Dehydrated Citrus Wheels

Looking for a way to up your cocktail presentation game without spending a ton of time or money? Dehydrated citrus wheels are one of my favorite garnishes for cocktails because they're cheap to make and they last forever! While I prefer to use a dehydrator, you can also easily create these dried wheels using your oven. Just be sure to completely dehydrate your citrus or else it can mold from moisture. 

Tips for making beautiful citrus wheels

• Choose Good Citrus. When I'm making citrus wheels, I buy fruit that has has the best skins, are super firm, and are free from blemishes on the outside. Look for lemons, limes, and oranges with an almost waxy look to them with super taut skins for best results. 
• Use a very sharp knife or slicer to cut your wheels. While I use a slicer for my wheels, it isn't necessary to create this garnish. However you will want a knife as sharp as possible for this project—a dull knife will cause you to squash your fruit when slicing it and ruin the shape fo your wheels. 
• Cut your wheels as uniform as possible. You'll be aiming for every wheel to be around 3mm thick. If your wheels are all different sizes, they will dry out at different rates causing some to burn while others are still wet. 

Making your wheels in the oven

1. Preheat oven to 170º
2. Using a mandolin slicer (or very sharp knife) slice citrus into 3mm wheels.
3. Arrange wheels on a cooling rack that has been placed in a baking sheet.
4. Allow to slowly dehydrate in the oven for 4-5 hours for lemons and limes, rotating the baking sheet every 2 hours. (Oranges typically take 1-2 hours longer than lemons and limes)
5. Your fruit should be brittle to the touch and there should be no moisture left on its surface. Store in an airtight container or bag.

Making your wheels in a dehydrator

1.  Plug dehydrator into the wall somewhere that is dry and free from any chance of getting wet. 
2. Add fruit to trays starting at the bottom and working upward. if you have too many trays for the amount of fruit, remove the extras. 
3. Leave fruit for 36 hours. While it is not necessary to turn the fruit at any time, you are welcome to flip your wheels once every 12 hours if you wish. 
4. 1. Your fruit should be brittle to the touch and there should be no moisture left on its surface. Store in an airtight container or bag.