Apples begin to brown soon after you slice them open.
A perfect fruit salad is not only flavorful, but vividly colorful. From the red strawberries and purple grapes to orange cantaloupe chunks and green kiwis, all the colors should be vivid and appealing. Nothing makes a fruit salad -- or any other fruit arrangement -- look old and stale like a sudden, startlingly ugly blotch of brown. Left to their own devices, apples begin to turn brown very soon after you expose their delicate flesh to the air. There is good news, however: With a little bit of care, you can dramatically slow the browning of an apple and keep its slices looking fresh for hours.
Instructions
1. Mix ¼ cup lemon juice or cider vinegar with 1 qt. of cold water in a large bowl.
2. Cut or slice the apples into your desired shape and size, then put the pieces into the bowl containing the liquid mixture. The pieces of apple should be completely submerged; if they are not, make more of the mixture and add it to the bowl until they are.
3. Soak the apples in the liquid until just before you are ready to use them. Drain the apples thoroughly in a colander, then pat each piece dry gently with a clean kitchen towel. Serve or use as normal.
Tags: fruit salad, soon after
