or five minutes; the third tray is then filled in the usual manner, and placed under the second tray, and when the fourth tray is ready the first three trays are pushed forward in the flue, and the fourth tray takes the place of No. 1, and so on until the top flue is full. On the arrival of the first tray at the upper end of the flue, the contents are examined, and those that are sufficiently dried are removed, and the remainder turned over and returned down the lower and cooler flue. In many cases, one tray will hold the whole of the contents (which are nearly dried) of two or three trays, the empty ones being taken away to be again filled with fresh fruit. The degree of heat used for drying apples is from 175° to 240° F.; and the time occupied varies from two to four hours, according to the variety of the apple, but from two to two and a half hours is the usual time. Whole apples require a much longer time, eight to ten hours, according to size and variety.

Plums are dried in the same manner, except that they are placed in the evaporator at once. They should be graded according to size, and be uniformly ripe. During the process of evaporation plums ought to be removed from the evaporator once or twice for the purpose of cooling them and toughening the skin, and so prevent bursting, which they are liable to do, because the skin does not allow the moisture in the fruit to freely escape when first placed in the machine. As soon as the plums commence to shrivel all danger of bursting is past, and they may then remain in the evaporator until dry. The time required for plums is from six to ten hours, and the temperature requisite 240° to 300° F. Plums may be steamed for a few minutes and then split in half, thus entirely dispensing with the cooling process, and considerably reducing the length of time required in drying. 100 pounds of fresh plums will give about 30 pounds of dried.

Apricots are simply cut in two, the stones being taken out, and the fruit then dried just like apples, at from 240° to 250° F. They take from two to three hours to dry. From 100 pounds of the fresh fruit, 10 to 12 pounds of dried will result.

Pears for drying purposes ought not to be quite ripe. They are peeled, and either dried whole, or, more generally, are divided, and the seed-vessels cut out, the stems being left on. They then require steaming for eight or ten minutes, and are filled in from the bottom upwards. The temperature used is 212° to 240° F., and the pears will take five to seven hours to dry if divided, or seven to nine hours if whole. From 100 pounds of fresh pears 12 to 16 pounds of dried ones will be obtained. When preparing the pears before drying, the flavour will be improved if a little sugar be added to the water in which they are cooked, and to this may be put the juice of the removed seed-vessels and peelings.

Vegetables require, in addition to the peeling, slicing, or cutting up, to be steamed or cooked for five to seven minutes before they are dried. This is necessary in order to keep their colour and to prevent their becoming hard. When dried on a small scale the cooking in boiling water is generally sufficient. Like apples, vegetables are always filled in from below upwards.

French beans are cut into strips by a special machine, and cooked for a few minutes. A little soda added to the water helps to preserve their bright green colour. The time required for drying is from three-quarters to one hour. Temperature 150° to 160° F. 100 pounds of fresh beans giving 10 to 12 pounds of dry.

Peas require simply shelling and a few minutes’ cooking. They should not be quite ripe, and are laid thinly on the trays. They take from one to one and a half hours to dry. Temperature 212° to 220° F. 100 pounds of green pods will yield about 10 to 12 pounds of dried peas.