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Have a few extra pounds of apples from overenthusiastic little helpers on your last trip to the orchard? There’s no easier way to make something delicious and wholesome out of your bounty than a batch or two of your favorite applesauce recipe. If you don’t have excess apples around, but are craving some kid-friendly comfort food anyway — or want to sub in your own homemade applesauce as a secret ingredient in cakes, cookies, or soup — it’s a good idea to know what the best apples for applesauce are before hitting the market. While they may not all be the best apples for baking if they don’t hold their shape, chances are good that those apples are still worth considering for other sweet and savory fall dishes, too. Follow our tips below to make the best applesauce for all your snacking and cooking needs this fall.
For applesauce, you essentially want the opposite—apples that will cook down and mash well to create a flavorful sauce. At the same time, avoid apples that are mealy in texture and turn to mush when cooked down. Many cooks avoid Red Delicious for that reason.
Which apples should you use for your applesauce?
This simple childhood fave is pretty forgiving, but if you want a worthy companion to your grandma’s addictive crispy potato pancakes or a satisfying midnight snack, choose apples that have some flavor going for them. Some apples are sweet while others skew tart. To make the best applesauce recipe even better, a good rule of thumb is to choose a mix of two or three varieties. The apples below range from the supersweet Fuji to the tart and crunchy Granny Smith.
Easy Way to Applesauce Damaged Unripe or Extra Apples
FAQ
What apples to avoid when making applesauce?
What are the worst apples for applesauce in the world?
Which apples are not good for cooking?
What kind of apples are good for canning applesauce?
Which are the worst apples for applesauce?
This article covers which the worst apples for applesauce are. There are bad apples for making your applesauce; these aren’t totally bad, but just are’ suitable for making applesauce. Among these are Red Delicious apples, Gala, Fuji, and McIntosh.
Is unsweetened applesauce healthy?
Yes. Unsweetened applesauce is healthy and provides vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Here is a very simple homemade recipe: 4 apples + juice of 1 small lemon + cinnamon to taste + 1 glass of water. After cleaning the apples, let them cook in a glass of water over medium heat, add the juice of one lemon and cinnamon to taste, cover and let it cook for 20 minutes, then just blend everything in the blender and you’re done.
What is bad applesauce?
We all know bad applesauce: the mushy, grainy, flavorless blob that sits in the plastic container with the foil top. This applesauce is the stuff of school lunch plates, the color reminiscent of expired silly putty or industrial sand before it gets mixed into cement.
What are the best applesauce apples?
The worst applesauce apples: Avoid Red Delicious (the exterior is too leathery) and Granny Smith (too green and tart for applesauce, though I love Granny Smith for pie). The best applesauce apples: Choose a crisp, sweet-tart seasonal apple with a pretty pink skin such as Honeycrisp, Fuji, Pink Lady, McIntosh, or Macoun.