What Types Of Apple Make The Best Pie?

Apple pie may symbolize many things — home, comfort, even patriotism (despite the fact that apple pie isn't as all-American as it's cracked up to be). One thing this dish will never be, though, is a symbol of unity. Sure, many people can agree that it's delicious, but not only do people argue about how to top it (cheese or no cheese? the debate rages on), but few bakers seem to agree on how to make it; starting with what apples to use. Some, including celebrity chef Ree Drummond, go for Granny Smiths, while others swear by Rhode Island Greenings. In the U.K., the Bramley is the Delia Smith-endorsed pie apple of choice. We asked food blogger Jerrelle Guy, author of the cookbook "Black Girl Baking", for her take on the issue and she gave us a more diplomatic answer. "Honestly," she said, "mixing a few different varieties gives the pie the best flavor and complexity."

Not just any apples are fit to go in a pie, however. "You want apples that are firm and hold their shape during baking," Guy told us, adding that she prefers to use some sweet ones and some tarter varieties for a better-balanced flavor. Her personal favorites are Braeburn, Honeycrisp, and Granny Smith; though she thinks Golden Delicious can also work. Not Red Delicious, though, since these apples tend to get mushy when baked. Macintosh and Fuji are also to be avoided since all three apples are on the softer side.

How do you make your apple pie even better? Many people, Jerrelle Guy included, feel that the secret lies in pre-cooking the apples. As she explained, "I like to pre-cook my apples because it lets me control the thickness of the filling and it cooks out some of the moisture from the apples, which makes them tender while preventing a soggy crust." She went on to say that cooking the filling also "gives the apples time to marry with the spices and deepen their flavor."

Of course, even on this issue, pie makers fail to reach a consensus. A discussion on the hyper-specific r/pie subreddit found some defending apples baked in the raw because they feel precooked apples make for a softer, more applesauce-like filling. One person proposed an alternate solution they referred to as the osmosis method: They mix their apples with the sugar and spices and a pinch of salt, then put them in a colander. The sugar and salt work together to draw out the excess moisture, which drains away before the apples go into the crust. Those who tried it said it worked great, but most commenters seemed determined to stick to either the precooked or raw apple camps.