This Pro Trick Keeps Apples from Browning (Nope Not Lemons!) (2024)

FAQs

This Pro Trick Keeps Apples from Browning (Nope Not Lemons!)? ›

Mix 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt into 1 cup of cool water until dissolved. Add your sliced apples and soak for about 10 minutes. Drain the apples and store in an airtight container for up to a week. If you're packing the apples in a lunch box right away, give them a rinse under cool water.

Salt Water

Just add a pinch of salt to a bowl of water; add your apple slices and let sit for about 5 minutes before draining. Since salt is a natural preservative, it'll protect the apple from oxidation. You can rinse the apples off with fresh water before eating, if desired.

To use this method to prevent apples from turning brown, create a water bath for your apple slices with a ratio of 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to 1 cup of water. Soak the apple slices for 3 to 5 minutes, then drain and rinse them. This simple step should keep your apples from browning for several hours.

Packaged apples found at McDonalds or in your local produce section are usually treated with a solution of calcium ascorbate (a blend of calcium and vitamin C) or citric acid (found in citrus fruit) to maintain freshness and color. Both are very safe to use on fruit that will be consumed.

Ascorbic acid, commonly known as vitamin C, can be found in the grocery store or pharmacy. Using ascorbic acid does not add flavor to the apples. Mix 1 teaspoon powder or six crushed tablets (500 mg. per tablet) with 2 cups of water and dip apples in the solution for 3 to 5 minutes.

The Secret to Lunch Box Apple Slices: Salt Water

Lemon juice, the Fruit-Fresh product, and even ground cinnamon are often suggested for keeping sliced apples from turning brown — and although they work to varying degrees of success, a simple salt water brine is by far the easiest and best way to prevent browning.

For maximum freshness in the kitchen, keep a bowl of whole apples out of direct sunlight. For more than a bowlful, Gipe-Stewart recommends storing apples in your refrigerator's bottom-shelf crisper drawer, where they'll last longer "but it really depends on the variety," she stipulates.

Lemon-lime soda: This trick is a favorite of the Taste of Home food styling team. Just soak cut apples in lemon-lime soda, like 7-Up or Sprite, for about 10 minutes. Drain them and they're ready to use. Since the flavor is neutral, the fruit needs no additional rinsing.

Adding acidic juices to your apples like lemon and pineapple juice can slow the enzymic browning of apples. The low pH the juice provides can cause PPO to become less active.

Calcium ascorbate is very safe and is used on most of the sliced apples that you find in your produce department, so McDonald's apples shouldn't taste any different than those. You can always simply cut apples yourself if this concerns you.

How do you make apple slices last overnight? ›

Storing apple slices in an airtight container after treating the cut fruit with saltwater, honey, or citric acid is the best way to keep the fruit fresh. By limiting the amount of time they spend exposed to the air, the slices will be less likely to break down.

The McDonald's apple slices are NOT the same apples you find in a grocery store. They are tree-ripened for higher fructose content and then sprayed in ascorbic acid (vitamin C) making them taste tangy. Also, they have nothing to do with the apples in the apple pies.

The Loser. Apple slices soaked in water for 10 minutes, removed, and sealed: By comparison, slices sitting in unsalted water for 10 minutes deteriorated in texture and browned a little after 30 minutes in the Ziploc. They also browned significantly after an hour.

Give the apples a quick spritz of lemon juice, or dilute a few drops of lemon juice in water and soak the apple slices. No fresh lemons? Try bottled lemon juice, lemonade or even orange juice—as long as it's acidic, it'll slow browning.

Method 2: Storing cut apples in honey water

Other folks say a mixture of sugar or honey and water will slow the browning process.

Any type of citrus juice—lemon, lime, or orange juice—will work here; pineapple juice will do the trick too. These fruit juices contain citric acid, which slows the chemical reaction and prevents browning. (You can also sprinkle the fruit with powdered citric acid, but it may leave a strong sour flavor.)

Lemon juice, Vinegar, clear soda will all prevent food from turning brown quickly. These liquids are acidic, so they will lower the pH of the food surface. Olive oil, will also prevent food from browning, but is less effective than the acids.

"If you don't want to encourage ripening of other produce, store apples in a plastic tub or a bag in the fridge, or in their own produce drawer." If they're on the counter, they can be stored in their own bowl, away from other fruits, or in a paper bag, she says.