Core Health Benefits of Apples
Apples offer a lot more than sweetness and crunch. There are almost as many potential health benefits as there are varieties. For starters, they’re great sources of fiber and vitamin C, and they’re packed with antioxidants. Those attributes all play a part in a healthier immune system, but are only the beginning when it comes to benefits. Apples are low calorie, which can help control weight, and they can also have positive effects on blood glucose, digestion, cholesterol, and inflammation. They may even help protect against type 2 diabetes and cancer.
Take Your Pick of All Types of Apples
We always have a wide range of fresh, in-season apple options. Check out our list of just some of the apple varieties you’ll find at your neighborhood Giant Eagle or Market District and see which apples are best for baking, snacking, and saucing, then learn a few new recipes that happen to be the apple of our eye.
Best for Snacking
Honeycrisp
As the name implies, a Honeycrisp is sweet like honey and very crisp. Its juiciness and mildly aromatic flavor are extraordinary.
Gala
Heart-shaped with a distinctive yellow-orange skin and red striping, Gala offers a crisp, aromatic flavor. Use it to add sweet depth to stir-frys and meat dishes.
Red Delicious
The ultimate American apple. With a sweet, juicy, mild flavor, it’s a lunchbox classic, but can be more excitingly used for pickling or making crisp apple chips.
KIKU®
Exotic, with attractive striped ruby red skin and juicy, crunchy flesh, the KIKU is quite possibly the sweetest apple you’ll ever taste!
Kanzi®
Kanzi is not just any apple. Its luxurious appearance is an alluring promise of its crunchy bite and deliciously well-balanced flavor. Both sweet and sour, it’s derived from a unique blend of a juicy Gala and a tangy, sweet Braeburn.
Pink Lady®
Boasting a unique, tangy-tart sweet flavor and firm, crisp flesh, this variety gets the highest marks in consumer tastings. Harvested in November, supplies often last until August.
Best for Baking and Cooking
Golden Delicious
This is the quintessential cooking apple because it retains its shape and rich, mellow flavor. It also resists browning when cut, so we like it in salads as well as bread, scones, pies, cookies, and cakes. Try it in applesauce as well.
Granny Smith
This apple packs a mouthwatering tartness with a crisp bite and tangy flavor that really comes through when baked and sautéed. Excellent for caramel apples as well as Mulligatawny, cakes, tarts, and compotes.
Ambrosia
Known for its distinctly sweet, slightly perfumed flavor and tender, finely crisp texture, the Ambrosia is a juicy, low-acid apple with a pleasing aroma.
San Rosé
Sweet taste, perfumed aroma; delicious served with toasted nuts and raisins. And, it cooks down excellently for jams.
JAZZ™
Grown with passion in sun-drenched orchards, JAZZ promises crunchy, tangy-sweet, juicy invigoration. The collision of delightful flavors is the result of natural breeding between the Royal Gala and Braeburn varieties.
Best for Applesauce
McIntosh
Sweet with a tart tang and juicy, tender, white flesh, this is one of the oldest apple varieties. Its flesh cooks down quickly for applesauce and butters.
Fuji
Harvested in the middle of September, these Washington-grown Fujis are crisp and juicy, with an audible snap. Their flavor is sweet (especially if slightly chilled) with an off-the-tree freshness.
Red Rome
A perfectly round, solid, red apple that retains its firm texture and deeply rich flavor when cooked. It’s great for adding sharp flavor to applesauce but we use it in everything from pies and pancakes to kugels and crisps.
Our Favorite Apple Recipes
