Dried fruits are really tasty, nutritious and easy to use product. They can be used to make compotes or jelly, they are added in the preparation of some second courses, and for children, dried fruits can be an excellent vitamin supplement to morning porridge. That is why they gained popularity in our country several decades ago.
How are dried fruits made? In order to preserve all vitamins in dried form, fresh fruits are laid out in the open air, but not under the rays of the scorching sun, but in a shady place. And this process usually takes several months.
Unfortunately, modern manufacturers are not ready to make such efforts and wait long. Seeking instant profits, they fire dry the fruit by placing it in the oven. But with this method, many vitamins and microelements contained in fruits die, and if garbage or household waste is used instead of high-quality firewood, the product acquires a chemical smell. Therefore, choosing dried fruits in stores or on the market must be very careful. Is it possible now to buy high-quality dried fruits that will bring health benefits, not harm? Yes, if you know some of the rules for their selection.
Dried apricots
Quality dried fruit will never look glossy or slightly damp. On the contrary, they appear dull, wrinkled and never brightly colored. Therefore, when you see a bright orange dried apricots, in no case buy it, because this color is the result of processing the product with sulfur dioxide.
Raisins
Raisins, known to all of us from childhood, are also often exposed by modern manufacturers to chemicals. For example, to make the fruit of the grape larger, it is treated with growth stimulants. The raisins obtained from such fruits look very attractive, they are very large and almost smooth. But how the use of such fruits will affect health, no doctor can predict. It is only clear that such raisins do not carry any benefit. But even if you choose small-sized dried grapes, this still does not guarantee you its quality. If the fruit looks blue-black and its color is too saturated, then it is simply dyed. It's easy to check - just rub a couple of berries in your hands, and the pigment will remain on your palms.
Prunes
PrunesWhen buying prunes, many people prefer large and shiny berries rather than dull and wrinkled fruits. But not everyone thinks about the question of why fruits look so beautiful after drying. Most likely, this prune was watered and treated with vegetable oil. This technique not only makes the product more attractive, but also makes each berry noticeably heavier. And all together this again leads to an increase in the seller's profit.
But no matter what dried fruits you choose, even if you are sure of their quality, be sure to rinse well with water before use, and then soak them in boiled water at room temperature for 15-20 minutes. In this case, most of the harmful substances will be washed out of the fruits, and they will cease to be hazardous to health.