Do you know the best type of apples to use in recipes?

While I know many will be apple picking this season, a variety of apples are better for various culinary uses. Learn about the best type of apples to use in recipes.

Stumped on what apple to use for your recipes? It’s not just apples to apples. Different apples contain different tastes, culinary uses, and may even ripen at different times during the season. Here are some apple varieties that are commonly found while apple picking:

Braeburn

Taste: rich, tart, spicy, crisp
Best for: baking, hand-eating
Ripens: late October

Cortland

Taste: crisp, juicy, sweetly tart
Best for: baking, hand-eating, salads
Ripens: mid-September

Empire

Taste: crisp, juicy, sweet, spicy
Best for: fruit cups, hand-eating, salads
Ripens: September

Fuji

Taste: super sweet, crisp
Best for: cooking, hand-eating, sauce, pie
Ripens: late October

Gala

Taste: firm, sweet, snappy
Best for: sauce, hand-eating, salads
Ripens: late August

Golden Delicious

Taste: mildly sweet, juicy, crisp
Best for: sauce, pie, cooking, hand-eating
Ripens: mid-September

Granny Smith

Taste: tart, crisp, juicy
Best for: cooking, hand-eating, juice
Ripens: late October

Honeycrisp

Taste: sweet, slightly tart
Best for: salads, baking, juice, hand-eating
Ripens: September

Ida Red

Taste: sweetly tart, firm, juicy
Best for: baking, hand-eating
Ripens: mid-October

Jonathan

Taste: sweetly tart, juicy, spicy
Best for: baking, hand-eating, sauce
Ripens: mid-September

Macintosh

Taste: crisp, juicy, sweetly tart
Best for: cooking, hand-eating, salads
Ripens: September

Red Delicious

Taste: juicy, sweet
Best for: hand-eating, sauce
Ripens: late September