How To Easily Remove Wax From Apples

It isn't uncommon to find that the apples you buy from the store come with a layer of wax. While that wax may prevent moisture loss in the apples so that they last longer on the shelves, it also makes other tasks, like making caramel and candy apples, more challenging. Fortunately, a couple of remedies for this waxy layer exist. One way is to use a simple paring knife. The other asks apple eaters to give their Red Delicious treats a quick shower in some steaming hot water and a smidgen of lemon juice.

The paring knife method works best if you only have one or two apples that need to be relieved of their waxy coats. With this de-waxing trick, you'll gently run the blade of the paring knife over the surface of the apple skin. Take care not to puncture the skin with the blade as you do this. Something like an Arcos Paring Knife would be ideal for this. Make slow, back-and-forth movements across the skin of the apple with the blade of the knife. Eventually, small shavings of white wax will build up, so scrape the apple over a paper towel to catch all the shavings, so you can toss them when you're done.

If you're de-waxing larger numbers of apples, it's best to use hot water and a few squeezes of lemon juice. For this method, you'll need two bowls, small and large, a small cup of lemon juice, and metal barbecue skewers. You'll also need a kettle of water, hot enough to make tea but not so hot that you cook the apples.

Pierce each apple through the top, where the stem is, with a metal skewer and push it all the way through, like you're making an apple kabob. Place the small bowl into the larger one, and place the skewered apple into the small bowl. Slowly pour the lemon juice over the skin of the apple, spinning the skewer on its bottom axis to ensure that the lemon juice cleans every part of the skin.

Once you've poured the lemon juice over the apples, move on to the hot water, pouring it over the skins of the apples just as you did with the lemon juice. It'll likely take a couple of spins of the skewer to remove the rest of the wax. Work quickly so that the hot water doesn't make pie of the apple. You'll know that you've removed the wax completely because the apple will start to look dull. If you're not sure it worked, rub the apple dry with a linen cloth to remove any final traces of wax. While the hot water alone would remove the waxy build-up on the apple, don't skip the lemon juice. It's your guarantee that your apple skins get squeaky clean.