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Apple Rankings

applerankings.com

461–470 of 484 posts

Re: Apple Rankings

#461
I could argue that most farmers/food-distributors choose Most of the Apple varieties for their ability to stay freshest in a root cellar the longest (which was the primary source of food storage before refrigeration was invented).

We bought a 1870s farmhouse and found some really good Red Delicious left buried about 2 feet deep in the year round 56-degree bacteria-less soil in the basement after the 13 years of ownership. Quite crispy but mealy too, surprisingly.

Re: Apple Rankings

#462

He's got Granny Smith in the shit category, and this just reminds me of a funny story about dogs! We had two corgis and my wife made all their meals by hand. Part of their diet was apples, but we found one of the corgis would almost always eat around the apple (usually just a cheap red apple) pieces and leave them for the other dog. Then one time Granny Smith apples were cheaper at the grocery store so that is what w…

All of their top picks are red, and the two I've tried are too sweet and bland at the same time. I'll pick a Granny Smith any day over any red apple, the authors of this "ranking" appear quite arrogant in their pretentiousness. Then again, I eat lemons whole so what do I know.

I absolutely love sour foods, to the point of drinking straight up lemon juice when I was younger. I eat a granny smith apple probably every other day, and the more sour the better. Yet, my S.O. recoils at the thought of eating granny smiths. I wonder why people have such varied responses when it comes to sour foods.

Re: Apple Rankings

#463

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No explanation needed. We have 3 frenchies - also rescues. People get them, realize their vets bills are insane, and then dump them off. They are also a big breed in puppy mills that get shut down. We have spent an inordinate amount of money on frenchies over the years (we've had 5 - not at the same time, but 2 died prematurely from health issues), but these dogs didn't chose be here, and deserve a good life.

You're both doing incredible work. It's heart breaking losing a dog, it's raw for me now currently I'm still in the crying-almost-daily stage. Not too dissimilar to me, though I don't often go breed specific but age. I've foster failed a few dogs in the last 6-7 years. I lost my recent foster fail Buster on the 2nd of November and I only got him back from the crematorium yesterday. It's been a rough few weeks, this h…

I'm so sorry. I feel for you and don't have any advice to give. Reading your post and looking at the pictures of Buster have me tearing up.

I've often wondered what makes our bonds with dogs so tight. I often joke with my partner that I wish she looked at me like one of our dogs does.

It's a reminder to show the people and animals around you how much you care about them everyday.

When you're ready, the next dog that finds you will be lucky find a person who cares so much.

Re: Apple Rankings

#465
post #333

Honestly - I think this list prioritizes basically just "sweetness" and "crispness" (despite his claimed categories) which is fine - those are generally appealing things for eating. That said - many of the apples in the "shit" category are fucking delicious. There are days when I want a sweet, crisp apple, and there are days I have a serious hankering for a good ol' granny smith. Even the classic Red Delicious - whic…

I love apples - even blogged about them once. I agree with the assessment of Red Delicious - it's just garbage. Being fed them as a kid put me off apples for years. I don't mind the taste of them when cooked or something, but the floury nature of them when eaten fresh is just horrible. I'd be interested in what you think of Jazz apples? To me they are somewhat similar to Red Delicious in taste but the crispness (is t…

Eh - I think the Red Delicious is a complicated apple. It's also hard to accurately judge because for a long time - it was one of the most propagated apples out there, and sadly - time matters a lot for this one. So unless you know they're coming from somewhere very close to you, it's probably too old for hand eating (although I still do it - I don't hate the texture).

It doesn't go bad quickly, but it certainly loses a lot of its luster very quickly off the tree. It gets progressively more mealy the longer it's been stored.

Which... is the second point - older Red Delicious don't make great hand eating apples because they've lost the texture appeal, but they make a really important part of things like apple tarts or pies. I certainly wouldn't recommend only a red delicious pie - since you basically end up with mush, but they really help hold together a pie when mixed in with other apples. I personally love a pie with 1 red delicious, 1 granny smith, and then 4 filler apples (honey crisp is easy to find and tasty - but I actually prefer Rome, since they're not as sweet).

Cut the Red Delicious and Granny Smith up more finely than the other 4, so they mix in well. A lot of recipes say things like "no mushy pies!" but that's not really right - what they mean is that the whole pie shouldn't just be mush, but having a little mush in there is critical - otherwise you end up with apple bricks between layers of pie crust, and it's just really lackluster. That Red Delicious in there is going to help soak up some of the water coming out of the other apples, and give a nice contrast to the firmness/tartness from the granny smith. Then the filler apples are there for sweetness/apple flavor.

Long story short - I've talked myself into making another apple pie this weekend...

Re: Apple Rankings

#466
post #175

Missing my favourite apple: Aurora. This is the best apple by far. Last long, taste is amazing (though maybe a bit too sweet after a while). I can't rarely find them. Does anyone know how to track down where apples are grown?

I know the site is partly in jest, but I cross-checked against my local bareroot orchard that sells ~75 varieties of Apples and this site had only about 5% of them. I would say it's missing quite a few of the best apples.

Re: Apple Rankings

#468

He's got Granny Smith in the shit category, and this just reminds me of a funny story about dogs! We had two corgis and my wife made all their meals by hand. Part of their diet was apples, but we found one of the corgis would almost always eat around the apple (usually just a cheap red apple) pieces and leave them for the other dog. Then one time Granny Smith apples were cheaper at the grocery store so that is what w…

Also Braeburn is mediocre?!?1

Re: Apple Rankings

#469
post #404

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OK let's go, give us your top 3 favs.

I can't name many more types of apples than "Fuji", "McIntosh", "Rome", "Red Delicious", "Gala", "Granny Smith", and "Honeycrisp", but I feel like Honeycrisp apples are too perfect - too sweet, too crisp, but somehow not as apple-y as other varieties. If you only have one Honeycrisp after years of eating Fujis and Galas it will hit you like a ton of bricks with how good it is compared to what you've been eating. You…

If you're eating Fuji and Gala Apples that aren't in season or weren't picked when they were ripe, sure. However, both of those varieties are vastly more interesting than Honeycrisp when ripe and in season. Honeycrisp's advantage is being "good" for 7 months even if it's never "great." Fuji and Gala can be "great," but are usually picked under-ripe to ship well and extend shelf life, and they sit around far too long; they were picked too soon to be "good" and will be sold long after they're less good than that. Just about they only thing they're OK for at that point is making sweet cider.

Growing up in New England, I always thought Washington's much-touted apples were shit until I had one on the west coast. They're just as good as ours, but out here we only get the ones that were intended for shipping, and they'll always be vastly inferior. The reverse is true, also.

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