Avoid Using These Types Of Apples For Your Fritters

Pumpkin spice may be the trend in fall, but it's a fair argument that autumn is also, emphatically, apple season. Whether you're planning to prepare a fall feast or enjoying a sweet treat any time of the year, apple fritters are a perfect way to celebrate your favorite fruits. Among a plethora of different types of apples, using the right varieties is crucial for the very best flavor and texture. Tasting Table chatted with cookbook author Mark Filippelli to get his must-know tips for the tastiest apple fritters and he strongly recommended avoiding overly ripe apples as well as varieties such as Red Delicious or Fuji as their tender texture will not stand up to the cooking process.

Consider that most typical apple fritter recipes begin with peeling, coring, and chopping apples into smaller, uniform pieces. These pieces are then coated in a thick batter and deep fried in hot oil. Given the nature of this cooking process, it's best to avoid using apples that won't hold their shape once peeled and cut, much less battered and fried. Overripe apples or those that have a soft texture will turn to mush and completely lose their pleasant bite.

Common apple varieties like Granny Smith or Pink Lady are ideal for preparing an apple fritter recipe. Slightly tart and considerably firmer than many other varieties, these apples are commonly used for baking as well as deep-fried apple fritters. With the right fruit on hand, your next batch of apple fritters will be simply delicious.

Tasting Table's best apple fritter recipe calls for a pair of Pink Lady apples to start with. This variety of apples is especially known for its crisp texture. Further, these apples manage to strike a balance between both sweet and tart flavors. Much like the especially tart and tough Granny Smith apple, these are best if you want to avoid a soggy dessert.

Choosing the right apples for your fritter is only part of the equation, though. It's important to note the taste profiles of the apples you've picked in addition to their firmness so you can create a complementary batter for perfectly fried fritters. With such sour apples as Granny Smith, you'll want to ensure your batter is adequately sweetened to counter the tartness. It will also inspire any other additions you make to the freshly fried fritters, including a sweet glaze, icing for dipping, or even a generous shake of powdered sugar.

A simple batter will keep your fritters light and easy to fry either in a deep fryer or a pot filled with a high smoke point oil. Remember to use apples that you already like and would eat whether battered and fried or not. And don't forget to add cinnamon and other warm spices atop the fritters for even more festive fall flavor.