How to Dry Tomatoes?

With the global demand for natural and healthy ingredients continuing to grow, dried tomatoes, a food with rich flavor, versatile uses, and easy storage, are showing tremendous market potential. Jinlu Machinery offers a detailed introduction to dried tomatoes for those interested in this process:

I.Pre-treatment

Scientific pre-treatment before drying is essential for ensuring yield and quality.

Preferred Varieties: We recommend Roma and plum tomatoes, which have firm flesh and small seed nests. These plump varieties are high in sugar and pectin, resulting in a high yield and a rich flavor after drying.

Peeling and Seeding (Critical Step): Peeling the tomatoes is highly recommended. The skin becomes tough after drying, affecting the taste. Blanching in boiling water followed by soaking in ice water makes peeling easier. Furthermore, scraping out the seeds and some of the juice inside significantly reduces drying time and improves efficiency.

Uniform Cutting: Slice the tomatoes into uniform slices, 0.6 to 1.2 cm thick. Consistent thickness is key to ensuring all slices dry evenly at the same time, avoiding overdrying or underdrying.

II.How to Choose the Most Suitable Drying Solution?

Depending on your production scale and investment budget, there are three main options:

①. Small Businesses and Home-Based Workshops: Oven Solution

Suitable for: Customers with small production volumes and limited initial investment.

Key Operation Tips: Use the lowest temperature of a home oven (approximately 90°C-100°C) and always enable the hot air circulation function. The key technique is to hold the oven door closed with a wooden spoon, leaving a gap to allow steam to escape and prevent the tomatoes from being “steamed” rather than dried.

Advantages: Low equipment cost and easy startup.

Disadvantages: Relatively high energy consumption, limited batch production, and the need for close manual monitoring.

②. Specialized Production and Scale Benefits: Dedicated Dryer Solution

Suitable for: Customers planning commercial, mass production.

Key Operation Tips: Use Jinlu Machinery’s professional food (or fruit and vegetable) dryers. Lay the pre-processed tomato slices in a single layer on a tray and set the temperature between 55°C and 65°C. This temperature range best preserves the tomatoes’ natural color and flavor while significantly saving energy.

Advantages: Low energy consumption, high efficiency, uniform drying, and consistent quality. Multiple layers can be dried simultaneously, and unit costs decrease significantly as production increases.

Decision Recommendation: If you plan long-term, high-volume production, investing in one or more professional dryers offers the highest return.

III. Storage and Sales

Sealed Packaging: Place in food-grade sealed bags or vacuum-pack and store in a cool, dark place.

Oil-Immersed Preservation: Place the finished product in glass jars and completely submerge them in olive oil. Flavoring may be added to taste, such as herbs or garlic. Products produced using this method require refrigeration and can be sold directly as high-end products.

Jinlu Machinery’s professional dryers are dedicated to the drying industry, putting our customers first and striving to maximize their profits.