All about the apple: How it affects human health, how to consume it and much more information in one place!

Although an apple may seem like an ordinary fruit to many, it is actually such a small miracle.

What is important to know about him?

What are its species?

How can it be used in the kitchen?

You will find all this and much more in our article!

Apple, a sweet fruit full of fiber

Apple (Malus domestica) is a sweet, edible fruit of the Malus domestica tree from the Rosaceae family, one of the most widespread fruit trees. This fruit has a characteristic stocky and often round shape, a thin skin that can be green, yellow or red, and juicy flesh.

Its taste is generally sweet, but it can also be slightly sour. It contains vitamins A and C, is high in carbohydrates and is an excellent source of fiber. Apples are eaten fresh or cooked in various ways and are often used as a filling for various buns or cakes.

Health benefits of eating apples

Eating apples has many health benefits, such as:

• They lower blood sugar levels and protect against type 2 diabetes.
• They help reduce total cholesterol and plaque build-up in the arteries.
• The phytonutrients they contain protect against lung and colon cancer.

Nutritional values ​​of apples

In the following table, look at the nutritional values ​​of fresh apples in 100 grams.

Vitamins and minerals in an apple

Also look at the amount of vitamins and minerals that 100 g of fresh apples contain.

How to choose good apples?

Apples continue to ripen after harvest, especially when left at room temperature. If you want them to last you as long as possible, you should buy them before they are fully ripe . Such an apple should be firm to the touch and without soft spots , cuts and various bumps. A fresh, high-quality apple should also have a pleasant, not very pronounced aroma . An apple with an intact stem will last longer than an apple without a stem.

If you tap an apple near the stem and hear a hollow sound, the apple is too ripe. However, if you hear a dull thump, it means you’ve found the perfect piece.

If you want to store apples for a longer period of time, it is best to pick them yourself or buy them from farmers . Apples from the grocery store have been in storage for quite some time, which will shorten the time you can store them at home. In addition, in stores, they are often coated with food-grade wax, which sellers sometimes use to make their products look good.

The best apples for long-term storage have a thick skin and are crisp and tart. Apple varieties such as Granny Smith, Fuji, McIntosh, Fuji, Winesap, Honeycrisp, Northern Spy or Rome can last six months or more. Sweeter apples like Golden Delicious don’t last as long.

Once you’ve chosen the best apples, be careful handling them to avoid bruises.

How to store apples?

• As apples ripen, they produce ethylene, a gas that can cause other nearby crops to ripen prematurely. Therefore, it is best to store ethylene-producing fruits separately from ethylene-sensitive vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower.
• The best way to keep apples fresh is to store them in the fridge in the fruit and vegetable compartment in individual plastic bags with holes . This will last you up to 6 weeks. Alternatively, you can place a damp towel over them to help retain moisture.
• If you don’t have room in the fridge, loosely wrap the apples and store them in the cellar .
• If left at room temperature on the counter, out of direct sunlight, apples will keep for a week.
• For long-term storage , pack the apples separately . One rotten apple can cause other apples to spoil faster.
• Once you’ve sliced ​​your apples, try to prevent them from browning. Brush them with lemon juice, which will slow down the enzymatic browning process and keep the apples fresher for longer. Sliced ​​apples will keep in the fridge for 3 to 5 days.

How to freeze apples?

You can also freeze apples, they will last up to six months in the freezer. Toss the sliced ​​apples in lemon juice to prevent browning, then pat dry. You can then flash-freeze sliced ​​or even whole apples overnight. After flash freezing, transfer them to a freezer bag for long-term storage. Note that freezing apples will cause them to lose their crunch and some of their texture. Frozen apples work best for recipes that call for cooked apples, such as apple pie, butter, or sauce.

More tips for storing apples

• Eat large apples first, as they tend to spoil more quickly.
• Do not store apples near onions or potatoes as they tend to spoil more quickly.
• If you see a rotting apple, throw it away quickly.
• Do not store apples near other ethylene-producing fruit.

