An apple a day: My personal ranking of apple varieties

[Jason]

Where I grew up we had an orchard right down the street. I have tried many an apple - although admitedly less then probably 20% of your list lol.

I actually like the blandness of the Red Delicious apple. I like how smushy it is too. Hahaha.... I am not a fan of tart apples unless they are in a pie.

Perhaps it matches my personlity lol.

[Bill]

Another comment I didn't really make before. While I am not the apple fanatic John is, I think it is important both economically and nutritionally to buy local produce when at all possible. I am lucky in NC that local agriculture is still taken very seriously here and Raleigh has a state-sponsored farmer's market the size of a small fair that is open daily year round. Of course in the winter, there isn't much. But basically from April through October it is full of healthy options of produce with lots of varieties. My wife has even taken to making jam and canning peaches to make them last into the winter. I make it a goal to try to go once a week through the spring and summer.

The difference between fresh produce and supermarket produce is night and day. Or Duluth and Aurora for you PEBAns.

[John]

Another comment I didn't really make before. While I am not the apple fanatic John is, I think it is important both economically and nutritionally to buy local produce when at all possible. I am lucky in NC that local agriculture is still taken very seriously here and Raleigh has a state-sponsored farmer's market the size of a small fair that is open daily year round. Of course in the winter, there isn't much. But basically from April through October it is full of healthy options of produce with lots of varieties. My wife has even taken to making jam and canning peaches to make them last into the winter. I make it a goal to try to go once a week through the spring and summer.

The difference between fresh produce and supermarket produce is night and day. Or Duluth and Aurora for you PEBAns.

Quoted For Truth. If there's one thing I'm as passionate about as apples, it's supporting my local economy. As much as possible, I will do my shopping from local growers. I would estimate that 90% of my food-buying dollars go to Ohio growers. The advantages of this policy include:

• More money going back into your local economy. Buy from a grocery store and that store makes a bit of money while the rest gets spread all over the place, perhaps even overseas. Buy from a local grower and that grower gets everything. That money gets turned around into better food production and also get injected into the local economy.
• Food purchased fresh tastes better. Nothing wrecks the taste of food like shipping. Produce has to be picked before it's ready in order to ship. So much better is to wait until the food is ready before picking it, but to do that, you've got to buy local, because once that ripe food is picked, it's only going to stay fresh for a short while. Yes, this means it's not going to keep as long in your refrigerator. Get used to buying only what you need for the next week and using it in short order. You'll be rewarded in much, much better tasting food.
• Food purchased locally is healthier for you. Again, to travel well, foods have to be picked before their ready, which reduces their nutritional value. Additionally, shipped produce is often treated to extend its shelf life. What's good for shelf life is not good for you. Food should go bad if not eaten properly. Show me "food" that doesn't spoil in reasonably short order and, in most cases, I'll show you an unhealthy food (I'm looking at you, Cheetos!). When you buy locally, you eliminate those concerns. Even better, you can query your local growers to determine exactly how they produce their food.

[Denny]

My wife did bring home some Honey Crisp the other day, had never head of them, and found them to be really delicious.

Honeycrisp has become all the rage. It's the new fad apple of the moment. Remember how I said every supermarket has the same few varieties, like Fuji and Red/Gold Delicious? Pretty soon, you'll be able to add Honeycrisp to that short list. It's a testament to how much people like their taste that Honeycrisp can succeed at market despite being more expensive than other apples. Factors that drive up Honeycrisp's price include its high demand and the difficulty in harvesting this variety. Some growers will tell you that the patent on Honeycrisp adds to the cost, but that patent actually expired a couple of years ago. I'm sure the University of Minnesota was sorry to see it go, too; it had brought in over $6M for the university.

As you see, Honeycrisp rates well on my list (#18 overall, tops in the third tier). As a tier-three apple, it's one that's good enough to be a regular buyer for me. However, I've always felt Honeycrisp was a little overrated by the public. It's definitely good, but given the price premium, I'd rather focus on other apples and supplement with Honeycrisp. Plus my preference is for tartness, and Honeycrisp is a sweet apple. I will say that if you prefer sweet apples, Honeycrisp can be considered the gold standard.

Honeycrisp is one of my favorites despite my normal preference for tart apples. Perhaps it is my local pride as a Minnesota resident--great job, Lucky Rodent researchers! Another advantage of the variety that John does not mention (probably because they don't sit around his house long enough for it to be relevant ) is that Honeycrisp will keep for months in your fridge without going bad.

My other favorites (I limit myself to the apples available in the grocery stores) are Granny Smith and Braeburn. And John, you will be pleased to know that I too detest Red Delicious apples with a passion.

