The Absolute Best Ways To Slice Apples For Your Fall Recipes
When fall rolls around, the first flavor on many folks' minds is pumpkin. But, how could we ever forget about the other seasonal star of the show: apples? Whether you're rolling out dough for an apple pie or preparing a fresh Harvest Salad for your next fall picnic, apples are a staple for many home cooks' kitchens when September rolls around. But, what do we mean by "many"? According to the Produce Marketing Association, fruit sales account for 47% of all weekly grocery store earnings -– and (after bananas) apples are the most-popular fruit shoppers are reaching for (via SFGate). In fact, 73% of shoppers regularly do. In 2019, says the USDA, U.S. consumers ate roughly 10 pounds of fresh apples per person — and that doesn't even include the 1.4 gallons of apple juice per person, either. The authority at USApple reports that the U.S. alone is home to 26,000 apple growers, producing roughly 11 billion pounds of apples every year for an over-$23 billion industry that supports 150,000 jobs.
A trip to your local grocery store will likely present you with several different types of apples — according to the University of California; there are literally hundreds of varieties. But, from Granny Smith to Pink Lady to Honeycrisp, most apple trees share the same growing season: May to September. That means, when fall rolls around, it's harvest time. Apple picking, anyone? Here's the absolute best way to slice apples for your fall recipes.
Flat is the name of the game
When it comes time to use those apples in your next recipe, you might run into the age-old frustration as they roll all around the cutting board. Not only can this be annoying, it can also pose a safety issue. Luckily, though, there's a simple way around this problem — and it's all about technique.
Place that fresh apple on a cutting board and, using a chef's knife, slice one edge off the side, says Kitchn. Now that your apple has a flat side, lay your apple on the cutting board flat-side down, and simply cut it into slices, avoiding the core. This way, your apple won't roll around the cutting board, and you'll cut into the peel versus carving up the flesh or hitting the apple's core. From there, you can further cut your apple pieces into smaller slices, depending on your recipe or personal preference.
Noreen's Kitchen recommends a similar technique, but with a slight variation. It suggests thinking about your apple as if it has four quadrants. With this in mind, slice your apple four times, around the core, using a strong chopping motion. This way, you'll end up with four roughly equal apple slices with flat sides and a separated core. From there, as in the previous technique, you can further slice your apples — which now lay flat — into smaller pieces as you prefer, cutting into the skin.