Drying Figs? No fan oven!

Firemunchkin

Hi all - I've been given some figs off my friend's tree and I wanted to dry them (they're not the nicest to eat fresh sadly) and later put them in a fig & honey cake for Christmas.

I looked up how to dry figs in an oven - so they've been blanched for 30 seconds then straight into an ice bath, then drained and dried. They've been in my electric oven (non fan assist) for about 18 hours at about 50/60 degree C.

But they're just not looking like they're dry! There is quite a lot of liquid around them and some of them are looking a bit soggy. A few of them have gone harder and leathery - which I think is what I'm looking for?

I initially had them on a sheet of baking paper (as one guide instructed) but as the liquid was turning the paper wet, I'm putting them back in this morning on a roasting rack to see if that works better.

Has anyone done this before in a non-fan assist oven? Any tips on what I should be looking out for or any changes I need to make? Or should I just give up? I'm a novice at this so be nice please!

[Deleted User]

Things always take lots longer to dry than you would think, even in a dehydrator and figs are quite thick and fleshy aren't they. Even apple slices take at least a day in a purpose built dehydrator so figs might take a few days in the cool oven before they are properly dried. Are you drying them whole? if so and you want to speed up the process it might help to cut them into quarters at this stage, smaller pieces dry more quickly. Hope that's useful, Lyn x.