Cobbler photo taken by Judy Toth, Simply Impressive
There are so many types of apples. What types should I use? -- Apples are a very versatile fruit and are available year-round. Some varieties are better for one purpose over another and our chart will help you select the perfect apple for your purpose.
Did you ever wonder what apple you should buy when you were going to make a pie or applesauce? How about when you just wanted a nice crunchy apple to eat with your lunch. It can be confusing, especially when faced with trays of wonderful looking apples. The following chart is from Geocities Apple Varieties website. There are many more varieties than we show here; however it was pared it down to the ones easily found in the
|
Variety |
Description |
Fresh |
Salads |
Pies |
Baked |
Sauce |
|
Braeburn |
Flavor blends sweetness and tartness just right for snacks and salads. |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
Crisp, juicy, sweet-tart and resists browning. Great all-purpose apple. |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
Crispin |
Sweet, firm and crisp. |
x |
x |
x |
x |
X |
|
|
Flesh is spicy, crisp, sweet and firm. Stores well with improved flavor. |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
Gala |
Gala is a favorite for fresh eating. |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
Golden Delicious |
Sweet, firm with sweet, crisp flavor. It is the preferred ‘all purpose’ apple and freezes well. |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
Granny Smith |
Crisp mouth-watering tartness that comes through when baked or sautéed. |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
Jonagold |
A blend of Jonathan and Golden Delicious apples with a unique tangy-sweet flavor and firm flesh. |
x |
x |
x |
x |
X |
|
Jonathan |
A spicy fragrance and a juicy, sweet-tart flavor. |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
McIntosh |
A semi-crisp tart-sweet multi-purpose apple. Not great for baked goods. |
x |
x |
x |
|
x |
|
Red Delicious |
These sweet, soft apples are good for eating. Avoid buying them in the summer; they sometimes get mushy. |
x |
x |
|
|
|
|
|
A baker’s apple with a mild flavor and sweet, slightly juicy flesh. It gets richer when baked or sautéed. |
x |
x |
x |
x |
|
|
Stayman/Winesap |
Has a spicy almost wine-like flavor that makes it the cider maker's first choice. |
x |
x |
x |
x |
x |
When making an apple pie or tart, it is always nice to mix a few varieties of apples for great flavor and texture. A mix of apples that hold their shape and apples that go soft will give your pie a chucky, but thick texture. Apples holding their shape during cooking: Braeburn, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Jonagold, Rome Beauty, Winesap. Apples that do not hold their shape, that go soft during cooking:
So enjoy Fall and try different apples while they are at their best. We will be posting recipes for apples as fantastic apples begin appearing in our grocery stores.
For more information, contact judy@simplyimpresive.com or see www.simplyimpressive.com.
For other articles by this examiner, see Mesa Food Examiner
Copyright Simply Impressive Cooking School
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