Cooking apple


[Image:004bramley.jpg|thumb|Bramley apples]
Image:006grav.2red.strains.jpg|thumb|Red Gravenstein apples
[Image:006grav.ylo.jpg|thumb|Yellow Gravenstein]
A cooking apple or culinary apple is an apple that is used primarily for cooking, as opposed to a dessert apple, which is eaten raw. Cooking apples are generally larger, and can be tarter than dessert varieties. Some varieties have a firm flesh that does not break down much when cooked. Culinary varieties with a high acid content produce froth when cooked, which is desirable for some recipes. Britain grows a large range of apples specifically for cooking. Worldwide, dual-purpose varieties are more widely grown.
There are many apples that have been cultivated to have the firmness and tartness desired for cooking. Yet each variety of apple has unique qualities and categories such as "cooking" or "eating" are suggestive, rather than exact.
How an apple will perform once cooked is tested by simmering a half inch wedge in water until tender, then prodding to see if its shape is intact. The apple can then be tasted to see how its flavour has been maintained and if sugar should be added.
Apples can be cooked down into sauce, apple butter, or fruit preserves. They can be baked in an oven and served with custard, and made into pies or apple crumble. In the UK roast pork is commonly served with cold apple sauce made from boiled and mashed apples.
A baked apple is baked in an oven until it has become soft. The core is usually removed before baking and the resulting cavity stuffed with fruits, brown sugar, raisins, or cinnamon, and sometimes a liquor such as brandy. An apple dumpling adds a pastry crust.
John Claudius Loudon wrote in 1842:

History

Popular cooking apples in US, in the late 19th century:
Tart varieties:
Sweet varieties:
Popular cooking apples in early 20th century England:

Cooking apple cultivars

D = Dual purpose ; Cooking result: P = puree, K = keeps shape