Fresh fruit

Grouchy

Trying to keep my fresh fruit consumption up, I find having pieces prepared and mixed together in a tupperware box the best idea for keeping them fresh and also hygienic and good for snacking and taking on out biking/walking etc.  But I'm struggling to keep sliced apples from browning in an unappetizing manner.  Is dipping in lemon juice the only option? though I've not tried yet, wondering if there is an easier option. Other fruits tend to keep reasonably well. 

Thanks

retiredinfrance

Orange juice?

babyshoes

It's the citric acid in the lemon that stops the browning. Other citrus fruits contain some, but lemons and limes contain the most. 

I guess you could just buy some food grade citric acid and dust the apples with it. It will likely add a tartness without a lemon flavour.

bouicca21

If lemon juice is too tart, try adding a bit of sugar.  But if you don’t want to use lemon juice then try a sugar syrup on the cut surfaces (easy peasy to make) - all you need to do is to prevent the cut surface of the apple being exposed to the air.

goldfinches

I've just been reading a thread on another site where a commenter recommended this solution.
"Cut-up apples soaked in salt water for 5 minutes, then drained, will not go brown for hours. Oh, and they do NOT taste salty!"
If you try it let us know what you think.

Rosa_Damascena

If you are using a mixture of fruit and wish to prep in advance, keep the cut apple at the bottom of a dish with a smallish base area and place sliced oranges over it. The juice from the oranges will seep down, keep the apples fresh and also oranges taste much better chilled than at room temp, IMHO.

Grouchy

Thanks for suggestions.  The salt one is novel!  The orange idea is a good one, though I don't buy oranges as I find them 90% of the time dry and unpleasant and a waste of money (will keep that pleasure for when I'm in Spain later in the year). If I don't have a handy lemon, I think I'll just simplify things and take an apple separately.  The mix works well with grapes, pineapple, mangoes, cantelope, melon, strawberries etc so plenty of variety.

littlemoney

goldfinches said:

I've just been reading a thread on another site where a commenter recommended this solution.
"Cut-up apples soaked in salt water for 5 minutes, then drained, will not go brown for hours. Oh, and they do NOT taste salty!"
If you try it let us know what you think.

Do you know the ratio of water and salt to make the solution?

Sky_

I just sprinkle a few drops from a supermarket bottle of lemon juice into the box of apple slices, then shake the box or stir the apple slices well, to disperse the juice. 

I do the same with grated raw celeriac  which tends to brown in seconds otherwise (we love celeriac salad)

I find this system works well and we don't have any issues with things going brown. 

Brie

If you get little tetra packs of orange juice that would work nicely.  I chop up nectarines and apples and add a couple of tablespoons, close the container and give it a gentle shake.

goldfinches

littlemoney said:

goldfinches said:

I've just been reading a thread on another site where a commenter recommended this solution.
"Cut-up apples soaked in salt water for 5 minutes, then drained, will not go brown for hours. Oh, and they do NOT taste salty!"
If you try it let us know what you think.

Do you know the ratio of water and salt to make the solution?

Sorry no I don't, that quote I gave was the whole of the comment and the site doesn't allow me to ask that person directly. Next time I buy/forage apples I'll experiment and report back but that might not be for a while.