Apple Buyer's Guide

How to choose the best apples for cooking and eating.

Sweet, tangy, juicy and flavorful, the apple is nature’s perfect treat, especially when you’re lucky enough to pick them straight off the tree in the fall. Plus, you can feel good about eating them—apples are low in calories and are a good source of fiber, particularly the soluble kind linked with heart health. Apples are great for snacking, but they are also versatile in the kitchen.

When cooking with apples, texture is just as important as flavor. Some apples cook down to “mush,” while others hold their shape after baking. For most apple baked good recipes we like to use a combination of apples for the best texture. For example, the best apple pie filling combines “saucy” apples (varieties such as McIntosh, Cortland, Macoun, Mutsu (Crispin), Paula Red or Empire) and “shapely” apples (Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Jonathon, Jonagold, Northern Spy or Ida Red).

See our apple descriptions below to help you find the perfect apple.

Also of Interest

Northern Spy

This red-, gold- and green-striped apple has a limited availability in the U.S.—while growing, the fruit is fragile and susceptible to several common afflictions. A Northern Spy tree may take up to 14 years to bear fruit, so it is frequently grafted onto other apple trees to encourage growth. It’s worth the wait, though—this apple is tart and juicy-crisp, with finely textured flesh that holds its shape well, perfect for pie and other baking uses.

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