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7:58 pm
1st Grader
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Thu 16-Sep-10
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Hi can anyone tell me how to freeze cooking apples without cooking them? Ihave tried freezing them whole and putting them in water with lemon in. Results are they go brown as they defrost!!!!
Sorry new to all this....... l have a lot of cooking apples and will need to sort them soon before they spoil. I have made crumbles and l am going to make some cakes but l don't have enough freezer space for cakes/crumbles ect so just want to have the apples ready.
Can you bottle apples?
Maggie 
8:24 pm
Councillor
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Wed 12-May-10
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Hi Maggie
me again Mrs mos has done loads today and says best to cook them then freeze them she is a cook and never found a better way to do it ,apparently you can freeze them with just lemon juice but it takes lots of lemon juice and you must be careful to coat really well ,and still no guarantee they will not go brown after thawing (something about the cells bursting but she is rambling now and getting technical) unless someone els has a better way cooking is best
MOS xx
sit down with a cupa and the urge will subside
9:13 pm
1st Grader
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Thu 16-Sep-10
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Thank you for your advise!!!
I will get cooking then 
,,,, couldn't be a pain and ask the best way to cook them,,, l normally put my apples in pies/crumbles uncooked. I want to get the best out of a lot of appes l can't stand waste.
Maggie
9:34 pm
Supreme Being
Wed 30-Dec-09
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Warm welcome to the forum Maggie.
I understand what you say about normally putting them in pies or crumbles uncooked, but I agree with Mrs MOS - the best way is to cook them first if you are going to freeze them.
My way would be to make the 'compote' as if you were going to eat them - i.e. sweetened accordingly (to your taste), and freeze them in manageable portions. This way, they are ready for the appropriate dish without too much trouble.
I use minimum water - as little as possible, then add the cut pieces of apple, lemon juice and some sugar (not too much at this stage), and cook gently until the apple starts to soften, then do a test-taste, if they need more sugar, then add some. Once they are of the right flavour for you, then leave till cold, box them or bag them (in the pour'n'store bags) ready for the freezer.
Hope this works for you! Though I'm sure you will find a way that suits you best.
Good Luck! 
2:00 pm
Moderators
Tue 22-Sep-09
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Welcome to the forum Maggie, you'll find a lot of help in just about everything here.
I'll try that again!
3:30 pm
Supreme Being
Mon 21-Sep-09
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Welcome Maggie. Yup cooking is the way to go but you don't have to cook to a mush, just lightly enough to stop them browning.
8:44 pm
Knowledegable
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Sun 5-Sep-10
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I have some foraged windfalls - not sure what sort . I think they are cookers, but a lot smaller than the Bramleys seen in shops. Can I cook/freeze these as advised above and then still use them at a later date for apple+fruit jelly recipes such as blackberry and apple jelly. Or will I have ruined the pectin content? 
Gone crazy. Back soon.
10:09 pm
Supreme Being
Wed 30-Dec-09
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Hi Heather,
I haven't tried that, but I have frozen the strained juice made from the apple peel and cores (pectin), and then used that liquid, defrosted, and it has been successful.
Perhaps it may be worth doing a small amount and trying it out - if it works, brilliant - and another good idea !!
12:23 pm
Knowledegable
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Sun 5-Sep-10
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Thanks, Brightspark. I've now cooked my remaining apples and just have a kilner jar of lovely appley fluffiness sitting in the fridge. I don't think it is even going to make it to the freezer as it will be quickly used up over the weekend as a pud, or breakfast with yoghurt and honey. Yum. I do like the idea of making and saving some pectin juice - I'll have to give it a whirl.
Gone crazy. Back soon.
3:52 pm
Councillor
Tue 22-Sep-09
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maggiemagnet said:
Hi can anyone tell me how to freeze cooking apples without cooking them? Ihave tried freezing them whole and putting them in water with lemon in. Results are they go brown as they defrost!!!!
Hmmmm, this could be one of those times that I talk about a product and it has no UK translation, but I use Fruit Fresh (ascorbic acid) when I process apples for freezing. You add it to the water that you keep the apples in after you peel them, then when you are ready to bag them up for freezing drain the water off.
Another good substitute is crushing some vitamin C tablets and adding that to the water.
If you can't be a shining example, be a terrible warning!
8:19 pm
Councillor
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Tue 20-Apr-10
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Had a quick look on Google for ascorbic acid and found the following:
http://www1.uk.shopping.com/ascorbic-acid-powder-uk/products
The real question is how concentrated do you make it ?
I have reached an age where my train of thought often leaves the station without me...
10:05 pm
Expert
New members
Sun 17-Jan-10
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brightspark said:
Once they are of the right flavour for you, then leave till cold, box them or bag them (in the pour'n'store bags) ready for the freezer.
Hi Maggie and welcome.
I do my apples the same way as Brightspark. When I'm freezing them, I put the bags inside a little tupperware type tub so the apple freezes in a "brick". When the apple has frozen I take the bags out of the tubs and stack them. This makes them easier to store in the freezer.
1:17 am
Councillor
Tue 22-Sep-09
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paperman said:
Had a quick look on Google for ascorbic acid and found the following:
http://www1.uk.shopping.com/ascorbic-acid-powder-uk/products
The real question is how concentrated do you make it ?
So the official ratio listed on Fruit Fresh is 3 Tablespoons to 8 cups water. That sounds about right to me.
I also saw somewhere else online another suggestion to keep apples from browning was to toss them with some pineapple juice. I haven't tried this, but in theory it sounds like a valid idea.
If you can't be a shining example, be a terrible warning!
3:02 am
Knowledegable
New members
Mon 20-Sep-10
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paperman said:
Had a quick look on Google for ascorbic acid and found the following:
http://www1.uk.shopping.com/ascorbic-acid-powder-uk/products
The real question is how concentrated do you make it ?
Well, if you've been to the drug store....urrmm.....the chemist 
and got the vit C tabs, use 500mg of crushed tabs per quart of water. So 500mg per liter(litre?) is close enough!
Dang! Who wouda thunk I'd be learning a foreign language at my age?! Well, at least I'm not trying to learn French, like Madame Scarecrow! 
3:49 am
Councillor
Tue 22-Sep-09
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3ravens said:
paperman said:
Had a quick look on Google for ascorbic acid and found the following:
http://www1.uk.shopping.com/ascorbic-acid-powder-uk/products
The real question is how concentrated do you make it ?
Well, if you've been to the drug store....urrmm.....the chemistDang! Who wouda thunk I'd be learning a foreign language at my age?! Well, at least I'm not trying to learn French, like Madame Scarecrow!
Oooooo, listen to you speak all British and Grams and Metric and stuff, like you were born there! 
Nice going Josie!
You wouldn't know we speak a common language some days!
If you can't be a shining example, be a terrible warning!
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