Do you have a pantry full of apples? Do you remember with nostalgia the apple sauce your grandmother used to pamper you with as a child? Read the guide and learn how to make and store applesauce so you can share it with your family all year round.
Steps
Step 1. Get the apples
Step 2. Get everything you need (go to the section at the bottom of the article called 'Things You'll Need')
Method 1 of 8: Prepare your workspace
Step 1. Clear a kitchen area of about 3m
You will need approximately 1m on each side of the sink and other additional space.
Step 2. Disinfect the work surface
Step 3. Hang out some clean kitchen towels
Apples are very juicy and, even if you are very careful, you could cause a lot of splashes, so it's best to be foresight. Place a cloth under the cutting board, one in the area where you will fill the jars and one as a base for the hot jars.
Step 4. Organize your workspace
You will need a cutting area, a filling area and a cooling area (reserve approximately 1m for each area).
Step 5. Carefully wash the stove and be ready to repeat the process after the process is complete
Method 2 of 8: Prepare the apples
Step 1. Wash the apples under running water
Avoid soap, so as not to transmit its flavor to the sauce. Eliminate any residue of earth, leaves, etc.
Step 2. Cut the apples in quarters
Don't worry about removing the peel, seeds and core, your colander will do it for you later. In addition, the skin not only contains a lot of nutrients, in red apples it will also give a nice color to the sauce. Concentrate and cut evenly sized pieces.
Step 3. Pour about 120ml of water into the bottom of the pot
This way you will be sure to steam the apples instead of burning them. For juicier apples this step can be omitted, but you will need to experiment to learn about and recognize your fruit. With experience you will be able to add the right quantities of water for each type of apple.
Step 4. Pour the apple quarters into the pot
Step 5. Put the pot on the stove
Step 6. Cover it with the lid
Step 7. Use a high flame
Step 8. Steam the apples
They will need to become very soft to the touch and be ready to flake. Continue cooking for as long as necessary and don't worry about overcooking them, if they were not soft enough the process with the strainer would be quite difficult.
Method 3 of 8: Prepare the colander
Step 1. Choose the colander
- It could be, for example, a kitchen tool from the past, similar to a perforated cone and equipped with a wooden pestle. This choice will require the most intense work, you will have to pour the apples into the colander and crush them with the pestle to get the pulp out of the holes.
- A passino. Similar to a metal pot, but equipped with a handle and a grate on the bottom. This utensil will also require a good dose of elbow grease as you will have to keep turning to get the sauce out of the holes in the bottom grate. Peel, seeds and core parts will remain trapped in the strainer and will need to be removed from time to time to continue the work.
- Tomato press. This handy kitchen utensil can be attached to your worktop via clamps. Pour the apples into the opening at the top and then turn the crank to grind the apples by moving them towards the metal spiral. The applesauce will come out of the colander, while the seeds, the peel and the core will be eliminated through the hole in the bottom. You will need to place two collection containers, one for the sauce and one for the waste.
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Image Press the cooked apples into the colander.
Image Turn a food processor into an electric strainer using the special accessory (as in the image), you will save a lot of effort.
Step 2. Run the cooked apples through the colander
Place two containers under the spouts of your kitchen utensil.
Step 3. Add the desired sugar and spices and remember that a tree-ripened apple will be sweeter than a warehouse-ripened apple
Step 4. Stir carefully to blend the ingredients
Method 4 of 8: Preparing the jars
Step 1. Sterilize the jars using one of the following methods:
- Turn them upside down and place them in a canning pot filled with boiling water. Let them boil for about ten minutes.
- Place the empty jars on the oven rack, turn it on to 250 ° C and let them 'cook' for 10 minutes.
- Pour a couple of inches of water into each jar and place them in the microwave for 4 to 5 minutes.
Step 2. Place the boiling jars next to the colander on the previously prepared cloth
Method 5 of 8: Fill the jars
Step 1. Place the funnel in the opening of a jar
Although you can use other methods to fill the jars (e.g. spoons, ladles, etc.), the funnel will allow you to do a tidier job.
Step 2. Pour the applesauce into the jars
Step 3. Fill the jars up to the "shoulder", leaving space for any expansion during cooking
Step 4. Clean the jars and remove any traces of sauce on the top edges
Step 5. Check that the surface of the jars is completely intact, without cracks or breaks
Step 6. Place the lids on the jars
Use new lids with a rubber seal.
Step 7. If your jar has a sealing ring, place it on the lid
Step 8. Tighten the ring without straining, otherwise the steam will not be able to escape during cooking
Keep the jar closed even during the cooling phase.
Method 6 of 8: Cooking
Step 1. Place the jars on the grill of the preserving pot, with the caps facing up
Step 2. Grab the grill handles and immerse the jars in the water
Step 3. Cover the pot with the lid
Step 4. Boil the jars:
15 minutes for 500 ml jars, 20 minutes for 1 l jars. (Read the instructions for your pot and don't forget to apply the altitude variations.) The contents of the jars will be pasteurized.
Step 5. Remove the lid from the pot
Step 6. Lift the grid from the handles to take the jars out of the water
Step 7. Let them cool slightly before removing them from the pot
Step 8. Remove the jars from the pot using the special tongs
Step 9. Place the jars on a thick cloth, previously spread on the work surface
Step 10. Let them cool
During the cooling phase you should hear a slight noise, similar to a "Plink", it will indicate the creation of the vacuum inside the jar.
Step 11. If your jars have them, remove the rings
Step 12. Clean the outside of the jars by removing all traces of fruit
Step 13. Store the jars in a cool, dry place, they will last for several years
Step 14. Refrigerate any jars that haven't sealed properly
Consume the sauce contained in them as soon as possible. Alternatively, subject them to the pasteurization process again using new lids.
Method 7 of 8: Final cleaning
Step 1. Rinse all kitchen utensils carefully
Few things are worse (and harder to remove) than applesauce residue on your kitchen countertop.
Step 2. Clean the colander thoroughly with the help of a brush
Step 3. Wash the kitchen cloths separately from other clothing
Apple residue can stain light-colored clothing.
Step 4. Clean the stove
Step 5. Wash the floor
Baked apples have a nasty habit of "jumping" to the ground at the most inopportune moments and you may soon find them under your shoes.
Method 8 of 8: Finished
Step 1. Enjoy your delicious and healthy homemade applesauce
Use it to make tarts, crepes, pancakes and waffles, or eat it alone for a unique flavor snack.
Advice
- If you prefer, use a pickle remover and slice and clean the apples quickly.
- Create a bow around the sauce jar and turn it into a gift idea.
- Label the jars indicating the production date and contents. Personalize your labels, by hand or with the computer, with imagination.
- Add your favorite spices, such as cinnamon, to the sauce, at the same time you are incorporating the sugar.
- If a jar does not seal, the possible causes could be: cracks or breaks in the glass, lids not sufficiently screwed, residues of sauce not removed on the openings.
- Turn an improperly sealed jar upside down. Hot applesauce in contact with the rubber seal could soften it. In addition, the weight and pressure exerted on the lid and opening could help resolve the situation.
Warnings
- Make sure you handle hot items carefully and use the necessary precautions.
- DO NOT eat foul-smelling or moldy applesauce (an indication of an improperly sealed jar).
- Do not try to shorten the time of the two basic steps: the initial sterilization of the jars and the final pasteurization.
