Prepping Apples in Advance for Baking | Cook's Illustrated (2024)

FAQs

How do you prepare apples in advance? ›

Peel and core the apples, then cut them into large slices. Toss the slices in lemon juice or soak them in salt water, then rinse. Freeze the slices in a single layer, and once frozen, store sealed in freezer bags.

Water and Salt

Dissolve 1/8 teaspoon of salt into one cup of water—always be careful not to add too much salt. Then add in the apple slices, let them soak for a few minutes, then drain them.

Some experts will tell you to par-cook apples before filling a pie by pouring boiling water over cut apples and soaking them for 10 minutes. Others say to roast them to reduce water content. Still, others say to let cut apples sit for 30-40 minutes to drain natural juices.

Yes! It's best to submerge the apples in a saltwater solution for 10 minutes, then give them a rinse with water before storing them in the refrigerator. This will prevent browning for at least 24 hours and up to several days.

Here's the short version: The best way to prevent browning is to soak the cut fruit in a saltwater solution (half a teaspoon of kosher salt per cup of water) for 10 minutes, then drain and store until ready to use. The mild salt flavor can be rinsed off with tap water before serving.

Give the apples a quick spritz of lemon juice, or dilute a few drops of lemon juice in water and soak the apple slices. No fresh lemons? Try bottled lemon juice, lemonade or even orange juice—as long as it's acidic, it'll slow browning.

To use this method to prevent apples from turning brown, create a water bath for your apple slices with a ratio of 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to 1 cup of water. Soak the apple slices for 3 to 5 minutes, then drain and rinse them. This simple step should keep your apples from browning for several hours.

When you are ready to enjoy an apple from your fall haul, simply rinse fresh apples with cool water. If you are looking for a deeper clean, wash apples with cool water mixed with a sprinkle of baking soda.

Why do you put lemon juice on apples? ›

Use lemon juice.

Apples turn brown due to an enzyme in the fruit that reacts with oxygen in the air. This process is known as "oxidation." Lemon juice works to prevent oxidation as it contains citric acid, which is an effective anti-oxidant.

Lemon juice, Vinegar, clear soda will all prevent food from turning brown quickly. These liquids are acidic, so they will lower the pH of the food surface. Olive oil, will also prevent food from browning, but is less effective than the acids. Water and salt water will also slow the browning of foods.

As this energy is used up while in a cellar or refrigerator, the sugar, acid, and starch content of the fruit change. At some point, these processes cause the tissue to break down, and the fruit becomes mealy or rubbery, and it eventually rots.

Unpeeled apples will add a bit of color and texture to your pie, but they may prevent the apples from melding together when baked. Peeled apples will give you a delicately soft pie with no tough surprises, but some people argue that you lose the apple's nutritional value once the peel is removed.

When making Baked Apples you may only need to core the apples, but if you are making Apple Pie or Apple Crisp you will need to peel, core, and slice the apples. For Apple Bread or a salad with apples you may have to also dice the apples.

Soak your apples in a baking soda solution

A 2017 study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that the best method for cleaning apples required soaking them for 15 minutes in a solution of a teaspoon of baking soda and two cups of water, followed by a thorough rinse with water.

To your specific question: By peeling apples you miss out on powerful nutritional pluses. According to the USDA National Nutrient Database, one medium (three-inch-diameter) unpeeled apple has nearly double the fiber, 25 percent more potassium and 40 more vitamin A – just to choose a few important nutrients.

After slicing each apple, place it in a bowl filled with cold, salted water (a good rule of thumb is to use ½ teaspoon salt per cup of water). Let the slices soak for five to 10 minutes, then drain.

Salt solution is used as it reduces the amount of water on the surface of the apple through osmosis as the salt has a lower concentration of water, hence water in the apple would move out of the apple, thus slowing down oxidation.

How long should you rinse an apple? ›

Washing the apples

According to the results, it took about 12 to 15 minutes to completely remove surface residue and apples washed with the baking soda and water solution had the least amount of pesticides.

THE BOTTOM LINE: If you're going to cook apples, it's fine to prep them a day or two in advance.

Honey Water

say a mixture of sugar or honey and water will slow the browning process. We mixed 1 teaspoon honey with 1 cup tap water.

You can prepare the crisp through step 3, then cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day before baking. You can also freeze the unbaked crisp for up to 3 months.

Apples, Pears: You can refrigerate these fruits, but you don't need to. The cold air inside the refrigerator tends to break down their crisp texture. Leave them out on the counter. But if you prefer your fruit cold, go ahead and refrigerate.

They prefer the refrigeration. Apples keep longest when held at 31-36 degrees Fahrenheit. So, you want to keep them in the coolest part of the refrigerator. Most home refrigerators don't get that cold because the rest of your food would freeze, but the colder the better.

