Definition

Noun: A variety of apple specifically grown and used for culinary purposes, such as baking in pies or making applesauce, due to its texture and flavor profile when cooked.

Usage

A "cooking apple" is a type of apple that holds its shape well or breaks down appropriately when heated, and often has a tart flavor that balances well with added sugar in recipes. It is contrasted with a "dessert apple" or "eating apple," which is typically sweeter and consumed raw.

Examples

• The recipe calls for cooking apples like Bramleys or Granny Smiths.
• She went to the orchard to pick a basket of cooking apples for her famous apple pie.
• Cooking apples are often too tart to eat raw but become delicious when baked.

Advanced Usage

• The term can be used attributively (functioning like an adjective) before another noun.
  • We need to buy some cooking apple varieties at the market.

Variants and Related Words

• Dessert apple (n): An apple variety primarily grown for eating raw.
• Culinary apple (n): A synonym for "cooking apple."

Synonyms

• Culinary apple
• Baking apple

Antonyms

• Dessert apple
• Eating apple

Noun

1. an apple used primarily in cooking for pies and applesauce etc