# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Ashes\_Ashes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Ashes\_Ashes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashes_Ashes)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/41 "2011-12-15T07:32:46Z")
Pippins! Or are they called something else in other regions? Green with a blush, crisp, pretty tart. Good for pies or out-of-hand both. Granny Smiths are the Red Delicious of green apples by the time they reach my palate. ---
**Author:** ![drbhoneydew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d78d45/32.png) [@drbhoneydew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drbhoneydew)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/42 "2011-12-15T10:56:22Z")
Russets are apple royalty as far as I’m concerned. Cox’s Orange Pippins are the aristocracy. Braeburns and Galas are very acceptable. I won’t touch Golden delicious - they’re vaguely apple flavoured mush that’s been reformed into an apple shape. Red delicious and Macintosh aren’t much better for texture but taste a bit better. ---
**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:** [December 15, 2011, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/43 "2011-12-15T12:37:07Z")
Fuji and Empire (and maybe Gala?) are probably my favourites. I don’t really get the love for Honeycrisp, personally. I don’t mind Red and Golden Delicious, as long as they’re fresh and crisp. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/44 "2011-12-15T14:04:37Z")
Honeycrisp. Accept no substitutes. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/45 "2011-12-15T14:22:09Z")
Winesap. Even if they tasted like dirt the name alone would make these tasty. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/46 "2011-12-15T14:28:00Z")
Empire and Granny Smith. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/47 "2011-12-15T14:29:32Z")
My all-time favorite apples are Jonathan. I know a lot of people think they’re just for cooking, but I like to eat them “out-of-hand”. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/48 "2011-12-15T14:44:09Z")
Ashmead’s Kernel (a gold/flushed russet with an almost pear-like aroma). I don’t really like overly crisp apples - I find them generally lacking in flavour - a good apple at the proper stage of natural ripeness can be softly crunchy and juicy, without being wooly or pithy. ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/49 "2011-12-15T14:50:58Z")
I’m partial to Fujis and Galas; just enough tartness for me. I like them sweet. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/50 "2011-12-15T14:55:05Z")
Honeycrisp is a new favorite for me. I’m also partial to Jonagold and Pink Lady. ---
**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:** [December 15, 2011, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/51 "2011-12-15T14:56:02Z")
Asian Apple Pears. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/52 "2011-12-15T14:59:51Z")
Macoun, Jazz, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Fuji, pretty much in that order. ---
**Author:** ![robz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac8455/32.png) [@robz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robz)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/53 "2011-12-15T15:13:14Z")
Northern Spy, Winesap, Both great for eating, pies, apple sauce and cider! Every year on a cool, crisp, sunny October day, my family grinds & presses several bushels. Still have about a quarter of a bushel of spys left for eating, pies, & apple sauce. ---
**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:** [December 15, 2011, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/54 "2011-12-15T15:48:47Z")
This is apple and pear country (among other things), so we get them picked ripe off the trees. Honeycrisp is our fave this year. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/55 "2011-12-15T16:15:47Z")
I was lucky enough to find an orchard selling King David apples this summer- the best eating apple ever. They taste about like apple Jolly Ranchers. I also bought a large bag of Grimes Goldens, a yellow apple whose flavor makes one wonder why anyone would eat a Golden Delicious. I also really like Winesaps and Yellow Transparents or Lodis as long as they’re not over ripe. Cortlands are outstanding if picked half-red- they get too soft if left on the tree too long. All apples are much better if purchased from an orchard and not from a grocery store. Even Red Delicious are good when you get them from an orchard, unlike the ones from a grocery store. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/56 "2011-12-15T16:43:35Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Even Red Delicious are good when you get them from an orchard, unlike the ones from a grocery store. This is not true. Fresh red delicious taste of something other than cardboard but they aren’t “good.” I got fresh picked red delicious from my farm share. They traveled less than 40 miles to get to me and had been picked the day before. The were bland as hell. I made them into apple sauce and pretended I’d never received such an abomination. Agree with **Annie Xmas** that Asian pears are lovely but despite their globular shape, they aren’t apples. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/57 "2011-12-15T16:54:35Z")
Albemarle Pippins. Runnerup: Black Twig ---
**Author:** ![Satellite\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Satellite\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satellite_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/58 "2011-12-17T05:18:51Z")
My favorite up until recently was the Gala, or Royal Gala, until a month or two ago, when I tried Spartan. In my mind, it’s like a happy medium between the crisp tartness of a Mac and the sweetness of the Royal Gala. I really enjoyed it. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/59 "2011-12-17T12:29:30Z")
Interesting replies. Needless to say, I’ve never heard of many of these varieties. I wish there were an orchard around. ---
**Author:** ![ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryan)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232/60 "2011-12-17T12:43:42Z")
Empire, Cortland, Fuji, Braeburn and when all else fails, McIntosh. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-favorite-apples-for-eating-out-of-hand/606232.md?page=4)