Don't Own An Apple Coring Tool? A Wine Opener Will Work
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It can be difficult to predict exactly how many tools you need in your kitchen. Whether you live in a studio apartment or a mansion, you are always going to have a finite amount of cabinet and drawer space, leading you to scoff at some single-purpose device needed for only the most specific kitchen task. Whether it's a tiny garlic press or a giant ice cream or bread maker, there is definitely some kitchen tool you don't own that you're positive you will never need ... and then it happens. You decide to make something special on a whim and discover you don't have the highly-specialized tool for the job.
If the thing you discover you do not have is an apple corer you're in luck because, according to People, chef Sebastian Matheja has a hack that can have you well on your way to perfect baked apples without having to rush to the store or spend $15 on Amazon for a new tool that will probably spend 99% of its time gathering dust in your drawer.
Turn a corkscrew into a core-screw
As reported by People, Sebastian Matheja, who serves as Chef de Cuisine at New York Conrad Midtown, has a simple hack to coring apples and still leaving them in one piece for stuffing or baking. It involves a tool you almost definitely have in your kitchen already — or perhaps more accurately, your bar.
Getting your Granny Smiths ready for baking is as simple as pulling out your trusty corkscrew. According to Matheja, a manual, winged corkscrew works best for this task. Simply drill the screw down into the apple core and pry the core out in one fell swoop by pressing the wings down just like you would do with a wine cork. The core comes out whole, and the apple is left in one hollow piece, so you can fill it up with whatever you want. Matheja recommends stuffing apples with marzipan, nuts, and cinnamon for a wintery treat, or you could utilize the corkscrew again while you have it out and pop open some white wine for a spicy-sweet white wine-baked apple recipe.