Pies are really great, like, really great. Personally I am a huge fan of a dessert apple pie with custard and vanilla ice cream during the holidays, or anytime for that matter. With Christmas coming up why not learn how to make a great apple pie that will blow your relatives away?

You can get some pretty good apples right now, but sometimes even the most beautiful, promising looking crisp fruits can be a little too tart or a little too bland. This is, without a doubt, very disappointing, but don't let it ruin your day. All your ho-hum apple needs is a sprinkling of salt.

This pie is really something special — and I bet you already have the ingredients on hand.

Apple pie, applesauce, apple crumble, apple butter - whether you're apple-picking or just stocking up at the supermarket, 'tis very much the season. But what about apple juice? Ubiquitous as it is, it's never been a home-kitchen staple. Unlike soft citrus fruits that can be squeezed by hand or with a simple tool, apples require a proper cold-press juicer… or do they?

Though there is something rewarding and cathartic about baking a finicky, labour-intensive dessert, I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy an easy, though still fancy-looking sweet thing. Apple roses are not only deliciously warm and comforting, but they're just plain pretty, and a cinch to make.

I'll admit that when I think of grilling out-of-doors, my thoughts quickly turn to meat, with little brain space leftover for sides. This flesh-focused tunnel vision of mine may be why I've never considered grilling apples, but luckily Food 52 has brought the idea to my attention.

A crispy, tart and sweet apple, lovingly coated in either a shiny candied shell or rich robe of caramel, is a quintessential treat that is both easy to make, but also fairly easy to mess up. To make sure your toffee apples are the best they can possibly be, there are a few factors you need to keep in mind.

They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away. They're also a highly versatile ingredient that can make everything from crispy chips to all-American pies. Here are 10 cooking suggestions for your next apple harvest (or trip to the grocery store). We've even included some ideas for the leftover peel.

The two key elements to the perfect apple pie are flavour and texture. You want a balance of sweet and tart, without mushiness or mealiness. That's why Golden Delicious and Braeburn apples, according to J. Kenji Lopez-Alt of Serious Eats, have the best flavour and texture for baking.

Garlic is an ingredient I could never give up, and I've resigned myself to living with the smelly reality of it. I've tried the lemon-salt-scrubbing trick. I've tried bicarb soda. Neither totally eliminate the pungent aroma garlic leaves in its wake. But Cook's Illustrated has a new trick for me to try, and it involves a potato.

Though I never peel apples before eating them out of hand, I sometimes find myself with a pile of peels after making a pie or tart. They could be composted, but I think I'd rather roast them to make delicious cinnamon-apple chips. (Or flavour some bourbon.)

When cut apples turn brown, they don't just look less appetizing, their flavour and other attributes also get altered. Serious Eats' tests find that a saltwater soak is a much better way to prevent browning compared to other methods, such as using lemon juice.