When I was a kid we had a large concrete well cover. Mother put the apple slices in a muslin bag and we would prepare the apples as trolleystation described. We would put the bag on that wellcover. We would turn the bag every couple of hours until they were dried. One would think that ants would get them but because it was in the direct sun the cover was so hot that they didn't want their little feet burned. Those apples were the greatest to use for pies and anything cooked or baked.