28
votes
Why consume DRIED apricots within 21 days?
I would be cautious but not overly so
The risks are low
First of all, dried fruit are not a breeding ground for pathogenic bacteria due to the low water content. They might spoil but, according to ...
- 399
27
votes
Why consume DRIED apricots within 21 days?
As far as food safety goes, you should listen to the package.
These are not just dried fruit. They are "partially rehydrated dried apricots". Once you begin to rehydrate (or if you don't ...
- 9,092
8
votes
Why consume DRIED apricots within 21 days?
I just got the following response from the manufacturer. Makes sense and aligns with the other answers!
Refrigeration is not necessary for standard dried apricots. However, our Apricots have a higher ...
- 439
8
votes
Accepted
Is 3 days too long to soak dried fruit for my fruitcake?
The Christmas cake recipe I use (from Mary Berry's Fast Cakes) soaks the fruit in sherry for 3 days (and doesn't call for refrigeration). It comes to no harm at all. I have tried less time, and that'...
- 45.8k
5
votes
Accepted
What does North American mixed dried fruit contain?
From a Google search, I found several brands of mixed dry fruits available in the US. Some do contain raisins and/or currants, but not most. Typically, they contain apricots, apples, peaches, plums, ...
- 58.7k
3
votes
How are commercially dried cranberries dried?
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 ...
- 31
3
votes
Accepted
How to replace sugar with dry fruit in a cake recipe?
This will definitely require some experimentation on your part. As a starting point, I recommend comparing the sugar content of the fruit to the sugar content of sugar. Below, I use dates as an ...
- 3,148
3
votes
Plum cake recipe
Without butter creamed into the sugar (soft but not melted), there is almost nothing to give the cake structure. A pound cake would have 200g to 250g of flour and 4 eggs. Even supposing 4 eggs in the ...
- 2,396
3
votes
Is 3 days too long to soak dried fruit for my fruitcake?
I once macerated dried fruit in rum for a fruitcake. I forgot about the bowl in the back of the fridge and it must have been at least several months before I made the cake, which turned out great. I ...
3
votes
Accepted
How to avoid having pith on dried orange peels
Try gently scraping with a spoon or non-serrated knife, if you want to remove more pith. However, that looks pretty good to me. Your recipe for drying has you finely chopping the peel. So, I would ...
- 78.1k
3
votes
Accepted
Plums are sour. Why are prunes sweet?
Prunes are made from specific varieties of plums which are different than many plums eaten fresh, though they are also often available and eaten fresh. When picked as fresh fruit however, they are ...
- 8,682
2
votes
Can sun dried tomatoes be eaten without rehydrating?
I eat them (dried, no oil) as a snack. I'm fairly obsolete as being a child goes.
Depending what I'm making I may also rehydrate them to an extent (balsamic vinegar rather than water can be nice for ...
- 19.7k
2
votes
What is the best way to rehydrate dried cherries for a sauce if it has absorbed surrounding flavors?
We can't speak to you perception of any off flavors, but the best way to re-hydrate (and perhaps is obvious) is to soak in water or liquid.
- 78.1k
2
votes
Accepted
Why boil mixture when soaking fruit in alcohol for churn-free ice cream
I see a couple of reasons for bringing the small amount of rum and the raisins to a boil. First, this process will plump the raisins fairly quickly. Secondly, much of the alcohol will evaporate. ...
- 78.1k
2
votes
Plum cake recipe
just because some earlier experiments in removing eggs from an egg-based cake recipe succeeded does not mean it always will. Eggs play different roles in different cakes. I think here it plays in ...
2
votes
What does North American mixed dried fruit contain?
Even UK recipes do this. See for example the Christmas cake recipe in Fast cakes by Mary Berry. And UK mixed dried fruit is quite variable (the cheapest is mostly currants, peel is optional and listed ...
- 45.8k
2
votes
Accepted
Should raisins be washed before eating?
Raisins do not need to be washed. However, there are plenty of applications where a soak in water, wine, or other alcohol is called for. This plumps the raisins a bit.
- 78.1k
2
votes
Why are stems common in packaged raisins but uncommon in breakfast cereals?
I've noticed a difference between raisin brands in the past. Given my habit of alternating weekly shops between the close/cheap supermarket and the well-stocked one I'd choose to buy them at the ...
- 45.8k
1
vote
What are "processed dates", are they ready to eat or just easy to wash?
These are ready to eat, there's no need to wash them.
"Processed" means they're washed, dried, sorted, the ones with bugs removed, sometimes preservatives are added, they're rehydrated if ...
- 111
1
vote
non-grain options in sourdough starter
It is not uncommon to use pineapple juice, grapes...berries...really all sorts of fruits, as a source of yeast/bacteria for a sourdough starter. Dried fruit, such as apricot is also used. So, there ...
- 78.1k
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