Contents

Know more about this
(or any other) subject?

Show off your know-how at Quamut Wiki.

Learn more with these titles from Barnes & Noble

Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition

How to Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food

New Cook Book

Betty Crocker Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know to Cook Today

The Bon Appetit Cookbook

Previous:
Apple Basics

Next:
Nutritional Information: Apple

The Most Popular Apple Varieties

Each of the many varieties of apples differs in shape, color, flavor, texture, nutritional value, harvesting period, use, and keeping qualities. The flesh of the different varieties comes in varying degrees of firmness, crispness, acidity, juiciness, and sweetness.

Which Apple Varieties Should You Choose?

Not all apples are equally suited for every purpose. Some apples, for instance, are better for eating out of hand, while others are superior for baking. Similarly, varieties of apples that ripen in late summer do not keep long and are best eaten quickly, as opposed to fall apples, which have good storing qualities. The table below lists the general qualities to look for in apples that you want to use for particular purposes.

Use		Apple Traits
Eating		A firm, juicy, tasty, crisp apple
General baking		A sweet apple that does not disintegrate easily
Baking pies		A drier, slightly acid apple
Jellies		A barely ripe apple that is acidic, juicy, and high in pectin
Applesauce		An apple that does not discolor easily

For more specific recommendations of the best apples for particular uses, see the following list, which describes some of the most popular apple varieties.

Cortland

Description: Large and round with flat ends, has bright red skin with streaks and very white and aromatic flesh. It does not discolor and is superior in quality to the similarly all-purpose Spartan. It remains firm when baked whole.
Most common uses: All-purpose, good for eating out of hand, perfect for pies, oven baking, and applesauce.

Empire

Description: A cross between the McIntosh and Red Delicious, it is almost the same flavor as the McIntosh, but more resistant to bruising and keeps longer. Medium-sized and round, its spotted skin is streaked with dark red.
Most common use: All-purpose.

Golden Delicious

Description: Slightly elongated, narrowing at the base and ending in five distinguishing bumps, it has yellow skin and semi-firm flesh that’s juicy, sweet, fine, and only slightly acidic.
Most common uses: Good for eating out of hand, pies, applesauce.

Golden Russett

Description: Medium or small with round, reddish-brown skin the thickness of a potato peel. Its corky yellow flesh is very tasty but has poor keeping qualities.
Most common use: Good for eating out of hand.

Granny Smith

Description: Cultivated for the first time in 1868 by a grandmother named Smith, it is medium-sized, has green skin, and is juicy and acidic.
Most common uses: Good for eating out of hand and for making pies.

McIntosh

Description: Medium-sized, round, and firm, it has juicy, crisp flesh and dark red skin with green streaks.
Most common uses: Excellent for eating out of hand, good for baking and applesauce.

Melba

Description: Medium-sized, round, and irregular in shape, it has red skin with yellow streaks and juicy, tender flesh. However, it turns mealy quickly.
Most common uses: Good for eating out of hand, makes excellent applesauce.

Red Delicious

Description: Same characteristics as the golden variety except the flesh is crisper and the skin is bright red with streaks.
Most common use: Eating out of hand.

Spartan

Description: A cross between a McIntosh and Yellow Newton, it is crisper, more colorful, and sweeter than the McIntosh. Medium to large in size, it is round and has dark red skin with small white spots.
Most common use: All-purpose.