Step into the orchard and embrace the crisp, juicy delight of apples in every meal. Enjoy comforting desserts.
Explore savory dishes with a twist. This collection of recipes celebrates the versatility and rich flavors of this beloved fruit.
Let your culinary journey begin with the irresistible taste of apples.
Cooking with apples can be delightful. They add sweetness, acidity, and texture to a wide range of dishes.
There are over 7,500 known varieties of apples grown worldwide. These varieties are cultivated for different purposes, including fresh eating, cooking, cider production, and more.
In the United States alone, there are about 2,500 varieties, but only a fraction of those are grown commercially.
There is a large diversity in apple varieties. This results in a wide range of flavors, textures, and colors. Apples range from sweet to tart and crisp to soft.
What is more, is each variety react differently to heat.
The fruit is used to make an apple pie, apple sauce, and even apple juice. The apple you choose does matter for these different uses in cooking.
Here is some culinary information. You will find tips to incorporate the right apple into your cooking adventures. Whether cooking or baking, this will help you.
Cooking With Apples
The following apples are the most popular available to buy at your local market.
Braeburn
Braeburn apples are considered an all-purpose variety, making them a versatile choice for various culinary uses.
They are known for their balance of sweet and tart flavors, as well as their firm, crisp texture.
These characteristics make Braeburn apples suitable for:
Eating Fresh
Their juicy and flavorful profile makes them a great choice for snacking.
Baking
Braeburn apples hold their shape well when cooked, making them ideal for pies, tarts, and crisps.
Cooking
They can be used in savory dishes, such as roasted pork or poultry, where their balanced flavor complements the meat.
Salads
The crisp texture and tartness add a refreshing element to salads.
Empire
Empire apples are generally not hard to come by, though availability can vary based on the region and the time of year.
For the best selection, it’s ideal to look for Empire apples during the fall months, which is the peak harvest season.
Outside of this period, they are often still available, thanks to their good storage characteristics, but the selection might be less abundant or slightly more expensive.
The Empire apple is considered an all-purpose apple, as it is good for juicing, making apple sauce, baking, salads, eating fresh, and drying.
Fuji
The Fuji apple is firm, crisp, and juicy. It’s the most popular apple for eating fresh and for baking as they hold their shape when they cook.
Gala
The Gala is a mildly sweet apple. It’s among one of the best apples to use for making applesauce, juicing, adding to salads, and eating fresh
Golden Delicious
This apple is mildly sweet, and is a good all-around cooking apple that maintains its shape when baking.
Granny Smith
The Granny Smith is a crisp sour or tart apple. It’s an all-purpose cooking apple, and the apples flavor is enhanced when paired with sweeter, spicier apples in pies and tarts. Great for adding to grilled cheese sandwiches.
Honeycrispy
Honeycrisp apples deliciously yummy eating apples. As the name would indicate, they are crisp and juicy, with a honey-sweet tart flavor. They are good for baking and making applesauce.
Ida Red
Ida Reds have a tinted rosy pink flesh that has a tangy flavor. These apples are good for making applesauce and they keep their shape during baking and are also excellent in salads and for freezing.
Jonathan
Jonathans are very tart, and they have a slightly spicy flavor. They hold their shape well when baked. They are also good in salads and for making applesauce.
McIntosh
These apples are crisp and juicy. They tend to break down when cooked so are great for making apple sauce. The are delicious eaten fresh and are best paired with Golden Delicious or other apples in pies and other baked goods.
Different kinds of apples are better suited for certain kinds of recipes than others, but you don’t have to limit yourself to using just one variety of apple when cooking or baking.
Many experienced cooks like to use a mixture of apples to get more complex flavors and textures.
Try These Apple Favorite Recipes
- Roasted Sausage with Apples and Butternut Squash
- Homemade Cinnamon Brown Sugar Applesauce
- Baked Apples Apple Pie
- Cider Braised Chicken With Apples and Kale
- Roasted Butternut Squash with Apples Cranberries and Candied Walnuts
- Apple Pecan and Goat Cheese Salad with Maple Apple Dressing
- Apple-Cinnamon Upside-Down Cake
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- Crispy Baked Buttermilk Popcorn Chicken
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