An interesting experiment!
A few days ago my sister gave me a bag of oranges from their garden. Lovely oranges and very juicy. So I decided to squeeze them and put the juice in a bottle in the fridge for consumption as needed.
That left me with a load of orange peels which I thought would be a big waste to throw away. Surely there must be a way to put them to good use.
So I decided, why not bake them to a crisp and turn them into a quick snack.
First time round, while still edible, they were a bit too bitter as I left too much of the pith on. This time around I first soaked the peel in cold water for around 2 hours. Then, with a teaspoon, slowly scraped all the pith away. After the soak it actually was quite easy to scrape away.
I then soaked them again in some fresh cold water as I had read that soaking helps bleed the bitterness away. While they were soaking I prepared a bowl of sugar and some ground cinnamon. Mixed this up well and put aside.
Once the second soak was done I place the peels on a dry cloth and left them overnight to dry.
The following morning I placed the peels on a baking tray, best to line the tray with some baking paper, and sprinkled them with the sugar/cinnamon mixture.
I preheated the oven to 100°c and placed the peel in the oven for about 2 hours. Low heat works better to dehydrate the peel without burning. It also gives chance for the natural oils in the peel to bleed out and combine with the sugar/cinnamon mix.
After about 1 and a half hours I turned them around and sprinkled a bit more of sugar mix and placed back into the oven for the last 30 minutes.
The aroma while baking reminded me of the aroma that would fill the house when Mom used to make Marmalade.
Once all baked I left them out on the tray to cool.
Now I have a very aromatic and crispy snack.
Some nutritional points
It seems baked orange peel has quite a few nutritional benefits which I will list below (disclaimer: copied and pasted straight from the answer Google gave me 😉 )
- High in Fiber: Orange peels are packed with fiber, especially pectin, which supports gut health, aids digestion, and can help regulate blood sugar levels.
- Rich in Vitamin C: Just 1 tablespoon of orange peel provides about 14% of the Daily Value (DV) of Vitamin C, which is nearly three times more than the inner fruit. This supports immune health and acts as a powerful antioxidant.
- Packed with Antioxidants (Polyphenols): They contain a high concentration of flavonoids like hesperidin, which have anti-inflammatory and potential anticancer properties.
- Heart Health Support: The compounds in orange peels, particularly hesperidin and pectin, have been shown to help lower blood pressure and reduce cholesterol levels.
- Respiratory and Digestive Support: Traditionally used in dried form (like chen pi in Chinese medicine), they can help reduce bloating, gas, and digestive discomfort, and act as a natural expectorant to reduce mucus
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