Previous | Next

Debating about Pie Apples is like starting a religious feud. Everyone has his or her own opinions, and you can't change them, no matter how much "proof" you try to show them.

A good Pie Apple has to be able to hold its shape when cooked, give off some juice so that the pie won't be dry, and have good flavour. The apples should also be very aromatic, and should be tart, so that sugar can be added to the pie, though some good Pie Apples have enough of their own sweetness that you will want to cut back on added sugar when using them. Good Pie Apples won't turn brown the instant you slice them, to give you a little time to finish slicing them all and then arrange them in the pie dish.

Most Pie Apples aren't actually for home use -- they're for commercial bakers. Some of the best Pie Apples in North America, such as Winesap and Northern Spy, aren't often seen in supermarkets, though Northern Spy is used a lot by makers of frozen pies.

Rarely is an all-purpose apple also good for apple pies -- Bramley is one exception. One of the more prevalent apples in Canada that is used for pies, the all-purpose McIntosh, makes truly indifferent, mushy pies (but the McIntosh does cook down into okay applesauce.)

Other entries for:

Pie Apples
Baldwin Apple, Bramley Apples, Calville Blanc d'Hiver, Charles Ross Apple, Criterion Apple, Grange's Pippin Apples, Gravenstein Apples, Holstein Apples, Lord Derby Apples, Lubsk Queen Apples, Melrose Apples, Mollie's Delicious Apples, Nova Spy Apple, Pettingill Apples, Wealthy Apple, White Astrachan Apples

Other entries for:

Apples
Acme Apples, Adanac Apples, Airlie Red Flesh Apples, Alaska Apples, Amberoso Apples, Applecrabs, Boiken Apples, British Apples, Cider Apples, Cooking Apples, Crab Apples, Desse de Buff Apples, Erwin Baur Apples, Fameuse Apples, Fresh-Eating Apples, Juice Apples, Ozark Pippin Apples, Pixie Apples, Russet Apples, Salad Apples, Sauce Apples, Smith's Cider Apples, Ziegler's Sweeting Apples

Other entries for:

Hard Fruit
Apricots, Avocado, Chayote, Citrus Fruit, Guava Fruit, Kiwis, Mangos, Maypop Fruit, Medlars, Melons, Nectarines, Papaya, Passion Fruit, Peaches, Pears, Persimmons, Plums, Pomegranates, Quinces, Red Sorrel, Rose Hips, Sapote, Star Fruit, True Service Fruit

Other entries for:

Fruit
Bananas, Bletting, Candied Fruit, Dried Fruit, Drupes, Olives, Rhubarb, Soft Fruit

Related Recipes

Apple Pie