# What are your favorite apples for eating out of hand? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 14, 2011, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232 "2011-12-14T21:59:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/21 "2011-12-14T23:35:33Z")
I am a fan of Granny Smith apples (love the tart, sour taste!) but from reading this thread, I see that I’ll have to hunt down at least a Honeycrisp to give them a try. ---
**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:** [December 14, 2011, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/22 "2011-12-14T23:38:45Z")
Fujis are my favorite, even though I live in apple country and Fujis are one of the few common varieties that aren’t grown locally. And I like Crispins but they’re hard to find. ---
**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:** [December 14, 2011, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/23 "2011-12-14T23:47:32Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I think a lot of people have only ever had so-called Delicious apples (if there were ever a misnomer, that is it), and I want to scream at them in the grocery story, “You don’t know what you’re missing!” Keep in mind that Red Delicious and Golden Delicious are two completely separate varieties. Red Delicious deserves your scorn. But Golden Delicious is a decent eating apple. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/24 "2011-12-14T23:49:12Z")
Another honeycrisp lover here. They are really hard to find in my area tho. ☹ ---
**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:** [December 15, 2011, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/25 "2011-12-15T00:08:43Z")
Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Pacific Rose, and Jazz are my favorites. Red Delicious apples are the iceberg lettuce of apples. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/26 "2011-12-15T00:30:32Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I am a fan of Granny Smith apples (love the tart, sour taste!) but from reading this thread, I see that I’ll have to hunt down at least a Honeycrisp to give them a try. Honeycrisps have a light, crisp texture that some have compared to that of a good crisp watermelon. They’re also nicely balanced between sweet and tart. I’m freaking addicted to them. I spend way too much money on them when they’re in season and eat two a day until I can no longer find them in the market. When they’re in, I buy no other apples. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/27 "2011-12-15T00:35:14Z")
I’ve always liked Golden Delicious for snacking on. I’ve never had a Honeycrisp. I’ve never even seen one of those actually. ---
**Author:** ![Philliam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/philliam/32/3011_2.png) [@Philliam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philliam)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/28 "2011-12-15T00:55:51Z")
> [@Hedda\_Rosa](#): > > Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Pacific Rose, and Jazz are my favorites. > > Red Delicious apples are the iceberg lettuce of apples. Except Iceberg lettuce is semi-palatable - Red Delicious apples are bred for shape, color and longevity - the taste and texture are hellish. p.s. I live where they come from and am truly embarrassed. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/29 "2011-12-15T01:08:14Z")
Pink Lady. . ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/30 "2011-12-15T02:14:06Z")
Golden Delicious are juicy and refreshing. Honeycrisp also good. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/31 "2011-12-15T02:20:24Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > As opposed to using for pies. > > I realize all varieties of apples are not available everywhere, but even here in Texas, we get a lot of varieties from all over. I think a lot of people have only ever had so-called Delicious apples (if there were ever a misnomer, that is it), and I want to scream at them in the grocery story, “You don’t know what you’re missing!” > > My favorites for eating are Winesaps, and you can only get them here for about a month in the winter. I also like Jazz, Honey Crisp, Pink Lady. Don’t like Granny Smith except for cooking. Empire Cortland Crisp, not mealy. Sweet with a tart finish. Eta: macouns are good, too ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/32 "2011-12-15T02:40:08Z")
Pink lady. Honey crisp or a small granny in a pinch. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/33 "2011-12-15T02:51:54Z")
Of the more Popular Apples, Granny Smith and Winesap. We don’t have much variety here. For Pies, my mother swore on Northern Spy. And she could make a helluva an apple pie. But she wouldn’t make any pies unless she had Northern Spy. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/34 "2011-12-15T02:57:12Z")
> [@Philliam](#): > > Red Delicious apples are bred for shape, color and longevity - the taste and texture are hellish. Just like tomatoes. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/35 "2011-12-15T03:24:57Z")
Honeycrisp for me too…which are rare where I am. So I usually get gala or fiji. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/36 "2011-12-15T04:19:14Z")
Harelson is my fave. It is crisp and tart but not sour. It’s a terrific apple for eating when you are hiking the autumn woods. It grows in places with cold winters and doesn’t store well so you don’t see it in the stores for long. I also like the chestnut apple, which is almost a crabapple in size. Delicious. Granny Smith from New Zealand is better than the domestic version. I don’t like Washington Granny Smiths for eating because they have a sour taste right under the skin. The ones from New Zealand don’t have that. However, with the cost of shipping and the desire to support my local economy, I have done without them the last few years. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/37 "2011-12-15T04:50:23Z")
Honeycrisps are the best! A Gala or Fuji will do in a pinch though. ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/38 "2011-12-15T04:50:46Z")
Pink Ladies all the way! Too bad they are so expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/39 "2011-12-15T06:19:53Z")
Most store-bought apples are crap - they are picked green, artificially ripened, and stored way too long. Give me a Golden Delicious, still green, but about to turn yellow-green, picked by me on a cool morning. Crisp, very juicy, and sweet but not too sweet. Once they start turning yellow, they are pretty much worthless. I had the good fortune of growing up on a farm with a dozen or so apple trees. We didn’t have a big variety of apples, but I know a bit about the ones we grew. (Other ones were the hard, sour type suitable for baking - not eating out of hand.) p.s. Hand-picked Red Delicious apples beat the hell out of store-bought ones, but I still prefer Yellow Delicious - a more complex flavor. ---
**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:** [December 15, 2011, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/40 "2011-12-15T07:00:47Z")
> [@Hedda\_Rosa](#): > > Red Delicious apples are the iceberg lettuce of apples. Red Delicious are the silicone implants of apples. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232.md?page=3)