# Best type of apple for pie? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 12, 2007, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-type-of-apple-for-pie/422494 "2007-10-12T18:33:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2007, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-type-of-apple-for-pie/422494/21 "2007-10-13T01:50:02Z")
[QUOTE=cricetus] Red Delicious are nice to look at, but lousy for eating. [/QUOTE] Red Delicious are good eating when crisp, which - sadly - is rare. That said, there’s no way RD would hold up to baking. It’s not a pie apple. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2007, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-type-of-apple-for-pie/422494/22 "2007-10-13T01:56:11Z")
[QUOTE=Ludovic] Red delicious are the best apples for every occasion. Tart, crisp, richly-coloured, and huge, they exceed every other apple in every way. [/QUOTE] Red Delicious, the iceberg lettuce of apples. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2007, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-type-of-apple-for-pie/422494/23 "2007-10-13T02:36:57Z")
Pears ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2007, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-type-of-apple-for-pie/422494/24 "2007-10-13T02:47:54Z")
> [@](#): > > Red delicious are the best apples for every occasion. Tart, crisp, richly-coloured, and huge, they exceed every other apple in every way. Every way except flavor. Delicious apples ironically has the least flavor of any well-known cultivar. And as others have noted, it doesn’t hold up to cooking. The only time I would choose a Red Delicious as the best choice is if I wanted an apple to look at but not consume. Personally, my favorite apples for eating are Fujis. But I don’t know how they are for cooking. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2007, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-type-of-apple-for-pie/422494/25 "2007-10-13T03:18:55Z")
Rome Beauties, Granny Smith, and (according to Mom, thinking back to her native PA), Smokehouse. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2007, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-type-of-apple-for-pie/422494/26 "2007-10-13T03:22:08Z")
Personally I prefer a blend: grannies, a couple fujis and a couple rome. I like the texture of grannies but the sweetness of fuji and the color from the rome. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2007, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-type-of-apple-for-pie/422494/27 "2007-10-13T03:32:18Z")
[QUOTE=Bill Door] Red Delicious, the iceberg lettuce of apples. [/QUOTE] Iceberg lettuce that has been sitting in the bottom of the veggie drawer until the bottom turns to goo and the smell coming from the drawer is reminiscent of the local landfill on a hot day. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2007, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-type-of-apple-for-pie/422494/28 "2007-10-13T03:43:41Z")
Macoun to eat, Rhode Island Greening for pies. Man, I miss the Northeast in the fall. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2007, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-type-of-apple-for-pie/422494/29 "2007-10-13T05:46:56Z")
I’m a fan of Stayman Winesap for pies; they’re also quite good for eating fresh. To vary the texture of the pie filling, I’ll occasionally throw in an Arkansas Black. The flavor isn’t as good, but they stay pretty firm when baked. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2007, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-type-of-apple-for-pie/422494/30 "2007-10-13T12:51:21Z")
I just made a wonderful Apple Slab Pie from the latest Cokk’s Country magazine, and I used a combination of Granny Smith and Golden Delicious. It was wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![Plynck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Plynck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plynck)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2007, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-type-of-apple-for-pie/422494/31 "2007-10-13T14:47:27Z")
Cortland when relatively fresh and in season. Once the season is over, they can get mealy. I find MacIntosh to be a bit too watery for pies, but I’ve got around that by cutting them up and tossing with lemon juice to keep them from turning brown. After a day or two they will give up some juice which can be poured off; the apples will be relatively firm. Granny Smith when Cortlands are out of season. There is an older variety called Wolf River that is supposed to be terrific for baking; very firm and dry without being mealy. I’ve never found them in stores or farmstands, but the trees are occasionally available through nurseries. I remember Red Delicious as being very tasty many years ago, but now they seem to be bred for shipping rather than taste. They are a tribute to Washington State marketing. > [@kittenblue](#): > > I just made a wonderful Apple Slab Pie from the latest Cokk’s Country magazine, and I used a combination of Granny Smith and Golden Delicious. It was wonderful. It is truly unfair to tempt us without supplying a recipe. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2007, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-type-of-apple-for-pie/422494/32 "2007-10-13T17:52:21Z")