Once cut and exposed to air, the apple's flesh begins to brown due to oxidation. And whether you're packing up lunch for yourself or your kids, or you want to cut apples ahead to make apple pie or apple crisp, nobody wants brown apples.

Red Delicious and McIntosh are two varieties that will turn brown the fastest. Granny Smith and Cameo apples turn brown much slower.

The Food and Drug Administration recommends washing produce under cold running water — go ahead and wash your hands before and after you do the food, too.

Surface pesticide residues were most effectively removed by baking soda solution (1 tsp baking soda per 2 cups water). However, the apples had to be washed for 12-15 minutes to completely remove the pesticide.

How long to soak apples in vinegar? ›

Place your fruit in a colander in the sink and spray all sides with the vinegar solution. Let the solution sit on the fruit for about 5 minutes, then rinse each piece thoroughly with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels.

Browning can also be halted temporarily by placing fruit in citric acid or lemon juice solutions or in sugar syrup. However, these measures are not as effective as treatment with ascorbic acid in its pure form. Apples, as well as other fruits, retain better texture and flavor if packed in sugar or sugar syrup.

This process is called osmosis; it dilutes the sugar-water inside the cells. But all the water coming in raises the pressure inside the cells so that eventually, the cell walls burst. This helps break down the apple into an even, golden sauce, which you can sweeten after cooking.

Simply squeeze the juice of one lemon (or other citrus, if desired) into a bowl of sliced apples. Toss lightly to coat and then store the apples in a sealed container within your refrigerator for 4-5 days.

Sprite works great though. It doesn't change the taste of the fruit noticeably at all. And that means the apples can take a 2-3 minute soak, which really helps deter the browning for longer. The second step of the method is to drain the apples and put them in zip top plastic bags.

Mix 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt into 1 cup of cool water until dissolved. Add your sliced apples and soak for about 10 minutes. Drain the apples and store in an airtight container for up to a week. If you're packing the apples in a lunch box right away, give them a rinse under cool water.

When polyphenol oxidase comes in contact with atmospheric oxygen, it turns the phenolic compounds present in the apple tissues into brown-coloured products which impart brown colour to the freshly cut apple. To prevent the oxidation of freshly cut apples, citrus fruits must be coated on their surface.

Because apples can absorb odors from other foods stored in the same area, keep apples in plastic bags. The plastic also helps apples retain their own moisture. Make sure that there are several air holes in the apple bag.

Keeping apples in a cool, dark place will help them stay crisp. The best way to keep apples fresh is to store them in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator in separate plastic bags. Alternatively, you can place a damp towel on top of the apples to help them maintain moisture.

Mealiness mostly happens to old apples that have been kept in storage, or in improper storage, for too long. Buying apples as close as possible to when they were picked is the surest way to avoid getting mealy ones.

What's the fastest way to peel apples? ›

Using a vegetable peeler is the easiest and most efficient way to quickly get rid of the skin, but a paring knife can also do the trick. Using a Y-shaped peeler, start by peeling off the top and bottom of your apple.

Here's the short version: The best way to prevent browning is to soak the cut fruit in a saltwater solution (half a teaspoon of kosher salt per cup of water) for 10 minutes, then drain and store until ready to use. The mild salt flavor can be rinsed off with tap water before serving.

To use this method to prevent apples from turning brown, create a water bath for your apple slices with a ratio of 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to 1 cup of water. Soak the apple slices for 3 to 5 minutes, then drain and rinse them. This simple step should keep your apples from browning for several hours.

Give the apples a quick spritz of lemon juice, or dilute a few drops of lemon juice in water and soak the apple slices. No fresh lemons? Try bottled lemon juice, lemonade or even orange juice—as long as it's acidic, it'll slow browning.

Packaged apples found at McDonalds or in your local produce section are usually treated with a solution of calcium ascorbate (a blend of calcium and vitamin C) or citric acid (found in citrus fruit) to maintain freshness and color.

Lemon juice, Vinegar, clear soda will all prevent food from turning brown quickly. These liquids are acidic, so they will lower the pH of the food surface. Olive oil, will also prevent food from browning, but is less effective than the acids. Water and salt water will also slow the browning of foods.

It's a chemical reaction that happens when the sugar in apple slices reacts with oxygen. This process is called oxidation. It can be prevented by storing apples with their skin on and using them quickly. But if they are cut open or bruised, it will only take about 5 minutes for them to start turning brown.

THE BOTTOM LINE: If you're going to cook apples, it's fine to prep them a day or two in advance.

How it's done: After slicing each apple, place it in a bowl filled with cold, salted water (a good rule of thumb is to use ½ teaspoon salt per cup of water). Let the slices soak for five to 10 minutes, then drain.

The apple turns brown because vinegar possesses an inadequate pH level (in other words, it is not acidic enough) to hinder the enzymatic activity that is responsible for the apple turning brown.