The Tasty Apple You Should Probably Never Use In Apple Pie

There are many apple varieties you can use in cooking. With colors ranging from red to green to yellow and flavor profiles from tart to sweet, it can be hard to know which one is best for a given purpose. If you're baking a baking pie, there's a particular type of apple worth avoiding. Although it has an alluring name, the Red Delicious is anything but when used in this dessert.

In general, there's not much to like about Red Delicious apples in pie form. They have been described as flavorless, devoid of the subtle sweetness that characterizes the fruit when eaten fresh. Meanwhile, baking can make the texture mealy or mushy, which isn't ideal for an apple pie.

Better apple choices for your next pie include Cortland, Russet, Northern Spy, Braeburn, and McIntosh. Some might stand out for their delightful flavor (like Cortland), boast a satisfying bite (like the Russet variety), or strike a balance between the two (for example, Granny Smith apples). Others, such as Golden Delicious, can be more polarizing. Some bakers put them near the top of their lists, while others skip them due to concerns over texture. Ideally, a blend of pie-friendly apples will help you optimize for both flavor and texture.

Despite the drawbacks of Red Delicious apples, they do have their place. For one, the deep red color is a sign of the high amount of antioxidants present in this variety. It's also a good choice for eating fresh or chopping and integrating into dishes like salads, where its mild flavor and crunchiness can shine.

It's important to keep in mind that picking a Red Delicious for baking isn't the only way to doom your dessert. Some common mistakes people make when baking apple pie include cutting the fruit into uneven slices or failing to cook them before putting them in the pie. This latter step can be particularly important, as it prevents a gap from forming between the filling and crust as the apples shrink during cooking. It also avoids an overly watery filling, as the apples release their moisture during baking. Whether you're using a generations-old family method or simply whipping up our easy apple pie recipe, there's no getting around the importance of using the right fruit and preparing it the right way.