We Tried 3 Ways to Keep Apples from Browning—One REALLY Worked
Come fall, I can't get enough of apple season. Whether I'm planning a weekend apple picking (these are our favorite places around the US to do it!) or simply grabbing some fun varieties (like these) from my farmers' market, I've got plenty of fresh apples on the counter, and in the fridge, all season long.
I put them in my kids' lunch boxes. I slice them up and tuck them into sandwiches and salads, and of course I cook with them—everything from homemade pies to Seared Sausage with Cabbage and Apples.
Related: 40 Recipes That'll Use Your Apple-Picking Haul
My youngest daughter loves to have her school-lunch apples cored, sliced and ready for her to eat. And I love to make her a lunch that she'll eat! But there's a problem: browning. She won't eat apples if they've started to brown, and I don't blame her.
Most apple slices will eventually turn brown, though some apples brown easier than others. And while it doesn't necessarily affect the taste, it's certainly off-putting to open a lunch box and find sad-looking apple slices staring back up at you.
Why Do Apples Turn Brown?
In short: they oxidize!
The same way iron rusts, apples brown when the flesh comes into contact with oxygen. Apples aren't made of metal, of course, but they have enzymes that react with the oxygen.
Generally, to keep an apple from browning you need to either lower the Ph (which means adding something acid) or to cover it in some way, in order to prevent oxygen from reaching the surface.
After searching the internet for anti-browning methods, I decided to try three different ways to treat the sliced apples.
Salt water (1 teaspoon salt per cup of water)
Honey water (1 tablespoon honey per cup of water)
Lemon juice (about 1 tablespoon: enough to cover the apple slices)
I picked these three because they are relatively easy, they use ingredients most people have, and they sound kind of tasty.
While there are other methods that people recommend, they either seem unappetizing (like covering the apple in vinegar, or olive oil), or they use unusual ingredients (like citric acid).
These were the three I thought most people might actually use.
The Results
Don't want to read all about the methodology and results? No worries! Here's the important bit: Every one of these methods worked fine for several hours, more than long enough for a lunch. But the salt water not only worked best, it also changed the taste the least. Read on to learn what happened.
Method One: Lemon Juice
For this method, I chopped up a medium-sized apple and then squeezed the juice from about 1/2 a lemon over it in a bowl. I tossed the apple slices around to coat, and then checked on them every hour. Periodically (every couple hours) I took a bite of a slice to test.
Results: After 8 solid hours in the air, this apple was not brown at all (as shown in the photo), and it had stayed relatively crisp. Bites of the apple tasted pleasantly lemony and tart.
Method Two: Honey Water
For this method, I chopped up a medium-sized apple and then let it sit for about 30 to 40 seconds in a mixture of 1 tablespoon honey and 1 cup water. I then rinsed them off slightly and checked on them every hour. Periodically (every couple hours) I took a bite of a slice to test.
Results: After 5 hours there was still no browning on the apple, but by hour 6 a small amount of browning began to occur. However, even after 8 hours (as shown in the photo, above) there was very little browning. While it remained crisp for 4 or 5 hours, it had begun to soften slightly. Bites of the apple tasted pleasantly sweet, with a mild honey flavor.
Method Three: Salt
For this method, I chopped up a medium-sized apple and then let it sit for about 30 to 40 seconds in a mixture of 1 teaspoon salt and 1 cup water. I then rinsed them off and checked on them every hour. Periodically (every couple hours) I took a bite of a slice to test.
Results: After 6 hours there was still no browning on the apple, but by hour 7 some browning began to occur. However, even after 8 hours (as shown in the photo, above) there was very little browning. While it remained crisp for 4 or 5 hours, it had begun to soften slightly. Bites tasted just like an untreated apple.
Final Thoughts
Though the lemon juice resisted browning the longest, I have now started using the salt method when packing my kids' lunches. It keeps the apples from browning for more than long enough, and it doesn't impart any taste on the apples themselves.
However, I'd happily recommend any of these three methods. Though the lemon juice tends to cover up the flavor of the apple, it still tastes very good (like a tart apple, such as Granny Smith) and the honey gives it a sweetness that is also very tasty. No matter which method you use, you'll win!
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