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:
- What temperature is used? I'm trying to get as exact as possible, as even a 5 degree difference can be significant.
- Are the cranberries dried using dry heat? Or are they dried using moist air, in effect more cooking the berries than drying them?
- Is there a difference between different companies, or regions?
- 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!