Stemilt Growers, one of the world's leading growers, packers, and shippers of tree fruit, has announced that it will now offer an easy solution to pinpoint the perfect apple for baking, pairings, nutritional benefits, and more with the launch of its website, "There's An Apple for That:" appleforthat.stemilt.com. 

There's An Apple for That was born after market research showed some 500,000 consumers rely on search engines to find out: "what is the best apple for_____." That equates to half a million shoppers each month actively seeking apple advice online, and as an apple expert, Stemilt wanted to provide a helpful resource to find the answers. Once consumers visit the website, they can search for apple variety recommendations by a specific dish or usage – from the classic apple pie, to applesauce, smoothies, candied apples, baking, roasting and more – as well as search by meal categories for tips, recipes and inspiration. In addition, the site contains apple background information for nutrition, characteristics by variety, apple growing information, and other commonly sought apple information.

"Since my family has been growing fruit for more than 100 years, we constantly get questions from our friends and customers for recommendations on all the ways apples can be enjoyed, and which apples are the best to use for what," says West Mathison, a fifth generation apple grower and president of family-owned and operated Stemilt. "The launch of There's An Apple For That allows us to provide another meaningful customer touchpoint and online resource beyond the in-store experience, and we hope our fans and soon-to-be fans love it as much as we do."

So what are the apple variations to take into consideration when selecting the right variety for the right recipe or usage? Shoppers should consider the following:

Taste: From the exceptionally sweet Fuji to the tart Granny Smith, the variety's taste has a lot to do with the amount of sugar and malic acid (also known as that sour taste when biting into fruit). This should be taken into consideration among a recipe's other ingredients to help offset or complement other strong flavors.

Texture: The texture of an apple depends on how the flesh of the apple breaks when eating, which in the end depends on the cell walls. When the flesh breaks across the cell wall, it creates a crunchy apple. If the flesh ruptures and causes the cell to separate, consumers will experience a soft and smooth bite.

Sugar Content: For baking it helps to have a sweeter apple to naturally enhance the sweetness of baked goods or cut down on added sugar. Apples ranking high on the Brix scale include Fuij, Gala, and Jonagold.

Cooking Characteristics: When baking or cooking with apples, texture is very important as apples should hold their shape under high temperatures. Good baking apples should have a balance of intense sweet-tart flavor, such as Pink Lady, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, and Stemilt's signature branded Piñata® apple.

Stemilt is recognized as the nation's leading expert on apples and grows and ships eight percent of Washington State's apple supply. Stemilt produces 12 apple varieties including favorites such as Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, SweeTango® and its signature branded Piñata® apple, widely available in grocery stores across the country. For more apple advice and availability, visit appleforthat.stemilt.com or www.stemilt.com.