I love apples but I hate biting into them so I always cut mine up into chunks. If I don't finish them quick enough then of course they get brown...yuck! My mom used to soak them in lemon juice and that made a big difference to prevent the browning but then they tasted like lemon juice...go figure! My grandma then taught us this little trick and it works like a charm--it is simple and doesn't change the taste of the apples. The solution is SALT! Yes, I know it sounds weird but it works and it will still leave your apples tasting great and no browning!
Finally, you can pack those apples in lunches or serve them at a party and they won't be ugly and brown! It just takes a small little bit of salt and cold water.
This is such a simple trick!
Cut up your apples the way you like them. I like the skins off when I cut them but you could leave the skins on. Totally a personal preference and will not change the outcome of your apples staying fresh.
Fill a bowl with cold water and about a 1/2 teaspoon to a full teaspoon of salt depending on the quantity of apples. I honestly don't measure, I just dump some salt in and if I'm doing a big batch of apples then I add extra salt to be sure it's enough. I also add ice to the water to be sure it's good and cold but you wouldn't have to do that step. Just be sure to put the salt and water together first and then add your apples once the salt has been mixed into the water. Let the apples soak for awhile and then serve them or put them in a bag and store them in the fridge. You can also fill a ziploc bag with salt and water and let them sit in that mixture overnight but I usually just soak them for a little while and then bag them without the salt. When I say "awhile" I would say a half hour to an hour.
It amazes me that this works without changing the flavor of the apples but it really does! So much better than doing lemon juice. No more face puckering when you eat sliced apples.
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Here is a bonus recipe for a great Peanut Butter Apple Dip (or any fruit or snack that you like with it) that my grandmother uses for parties or just to have in the fridge to dip your apples and snacks in. I am sure you've seen this dip idea around before because I know a lot of bloggers have shared similar recipes and I've seen variations of it on Pinterest but if you haven't made something like this before I'd recommend it! Your kids will love it in their lunchbox too. I honestly could just eat the dip by the spoonfuls. It tastes like Peanut Butter Pie Filling.
Peanut Butter Dip
1 Cup Peanut Butter, smooth not crunchy
1 jar of Marshmallow Fluff
1 8 ounce package of Cream Cheese, softened
1 Cup of Cool Whip
Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix everything together with an electric mixer. Make sure your mixture is smooth and you are done! Can it get much easier than that? I don't think so!
Place the dip in a container to keep in the fridge or serve it for a sweet treat at a party. This works well with plenty of other fruit and snack foods as well. Try smearing it on a chocolate graham cracker, yum!
Look how great those apples look! No browning even after they had been in the fridge all day before serving them.
So good!
Don't these look amazing even the next day? I just love cutting up a bunch of apples and keeping them in the fridge for several days without the browning! We can all have a quick and healthy snack with this little salt water trick.
Enjoy!
