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Baskets of apples at a "farmers market" at Rogers, Ohio.
Credit: Annette McCarthy
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EmailAlmost any apple can be enjoyed when eaten fresh. However, not all apples are ideal for the kitchen. Below is a chart with some of the best baking and cooking apples in North America.
Note: When it comes to cooking with apples, it may be helpful to know the following:
1 pound of apples = 2 large, 3 medium, or 4 to 5 small apples
1 pound of apples = 3 cups peeled and sliced apples
As you cook those apples, here are some of our favorite apple recipes:
Baked Apples Filled With Sausage
Perfect Apple Pie (The Classic)
For more about apples, see our Related Articles (above) and see recipes using apples.
Please post your favorite apple varieties and any cooking tips below!
| NAME | Best Uses | Flavor Characteristic, Appearance |
|---|---|---|
| Braeburn | Sauce | Tart, sweet, aromatic, tall shape, bright color |
| Cortland | Pies, Sauces, Fruit Salad | Tart, crisp, larger than 'McIntosh' |
| Fuji | Baking | Sweet and juicy, firm, red skin |
| Gala | Dried, Cider | Mild, sweet, juicy, crisp, yellow-orange skin with red striping (resembles a peach) |
| Granny Smith | Baking | Moderately sweet, crisp flesh, green skin |
| Jonagold | Pie, Sauce | Tangy-sweet, Yellow top, red bottom |
| Jonathan | Sauce | Tart flesh, crisp, juicy, bright red on yellow skin |
| McIntosh | Sauce | Juicy, sweet, pinkish-white flesh, red skin |
| Newton Pippin | Pie, Sauce, Cider | Sweet-tart flesh, crisp, greenish-yellow skin |
| Rhode Island Greening | Pie | Very tart, distinctively flavored, grass-green skin, tending toward yellow/orange |
| Rome Beauty | Baking, Cider | Mildly tart, crisp, greenish-white flesh, thick skin |
| Winesap | Sauce, Pie, Cider | Very juicy, sweet-sour flavor, winey, aromatic, sturdy, red skin |
See "Related Articles" above for more about apples—planting apple trees, apple crafts, apple recipes!
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The beautifully photographed 2012 Recipe Calendar features seasonal recipes that are both easy to cook and delicious, along with helpful hints and advice, and much more.
Comments
I just made upside down apple
I just made upside down apple cake, and I used Paula Reds. They are incredibly flavorful, soft, and just right sweet-tart. They have the most intense apple aroma I ever experienced! I hope I can find them again.
The Macoun (pronounced
The Macoun (pronounced "McCowan") is one of the finest eating apples in the whole Northeast. It is a cross between the McIntosh and a Jersey Black variety, and first grown in Canada. We picked a half bushel of Macouns yesterday!
I LOVE Mountaineer (I think
I LOVE Mountaineer (I think they might be called York as well). They are wonderful in sauce and pies, especially together with Honeycrisp.
I live in apple country -
I live in apple country - Central VA. Some of the BEST here are these wonderful eating apples - Honey Crisp and Pink Lady. I think they would taste food in pie, too, but they usually disappear too fast!
I live in Southern Cal, not
I live in Southern Cal, not far from the coast, and not many apples grow well here. However, there is one, "Anna", and it makes a TERRIFIC pie!! I am so lucky to have a tree in our backyard.
Hi, Happy Thanksgiving! I
Hi, Happy Thanksgiving! I work on an apple farm in central PA & used to use only Rome apples for pies, now I use a mixture of apples for my pies, usually Golden Delicious, Cortland, Jonagold & Rome . My boss things they taste wonderful.... YUM !!!
Love granny smith pie holds
Love granny smith pie holds up great
I have to vote for the
I have to vote for the Northern Spy also. Just picked up the last peck a local apple grower had for sale.These will go for the Thanksgiving pies.
I like jonadells,or
I like jonadells,or johnathons for baking has any one ever heard of a wolfriver apple. I saw one once as a little girl on my uncles' farm it was huge and when you bit into it there were big sugar pockets all through it.
Hi, I have been growing the
Hi, I have been growing the wolf river apples for about 18years.... they are huge and produce tons of apples,they are biennial,but still produce in the off year. This year I had to give a lot of them away, too much from one tree......... they were really sweet this year too, not usually that juicy.... great for applesauce. We had one on the property that was close to 100 years old and when it died, we had to plant 2 more..... lost one to some kind of bug, but its buddy is doing well.....some years you can't put your hands around them, other times they are huge, but not that big... depends on the weather.....we are in the upper peninsula of Michigan right on lake superior...
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