Apples are a great health food and are great snacks when there is no time to prepare other foods to stave off hunger.
Do you know anyone who does not like apples? What about apple pie? Have you ever had an apple cake?
Perhaps a neighbor, friend, or relative has an apple tree, and the harvest went well this season.
As a result, you are gifted a basket full of apples. What do you do with them as you decide what to make? Do apples go bad?
Using the following tips, you will undoubtedly prolong the life of your apples while you decide how you will use them.
How To Store Apples
Let’s face it: Apples do not have a “Best Used By” label. How soon you want to use them determines how they should be safely stored.
You have two options when storing apples. You can keep them at room temperature if you would like to use them within about two weeks, or put them in your refrigerator if you can’t decide immediately. They will last up to 2 months in the refrigerator, so you can buy yourself some time doing that.
If you don’t have enough room in the refrigerator to store them, then you’ll have to get a little creative. A basement or garage with temperature control may be your best option, as long as it is kept cooler than room temperature.
Of course, there is some trial and error involved in this. Room temperature depends on the climate in which you live, and the temperature at which you keep your refrigerator also plays a role in how long apples will last.
How Long Do Apples Last?
As long as you keep the apple whole, apples should last in your kitchen for two weeks, depending on the climate. Once the second week begins to approach, you may notice the skin on the apples start to wrinkle, and the apples lose firmness. Using these same guidelines, keep an eye on them if they are in a basement or garage.
If the apples are kept in the refrigerator, they will last about two months before they start to deteriorate in quality. When apples go bad in the refrigerator, they will exhibit the same indications of going bad as being outside in the kitchen.
Sliced apples last a considerably short period of time, lasting 3-5 weeks in the refrigerator and much less than that outside of it. Sliced apples or apple halves should always be refrigerated after being cut.
All of these times should be taken as an estimated recommendation and not set in stone. Always keep an eye on things and use your best judgment.
Do Apples Go Bad?
The short answer is: Yes.
Here’s how to tell if your apples are going bad or are already spoiled.
Apples, when ripe and fresh, smell fabulous, taste great, and are firm to the touch. When at the grocery store, always feel around the apples before selecting them so you can find soft spots and bruises. If they exist, leave them there. They most likely will not store well.
When storing them in a refrigerator, always do a weekly check to see how they are doing. This is because you don’t know how long the apples have been at the grocery store before you purchased them. If you notice that some of the apples are “leaking” or seem mushy, it’s best to throw them out. If you see any mold or large brown spots on them, definitely discard them.
Wrinkling skin is an indication that the apples are about to go bad, but they are still edible. They may have lost a lot of their flavor, though, so it’s up to you what you want to do with them at that point.
Sliced apples will brown a little bit, but if you see anything else that looks unusual, err on the side of caution and toss them out. A good way to help sliced apples retain their flavor is to store them in apple juice or a mixture of water and lemon juice.
This helps to slow the browning of the flesh of the apple slices. Using all of the tips offered here and a watchful eye, you will be able to enjoy great-tasting apples every time.
