There you are, standing in front of a row of a dozen kinds of apples. At your supermarket or at a farm stand. And then it happens. Your mind goes blank. You can read the labels, but what do they mean? That McIntosh looks good, prettier than a computer, but what do you do with it. You can just eat it, but will it work in a pie. There is a stack of Cortlands right there too, and maybe those can be put in a pie. Maybe.
Here is a link to a wonderful article at Epicurious. It is a visual guide to 11 of the most popular apples. The description there tells you that McIntoshes won’t do in a pie, but those Cortlands will. And, there are links on this article to cooking with apples in general and links after each apple description to recipes for that particular apple.
I’m sure you’ll enjoy this guide and perhaps find it invaluable. Personally, I’m printing it out and taking it to this Saturday’s farmers market. [Suzen does not need it. She has it all in her lovely head. Sometimes, sometimes there are benefits to be married to someone smarter than you. Sometimes.]
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/seasonalcooking/farmtotable/visualguideapples