When making candied fruit, the water content of the fruit is replaced with sugar. Read more to find out which fruits are suitable for this and which ones are not worth trying.
The shelf life of candied fruit is based on the preservative effect of sugar. In this case, the water in the fruits is replaced with sugar. For this, you need to place the fruits in a concentrated sugar solution.
The density of the sugar in the cells of the fruit is much lower than that of the surrounding solution, so a concentration balance is created on the cell walls: water leaks out and sugar enters. This requires a lot of time, so candying is quite a time-consuming job.
Necessary Ingredients and Tools
- Sugar, water, kitchen scale
- Ripe fruit that is still hard
- Two flat bowls for syrup and for collecting the cooking water
- Grid, ladle, toothpicks
Fruits Suitable for Candying
Ripe fruits that are still hard and have a strong aroma can be used for candying. Overripe or bruised fruit is not suitable for this.
The best are: pineapples, apricots, bananas, pears, cherries, sour cherries, citrus fruits, plums, apples and grapes.
Preparation of Fruits for Candying
- Wash the fruit in hot and then cold water.
- Remove the seeds from the fruit.
- Peel the “hairy” fruits (if you candy unpeeled fruit, make sure to use chemical-free or organic fruits).
- Cut the bigger ones into pieces and pierce the smaller ones.
- Boil the prepared fruits briefly (3-5 minutes), collect the cooking water in a bowl.
Candied fruits can be used to decorate cakes and pastries, and to bake fruit breads. Candied fruit is also ideal as a gift for your loved ones with a sweet tooth, and if you want to enhance the effect even more, you can cover some of them with chocolate.
