Prepping Apples in Advance for Baking | Cook's Illustrated (2024)

FAQs

Prepping Apples in Advance for Baking | Cook's Illustrated? ›

It turns out that as the apples' cell walls rupture during baking, acids are released that partially break down the brown pigments, resulting in a lighter color. THE BOTTOM LINE: If you're going to cook apples, it's fine to prep them a day or two in advance.

Salt water: Use 1/4 teaspoon salt to two cups of water. Soak apple slices in the salt water for a few minutes, then rinse before serving or storing. This brine keeps browning at bay for up to a week. Lemon juice: Tossing cut apples in lemon juice will keep them from browning.

Prepare the entire apple crisp, cover well, and refrigerate the night before baking. Don't wait any longer than overnight before baking, to prevent the apples from browning too much or drying out/spoiling. You may need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time to account for the cold fruit.

Any type of citrus juice—lemon, lime, or orange juice—will work here; pineapple juice will do the trick too. These fruit juices contain citric acid, which slows the chemical reaction and prevents browning. (You can also sprinkle the fruit with powdered citric acid, but it may leave a strong sour flavor.)

THE BOTTOM LINE: If you're going to cook apples, it's fine to prep them a day or two in advance.

This is a really easy way to prep sliced apples and store them in containers in the fridge. You'll need lukewarm water and salt. Once the salt is dissolved, add sliced apples and let sit for about 5 minutes. Rinse with cold water, pat dry, and store in airtight containers for up to 5 days.

Unpeeled apples will add a bit of color and texture to your pie, but they may prevent the apples from melding together when baked. Peeled apples will give you a delicately soft pie with no tough surprises, but some people argue that you lose the apple's nutritional value once the peel is removed.

Some experts will tell you to par-cook apples before filling a pie by pouring boiling water over cut apples and soaking them for 10 minutes. Others say to roast them to reduce water content. Still, others say to let cut apples sit for 30-40 minutes to drain natural juices.

My take on this: Soaking apples and pears is a method that works fine if you use plain water, but only for a very short time—I'd say less than 30 minutes, and ideally less than 15. Any longer, and your fruit will brown while the texture suffers.

How do you store apple crisp before baking? ›

Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bake (covered) in a 350°F (177°C) oven for 30 minutes or until heated through. You can prepare the crisp through step 3, then cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day before baking. You can also freeze the unbaked crisp for up to 3 months.

To make the most of your apple slices, store them in a resealable bag or airtight food storage container in the refrigerator. For the longest-lasting slices, Gipe-Stewart again touts the Cosmic Crisp variety, which doesn't brown. "You can put them in your kid's lunchbox and they'll last all day," she says.

Storing apple slices in an airtight container after treating the cut fruit with saltwater, honey, or citric acid is the best way to keep the fruit fresh. By limiting the amount of time they spend exposed to the air, the slices will be less likely to break down.

This process is called oxidation. It can be prevented by storing apples with their skin on and using them quickly. But if they are cut open or bruised, it will only take about 5 minutes for them to start turning brown.

Salt water

Sodium is a natural preservative that can keep oxygen away from the surface of the apple slices, says Randhawa.

Lemon juice, Vinegar, clear soda will all prevent food from turning brown quickly. These liquids are acidic, so they will lower the pH of the food surface. Olive oil, will also prevent food from browning, but is less effective than the acids. Water and salt water will also slow the browning of foods.

Here's the short version: The best way to prevent browning is to soak the cut fruit in a saltwater solution (half a teaspoon of kosher salt per cup of water) for 10 minutes, then drain and store until ready to use. The mild salt flavor can be rinsed off with tap water before serving.

To make the most of your apple slices, store them in a resealable bag or airtight food storage container in the refrigerator. For the longest-lasting slices, Gipe-Stewart again touts the Cosmic Crisp variety, which doesn't brown. "You can put them in your kid's lunchbox and they'll last all day," she says.

Mix 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt into 1 cup of cool water until dissolved. Add your sliced apples and soak for about 10 minutes. Drain the apples and store in an airtight container for up to a week. If you're packing the apples in a lunch box right away, give them a rinse under cool water.