How to dry pumpkin seeds at home

Pumpkin seeds resemble childhood, they have an incredible taste and unique texture. In terms of its features, the product helps to take the hands as well as the beloved sunflower seeds, while the benefits are much greater. A positive characteristic of the product is to contain a large amount of iron, which prevents the risk of developing heart disease and the circulatory system as a whole. Consider the popular methods of drying pumpkin seeds and highlight important aspects.

Important features

1. First of all, it is necessary to clarify that the seeds are located in the pulp of the pumpkin. To conduct the proper drying procedure they must be removed.
2. You can easily separate the pulp from the seeds, most importantly, do not damage their structure. Otherwise, the product is not suitable for drying, regardless of the method chosen.
3. Pay attention to how you will cut the fruit. Choose a sharp knife with a thin blade in order not to accidentally damage most of the seeds.
4. Looking through the seeds, pay attention to their color and structure. Ready-to-dry fruits are more dense, whitish in color. Another option involves the use of unripe seeds.
5. Before you cut the pumpkin inspect the fruit from all sides. On the surface there should be no foreign inclusions, similar to ulcers or damage by insects.

Preparation of pumpkin seeds for drying

1. After examining the fruit, you can proceed to the immediate processing of the pumpkin. Cut the tip so the flesh is clearly visible. You will notice that it is closely intertwined with the seeds themselves. At this stage, you need to carefully detach the grain from the fibers, trying not to damage the seeds.
2. You can remove the insides with a tablespoon or perform the procedure with your hands.The main thing is not to deform the seeds, otherwise they will crack and dry out greatly during heat treatment. This product can not be eaten.
3. After you remove the seeds from the pumpkin, put them in a colander and start washing. Direct a powerful stream of cool water, begin to stir the grain with your hands.
4. At first they will be viscous, slippery. After 3-4 washes, the seeds will no longer slide between the fingers, this will be evidence of their readiness for further manipulations.
5. Now you need to take two paper towels and wrap the seeds in them, collecting excess moisture. Gently press on the product with your hands, try not to deform it.
6. As soon as the liquid is drained, take a tray or kitchen board, put the seeds in one row and leave in the sun. The exposure time in this case varies within 2-3 hours, until the moisture partially evaporates from the structure.

How to dry pumpkin seeds in a natural way

1. The main thing you need to have when drying seeds in this way is free time. It is also desirable to carry out the procedure in hot sunny weather to prevent the likelihood of mold.
2. After separation of the seeds from the pulp, they must be washed and salted. Pour boiling water in a deep bowl, add fine salt at the rate of 10 grams. product for 70 ml. water. Put the seeds in the solution, wait 10-20 hours. You can skip this step if you want to get a bland end product with an original taste.
3. At the end of time, remove the seeds from the brine, wash them 1 time under running water, proceed to drying. Cover the horizontal surface with baking foil or paper towels, put the seeds in one row, leave for 2-3 days under the sun.
4. About the readiness of the product will tell you the shell. Finally dried seeds are harder, brittle, easily cracked. Try grains "per tooth", if the result was insufficient, increase the drying for another day.

How to dry pumpkin seeds in a pan

1. The peculiarity of seed preparation in this way is considered to be that the process itself resembles frying with the addition of spices. Thanks to this, the final product is more crispy, spicy.
2. After rinsing and pre-drying the seeds, coat them with salt.Pour some olive or corn oil in a bowl, add the seeds and mix with a spoon. When each grain is soaked with liquid, add black pepper (ground), dried dill or garlic.
3. If you wish, you can replace the natural butter with butter, before melting it. In this case, make the seeds sweet, seasoning them with cinnamon, powdered sugar or nutmeg.
4. After rubbing seeds with spices, heat the pan to the maximum mark, pour in a spoonful of olive / corn / butter (it all depends on what product was used for “pickling”).
5. Send the seeds to hot oil, make sure that they are laid out in 1 row. Reduce heat to low, fry for about 20-25 minutes, do not cover the pan with a lid.
6. Constantly stir the seeds with a wooden spatula so that they are not burnt. The readiness of the product will tell you the golden shell. After frying, place the seeds on a paper towel and let them cool to room temperature.

How to dry pumpkin seeds in the oven

There are 2 ways to dry the seeds in the oven, let's look at each of them in more detail.

Method number 1
Turn on the device to the "Fry" mode, in which only the upper wall is heated. Heat the oven to a temperature of 140-150 degrees.

Put the pre-washed seeds in one row on a baking tray lined with pastry paper or foil. Send the tank to the cabinet, maintain the specified temperature.

As a rule, drying takes about 10-15 minutes, but it all depends on the power and other technical characteristics of the device. For this reason, it is recommended to constantly monitor the readiness of the composition, opening and closing the door.

When you see that the surface of the seeds has acquired a brownish tint, remove the baking sheet from the oven, stir the seeds. Turn off the heat, send the product to a heated appliance for another 15 minutes.

After drying, sprinkle the seeds with fine salt and leave to cool at room temperature. Add grains to the salad or use as a standalone product.

Method number 2
This method is suitable for those who have the oven warms up evenly (there is no adjustment mode on the planes). Preheat the device to 200 degrees, cover the baking sheet with foil or baking paper, put the salted seeds in one layer.

Send a baking sheet into the heated cavity, reduce the heat to a minimum, dry the seeds for about 30-35 minutes. Every 7-10 minutes, stir the composition so that it acquires a brown tint evenly.

After the expiration date, turn off the oven, check the seeds: if they are not hard enough, do not remove the seeds, leave them in the appliance for another 15 minutes. After that, cool and proceed to tasting.

How to dry pumpkin seeds in the microwave

Experienced housewives use this recipe in addition to the natural option of drying. That is, if it is damp outside or the procedure is carried out in cloudy weather, a microwave oven will help bring the composition to readiness. Consider the technology step by step.

1. After washing the seeds, place them on a baking tray lined with paper napkins or towels. Leave for a few days to allow the moisture to evaporate.
2. After that, remove from the microwave glass swivel plate, cover it with paper towels, updating the substrate.
3. Place pumpkin seeds in an even layer over the entire surface, put the plate in the microwave, turn it on to medium power.Set the interval to about 2 minutes, wait for the timer to ring.
4. At the end of the specified period, mix the grains, re-place them one by one and send them in the microwave. Turn on the device for 2 minutes, but reduce the power from maximum to average.
5. Then repeat the previous manipulations, mixing the seeds. Depending on the initial result, you can re-dry them in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or leave to cool.
6. Properly dried product will be hard, darkish. You will only have to clear the seeds from the shell, after which you can eat as a snack or as an addition to salads, main dishes.

How to store dried pumpkin seeds

1. The shelf life of dried pumpkin seeds is rather short, usually it does not exceed the mark of 7-10 days. After this period, the product begins to "become raw", ceases to crunch and loses its former aftertaste.
2. Only dried seeds that are free of moisture are allowed to be stored, otherwise the mold cannot be avoided. Cooked in a pan and in the oven (“Frying” mode), the seeds are immediately eaten, they should not be left for long-term storage.
3. A cotton bag made by hand is used as a vessel. It can be replaced with a gauze fabric, folded in several layers. Hang the bag on a rope or wire in a dry room with good air circulation.
4. You can also put the seeds in a plastic container or a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. The main condition is the complete absence of moisture.

It is easy to dry pumpkin seeds, if you have sufficient knowledge about the available technologies. Use the cooking recipe using an oven or a microwave, fry the seeds in a frying pan, or bring it to readiness in a natural way.

Video: pumpkin seeds in the oven