Applesauce Adventuring

With apples going on sale here in SoCal (39 cents a pound at one store), I have adventured into the art of applesauce. I didn't look up any recipes. In fact, my only inspiration was an experiment on "Sid, the Science Kid."

I started by microwaving my apples, 'cause I figured that would break them down. I wasn't really thinking of the nutrients being mangled by micro-waves, but I did learn that even with sufficient water, the apple forms a little bit of a skin. So, microwave cooking is probably not the best. But the texture and taste after blending weren't too bad. I just had to add water.

Which pretty much left the stovetop. I next cooked them just enough and then ran the apples through a food processor. The resulting applesauce tasted more akin in texture to babyfood than applesauce. So, if you're making homemade babyfood, by all means run it through a food processor. It wasn't horrible, just not my favorite texture.



So, I just discovered tonight, after leaving the apples on the stove on medium for too long that they kind of fell apart in the pot. I spooned up some of the resulting breakdown. Low and behold it looked and tasted very much like real applesauce.


Perhaps just cooking it until the apple falls apart is the best method. And then maybe running over it with a potato masher or something. I am a bit concerned about the breakdown of vitamin C, though. Temperatures above 158 degrees Fahrenheit (70 C) can break down vitamin C. Since boiling point is 212 degrees F (100 C), that would mean boiling the apples would deplete it's nutrition. So, other than leaving it on the stove on low for a really long time, I'm not exactly sure how applesauce can be made without affecting the nutrients.

As far as how long it keeps: in the fridge, not long enough for my family to go through a big batch (maybe 2 weeks); in the freezer, I'll let you know- I'm trying that this time. Please leave any advice you might have in the applesauce department. I could probably google it, but I'm not really looking for a recipe; just techniques.

Well, in other apple related ranting, I have a question: Do you think homemade applecrisp with fresh ingredients is healthier than a sugary kids cereal (say, Trix or Cap'n Crunch)? Kids cereals are fortified with vitamins and minerals, but they're also loaded with sugar. (And I just read somewhere that over-consumption of sugar can decrease the amount of certain minerals your body can take in. I just read it, so the source may not be valid, but honestly I believe it... hope I'm not wrong.) Applecrisp also has sugar, but most of the sugar is natural from the apples. And the topping I use also has oats in it. (I don't pay attention to fats unless they're hydrogenated; I feel like over-consumption of sugar is far more detrimental to my health than healthy fats.)

So, basically, which do you think is healthier for breakfast: applecrisp or kids cereal? I think you can all tell where my vote lies.