Rainbows of apples

There are more than 20,000 varieties of apples in the world, of which about 7,000 are cultivated. Let’s look at at least some of them.

Selected varieties of apples and what they can be used for in the kitchen

Take a look at our table for inspiration, where you will find out what variety you can use in the kitchen.

How to use apples in the kitchen?

You can consume apples in many different ways. They can be processed into sauce, slices or juice and are popular as an ingredient for baking various cakes, biscuits, buns or cakes . Apple pulp can be processed into candy and is also used as a source of pectin . Apple juice can be consumed fresh, either natural or filtered, fermented into alcoholic beverages such as cider or wine, distilled into brandy, or turned into vinegar. They also taste great in salads, curries and chutneys, soups, dried, added to smoothies or baked whole .

They are a great addition to any meal and go well with spices such as cinnamon, cardamom or taste delicious together with cheese and nuts .

• Cooked apples will hold their shape better if you add the sugar called for in the recipe at the beginning of the cooking process .
• Use a greased muffin tin and place the apples to be baked. The molds will support the baked apple.
• Old apples that have started to spoil can be revived by peeling them, cutting them into pieces, and then soaking them in cold cider or juice for about 30 minutes. Refrigerate while soaking.
• Choose apples according to use, see the table above.

More tips on how to use apples in the kitchen

• Try our apple muffin recipes .
• Add unpeeled, chopped apples to the pancake batter .
• Layer thinly sliced ​​apples on top of the pizza and sprinkle with mozzarella, blue cheese and oregano before baking.
• Get inspired by our apple strudel recipes .
• Prepare luxurious baked apples (for example, stuffed with a mixture of nuts, raisins or dates, sugar and cinnamon).
• Bake an easy apple cake.
• Add chopped whitefish to a chicken or crab salad, along with grapes, celery stalks, and fresh tarragon or parsley.
• Place the apple slices in the sandwich along with the grilled cheese.
• Add the apple pieces to the pudding .
• Prepare the apple bun.
• Mix finely chopped apples with whole milk and dried milk and honey and blend.
• Grill your apples and serve, for example, with ice cream.
• Prepare apple soup .
• Steam and press the apples and simply spread them on toast or a baguette.
• Mix apple puree with garlic and other spices to create a luxurious meat marinade .
• Preserve the apples .
• Gratin the apples together with the eggs.
• Add them to ice cream and serve as dessert.
• Mix the apples together with the sprouts and butter .
• Bake a luxurious apple pie according to one of our recipes .
• If you salt some food , add a few apple slices to the pot and cook for ten minutes. Then remove the slices with excess salt.
• Add half an apple to the cake , which will help the cake keep longer.
• Try delicious recipes for Countess Cuts .
• Stuff the apple into the chicken you are going to roast.

How to make apple chips?

What will you need?

• apple slices (3 apples)
• two spoons of ground cinnamon
• one tablespoon of ground ginger
• one tablespoon of ground cloves
• one tablespoon of ground nutmeg

How to do it?

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
2. Wash the apples, cut them into slices and place them on a baking sheet.
3. Mix the spices and sprinkle them over the apple slices.
4. Bake the chips for at least an hour.
5. Remove the chips, switch sides, sprinkle with seasoning on the other side and bake for another hour.
6. Finally, let them stand for some time.

Interesting facts about apples

• The world apple harvest averages more than 60 million metric tons per year , the vast majority of which is produced by China , followed by the United States, India, Turkey, and Poland.
• In Europe, most of the harvest goes into cider, wine and brandy . A quarter of the total world production is for cider.
• The apple tree comes from Central Asia , where its wild ancestor Malus sieversii is still found today. Apples have been cultivated in Asia and Europe for thousands of years and were brought to North America by European colonists.
• In France, it is the most consumed edible fruit and the third on the planet .