Stop Apple Slices From Browning In The Refrigerator With One Simple Solution

If you were lucky enough to be sent to school with a packed lunch every day, you probably looked forward to unwrapping your favorite treats. But if that describes your childhood, you're likely also very familiar with flinging your lunchbox open to reveal one of the storage mistakes ruining your food; a sad, plastic sandwich bag full of browned apple slices. (Ugh, and you were imagining apple wedges dipped in caramel sauce and a leveled up PP&J with potato chips that whole time.)

But there is a solution to this very common debacle. Apple slices are less likely to brown by lunchtime if they're soaked in salt water before being packed and left to sit for hours before consumption. By submerging the fruit in cold water and salt (using roughly ½ teaspoon of salt for every 32 ounces of water), the apples can actually be stored for as long as a week before browning. After about five minutes in the water bath, allow the slices to dry, store them in a plastic bag, and place them in the refrigerator. If you're sending the slices off with your child for lunch, give them a quick rinse under the faucet for fresh apple flavor.

While the salt water method proves to be one of the best ways to keep apple slices from browning, there are also other techniques for anyone who may prefer to stay away from salt. Instead of adding salt to the water, putting apple slices in water with a tablespoon of lemon juice is one of the oldest tricks in the book. However, this will only keep the apples fresh for a few hours before they begin to brown. Other juices with citric acid (like lime or orange juice) can also take lemon juice's spot. But be warned that this method may give your apples an unexpected citrus flavor.

Another unique technique to keep apples from browning is just putting the apple back together after slicing it, and then wrapping it with a rubber band. This method keeps the apple from browning because once it is cut, oxygen causes the polyphenol oxidase enzyme within the apple to turn into a pigmented melanin. By holding the apple slices tightly together with a rubber band, less oxygen will be able to get to the inside of the apple, thus delaying the browning process. Using these tricks, your lunchtime apple will be ready to rock.