Pack Apples in Lunch Bins: 4 Greatest Methods!

Inside: Your children love apple slices, however not brown, mushy ones? Use these intelligent hacks to pack apples in lunch packing containers that gained’t look brown by lunchtime.

Apples are a no brainer for teenagers’ lunch packing containers. They’re inexpensive, out there in all places, and children love em.

Bother is, some children don’t like biting into an entire apple of their lunch–particularly if they’ve new, delicate entrance tooth (or braces!).

However many children are turned off by sliced apples which have turned brown. And packaged, pre-sliced apples from the grocery retailer can style a little bit humorous.

So listed here are 4 alternative ways to pack minimize apples in your little one’s lunch field that don’t flip brown, so that they’re fresh-looking and interesting at lunch time.

Why do minimize apples flip brown?

Whenever you slice an apple, the flesh of the apple is uncovered to air. That oxygen publicity triggers a chemical response that causes browning.

Which apples don’t brown as rapidly?

Some apple varieties don’t are inclined to brown as rapidly as others. They embrace:

Pink girl
Granny smith
Cosmic crisp
Empire
Cortland
Honeycrisp
Gala

Four apples sit on a wood table with text pointing to each one: honeycrisp, granny smith, cosmic crisp, and pink lady.

Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Cosmic Crisp, and Pink Girl are all gradual to brown after minimize.

Which apples brown the quickest?

These apples are inclined to brown extra rapidly than others:

Purple Scrumptious
McIntosh
Fuji

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: The right way to Pack Kiwi in Lunch Bins

A can of pineapple juice, canister of salt, jar of cinnamon, and lemon and orange sit on a wood table to represent four ways to pack apples in lunch boxes that won't look brown.

Pineapple juice, cinnamon, salt, and citrus can all show you how to pack sliced apples that don’t look brown by lunchtime.

The Greatest Method to Pack Apples In Lunch Bins

Listed below are 4 simplest strategies for packing apples in lunch packing containers, so that they don’t flip brown by lunchtime.

1. Soak apples slices in saltwater

This will likely sound unusual: salty apples?! However the apples don’t retain a salty taste, and this was the simplest, simplest way I attempted. The apples appeared and tasted contemporary 5 days later!

Why this works: The chloride in salt blocks the enzyme that causes browning.

The right way to do it:

Slice contemporary apples into desired thickness
Fill a bowl with 1 1/2 cups chilly water and dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of salt in it
Soak cut-up apple within the salt water for five minutes
Drain and rinse apples, then retailer in an hermetic container within the fridge. For those who’re packing them in a lunch field, pat them dry so that they’re not drippy.

An overhead shot of four bowls of salt water with apple slices in them, labeled as: granny smith, cosmic crisp, pink lady, and honeycrisp.

In my exams, all 4 varieties (plus Gala) stayed white and crisp for days after a saltwater soak.

2. Toss sliced apples in citrus juice

As a substitute of sprinkling apple slices with lemon juice (which some children discover too bitter), toss them in a combo of lemon juice and orange juice. It provides an awesome tangy taste. This was my boys’ favourite method to have apples of their lunch packing containers. Actually, I even packed an additional container of them after my child instructed me how a lot his buddy appreciated them!

Why this works: The vitamin C within the citrus inactivates the enzyme that causes browning (lime juice additionally works in case your children like that taste).

The right way to do it:

Slice apples thinly and place in a leak-proof hermetic container
Squeeze a little bit little bit of lemon juice and orange juice over the apples (sufficient to coat all of the slices)
Shake gently to coat the apples and pack in a lunchbox in an hermetic container (these will maintain for 1-2 days within the fridge however are greatest eaten the identical day).

3. Combine sliced apples with pineapple juice

Pineapple juice is one other method to assist stop browning on apples. In case your children just like the candy, tropical taste of pineapple juice, they could like this methodology greatest.

Why this works: The vitamin C within the juice inactivates the browning enzyme.

The right way to do it:

Slice apples and place in a leak-proof container.
Pour a little bit little bit of pineapple juice over the slices
Shake gently to coat the apples and pack in a lunchbox in an hermetic container (these will maintain for 1-2 days within the fridge however are greatest eaten the identical day).

4. Sprinkle minimize apples with cinnamon and sugar

My children grew up consuming what we referred to as “apple pie apples”, that are simply apple slices sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.

Why this works: It doesn’t stop browning–the cinnamon-sugar merely disguises it (and provides a yummy, fall taste). Select an apple that doesn’t brown as rapidly, resembling Honeycrisp, Pink Girl, Granny Smith, or Cosmic Crisp.

The right way to do it:

Minimize apples into slices.
Sprinkle minimize sides with a mix of cinnamon and sugar (or frivolously mud with plain cinnamon)
Pack in a lunchbox. These are greatest loved the identical day.

An overhead shot of two containers of apple slices on a wood table.

Preserve sliced apples in an hermetic container within the fridge.

Different methods to pack apples in lunch packing containers

Unfold apple slices with peanut butter: It’s a traditional combo! Slice apples and unfold one aspect with peanut butter (leaving room finish to select them up).
Sprinkle with ascorbic acid powder: This will likely have a scary-sounding title, nevertheless it’s truly simply vitamin C in pill type, offered as manufacturers like Ball Fruit Recent. It really works the identical method that citrus juice does to cease the oxidation course of. Learn extra about it right here.
Dip in sugar water: This methodology includes soaking apples in sugar and honey dissolved in water. It’s extra pricey that utilizing salt water and never as efficient. Get the how-to right here.

FAQ About Packing Apples In Lunch Bins

What’s one of the simplest ways to chop apples?

Some folks like utilizing an apple cutter, which divides apples into eight equal wedges. My children favor extra thinly-sliced apples, so as a substitute of utilizing an apple slicer, that is how I do it: Slice on both aspect of the apple core, then minimize off the perimeters. Lay the flat aspect of the apple sections on a slicing board and minimize into skinny slices.

A sliced red apple sits on a cutting board alongside a knife.

That is the best method to thinly slice an apple.

What concerning the rubber band trick?

I’ve seen this apple trick throughout in social media: slice an apple, put it again collectively jigsaw puzzle-style, then wrap a rubber-band round it. However in my exams, the apple nonetheless turned brown inside.

Are sliced apples secure for youthful kids?

Items of exhausting, uncooked vegetables and fruit like apples are thought-about a choking hazard for teenagers below 4. For infants, apples needs to be cooked tender and mashed, and grated when infants are prepared for finger meals. Listed below are some baby-led weaning suggestions for serving apples. For toddlers, slice apples thinly. See a full record of choking hazard meals from the CDC.

Are apples wholesome for teenagers?

YES! Apples are a great supply of fiber for teenagers, one thing most children want extra of. An apple’s pectin can increase intestine well being as a result of it feeds the wholesome micro organism within the gut. Apples pack potassium and even a little bit of vitamin C. Apples are additionally filling, rating greater on the “Satiety Index” (a scale of how satisfying totally different meals are) even above bananas and yogurt.