Test Kitchen video tip: Rehydrating raisins and dried fruit

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Have a batch of raisins (or dried cherries, currants, figs, dates) that are particularly dry? Rehydrate them to plump them up before eating. Place the raisins in a bowl and pour boiling water to cover. They’ll soften in minutes.

This also works great when adding raisins (or other dried fruit) to recipes when baking. Consider rehydrating the raisins in fruit juice, or try a liquor (I love rehydrating raisins in rum before adding them to coffee cakes) for extra depth and added flavor. Combine the raisins and liquid in a small saucepan and heat gently until the liquid warms and the fruit plumps up, then remove from heat and strain before using.

If you have any kitchen tips or questions you’d like me to explore, leave a comment below or email me at noelle.carter@latimes.com.

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-- Noelle Carter
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Video credit: Myung Chun / Los Angeles Times