You’re wondering which apples are best for cooking and baking. The short answer is that there are no firm rules about which of the world’s thousands of apple varieties are most appropriate for cooked sweet and savory dishes.
But for baking, Honeycrisp, Cortland, Golden Delicious, Gala and Granny Smith work well because they hold their shape in pies and tarts without turning to mush like applesauce. Some people favor naturally sweeter apples like Golden Delicious and Gala when baking desserts. However, Granny Smith adds a tart to savory dishes like a wonderful Thanksgiving stuffing.
To make apple sauce, Jonathan apples are a favorite; they have a tender texture and moderately tart flavor.
Growing up and having lived in Michigan all of our lives, we’ve come to appreciate the fact that apples are readily available in the fall and throughout the winter. A trip to the orchard to pick them fresh on a warm fall day, is such a delight. Or being able to go to our own back yard as a kid, where our dad carefully pruned and cared for his own apple trees for our family brings a load of wonderful memories creating apple crisps, apple pies, apple sauce and even perfecting our own apple butter recipes.
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Which apples are best for cooking and baking?
