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I'm surprised that Gala did so well, I shall have to try that.

Back in the UK I used to use Cox's Orange Pippins (they're apples despite confusingly containing the word "orange" in their name!) for baking, but I haven't seen them here.

I am really surprised at one omission: Northern Spy. Here in Ontario they are considered *the* superior pie apple by most home bakers.... I wait every fall to buy my own bushel to squirrel away. They are ugly, knobbly and not worth eating raw, but are excellent keepers. Are they so difficult to find elsewhere? Or is this what you mean by "russet"?

Northern Spies for pies and applesauce. They perfectly fit your description of holding their shape - firm and soft and at the same time, with a balance of tart and sweet and a unique spiciness. I even like to eat them, but know that's not what they're best known for.

Until the Spies come in (mid-October) I like Cortlands for baking.

We had a Spy tree out back at our cottage; Mom sent home the most wonderful pies and crisps from September until Thanksgiving.

Two more varieties that I hardly ever see at stores anymore, but remember from my youth: Spartan, and Winesap. Both had the firmness required for baking, but had real apple flavour, not the tart simulacrum of Granny Smiths.

I always use a combination of apples for pie, usually including Macoun and Cortland, Empire and others, depending on what is available. I slice the harder apples thinner than the others, for even baking. I love Honeycrisp apples for eating out of hand, but they are among the worst apples for pie.

I'm a big fan of Empires, but these days I mix Empires with whatever I've got from the CSA! We recently got a bunch of Romes and I think they're better in things such as muffins, rather than pies.

I've always used Golden Delicious, unless there are other apples that need using up. I've used Galas, but I definitely prefer the Goldens. Perhaps it's because my mother (and her mother before her) always used them, and nostalgia and tradition influence my tastes?

You guys read my mind. I was seriously just looking for an article like this a couple of days ago. I found that NPR one that's under "Related," but this one certainly makes me happy, since Galas are easy to find (and inexpensive) to get around here! And I do enjoy Galas as raw snacking apples too, so extras will not go to waste.

@Kerosena, Macs are my favorite to eat as raw snacking apples. I don't care if they're not the most crisp apple in the world, because the slight tart perfect taste makes up for it. I don't think I've ever baked with them though, for whatever reason.

I'm a Rome person. I swear by Rome Beauty and Red Rome for pies, turnovers and fried apples with pork chops. Luckily, we have an independent year 'round produce market nearby that stocks them during pie season.

I like Paula Red and Cindy Red for baking, too, but they're really hard to find.

for my money, gala is the way to go for apple pies--nicely done. most outstanding taste test ever, and that's that.

Many bakers recommend a mix of apple varieties; I like Grannys for texture and Golden Delicious for flavor.

This is a fabulous post!
@Kerosena, Macs have been in my apple pies for years! We'd go apple picking in Massachusetts every Fall and fill our bushels with Macs and Cortlands, and we'd mix those for our pies. I think there's nothing that signifies Fall to me quite like a crisp Macintosh pulled off a tree and eaten in the orchard. I get teary just to think of it. It's hard to find really crisp Macs down here in Atlanta, because it's not the most popular apple to grow in these southern orchards -- so by the time my grocery store gets them, they are past their crispy peak.
Given the choice, I'd do a mixture of Macs and Cortlands, but I've also enjoyed going the Granny Smith route and upping my sugar just a tad. I love the tartness of the granny and how it holds up in the pie.

The best part of this article are the comments. It's amazing how different everyone's opinions are about apples, and how strongly they hold onto their apple beliefs!

The interesting thing about apples is that just 100 years ago, you could buy somewhere around 800 types of apples at stores and grocers, whereas today, you really can't find more than 80 types. Most of the heirloom varieties have almost totally disappeared, except for the stray forgotten orchard in someone's back yard. It does make you wonder what kinds of delicious flavors we're missing.

As for what I like, well, I guess it depends on the time of year. Year round, I love nothing more than to eat a lovely Gala. They're usually the cheapest apple in the store, stores easily and is pretty tasty. I love the soft skin. Later in the year, Macs and Cortlands are are top at my list, especially when the local orchard has pick-your-own. Lately I've been eating a lot of Empires, which are really good, sweet and crispy.

