Cooking Applesauce - very difficult?

[Belle0101]

I know I'm crazy for even thinking this but I want to try making applesauce next weekend. In all honesty, how would you rate the level of difficulty?

I only tried canning 1 time and it was a disaster. I tried making bread and butter pickles - even I know that pickles aren't supposed to be limp.

Care to share your favorite - preferably easy - recipe?

Thanks!!

 

[piratesmate]

The degree of difficulty is really up to you. Do you have some sort of sieve? Like a Squeezo or Vittorio Strainer?

Or a strainer?

I learned how to make applesauce from my grandmother & started out using what she did. It was something like the strainer, but it was on a stand & had a wooden piece that looked like half a rolling pin. You'd cook the apples & then dump them in & use the mallet to squish out the sauce, leaving the skins & seeds inside. Then I graduated to a Squeezo which involves a LOT less work! (Gram always said she wished they'd had them when she was young! LOL) If you have something like that, the only "recipe" I ever used was to cut the apples in quarters - maybe eighths if they were large, add water (maybe 1/4 of the depth of the apples in the pot), cover & cook until the apples are soft/mushy. Stir often to keep it from sticking!! Then you put them through the device to get rid of the skin & seeds. You can add sugar if it's not sweet enough for you, but I never did. I also never bothered with cinnamon. We just added it at the table.

You can just put it in plastic containers to freeze it (leave room for it to expand so the lid doesn't pop off) or you can put it in jars & can it in a water bath. For years I only froze mine. It was easier. And growing up we always fought over who got the part that was still slightly frozen. But once I tried canning it, I decided it was worth the effort! You get a much thicker result for some reason & you don'tneed to remember to get it out of the freezer for dinner.

On the other hand, my other grandmother had severe arthritis in her hands & couldn't use the wooden mallet. So she would peel & core the apples - I still can't figure how that hurt her hands less. Anyway, she used the same idea for cooking them, but didn't have to mess with them once they were cooked. Hers always ended up a bit chunky, which is really nice too. Using a device gives you a very smooth result.

Types of apples - I always preferred to use Macintosh mostly. I used part Rome Beauty (or maybe it was Roma??) apples because they gave it a nice blush, but that probably won't happen if you peel them first. I also started adding some Golden Delicious...very yummy! One of my grandmothers also used Winesap, although I never did.

I hope this helps some. Here's a site that has some great info on making applesauce except I totally disagree about using red Delicious apples. Personally, I think they make lousy applesauce. LOL http://www.pickyourown.org/applesauce.htm

 

[MazdaUK]

If you have a Pampered Chef peeler-corer-sliver you could use that to prepare the apples and then just cook them down (you only need a spoon or two of water) to give a thick sauce, then bottle as above.

In France you can buy little pots of apple sauce in the same area as the yoghuts - they are yummy!

 

[wowsmom]

We used to go apple picking every fall and I'd always make applesauce. I would peel, core and quarter the apples and cook them with a little water, some sugar and usually a bit of cinnamon. I'd cook until soft, and then run them through the food processor so it was pretty smooth. I'd then put it into snack-size ziploc bags and freeze it. I haven't made it in years but now I'm wanting to!

 

[FormrCastMbr]

I love making homemade applesauce...it makes the house smell so good!

I just peel and core as many apples as I would like

add them to a sauce pot and add:

brown sugar (as much as you think you need based on apple tartness)
a small pinch of salt
cinnamon (optional)
about 2 tbs of lemon juice
a pat of butter (optional)
a little bit of water (maybe a 1/4 cup)

Simmer mixture on the stove until the apples are very soft. Mash with a potato masher.

 

[Belle0101]

Thanks for the responses! I really want to try it. Maybe I'll start small, just make a small batch. Then if I ruin it I haven't spent money on buying all the equipment.

Times like this are when I really miss my great-grandmother. I remember her canning all sorts of stuff - pears, apples, peaches, tomatoes, etc. She even made her own jelly. Somehow that gene never fully made it's way to me. I have the desire but not the success she had. I mean seriously - limp pickles?

Thanks again!!