[QUOTE=kittenblue] I just made a wonderful Apple Slab Pie from the latest Cokk’s Country magazine, and I used a combination of Granny Smith and Golden Delicious. It was wonderful. [/QUOTE] Oooh…I saw that recipe…I really want to try it, but I have to get the right pan first…it calls for one of those half sheet pans, doesn’t it? Then I have to find a few people to give some of it away to, since we would never be able to eat that much pie!🙂 ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2007, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-type-of-apple-for-pie/422494/33 "2007-10-13T19:16:18Z")
Apple pie? Bring back, please. ---
**Author:** ![MarcusF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@MarcusF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarcusF)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2007, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-type-of-apple-for-pie/422494/34 "2007-10-13T23:19:38Z")
**Rayne Man** - writing from England - recommended Bramleys for cooking but was soundly ignored. Is this because all you transatlantic cousins have never heard of proper cooking apples? ps I fully support the view that Red Delicious are only good for polishing and looking at - why our supermarkets import them I will never know ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-type-of-apple-for-pie/422494/35 "2007-10-14T00:56:20Z")
[QUOTE=MarcusF] **Rayne Man** - writing from England - recommended Bramleys for cooking but was soundly ignored. Is this because all you transatlantic cousins have never heard of proper cooking apples? [/QUOTE] Pretty much, yeah. There are actually remarkably few varieties of apples _commonly_ available, and the vast majority of those are for eating fresh. There are other varieties available (for eating, cooking, or cider), but you really have to hunt for them. For example, I was overjoyed to find Cox’s Orange Pippin apples at the farmer’s market today–you’d essentially never see them in a supermarket. ---
**Author:** ![jellyblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e480ec/32.png) [@jellyblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jellyblue)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-type-of-apple-for-pie/422494/36 "2007-10-14T03:10:39Z")
[QUOTE=Slithy Tove] Pears [/QUOTE] I mix half Granny Smith, half Bosc pears. I can’t wait til Thanksgiving! ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-type-of-apple-for-pie/422494/37 "2007-10-14T03:48:31Z")
[QUOTE=Sarahfeena] Oooh…I saw that recipe…I really want to try it, but I have to get the right pan first…it calls for one of those half sheet pans, doesn’t it? Then I have to find a few people to give some of it away to, since we would never be able to eat that much pie!🙂 [/QUOTE] I couldn’t afford to buy the half-sheet pan, (13 x 18) but I found a $4 11.5 x 18, and it worked fine…I really could have just used my 11x15 jelly roll pan. But I was baking for a concert reception…and I cut the pieces smaller…it fed all of the 70 people who wanted pie, with a few pieces left over. A smaller gathering would have made for bigger, average size pieces. but after making it, I think it would be very easy to halve the recipe. The animal crackers really made the crust quite tasty…I’m going to use that tip for other pies where I use prepared crusts. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-type-of-apple-for-pie/422494/38 "2007-10-14T03:52:48Z")
[QUOTE=Plynck] .It is truly unfair to tempt us without supplying a recipe. 🙂 [/QUOTE] I’ll post it, or a link to it, tomorrow…but it solves the “too watery” problem brilliantly! ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-type-of-apple-for-pie/422494/39 "2007-10-14T05:41:51Z")
My favorites to eat are Braeburns and Granny Smiths, but they’re usually too expensive to put in a pie. Braeburns _on sale_ are over 50 cents each around here. I pressed the humble Cortland into service this week to make apple chips and apple turnovers. They did both jobs nicely. ---
**Author:** ![Hedda\_Rosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hedda_rosa/32/1204_2.png) [@Hedda\_Rosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hedda_Rosa)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-type-of-apple-for-pie/422494/40 "2007-10-14T05:45:07Z")
I like Braeburns too. Not too expensive for pie here. Now I have to try the half apple/half pear version. That sounds wonderful. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-type-of-apple-for-pie/422494.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-type-of-apple-for-pie/422494.md?page=3)