[John]

Honeycrisp is one of my favorites despite my normal preference for tart apples. Perhaps it is my local pride as a Minnesota resident--great job, Lucky Rodent researchers! Another advantage of the variety that John does not mention (probably because they don't sit around his house long enough for it to be relevant ) is that Honeycrisp will keep for months in your fridge without going bad.

Indeed, Honeycrisp is a great keeper. Something interesting about Honeycrisp is that at it ages, it's taste profile changes. The sugar content inside the apple increases, making it sweeter. Some people actually prefer aged Honeycrisps, though when they get too old, they get too sweet for my tastes.

You're rightfully proud of the University of Minnesota, Denny. They're responsible for some of the better modern apples, including one of my top tier boys, Zestar! The only thing... did they really need to include the exclamation point in the trademark?

My other favorites (I limit myself to the apples available in the grocery stores) are Granny Smith and Braeburn. And John, you will be pleased to know that I too detest Red Delicious apples with a passion.

Here's a man with taste!

[Maulers]

Red Delicious apples are abominations on good taste. Honey Crisp is quite good, though I must admit to not liking them as much as I did when I first tried them. Of course, my first taste of one was from an orchard and, I think, everyone after that has been store bought.

I'd like to try some of the top apples on your list, which I will admit to never having seen before. It might be time to head down to the local co-op for some apple shopping.

[Lions]

Show me "food" that doesn't spoil in reasonably short order and, in most cases, I'll show you an unhealthy food (I'm looking at you, Cheetos!). When you buy locally, you eliminate those concerns. Even better, you can query your local growers to determine exactly how they produce their food.[/list]

I took a course in graduate school on polymers. Polymers are plastics and used in every day life. Depending on how the polymer molecule is built, you get different properties of things like elasticity, hardness, brittleness, melting point, etc. The little number inside the recycling symbol on plastic containers like milk jugs indicate which polymer that container is made out of. Anyway, as most things go in the scientific community, when performing tests on something, you use a control to compare against. After having a difficult time coming up with a substance that he could use as a control, my professor finally settled on Kraft singles.

[Bill]

There is a reason that Kraft Singles are labelled 'Pasturized Processed Cheese Food' and not 'Cheese'.

On another front, I was inspired to make homemade applesauce this weekend to go with our New Years Day 'Festival of Pork' feast.

3 Honeycrisps + 2 Pink Ladys + 1 Granny Smith + copious cinnamon + a smidge of sugar + heat = awesome sauce

I actually could have chosen better apples, but I didn't really research the selection process until afterward. I can't wait to try it with actual apples from the farmer's market. I've already warned my wife that there will be canning involved.

[John]

On another front, I was inspired to make homemade applesauce this weekend to go with our New Years Day 'Festival of Pork' feast.

3 Honeycrisps + 2 Pink Ladys + 1 Granny Smith + copious cinnamon + a smidge of sugar + heat = awesome sauce

I actually could have chosen better apples, but I didn't really research the selection process until afterward. I can't wait to try it with actual apples from the farmer's market. I've already warned my wife that there will be canning involved.

That sounds like a great basis for applesauce, Bill! I look forward to hearing how it pans out with fresh apples bought at the market. I've never actually made applesauce myself, but I know that most people recommend soft apples (e.g. McIntosh, Elstar, Cortland, Fuji, Gala, Gravenstein). You may notice that all of those are low on my list of apple preferences, but I believe they wouldn't be disagreeable in sauce form (hey, a McIntosh has to be good for something, right? ).

[Borealis]

(hey, a McIntosh has to be good for something, right? ).

Computing?

[John]

(hey, a McIntosh has to be good for something, right? ).

Computing?

That's Macintosh!

[Bill]

I've never actually made applesauce myself, but I know that most people recommend soft apples (e.g. McIntosh, Elstar, Cortland, Fuji, Gala, Gravenstein). You may notice that all of those are low on my list of apple preferences, but I believe they wouldn't be disagreeable in sauce form (hey, a McIntosh has to be good for something, right? ).

Yeah, supposedly sugary apples are your friend in applesauce. Using the Granny Smith made me have to add a couple tablespoons of sugar. I was hoping for au naturel.

[Neil Thomas]

Mmmmm....Applesauce!

[Iyou Seigyoki]

I've been neglecting putting my daily Granny Smith in my lunch pack. Won't happen again!

[Ghosts]

I nominate this thread as the year's winner in the category of: "Thread that would seem to be insane, but is actually awesome".

Last year, I, too, discovered that the reason I never ate apples was that I had been buying those beautiful, perfect, symmeterical, deep red monstrosities.

And while after some experimenting the Galas, Honeycrisps, and Fujis from the super maket suit me just fine, I am now really excited for farmers' market season to start paying attention to what is coming in, what I like, etc.

Awesome thread, man!