Pippins are good in baked goods also.

I rarely use anything but Granny Smith for a pie if I'm buying the apples.

I like Granny Smith. It's tart, otherwise if you don't use a tart apple, the taste is just sweet like sugar with no real apple flavor. Granny Smith is an easy to find variety without having to go to a farmer's market.

Another vote for Granny Smith!

Granny Smith, Spies or Spartans. My personal preference is spies. Apple harvest time here is predominately Sept - November.

My favorites for pies are Stayman and Winesap. Unfortunately, they are hard to find in this area. I guess Granny Smith would be my next choice.

I personally don't like Granny Smith apples. They are too tart and hard. I read once that the best pies are made from more than one kind of apple. We have several different apple trees so when I make an apple pie I mix apples. Golden delicious or Jonagold are my favorites. Jonathan and golden delicious have a tart and sweet combination.

Obviously, personal preferences must be considered. I prefer the tartness of Granny Smith apples. Many people prefer a sweeter apple.

I like Stayman and Winesap, too, Wanda. I also like Fortune, but I've only found them a couple of times. Our good local apple time is September and October. I also heard it is good to add one apple of a different variety to the mix. The produce market I like to go to is great about having a sign with what kind of apple is good for making pies, or eating or baking. It's very helpful.

I just remembered I like Gala and Honeycrisp too.

In a pie, mixed. Some Granny and some sweet.

Granny Smith

I like Jonathans and McIntosh to bake with. I don't like peeling Granny Smiths; hard to peel.

Just don't forget that a cooked apple is not the same as a raw apple. I do not like a raw GS apple at all but cooked, it makes great flavorful desserts.

Combo of Jonagold, or red delicious , for the sweetness and Granny Smith , to hold its shape and to balance the sweetness of the jg.

I agree with the combo. Like Maxmom, I've used macs and they do have really good flavor but they can get very mushy and don't hold their shape as well.

Apples are out of season now in North America. What's in stores are either from storage from last fall (and getting old) or from the Southern Hemisphere. Either way, not as fresh as what you'll find in a few months.

Some apple varieties are regional. I've had Northern Spies in the Northeast - they're fantastic. They closely resemble Pippins for taste and crunch, though perhaps a bit sweeter.

Northern Spies aren't available in my part of the West Coast but Pippins are (in limited quantities, not nearly as commercially available as years ago). They would be my first choice for any apple-containing pie or other baked item.

We have several trees and also live in a heavy a heavy fruit growing region, so I know the history of most apples I buy. I do a lot of canning, so put up several jars of apples. Jonagold is ripe almost a month, before my grannies. Cold storage is much better than it used to be, so if I want fresh, I don't hesitate to use them if I get them a local shed.

I don't seem to have the usual taste that everyone has for apple pies. Then again, I'm not of American origin.

I don't like it tart and I like the sweetness coming from the fruit/apple rather than the added sugar. So, when I make an apple pie, I use red delicious apples and add less sugar.

I like gala and also McIntosh for pies and usually add a spray of lemon juice to the apples. This is making me hungry for Apple pie!!

Granny smith makes the best pie.

Btw... I cook granny smiths over a ham steak in a Caribbean jerk sauce. Fried apples and main course. It is wonderful.

I like to combine Granny Smith and McIntosh. I like a tart apple pie. Sometimes even add some lemon juice. Granny Smith slices hold their shape and don't turn to mush like some apples.

I do not like Granny Smith for pies or anything. I just baked a ten inch apple pie this past weekend and my favorite is Golden Delicious. I used several of those and a large Gala and some other kind I don't know what it was. Turned out so good.

Sue

My mother always used Gravensteins and her pies were delicious!! They are a perfect pie apple, but only available for a short time, I believe in late summer.

Maybe this will be of help, depending on where you are and the variety you have available in your area. I bet your house is going to smell good!!!

That's a great chart. I'm always surprised when I see people recommending red delicious for baking (or eating for that matter, when there are so many more apples that are superior - since red delicious have become so inbred for shipping). I like fresh golden delicious for eating and baking, but if you are buying them after they've been in cold storage for months and months, I think they become inferior for eating and cooking. This chart makes it clear which apples work best for each use. Thanks!

I'm going to have to try golden delicious, I don't believe I've ever eaten it before....huh? :)

I see people adding lemon juice, like it isn't a normal thing. If you don't use lemon, how do you keep your apples from turning dark? Curious.

Our Farmer's Market offers a huge variety of apples and has these printed out as a guide. Glad you liked it Oly!!!

I seldom have a problem with apples browning for just one pie. However if you are going to do a lot of apples, you can use other things besides lemon juice, such as salt, vinegar or lemon lime soda. Of course there is the stuff made especially to keep the fruits from darkening. I did not use anything in the pie I baked this past weekend to keep it from darkening.

Sue

I do a blend of apples, a very crisp tart one and a sweet one. I also add less sugar. We don't like super sweet pies but like to taste the apple. Depending on what is available I do a mix of Pippin or Granny Smith or Gravenstein and blend it either with Honeycrisp or Braeburn or Golden Delicious.

I finally remembered the name of the apple that makes the best apple pie I have ever tasted, It was Duchess which is now a heirloom variety. We had a tree in our backyard and what wonderful pies and apple desserts we enjoyed. The tree was chopped down several years ago when the property was sold. Last summer I overheard some people talking about their Duchess tree and since they live on a farm near me they offered to bring me some. I treasured those apples.

When I was young we had a Wolf River Apple tree and they made the best pie. They were a large apple and nice and sweet. I planted a dwarf wolf river about 10 yrs. ago but usually the deer get the apples before I do!!

Fuji and Gala are excellent eating apples - don't have experience with pie making. I rate Fuji better than Gala. This is a persoal preference. Both Fuji and Gala are sold at Sam's Club. However, at this time of the year, both apples will improve when the new harvest becomes available this fall.

I was surprised to see the number of people who preferred Red Delicious for baking. I was always taught that they were a poor apple for baking (which the chart confirms) and I've always thought them rather tasteless for eating. Much prefer the Golden Delicious, although I've never baked with them. I've seen some recipes that call for mixing your apples and spices and thickener and cooking them before putting in the pie shell. This will soften a harder apple. I've never done this because I'm happy with my pies as I bake them. Anyone ever tried this?

I like Cortlands. I find them a good all-purpose apple, both for eating and baking. Apple crisps, pies cobblers. Empires too.

The other day I had a couple galas and I wanted to make a crisp real quick so I used those and found it tasteless but my husband liked it just fine. Today I bought a Golden Delicious and it was, in fact, DELICIOUS! I cannot believe that I have not ever bought golden delicious before...sheesh! I still would not bake with it though, it's not tart enough. I never buy red delicious anymore, they are flavorless to me. Usually the skin is tough and bitter too.