John Myers
The apple harvest was so successful that you can no longer see apple sauce or apple pie. Or you bought too many apples and don’t know what to do with them? Good thing you can freeze apples wonderfully!
Prepare apples
Apples are pretty squeamish when it comes to freezing and thawing. This is mainly due to the fact that they have high water content. That’s why you should never freeze apple whole. It would take too long for the entire apple to freeze through. When choosing apples, make sure they:
- free from pressure points
- untreated or
- well washed
are before you process them further. Small damages or bruises in particular often lead to the apple rotting quite quickly as soon as it is taken out of the fridge.
Freeze apples
You can freeze apples in wedges or in chunks depending on what you want to use them for after thawing. It is important that the apple pieces are placed in a clean container or freezer bag. It is advisable to rinse it off with hot water beforehand. Then you seal it airtight and put it and its contents in the freezer. However, the freezer bags are less suitable for particularly soft apples, because the apple pieces can be crushed more quickly in them. Frozen apples have a shelf life of about 6 months.
Freeze apple slices
If you cut apples into wedges and freeze them, you can use the wedges for snacking or for your next apple pie! However, for an apple pie, the wedges should not freeze together. To freeze apples in wedges you have to do the following:
- Wash the apple and remove the core
- Cut the apple into wedges
- Spread out the slices on a board or baking sheet and pre-freeze for a few hours
- Pour frozen apple slices into a box or freezer bag and freeze again
Tip: The apple slices should not touch each other when pre-freezing.
Freeze apple pieces
If you later want to use apples for applesauce, apple compote, or in a smoothie, you can simply freeze them in small pieces. That’s how it’s done:
- Wash the apple and remove the core
- Cut the apple into small pieces or cubes
- Freeze apple pieces in a freezer bag or box
Tip: If you sprinkle the apples with lemon juice before freezing, they will not brown as quickly.
Defrost frozen apples
While it is particularly important when freezing that the apple pieces are frozen particularly quickly, they prefer to be thawed slowly and gently. So you should first take them out of the freezer and then put them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Then they can continue to acclimatize at room temperature.
If you want to use the pieces or wedges for baking or cooking, you can add them to your dish without thawing.
Are you looking for ideas to further process your apples? How about fruity apple tiramisu in a glass, mango sauce with banana and apple, or apple chutney with ginger and chili? By the way, we also have great instructions for cooking them into applesauce.
Still, have apples left and the freezer is already full? Then you can also dry your apples. We present 5 easy methods you can use to dry apple rings.
