Dried Tomatoes - cheating the sun with an oven

whistler-alison

Hi - several times on TV I have seen chefs make their own sun blush tomatoes - I think I saw James Martin talk about it just a few weeks ago. I know it involved putting the tomatoes in a long slow oven until they started to dry out (presumably you could carry on until they changed into sun dried). Does anyone have any idea of temprature and how long it would take. I don't want to pay out for one of those expensive jars of tomatoes in oil. Thanks

Pink.

Hi whistler-alison,

Is this recipe by Antony Worral Thompson any use to you: Oven-dried tomatoes

Pink

whistler-alison

Yes - that's it! Perfect. Thanks. I did actually search on the BBC but couldn't find it:rolleyes2

carrottopsuk

I love eating Sainsbury's sunblush tomatoes on bread.

I noticed that the recipe is for oven dried tomatoes. Has anyone tried it?

Is the result more like sun dried tomatoes or sun blush tomatoes?

Thanks

whistler-alison

Hi - I tried it the other night, though I only did three tomatoes and used ordinary ones rather than plum. They seem to be OK. They are not like the really dry ones you get - more like the ones you get in oil in the jars - slightly squidgy apart from one which seems a bit over done. So I'd say more like sun blush. I put them in the oven at 8.30 and at 10.30 I really wanted to go to bed, so I cranked the oven up to full for a couple of minutes and then turned it off and left them in there overnight to cook in the residual heat. They are now sitting in my fridge for me to make some foccacia bread tonight with. I picked a bit off of one of them and it was nice and sweet. But I had to get to work so just shoved them in the fridge. I'll have a closer look tonight. Perhaps try them and look at them after two hours because a sun blush tomato is just one that hasn't been dried as much.

carrottopsuk

Thanks Whistler Alison.

I'll have to try them. They sound delicious.

Thanks again

Chip_Butty_3

We have the inevitable glut of Tomatoes at the moment & have managed to make lots of Chutney. A friend suggested drying them in an oven. Has anyone got any experience of doing this ?
I need to know a rough temperature to set the oven to, a timescale & what if anything to add to them, ie. Olive Oil etc.
Ta very much.

Pink.

Hi Chip_Butty,

From any recipes I have read, they are meant to be dried at a very low temperature.....have a look at this thread.

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wendyjb

I did oven dried tomatoes last year. Ideally they should be done overnight, but mine took about 6 hours.
I had the oven on the very lowest setting, which was actually just the warming setting, also if they do look like they are browning too fast without drying out sufficiently, leave the oven door ajar just to slow it all down.
I just piled mine into sterilised jars and topped up with olive oil.
I think i may also have added some chopped basil and garlic, but can't remember.
When they're done, do not store them in the fridge. Else the oil starts to solidify.
HTH

sheng719

Hiya all!!! Recently I discovered this gorgeous sunblushed tomatoes in olive oil with garlic and mixed herbs which is really great to put into salads...It was a bit dear. Anyone out there know how to make them? If someone could explain how to make the sunblushed tomatoes, then it would be just easy for me to make them. all suggestions, comments, and ideas will be greatly appreciated. Thanks and have a nice day!!!:p

madmum33

I would imagine you could make them by partly drying your tomatoes in a low oven for a few hours?