Apples are delicious raw, but they are even tastier when baked in pies or other desserts. They are also quite versatile. Many people do not realize the numerous and unique ways to use this healthy fruit. They can be used for everything from decorating to ripening other fruits. Try these unique ways to use apples, and welcome fall in a creative new way. Have fun with these alternate uses for the most popular fruit. You will never look at an apple the same way again!
Make Unique Fall Candle Holders
Would you like to decorate indoor or outdoor tables with unique fall decor? Use homemade candleholders instead of the store-bought varieties that everyone else is likely to have. Use apples! Simply core out several apples to hold battery-operated tea light candles. Line the center of a table with these unique fall candle holders. When the event is over, cut off the tops where the apples turned brown, and use the rest to make a delicious caramel apple salad. Follow the easy recipe in the article entitled How to Make Caramel Apple Salad. It is unique and absolutely delicious!
Soften Brown Sugar
When brown sugar becomes hard it can be impossible to use, but it is not impossible to soften. Special discs and other costly gadgets are not required to restore the moist texture. This is one of the most unique ways to use apples, and it works like magic. Simply cut a fresh apple in half, and place it skin-side-down in a container or bag of hard brown sugar. Allow it to remain in the bag overnight. In the morning the brown sugar will be as soft as it was the day it was opened. The brown sugar will have absorbed the moisture from the apple, and maybe even some of the flavor. It will be ideal for baking and sweetening beverages, cereal and more.
Create Shrunken Heads
When seeking unique ways to use apples, try your hand at creating shrunken heads. Simply peel an apple, remove the core and carve a face. For best results, make the features larger than normal. As the apple dry they will shrink. Soak them in a mixture of very salty water. This will help keep them from spoiling as they dry.
After the carvings are complete, place the apples in a warm dry location or in a dehydrator. Allow them to dry completely. The faces will shrivel and change in unique new ways, and the texture will become spongy. Use these unique shrunken heads to make dolls, kitchen witches and more. This is a fun group project for kids and adults like.
Ripen Hard Fruit
When fruit such as avocados, tomatoes, pears and peaches are not ripe they are as hard as rocks and have very little flavor. Apples can be used in unique new ways in the kitchen, and this includes ripening other fruits. Simply place a ripe apple in a paper bag along with fruit that is not ripe. Leave the apple in the bag until the fruit ripens. This can take anywhere from twenty-four hours to just a few days. It will taste as if it had ripened on the tree or the vine. This even works when trying to ripen hard green tomatoes.
These are just some of the many creative and practical ways to use apples. Think of other unique ways to use them when decorating the kitchen or fall party tables. They can be used to moisten cake and soften hard cookies and other desserts. They are one of the most versatile fruits available, and they are one of the tastiest too. Keep apples on hand for snacking and using in the aforementioned ways. Although they are the tastiest in the fall in areas where apples are grown, they are useful and delicious anytime of the year.