Cooking apple

A cooking apple is an apple that is used primarily for cooking rather than eating fresh. Cooking apples are larger, and can be tarter than eating varieties. Some varieties have a firm flesh that doesn't break down much when cooked. The British grow a large range of apples specifically for cooking, but such varieties are used worldwide, although table (dessert) apples are also used for cooking purposes. Many apples are dual-purpose.

Cultivars can be divided into apples which are cooked whole (or in large segments) in the oven and become soft and fluffy, often aromatic (e.g. Newton Wonder or Peasgood Nonesuch). Other varieties are processed, as in pies or sauce, etc., such as Bramley or Golden Noble. Bramley is by far the most popular cooking apple in the UK.

Apples can be cooked down into sauce, apple butter or fruit preserves, baked in an oven and served with custard, and made into pies or apple crumble. In the UK apples are commonly boiled and mashed and served as apple sauce with roast pork.

A baked apple is one that has been baked in an oven until it has become soft. The core is usually removed and often stuffed with other fruits, brown sugar, raisins, or cinnamon.

Bramley apples

Red Gravenstein apples

Yellow Gravenstein

Cooking apple cultivars

• Bramley (also used as an eating apple)
• Crab apple (primarily for jelly)
• Calville Blanc d'hiver
• Edward VII
• Empire
• Golden Noble
• Granny Smith (also used as an eating apple)
• Gravenstein
• Grenadier
• Jonathan (also used as an eating apple)
• James Grieve (also used as an eating apple)
• McIntosh (also used as an eating apple)
• Newton Wonder
• Norfolk Biffin
• Northern Spy
• Peasgood Nonesuch
• Pink Lady
• Rhode Island Greening