The best apples for apple pie

An out of this world apple pie requires an out of the ordinary apple, it is just simple as that. If you are planning to make an apple pie to die for, you cannot go to the market and pick any average apple. It takes a certain type of taste and texture to give your apple pie the right texture, and it takes a certain type of tartness and sweetness to give your apple pie the right flavor. So which apples are the best candidates? We will look them over together.

It certainly takes an extraordinary apple to make an out of the ordinary apple pie. In order for your apple pie to have the right texture, you need to stay away from apples that are too soft. If your apples are too soft, they will not be able to keep up with the stress of being cooked and will quickly turn into a mushy mess that will resemble more apple sauce than an apple pie filling.  Apples to avoid are therefore those that tend to fall apart easily like the McIntosh, Gala and Cortland apples, which on the other hand, can be great for apple sauce.

When it comes to flavor, a certain level of tartness will help since the pie already contains sugar. You do not want you pie to be too sweet it almost hurts your teeth. You may want to stay away from the famous Red Delicious apples as many times they do not have much flavor despite their promising name and are not really the perfect baking apple due to their texture.

Granny Smith apples make great apple pie. They are moderately sweet, with the right degree of tartness, and have a great texture which makes them ideal for baking. If you want to add a touch of sweetness, you can throw in some Golden Delicious for a nice combination. Other great apples to choose from are Jonathan, Jonagold and Pippin apples which offer a nice mix of tart and sweet flavors. If none of these are available, other crsp and sturdy apples to choose from are the Gravenstein,  Rome Beauty, Braeburn, Fuji and Pink Lady Apples.

Sometimes the best pies use a combination of the best apples. If you happen to visit a local farmer's market, pick a combination of the above apples and try them in your next apple pie. The combination of flavors and textures may make the most amazing pie filling. Their peak freshness will also certainly contribute in the making of your best holiday pies.