Don’t Use Soft Apples in Your Pies (and Other Ways of Choosing the Right Apple for Cooking)
Apples are my favorite fruit, and I don’t really like it. For me, this is a huge variety: I can try several varieties that are new to me every year for the rest of my life and still feel that I still need to learn something. The downside to all of this variety, however, is that it can get overwhelming, especially when you’re trying to figure out which apple to use in a recipe. Honey chips are great straight out of the fridge, but what about a pie? Do different varieties really matter so much?
Unless you’re looking for lesser-known heirloom varieties on a local farm, the answer is no, not really. Most of the apples you find in grocery stores or farmers’ markets are “universal” varieties, which means they taste equally good both raw and cooked. Choosing the “right” apple for a recipe depends largely on what you like, and knowing the terminology can help you narrow things down.
Apple varieties are generally described in both soft to hard texture and sour to sweet taste. Here are the most common descriptors you can see (in order of increasing hardness and sweetness):
- Texture: soft, delicate, hard, crunchy, firm.
- Taste: Sour, tart, pungent or sweet-tart, sweet
Knowing where an apple falls in these two spectra will tell you pretty much everything you need to know, including how best to use it. Plus, it teaches you to identify your specific tastes, which will help you discover new favorites.
If you ate it you can cook on it
Apples intended for human consumption, which are literally referred to as “eating apples,” generally range from spicy to sweet and hard to crunchy. If you buy apples at the grocery store, chances are very high that you will end up with an “edible” variety. This does not mean that you cannot cook apples; not at all. It simply means that most people would rather eat something sweet and crunchy than sour and soft (or sour and hard like stone).
Think of cooking with apples as cooking with wine, that is, don’t overdo it. Any apple you’re happy to eat raw is likely to be pretty darn delicious according to the recipe.
Beware of soft apples
That being said, when you cook or bake apples, it’s important to consider their texture. Softer apples disintegrate almost immediately when cooked, while harder apples retain their shape. Each has its pros and cons, but hard apples are more versatile, making them healthier for home cooks.
In my opinion, using a soft apple where you need a firm one is the only way to permanently ruin an apple-based recipe even before you even start. Soft apples turn into gruel easily – ideal for applesauce and apple butter, but awful for pies, tarts, tarts, or whole baked apples.
These common varieties are milder. If you are not making applesauce, these are best avoided:
- Cortland
- Rome
- Mac
- Golden Delicious
Once you know a little about how apple varieties differ from each other, it will be much easier for you to narrow down the options. When in doubt, stick to what you love and stay away from gentleness – unless you can.