Shopping for apples can be so confusing…
There’s only umpteen different varieties in the produce sectiuon…and honestly they all pretty much look the same…so how in the heck are you supposed to know which apple you should buy.
So you simply grab one…take it home…and find yourself disappointed.
That’s because you’re not choosing the right apple.
So here’s a primer on which apples are for what uses…before we move on to more interesting things like recipes for apple butter, applesauce, apple cake, and so forth.
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Baking Apples
Baked goods, such as pies or crisps, require a “firm”apple. This type of apple is referred to as a baking apple.
Baking apples need to be firm enough to maintain their shape through the cooking process. The best baking apples also offer a balance of sweet and tart flavors as well as flesh that doesn’t break down in the oven.
But there are SO many varieties of apples to choose from — over 2,500 in the United States alone — that it’s no confusing, to say the least, to know which apple to use for which recipe.
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Braeburn
Braeburn apples are firm and very crisp apples with a spicy-sweet flavor…slightly sweeter than a Granny Smith…(more on Granny Smith apples later)…
Braeburn apples store well.
Like all baking apples, these apples are great for baking because they maintain their shape throughout cooking.
These apples have a reddish, pink exterior with streaks of yellow and green.
Braeburn apples are especially good whenever you don’t want a filling—such as in a pie—to be overly juicy.
Cortland apples are juicy and slightly tart, with bright red skin and snowy white flesh….and are great for pies, cobblers, and crisps.
These apples may be slightly softer than the other apples on this list, but they still manage to be able to maintain their shape whenever baked.
The best thing about Cortland apples is the fact that the flesh doesn’t brown and discolor as quickly as most other apples when sliced, making them an excellent choice for salads and cheese plates.
Their snow-white flesh also makes them great on chacuterie boards and such.
These apples have a crisp flesh that will help your pie stay higher and have better shape….and also do nicely in salads and kabobs.
Cortland apples are brothers (or sisters, whatever the case may be)…of the McIntosh apple…(more on this later)…
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Golden Delicious
Golden Delicious apples are sweet…with a rich, mellow flavor…meaning that recipes made with these apples will require less added sugar than those recipes made with other varieties of apples. These apples have such a thin skin doesn’t need to be peeled, but the flesh of these apples does not stay as firm as some other baking apples. These apples are great for making a softer, sweeter pie than most other apples. Golden Delicious apples also make great applesauce and apple butter.
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Granny Smith
Granny Smith apples are one of the most popular apples used for baking. These apples are crisp and quite sour….meaning that your finished project will not be overly sweet once it is finished.
Honeycrisp
One of the sweetest and probably the most common apples around, this apple is good for anything–including apple pie, apple dumplings and tarte tatin. The apple has a crisp, juicy texture…and are sweet with a hint of honey.
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Northern Spy
This late-season apple has a crisp, white, juicy flesh with a sweet-tart flavor. A great storage apple, it’s also perfect for baking and juicing.
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Rome Beauty
Rome Beauty apples are one of the prettiest apples available…with a perfectly round shape and deep red color.
These apples are mildly sweet and tart…but does not have a very strong flavor so perhaps this apple should be used along with another apple variety that has a stronger flavor.
The hard green/white flesh of these apples maintain its shape in the oven, but can be used for sautéing as well.
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Winesap
The Winesap apple is very firm, tart and spicy…intensely flavored with spicy cider-y notes. These apples are great in salads, cider, applesauce, and apple custard.
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