what's THE BEST, and 2nd best apple for apple pie

My preference is always Granny Smith. Sometimes a combination can be nice...Granny Smith and Golden Delicious or Granny Smith and Braeburn. However, you just can't go wrong using just Granny Smith for things like pies and crisps. I make an apple crostata in which the recipe calls for McIntosh, Empire or Macoun apples. However, I've never made it with anything but Granny Smiths.

My preference is also Granny Smith. Pippin is another good one. Golden Delicious is an eating, not a cooking apple. It can let go of a lot of juice. I had a Burbank apple tree that had the best apples of all for a pie or apple sauce. I almost cried when it died.

I always liked a mixture of firm tart apples. I do not peel apples but slice on the thinner side. I have never found it necessary to peel since if the skin is red you get a nice coloring in the pie. I think it improves the flavor.

I've used Golden Delicious for baking - I didn't prior to watching a show with Jacques Pepin making a tarte tatin with them and I figured if they are good enough for him...............

I also like the "all-purpose" varieties: Pink Lady, Suncrisp, Gala and Braeburn - the last makes great baked apples.

I like apples that do break down a bit in apple pies so I use a mixture and I peel them because in some varieties the skins can get tough and leathery.

Red Delicious are totally unsuitable for baking and I don't even like them for eating out of hand.

Recently Pacific Rose Apples - a variety of Southern Rose, have appeared in local markets and they are a nice "all-purpose" apple and work well in baking and cooking when paired with other apples.

Here's a good guide for using apples. Easy to understand and if you print it out, you can stick it on your fridge.
http://www.pickyourown.org/apples.htm

andie, thanks for the link...it looks good. Some of their apple choices for pie sound good (such as Pink Lady and Honeycrisp), but I don't understand why they say no to Granny Smiths. I've done a lot of experimenting, and they're certainly at the top of my list for pie. I guess it's all just personal preference. I completely agree with you on the Red Delicious...not so good.

It's not that I don't use Granny Smith - I just don't think they are as good as they once were.

There is a "local" apple grower that I can buy from in Sept-Nov and they grow the "russet" apples that are great keeping apples in that they will store well for 3 - 4 months.
They have the tartness of Granny Smiths and the very tight "grain" which makes them a lovely pie/cooking apple.

I prefer that these are partially cooked with the spices and sugar prior to going into the pie shell.
There is less shrinkage and much less collapse when it is a two-crust pie.

I need to try this. Ruth Levy Beranbaum suggests something similar in her Pie and Pastry Bible. I've also read/heard about it from other good sources.

[quote="champagne"][quote="andiesenji"]I prefer that these are partially cooked with the spices and sugar prior to going into the pie shell. There is less shrinkage and much less collapse when it is a two-crust pie.[/quote]

I need to try this. Ruth Levy Beranbaum suggests something similar in her Pie and Pastry Bible. I've also read/heard about it from other good sources.[/quote]


In several Jacques Pepin segments, he cooks the sliced apples in a skillet with the spices and sugar or in one case, apple jelly.
Ina Garten has also done this as have other cooks on PBS shows. Alton Brown also did a show about this - although I seldom, if ever, watch anything on the Food TV Channel in recent years, I did spot this one.

Those three people are all good sources in my book.

Guts, here is an easy recipe on this subject.

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/extra_thick_apple_pie/


Note the apple slices.

I use one of the Shaker-type apple peeler/corer/slicers as it is easier for me because of the arthritis in my hands.

The apple is spiral-sliced so requires the stack of slices be cut from top to bottom, along the axis of the apple.
The advantage is that the slices are even and cook evenly, without the thicker part (when cut in wedges) not quite done while the thinner edge is mushy.

These are relatively inexpensive and once you get the hang of using them, you will find lots of uses.
I use it for Asian pears, somewhat unripe pears and for both white and sweet potatoes with the corer assembly disconnected.
Mine is a vacuum mount and seals firmly to a granite counter or Formica or other smooth surface.
You can also get the clamp-on type.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_ ... rer+slicer

I've got the Apple Master but they all work the same way.