I am looking forward to making applesauce again this Fall. That is not a statement you would have heard from me in years past. I LOVE fresh applesauce, just never cared for all the work. For years we cooked the apples and then ran them through a food mill or applesauce strainer that removed the skins and cores.
After all our kids left home and I didn’t have anyone to turn the handle on the strainer, I solicited my husband. Just a few turns on the handle and he disappeared, much to my consternation. Shortly, however, he was back with a power drill. He removed the handle from the applesauce maker, put the socket on the drill driver and a nut on the shaft, and let the power drill do all the work! The sauce was flying out of there so fast that I’m sure we got done in half the time!! I should have had him help me 20 years sooner!!
Last year I decided we were missing out on the additional health benefits found in the apple skins. So, I quartered the apples, removed the cores, cooked the apples including their skins until tender and blended them in my Blendtec. (I would never do this with apples that are not organic because they are highly sprayed.) The sauce was delicious with a smooth texture. A high-powered blender is definitely required to puree the skins.
Because we do not use added sugars, it is helpful to pick sweet and flavorful apples. We often mix a box of Fuji’s, Honey Crisp, Jonagold, or any other yummy kind with a box of Golden Delicious for added sweetness. Letting the apples ripen sufficiently for the sugars to develop also helps along with a small amount of apple juice to get the apples cooking without sticking.
Freezing our sauce eliminates the step of canning, but it does require sufficient freezer space.
We are eager to try it again this year. This new process has less mess and cleanup, and you can do as many or as few as you want at a time.