I hardly ever make pies, so the only thing I'm looking for in an apple is a pleasant snack.

Macs and Courtlands are my favorite baking/cooking apple. they bake down, yet somehow hold part of their shape during cooking. Maybe it's my new england upbringing, but they are the only apple I'll be using next week for my pies.

Add me to the group who give affection to Macs and Cortlands--both are what apples are "supposed" to taste like, to my palate: like a great glass of fresh-milled cider! Both are great bakers, though I prefer Cortlands for pie and sauce and MacIntoshes for crisps or simple baked-apples...Yum.

I made a batch of applesauce this past weekend from Macouns, and was pleased with the results--an interesting fresh-sawed wood back note I've never experienced before. Not my fav, but an interesting twist.

Empires----an improved descendant of the Macintosh-------tart and crisp to eat and great flavor in pies, applesauce whatever. (Although Honeycrisp are still my faves for eating out of hand fresh---for people who don't see them as special, consider the source was it a supermarket (yuck) or fresh off the tree or farmers market, they don't do so well at room temp so if they've been off the tree for a couple weeks they become pretty inferior unless kept cool.

My mom always used Granny Smiths because she is not too big on sugary tastes so I used those until I took a baking class in Philadelphia years ago with a pastry chef from a well known restaurant who ONLY used Golden Delicious. I started using them then and have never looked back but I do sometimes use equal Golden Delicious and Granny Smiths to even out the sweetness. Northern Spy is an interesting thought but Macs and Empires I would think would turn to mush!!!

Winesaps! I had forgotten about them. Used to love them and think they were the best in pies! Haven't seen one in ages.

My new favorite this fall is jonagold for pies. Made a perfect tarte tatin this year: soft, cooked, and held its shape, though with tarte tatin, the apples are more cooked than they are baked. I have to say that in an informal crisp test I performed (I make dinner at a shelter twice a month) golden delicous outperformed granny smith by a mile. The grannies turned to mush while the goldens were sweet and held their shape. I'd think it would be hard to do an apple pie test without any apple pie seasoning though. Who's to say that plain apples in the presence of cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. would still perform the same?

i just made the most unbelievable {if i do say so myself} tarte tatin with mostly pink ladies, with some russets, pippins, and winesaps thrown in. heaven!

I wonder if the Russet & Orin are regional apples because the Whole Foods in my area (PA) doesnt carry them. I'm going to try a mixture of Gala, Golden Del & Granny Smith w/the vodka pie crust!
Watch out!

Maybe, if possible, the seeds of those far-flung 800 apple varieties should be carefully collected and saved in the deep cold seed bank up in ?Finland?Sweden? Future generations may need them along with all the other vast varieties of foodstuffs our planet used to provide. Sadly, our modern-day food delivery system just can't handle the variety and logistics involved in providing them to us readily. Another reason for "back to the land"! We must seek them out...farmer's markets etc. Just as an aside...anyone remember when the Shriners, dressed as clowns, used to sell big delicious Macs on city street corners as a fundraiser? One of my treasured memories of the 50s!!

I like Ida Reds but can't find them anymore. I use a mix of Gala, Granny Smith and Macintosh. Not really much variety here in the stores, lucky to get those. The best way to get great tasting heirloom apple varieties is to plant a tree or two in your yard. If you are lucky enough to have a yard. We have seven acres and went a little crazy. Here are two great nurseries with excellent quality and service :
http://www.vintagevirginiaapples.com/
http://www.raintreenursery.com/

We have planted 30 or so fruit trees and we're waiting....in 3 more years they should start producing. What we're going to do with it all I don't know, but we just couldn't resist all the different varieties!

Sad we cant get bramleys cooking apples here :( oh well. I got mystery apples in my CSA and used those, lets hope they work!

Yes, I often bake with Gala. I've preferred them for the reasons that you listed. It's sweet already. And it holds up well (such that it isn't mush but not too firm either).

Northern Spy apples are actually pretty notoriously hard to find in some areas (I live in southeastern PA). For the longest time my mom raved about them and told us how they were such a good baking apple, and my dad always teased her about these seemingly non-existent apples! Last year though, a friend finally tracked some down at a farm near her hometown, and I am now a firm believer in the superiority of Northern Spies for baking.