Apples in the Thermomix®

When are apples in season?

Harvested from August to October, with stored apples available into April across Europe..

• JanStored
• FebStored
• MarStored
• AprStored
• May–
• Jun–
• Jul–
• AugOutdoor crop
• SepOutdoor crop
• OctOutdoor crop
• NovStored
• DecStored

Outdoor crop: fresh European harvest. Protected crop: greenhouse or covered cultivation. Stored: European harvest kept in storage.

Buying and storing apples

Around thirty varieties dominate the shops across Europe. When buying, look for a firm, glossy skin without bruises. For baking and apple sauce, choose tart varieties such as Bramley (intense, almost soft after longer storage), Cox’s Orange Pippin (a perfumed aroma) and Elstar. Jonagold is juicy and holds its shape, ideal for cakes and strudel. Gala tastes good raw but collapses when baked. The skin of organic apples can be used in cooking, but with conventional apples it is better to peel them.

Apples breathe heavily and give off ethylene, which ripens other fruit and vegetables faster. Always store them separately, ideally somewhere cool and frost free at 2 to 5 °C. Storage varieties such as Bramley keep in the cellar until February, while everyday supermarket apples stay crisp in the fridge for two to four weeks. To freeze them, prepare them as sauce or blanch them first.

Preparing apples in the Thermomix®

For apple sauce, cook the peeled, cored apples (about 1 kg, in rough pieces) with 50 ml water and a little lemon juice at 100 °C on speed 1 for around 20 minutes, then blend for 10 seconds on speed 10. If you like it chunkier, stop earlier. Tart varieties such as Bramley need hardly any sugar. For our baked apple cake, dice the apples roughly and pre cook them briefly so they do not release too much juice onto the batter and soak the base.

For apple jam and apple tart, peel and quarter the apples, then chop them on speed 5 for 3 to 4 seconds. The result is evenly diced and saves time compared with cutting by hand. The Thermomix® also takes care of bringing everything to the boil with sugar, cinnamon and lemon at 100 °C on the stirring setting.

The most common mistakes with apples

• The wrong variety for the job. Gala or Fuji hold their shape when baked, but they are too sweet and low on flavour. Bramley and Cox's Orange Pippin give the balance of acidity you need. For raw dishes such as an apple and carrot salad, Gala or Elstar work better instead.
• Using overripe apples for cakes. Apples that have ripened too far release too much juice when baked and make shortcrust or puff pastry go soggy. Choose apples with a firm texture and slow the juice with a little cornflour or breadcrumbs on the base.
• Storing them with other fruit and vegetables. Apples release ethylene and make carrots, pears and leafy salad wilt or spoil faster. Always store them separately in the fridge or cellar.

Goes well with apples

These seasonal ingredients are in season at the same time, ideal for combining:

PeppersTomatoesPumpkin and SquashCarrotsPotatoesMushrooms

Apples in the monthly calendar: