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Mahalo nutrition expert Kristina Jackson shows you how to pick the best apple.
Color
Make sure the color is a deep and rich red. This is an indication that it is very ripe. Also, there should be no brown spots or gashes on the skin.Texture and Feel
Fresh apples should never be squishy. They should be very firm to the touch since those often have the best crunch.
Shape
A more round apple tends to be more flavorful than an elongated one. The round ones also tend to be younger and freshly picked.Weight
Pick the heaviest apple you can find. This means it's holding a lot of moisture and also that it will have a fresher and crisper taste.
Types of Apples
Red Delicious
This is the most popular variety in the United States and can be found year-round. It is best eaten raw, since when it's cooked, it loses much of its flavor.Â
Golden Delicious
This is an all-purpose apple that's great for baking, eating raw or making into applsauce. The flesh of this apple doesn't darken as quickly as other apples when exposed to air, which makes it great for putting into salads.
Fuji
Fujis are sweeter and crisper than other types of apples, and they have a very long shelf life. With refrigeration, they can last up to six months.
Granny Smith
The Granny Smith is sometimes referred to as a Green Delicious. It's an all-purpose, year-round apple with a tart flavor.
Choose Wisely!
References
Meet Our Experts
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Kristina Jackson
A graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition at Columbia University, natural food chef Kristina Jackson is a certified holistic health and lifestyle consultant. She is also the editor of the blog "The Whole Idea" which, according to Jackson, "takes us on a journey to experience all that life has to offer…naturally. Clean food, good fun and healthy, conscious living."
About Apples
Apples are the most cultivated fruit in the United States, and their genus has more than 25 varieties. Roughly 60 million tons of apples are produced each year, and apple trees live an average of 60 years or longer. They can be eaten raw, put into salads, made into juice or cooked into desserts.
