To make dried mangoes, you first need to prepare the fruit by carefully cutting the flesh away from the pit. This preparation is essential before the mango slices can be dried.
Preparing Mangoes for Drying
The initial and crucial step in making dried mangoes involves separating the sweet, edible flesh from the large, central pit of the mango. This is a standard practice regardless of the drying method used, including drying at home without a dehydrator.
Cutting Around the Pit
When preparing the mango, you will encounter the pit, which often looks kind of like a flat football. The process focuses on efficiently removing the flesh while minimizing waste.
Here's how to approach the cutting based on the reference:
- Locate the Pit: Identify the orientation of the flat, oval pit inside the mango.
- Slice Along the Pit: Carefully cut around that pit using a sharp knife. Make slices that run parallel to the flat sides of the pit.
- Maximize Flesh: Your aim is to get as much meat as you can off the pit and the surrounding areas. Trim any remaining flesh from the pit after the main cheeks have been removed.
Once the flesh is successfully separated from the pit, it is typically sliced into uniform pieces to ensure even drying. These slices are then subjected to a drying process, which, as suggested by the reference title, can be done using methods other than a dedicated dehydrator, such as oven drying or air drying. The specific drying technique will determine the temperature, time, and resulting texture of the dried mangoes.
