With so many varieties of apples to choose from, no wonder it’s challenging to know which apple to use for what kind of recipe. Let’s compare some of our most popular commercially available apples to help you sort out which ones to use to get the best results in the recipe you want to make, and choose the best Apples for baking and cooking, whether you’re baking a pie or cooking applesauce.
Comparing Apples to Apples
Golden Delicious
The Golden Delicious is sweet, with a rich, mellow flavor. It is one of the best all-around cooking apples, as it maintains its shape after baking.
Braeburn
Braeburns have a sweet-tart flavor, with a texture that remains firm when it’s baked. An all-purpose apple, it works well in pies and tarts where you don’t want the filling to be overly juicy.
Fuji
Firm, crisp, and juicy, Fuji apples are among the most popular apples for eating fresh, but they’re also great for baking, as they hold their shape when they cook.
Gala
A crisp, sweet apple with a mild flavor, Galas have yellow-orange skin with red striping. They’re best for salads, eating out-of-hand, applesauce, and pressing into cider.
Granny Smith
One of the most popular tart apples, Granny Smiths are crisp and quite sour. They’re a good all-purpose cooking apple, and their flavor is enhanced when paired with sweeter, spicier apples in pies and crisp.