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I'm trying to clarify how exactly commercially available dried cranberries, like craisins, are dried.

I'm specifically trying to research the topic to understand the processes involved, in order to determine if the cranberries are considered to be "cooked" according to Jewish law (which doesn't necessarily correspond to a scientific or culinary definition of the word "cooked.") Whether or not the cranberries are considered "cooked" has numerous ramifications, which are beyond the scope of this forum.

The questions involved are:

  1. What temperature is used? I'm trying to get as exact as possible, as even a 5 degree difference can be significant.
  2. Are the cranberries dried using dry heat? Or are they dried using moist air, in effect more cooking the berries than drying them?
  3. Is there a difference between different companies, or regions?
  4. Is there a difference whether the cranberries are sweetened with sugar vs. sweetened with apple juice?

I've seen sites discussing home-drying cranberries, like this one, but the sites specifically say that the process used commercially is different.

When discussing this topic in various rabbinic forums, I've received different answers, but no one had any hard (sourced) facts to share. That's why I'm trying to obtain sourced answers to help clarify this.

Thank you so much!

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    Ocean Spray does use a commercial dryer that uses a dry heat to dehydrate the cranberries to make their Craisin brand dried cranberries. The details of that process are likely not punished due to being considered proprietary.
    – AMtwo
    Jun 26, 2020 at 2:34
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    Ocean Spray brand products are certified as Kosher Pareve by Triangle K. Given your specific concerns, you might try considering contacting them to see if they have enough details on the process to answer your question
    – AMtwo
    Jun 26, 2020 at 2:36
  • @AMtwo triangle K is not considered reliable by many people.
    – mroll
    Jun 26, 2020 at 7:32
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    Drying is removing moisture, you can't dry food with moist air.
    – GdD
    Jun 26, 2020 at 13:51
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    Not sure which part your trying to figure out but you need to be aware that many dried cranberry factories use grape products on the same lines.
    – mroll
    Jun 26, 2020 at 16:14

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Not sure if you are still looking for an answer, but this paper may give you one

At Oceanspray, the cranberries are frozen, sliced, and have 10% of their juice removed. The juice is then sweetened and injected back into the berries. They are then dried in a three step process, with temps of 260˚F, 230˚F, and 200˚F.

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