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| Meta Title | How to Keep Apples from Browning? Try This Hack | Taste of Home |
| Meta Description | Want to learn how to keep apples from browning? Use this tip to keep apple slices looking fresh for a snack by itself or to toss into a recipe. |
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| Boilerpipe Text | Snacking on perfectly crisp, fresh apples (or baking them into one of
these incredible apple desserts
) is one of the greatest pleasures of
eating
, but if you’re slicing them, you know you’re on the clock to get them served up before those unappetizing brown spots appear. (Cue sad-trombone sound.)
The good news is there’s a crazy-easy way to keep those apples looking white and wonderful for a couple of hours. And the best part? All you need is five minutes, some tap water and something you definitely already have in your pantry: good old table salt! (Here are
some genius ways to use salt around the house
.)
How it’s done:
After slicing each apple, place it in a bowl filled with cold, salted water (a good rule of thumb is to use ½ teaspoon salt per cup of water). Let the slices soak for five to 10 minutes, then drain. If you won’t be serving the apples right away, store them in an airtight container or plastic baggie until you’re ready to use. When it’s serving time, give the apples a quick rinse with tap water, which will wash away any slight salty flavor that may remain on the apple slices. Don’t worry—even if you rinse the apples, that short soak in the salt water will still keep them from browning right away.
Editor’s Tip: Whether you picked apples at an orchard or bought them at the store, learn
how to store apples
to keep them crisp.
Why it works:
Oxidation is the main cause of browning in fruits, and the one-two punch of submerging apple slices in cold water and salt interferes with oxygen reaching the fruit’s surface and turning it brown.
Of course, there are other tried-and-true methods for slowing browning on apples. Here are a few more tricks that can help keep your slices looking fresh for longer:
Mix ½ teaspoon honey with 1 cup water. Add apple slices and soak for five minutes. Rinse and store until ready to serve.
Soak apple slices in lemon-lime soda for five minutes. Rinse and serve.
Add a tablespoon of lemon juice per cup of water and soak apple slices for five minutes. Rinse and serve.
Sure, after an hour or two, you’ll notice some browning beginning, but these quick tricks are the easiest ways to keep apple slices looking crisp, fresh and tasty on fruit platters, in lunch boxes or in fresh salads for way longer than when they’re untreated. |
| Markdown | [Skip to main content](https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/5-minute-hack-will-keep-apples-browning/#content)
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# How to Keep Apples from Browning with This 5-Minute Hack

Shutterstock / anastasiia agafonova & Shutterstock / Africa Studio

By [Rachel Seis](https://www.tasteofhome.com/author/rachel-seis/)
[Taste of Home's Editorial Process](https://www.tasteofhome.com/about-taste-of-home/)
Updated on Oct. 04, 2024
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Want to learn how to keep apples from turning brown? Follow this tip to keep apple slices looking fresher for way longer.
Snacking on perfectly crisp, fresh apples (or baking them into one of [these incredible apple desserts](https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/top-10-apple-dessert-recipes/)) is one of the greatest pleasures of [eating](https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/how-to-eat-an-apple/), but if you’re slicing them, you know you’re on the clock to get them served up before those unappetizing brown spots appear. (Cue sad-trombone sound.)
The good news is there’s a crazy-easy way to keep those apples looking white and wonderful for a couple of hours. And the best part? All you need is five minutes, some tap water and something you definitely already have in your pantry: good old table salt! (Here are [some genius ways to use salt around the house](https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/cleaning-with-salt-20-must-know-hacks-for-a-clean-house/).)
### How it’s done:
After slicing each apple, place it in a bowl filled with cold, salted water (a good rule of thumb is to use ½ teaspoon salt per cup of water). Let the slices soak for five to 10 minutes, then drain. If you won’t be serving the apples right away, store them in an airtight container or plastic baggie until you’re ready to use. When it’s serving time, give the apples a quick rinse with tap water, which will wash away any slight salty flavor that may remain on the apple slices. Don’t worry—even if you rinse the apples, that short soak in the salt water will still keep them from browning right away.
Editor’s Tip: Whether you picked apples at an orchard or bought them at the store, learn [how to store apples](https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/how-to-store-apples/) to keep them crisp.
### Why it works:
Oxidation is the main cause of browning in fruits, and the one-two punch of submerging apple slices in cold water and salt interferes with oxygen reaching the fruit’s surface and turning it brown.
Of course, there are other tried-and-true methods for slowing browning on apples. Here are a few more tricks that can help keep your slices looking fresh for longer:
- Mix ½ teaspoon honey with 1 cup water. Add apple slices and soak for five minutes. Rinse and store until ready to serve.
- Soak apple slices in lemon-lime soda for five minutes. Rinse and serve.
- Add a tablespoon of lemon juice per cup of water and soak apple slices for five minutes. Rinse and serve.
Sure, after an hour or two, you’ll notice some browning beginning, but these quick tricks are the easiest ways to keep apple slices looking crisp, fresh and tasty on fruit platters, in lunch boxes or in fresh salads for way longer than when they’re untreated.
Author
Rachel Seis
As a former deputy editor for Taste of Home, Rachel spent close to a decade diving deep into the world of food. Currently, Rachel is the dining critic for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel where she covers the local food scene, from newly opened restaurants to the behind-the-scenes of Season 21 of Top Chef, which was primarily filmed in Milwaukee.
[Read More](https://www.tasteofhome.com/author/rachel-seis/)

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| Readable Markdown | Snacking on perfectly crisp, fresh apples (or baking them into one of [these incredible apple desserts](https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/top-10-apple-dessert-recipes/)) is one of the greatest pleasures of [eating](https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/how-to-eat-an-apple/), but if you’re slicing them, you know you’re on the clock to get them served up before those unappetizing brown spots appear. (Cue sad-trombone sound.)
The good news is there’s a crazy-easy way to keep those apples looking white and wonderful for a couple of hours. And the best part? All you need is five minutes, some tap water and something you definitely already have in your pantry: good old table salt! (Here are [some genius ways to use salt around the house](https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/cleaning-with-salt-20-must-know-hacks-for-a-clean-house/).)
### How it’s done:
After slicing each apple, place it in a bowl filled with cold, salted water (a good rule of thumb is to use ½ teaspoon salt per cup of water). Let the slices soak for five to 10 minutes, then drain. If you won’t be serving the apples right away, store them in an airtight container or plastic baggie until you’re ready to use. When it’s serving time, give the apples a quick rinse with tap water, which will wash away any slight salty flavor that may remain on the apple slices. Don’t worry—even if you rinse the apples, that short soak in the salt water will still keep them from browning right away.
Editor’s Tip: Whether you picked apples at an orchard or bought them at the store, learn [how to store apples](https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/how-to-store-apples/) to keep them crisp.
### Why it works:
Oxidation is the main cause of browning in fruits, and the one-two punch of submerging apple slices in cold water and salt interferes with oxygen reaching the fruit’s surface and turning it brown.
Of course, there are other tried-and-true methods for slowing browning on apples. Here are a few more tricks that can help keep your slices looking fresh for longer:
- Mix ½ teaspoon honey with 1 cup water. Add apple slices and soak for five minutes. Rinse and store until ready to serve.
- Soak apple slices in lemon-lime soda for five minutes. Rinse and serve.
- Add a tablespoon of lemon juice per cup of water and soak apple slices for five minutes. Rinse and serve.
Sure, after an hour or two, you’ll notice some browning beginning, but these quick tricks are the easiest ways to keep apple slices looking crisp, fresh and tasty on fruit platters, in lunch boxes or in fresh salads for way longer than when they’re untreated. |
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