Apples are a great year around fruit.  And today we have so many varieties to choose from.    Today I wanted to pass on a couple of tips for cutting and using apples in your cooking.

But first let me share a bad food experience.  I remember years ago having a dinner party for quite a large group and deciding that I was going to make two 9x13 pans of apple crisp for dessert.  At the last minute I got in a hurry and decided I didn’t have time to peel the apples,  which was a mistake.  I discovered that apple skins get real tough and chewy when they’re cooked and of course I didn’t realize it until I was serving it up for dessert.  The guests very politely chewed and chewed every bite.  The children at the table simply spit out the skins.  It was not one of my finer moments.  Almost without exception, apples need to be peeled if they’re going to be baked.  So on to the peeling…

What you want to remember about peeling apples is that it’s easier to peel them when they’re whole.  And there’s even an efficient way of doing that.  Take your apple and vegetable peeler and peel two rings.  One on the very top where the stem would be and the other on the bottom close to the base.  Then take your peeler and run vertical lines starting at the top and going down.  It is truly the quickest way to get rid of the skins.  Once the apple is peeled then quarter them, pare them and cut them in any way you want.

Also if you’re grating apples peel the apple and then grate it whole.  Don’t quarter the apple and grate each small quarter.  Keep the apple whole.  You’ll have more to grab on to and you’ll minimize the chance of grating your knuckles.