# How you like THEM apples? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 3, 2013, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-you-like-them-apples/646001 "2013-01-03T20:48:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-you-like-them-apples/646001/1 "2013-01-03T20:48:04Z")
FORCED CHOICE QUESTION, none of this “Depends whether for a pie or the lunchbox” nonsense! Be prepared to defend your choice before God. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-you-like-them-apples/646001/2 "2013-01-03T20:51:05Z")
I like 'em rolled in cinnamon/clove/nutmeg blend and then flambe’d with brandy. Mmmmm mmmmm. But the rest of your OP seems to be asking which sort of apple I like best? In which case if I have to choose one, the Honeycrisp is the best all-around. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-you-like-them-apples/646001/3 "2013-01-03T20:56:38Z")
Granny Smith, even though I wonder about the gigantic GS’s I sometimes see at the grocery store nowadays. Granny Smith’s were always little when I was a kid. I have an apple a day at work in the mid-afternoon. Seems to keep the you-know-who away. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-you-like-them-apples/646001/4 "2013-01-03T21:02:25Z")
Honeycrisp, a bargain at twice the price of Gala, which are my second favorite. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-you-like-them-apples/646001/5 "2013-01-03T21:02:45Z")
Asian Apple Pears are the bestest! ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-you-like-them-apples/646001/6 "2013-01-03T21:05:52Z")
Fuji, Reineta, Golden (preferably on the green side), Granny Smith… none of the others, though. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-you-like-them-apples/646001/7 "2013-01-03T21:08:39Z")
Empire ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-you-like-them-apples/646001/8 "2013-01-03T21:08:46Z")
I’m a Macintosh fan myself. I like an apple with some character – none of those namby-pamby sweet apples for me! ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-you-like-them-apples/646001/9 "2013-01-03T21:14:58Z")
I like Fujis and Galas and I don’t get the popularity of Honeycrisps. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-you-like-them-apples/646001/10 "2013-01-03T21:21:01Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I like Fujis and Galas and I don’t get the popularity of Honeycrisps. When they first appeared on the market, they were great. Invariably crisp ( my #1 good eating-apple criterion ) with a nice honey-like sweetness to them that was nonetheless balanced with just a hint of tartness. Sadly popularity and mass production seems to have resulted in declining quality. They are far more inconsistent than in those halcyon days of yore ( the early 1990’s in this case 😉 ). ---
**Author:** ![MacCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maccat/32/216_2.png) [@MacCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacCat)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-you-like-them-apples/646001/11 "2013-01-03T21:26:02Z")
Honeycrisp Jonagold Mutsu ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-you-like-them-apples/646001/12 "2013-01-03T21:26:53Z")
Where’s the option for “anything but a Red Delicious”? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-you-like-them-apples/646001/13 "2013-01-03T21:42:12Z")
Red Delicious. Those are the two qualities I want in an apple. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-you-like-them-apples/646001/14 "2013-01-03T21:45:10Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > When they first appeared on the market, they were great. Invariably crisp ( my #1 good eating-apple criterion ) with a nice honey-like sweetness to them that was nonetheless balanced with just a hint of tartness. Sadly popularity and mass production seems to have resulted in declining quality. They are far more inconsistent than in those halcyon days of yore ( the early 1990’s in this case 😉 ). In addition to all this, IMO they have the most edible skin. So many apples have a skin that’s only a barrier to chew through to get to the good part. Honeycrisp skin is thin and has a pleasant texture and flavor, unlike the tannin-y bitterness of some apple skins. ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-you-like-them-apples/646001/15 "2013-01-03T21:47:05Z")
Northern Spies and Macouns. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-you-like-them-apples/646001/16 "2013-01-03T21:53:44Z")
Red Delicious first then Gala. But Granny Smith makes the best pies. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-you-like-them-apples/646001/17 "2013-01-03T21:54:13Z")
Ewww, who voted for Jazz Apples? Figures they’d post a vote and slink away without identifying themselves. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-you-like-them-apples/646001/18 "2013-01-03T22:04:51Z")
My choice from the list would be McIntosh, if and only if they’re fresh off the tree or bought from an orchard before October 1. After that, the quality deteriorates. Given any option, I’d go with Mccoun or Empire. ---
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Potato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Stealth\_Potato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Potato)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-you-like-them-apples/646001/19 "2013-01-03T22:06:32Z")
I’m glad at least one other person here acknowledges the superiority of the Braeburn. One thing I have never understood is how Honeycrisp apples are so popular. They’re neither particularly honey-like nor especially crisp. What sweetness they have is a dull, bland kind and lacks much tartness to balance it. But first and foremost they tend to have an inferior texture; I’ve never had one that wasn’t a little bit soft or mealy. Altogether an apple I wouldn’t pay fifty cents a pound for, much less three or four dollars. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-you-like-them-apples/646001/20 "2013-01-03T22:11:43Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > Ewww, who voted for Jazz Apples? Figures they’d post a vote and slink away without identifying themselves. Might have been one of the programmers on Jazz, the legendary Mac vaporware of ca. 1986. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-you-like-them-apples/646001.md?page=2)