The Kitchen Tip Jar: Guide for selecting the best apple for your use

It’s fall and apple season is upon us. You will find quite a few varieties of apples are currently available. You may not have realized, though, that choosing the correct variety of apple can make or break your dish. Apples are a very versatile fruit and are available year-round. Some varieties are better for one purpose over another.

Did you ever wonder what apple you should buy when you were going to make a pie or applesauce? Which apple variety is best when you just wanted a nice crunchy apple to eat? It can be confusing, especially when faced with trays of wonderful looking apples.

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. If you are looking for an apple that holds its shape during cooking, try braeburn, golden delicious, granny smith, jonagold, Rome beauty or winesap.

If you want to make applesauce, for example, look for apples that do not hold their shape and go soft during cooking. Some examples are cortland and McIntosh.

The following chart shows popular apples found in the Phoenix area.

Variety	Description	Fresh	Salads	Pies	Baked	Sauce
Braeburn	Flavor blends sweetness and Tartness just right for snacks and salads.	x	x	x	x	x
Cortland	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
Fuji	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
Rome beauty	A baker’s apple with a mild flavor and sweet, slightly juicy flesh. It gets richer when baked or sautéed.	x	x	x	x
Winesap	Has a spicy almost wine-like flavor that makes it the cider maker's first choice.	x	x	x	x	x

· Braeburn-- Flavor blends sweetness and Tartness just right for snacks and salads. Use for salads, pies, baked, sauce and eating fresh

· Cortland--Crisp, juicy, sweet-tart and resists browning. Great all-purpose apple. Use for salads, pies, baked, sauce and eating fresh

· Crispin--Sweet, firm and crisp. Use for salads, pies, baked, sauce and eating fresh

· Fuji--Flesh is spicy, crisp, sweet and firm. Stores well with improved flavor. Use for salads, pies, baked, sauce and eating fresh

· Gala--Gala is a favorite for fresh eating. Use for salads, pies, baked, sauce and eating fresh

· Golden delicious--Sweet, firm with sweet, crisp flavor. It is the preferred ‘all purpose’ apple and freezes well. Use for salads, pies, baked, sauce and eating fresh

· Granny smith--Crisp mouth-watering tartness that comes through when baked or sautéed. Use for salads, pies, baked and eating fresh.

· Jonagold--A blend of Jonathan and Golden Delicious apples with a unique tangy-sweet flavor and firm flesh. Use for salads, pies, baked, sauce and eating fresh.

· Jonathan--A spicy fragrance and a juicy, sweet-tart flavor. Use for salads, pies, baked, sauce and eating fresh.

· McIntosh--A semi-crisp tart-sweet multi-purpose apple. Not great for baked goods. Use for salads, pies, sauce and eating fresh.

· Red delicious--These sweet, soft apples are good for eating. Avoid buying them in the summer; they sometimes get mushy. Use in salads and eating fresh.

· Rome beauty--A baker’s apple with a mild flavor and sweet, slightly juicy flesh. It gets richer when baked or sautéed. Use for salads, pies, baked and eating fresh

· Winesap--Has a spicy almost wine-like flavor that makes it the cider maker's first choice. Use for salads, pies, baked, sauce and eating fresh.

So grab some apples while they are at their peak and have some fun baking. If you do not bake, try making caramel apples. Homemade caramel apples are so much better than those from the grocery store.