Do you know the best type of apples to use in recipes?
While I know many will be apple picking this season, a variety of apples are better for various culinary uses. Learn about the best type of apples to use in recipes.
Stumped on what apple to use for your recipes? It’s not just apples to apples. Different apples contain different tastes, culinary uses, and may even ripen at different times during the season. Here are some apple varieties that are commonly found while apple picking:
Braeburn
Taste: rich, tart, spicy, crisp
Best for: baking, hand-eating
Ripens: late October
Cortland
Taste: crisp, juicy, sweetly tart
Best for: baking, hand-eating, salads
Ripens: mid-September
Empire
Taste: crisp, juicy, sweet, spicy
Best for: fruit cups, hand-eating, salads
Ripens: September
Fuji
Taste: super sweet, crisp
Best for: cooking, hand-eating, sauce, pie
Ripens: late October
Gala
Taste: firm, sweet, snappy
Best for: sauce, hand-eating, salads
Ripens: late August
Golden Delicious
Taste: mildly sweet, juicy, crisp
Best for: sauce, pie, cooking, hand-eating
Ripens: mid-September
Granny Smith
Taste: tart, crisp, juicy
Best for: cooking, hand-eating, juice
Ripens: late October
Honeycrisp
Taste: sweet, slightly tart
Best for: salads, baking, juice, hand-eating
Ripens: September
Ida Red
Taste: sweetly tart, firm, juicy
Best for: baking, hand-eating
Ripens: mid-October
Jonathan
Taste: sweetly tart, juicy, spicy
Best for: baking, hand-eating, sauce
Ripens: mid-September
Macintosh
Taste: crisp, juicy, sweetly tart
Best for: cooking, hand-eating, salads
Ripens: September
Red Delicious
Taste: juicy, sweet
Best for: hand-eating, sauce
Ripens: late September
