How to Eat an Apple

Choosing Apples

Learn about the different varieties of apples. An apple is just an apple, right? Not when you've got a Fuji, a Golden Delicious, a Baldwin, and a Rome to choose between. There are literally hundreds of varieties of eating apples, cultivated for different properties of flavor and texture. While some are more available than others, depending on where you live, learning some basics will help you get the right kind of apple for your tastes. If you like sweet apples, Fuji, Jazz, Golden Delicious, and McIntosh are all creamy and sweet choices. If you like crunchy apples, Pink Lady, Honey Crisp, and Gala will give you the tooth you're looking for. If you want to bake with your apples, or like tart apples, Granny Smiths, Braeburns, and Jona golds are all solid choices.

Look for ripe apples. At the store, or if you're really fortunate in the orchard, check to make sure that apples are firm to the touch and fragrant. A ripe apple should feel firm and should smell like an apple at the stem and at the blossom end. Some apples, like the Macintosh or the Jonathan, will feel slightly softer to the touch, because the flesh is somewhat mealier. That's perfectly fine. If they smell ripe, they are good to eat. Look for bruising, discolouration, and signs of worm infestation in your apples. Apples with brown soft spots or dark holes that look burrowed into the flesh should be avoided. Little superficial dark dots on the skin of the apple are fine to eat, however. In general, you're looking for signs of over-ripeness, not under-ripeness. All apples you get at the store should be ripe enough to eat right away. You're just trying to make sure you don't get any over-aged apples.

Store your apples properly. Apples are harvested at their peak of ripeness, so they're perfectly fine to eat right away. You can keep them on the counter for a day or two. If you don't want to eat your apples right away, keep them in the refrigerator in a paper bag. Good either way. Saying that one bad apple spoils the bunch is more than just a tidy phrase. Apples produce ethylene as they ripen, which promotes ripening in other fruits around them. Never store apples in closed plastic bags, or they'll ripen and spoil very quickly. Go with paper. If you want to store a sliced apple or a halved apple, do so in the refrigerator. These will dry out and brown very quickly, but a little spritz of lemon juice on the flesh of the apple will help to keep it fresh for longer.

Eating Apples Raw

Rinse the skin of the apple. Wash your apple under running water, and scrub the outside of the skin with a clean towel to clean it from excess pollen and dust from the store. Then dig in or start slicing it up. Some commercially available apples are covered in a thin layer of food-grade wax, if the tree it comes from has been sprayed. While people have varying opinions about food safety issues associated with eating this, it's commonly consumed and technically approved for consumption. If you have concerned about pesticides in the wax around your apple skin, remove the skin of the apple. Use a paring knife to remove the apple skin carefully, leaving as much of the white flesh as possible. The skin of the apple is the highest in fiber and a compound called ursolic acid, which has been linked to weight loss, respiratory health, and blood sugar regulation.

Eat the apple whole. By far the most common way of eating apples is by biting right in and eating the skin and the flesh of the apple raw, rotating the apple around as you bite off what you want. If there is a stem in the apple, twist it off and discard it. It's common to eat right down to the hard, plastic-like core of the apple, with its small clutch of seeds, and then discard it. Contrary to popular belief, the "core" of apples are perfectly edible though it may be uncomfortable to eat and many people avoid eating it. According to some estimates, eating around and saving the core wastes around 30% of the edible flesh of each apple. Try eating the whole thing, starting at the bottom blossom end of the fruit. Apple seeds do contain a minuscule amount of cyanide, but at levels which are so small there's no threat of affecting your health. It's perfectly fine to eat them.

Consider cutting the apple into slices. If you want to cut your apple into slices for snacking or dipping, use a small paring knife to remove the core and cut each half into bite-sized slices the size of your choice. Cut the apple in half, from the stem to the tail to split the core into two halves. Then, you can cut each half of the apple into slices. It's usually a good idea to remove the seeded core of the apple with a small paring knife. Alternatively, cut the apple across the "belly," between the stem and the tail, cutting through the core instead of down it.

Eat apples slices with toppings or dips. Raw apple slices make excellent vehicles for dipping and topping, perfect for an afternoon snack, a quick breakfast, or a fun treat for a child. Dip in honey, caramel, or peanut butter for a fun and quick snack. Even the pickiest eaters often love apples dipped in peanut butter. Making caramel apples can be a fun cooking project with kids (or adults). Eat slices of sharp cheddar or swiss cheese with apple slices for a salty and sweet combination, or combine apples with sunflower seeds, peanuts, almonds, or a combination of other seeds and nuts for added protein.

Consider cooling down the apple in the fridge for a few hours. It will make it very pleasant and refreshing snack. They can also be served with ice cream with caramel poured on top!

Cooking With Apples

Cook apples down into applesauce. If you bought too many apples and are worried they'll go bad before you can eat them raw, making your own applesauce is one of the best ways to get a longer life out of them. It couldn't be easier to make applesauce to your taste. You can keep the skin on the apples for added fiber content, if you like, or remove it if you'd prefer a smoother applesauce. Start by washing and cutting up your raw apples into bite-sized pieces. In a medium pot over medium-low heat, add the apples and a small amount of water to keep the apples from scorching. Let applesauce cook down, stirring regularly, until it reaches the desired consistency. Stir the apples regularly, adding brown sugar and cinnamon to them to suit your taste. You can eat fresh applesauce warm or let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate it for a cold version. Store applesauce in the refrigerator if you want to save it.

Use apples in baking. Apple pies are one of the most iconic and perfect pies for a reason: apples make for great pie filling. Apples also make perfect additions to lots of different baking projects, adding sweetness, moistness, and texture to a variety of dishes. Check out the following baking ideas for creative ways to cook with apples: Apple pie Baked Apple Apple Cake Vegan Apple Cake Apple Muffins

Juice apples. Take a look at the ingredients list of any commercial juice. Number one ingredient on most of them? Apple juice. That's because apple juice is sweet, delicious, and easy to mix with other more sour juices to create great combinations. If you have a juicer, cutting raw apples into slices and juicing them can be a great way of stretching other juices or drinking straight for a vitamin-packed treat. Apple cider or is another excellent drink that you can make at home, though it's technically somewhat different than juicing. To make cider, puree apple slices into a consistency similar to applesauce, then strain the pulp through cheesecloth. Store the resulting juice in the refrigerator. Heat cider and juice on the stove, adding cinnamon, rum, orange zest, clove, and other spicy additions for a great and warm holiday treat.