How to Freeze Apples for Winter

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Pick your apples based on what you'll be freezing them for. Small and medium ones are great for baking, and large ones - like all the rest - for compote. Use firm apples with no signs of spoilage. Wash the fruit well and dry it.

2. Step 2:

   

   You can use regular bags to store frozen apples, but zip-lock bags or a vacuum sealer are best. I recommend buying even the simplest vacuum sealer for this - they're very easy to use, and the food keeps far longer and doesn't pick up each other's odors.

3. Step 3:

   

   For compote, cut the apples into large wedges or cubes and remove the core. Line a baking sheet or flat dish with plastic wrap and lay them out in a single layer. If you have a lot, make several layers, separating each with plastic wrap.

4. Step 4:

   

   That way they won't stick together after freezing - they'll stay separate and pour easily into a bag. Put them in the freezer until fully frozen.

5. Step 5:

   

   For apples you plan to bake with - in a charlotte, for example - cut them into quarters and remove the core. Cut them into wedges and lay them on a plastic-wrap-lined baking sheet in a single layer. If you like, sprinkle them with sugar on top. Put the apples in the freezer until frozen.

6. Step 6:

   

   Once frozen, they slide right off the wrap.

7. Step 7:

   

   This preserve is best stored vacuum-sealed in a thin layer, since the apple slices are thin and will easily absorb foreign odors from the freezer.

8. Step 8:

   

   Sometimes baking calls for halves, so use small apples for freezing those. Cut them in half and carefully remove the core. Lay them cut-side down on the plastic wrap in a single layer and freeze.

9. Step 9:

   

   Transfer the frozen halves to bags and put them in the freezer. I prefer to store them in vacuum bags.

10. Step 10:

    

    Happy and delicious preserving!