"A good baking apple needs the integrity to hold its shape against long application of heat, keeping some bite and enough acidity to stand up to the sweetness as it cooks. You can count on Red Delicious to fail on all three counts. As George explains, "the critiques are somewhat justified, considering Red Delicious apples do have a pretty tough exterior and lack the acidity we normally associate with that refreshing, crisp apple taste.""
"Varieties that make the best pies excel in the oven because they manage that transition gradually, retaining enough firmness to hold their shape while releasing concentrated, juicy flavor instead, not a thin and paltry dilution. "When baking with apples, you want an apple that retains its shape, texture, and flavor throughout the baking process." Red Delicious looks like the platonic ideal of an apple, but it cooks like a sponge, releasing moisture early and collapsing soon after, leading to watery, indistinct textures."
Red Delicious apples are widely recognized visually but perform poorly for baking. They tend to soften quickly, become mealy and mushy, release moisture early, and collapse into a bland, watery texture when exposed to heat. A good baking apple should retain shape and some bite during long cooking, and provide enough acidity to balance sweetness. When apples bake, cell walls soften and starches convert to sugars; the best varieties manage that transition gradually, concentrating flavor while holding firmness. Red Delicious fails on firmness, texture, and acidity, making it unsuitable for pies and similar baked dishes.
Read at Tasting Table
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]