Sliced apple browning almost immediately

corblimey

I like a nice sliced apple with my lunch, so I use one of those apple slicers things to core and slice the apple. I've noticed recently that the ones I get turn brown while I'm still eating them - usually less than 10 minutes after slicing has been performed. I know apples turn brown generally when sliced, but <10 mins seems a little quick to me. Could it be the brand of apple I get? It doesn't affect the taste (I assume) and I'm not trying to impress anyone with my presentation, but I've not noticed this up until a few weeks ago, and wonder what could be the cause.

Alun

There's a chemical, an enzyme, in apples that turns brown on contact with oxygen. The amount of that enzyme depends on a number of factors including the variety of apple, it's growing conditions and how ripe it is.

seamus

It's a reaction between the oxygen in the air and naturally occurring chemicals, and starts pretty much instantaneously. Some varieties will brown faster than others, but that's not an indication of them being more or less healthy than any other.

Coating in fruit juices and the like will slow the process (hence why apple in a fruit salad tends to brown more slowly). I also suspect that using a dull blade is more likely to accelerate the process by causing more the chemical to be released.

Mystery Egg

A squeeze of lemon juice immediately after slicing will prevent browning.

corblimey

Yeah, I've no plan to coat or dip the slices in lemon juice. However, the slicer is about 9 months old at this point, and probably not something that can be sharpened at will, so perhaps seamus' idea of a dull blade has merit. It would also explain why I've only begun to notice it recently. The previous one broke inside of 6 months, so never got this far. Time to fork out for another slicer maybe?

Dizzyblonde

I think it could be the brand of apple. I eat Pink Lady apples and they don't go brown quickly, whether I bite them or use the slicer. If you do buy a new slicer don't throw out the old one - they're great for cutting potato wedges

corblimey

I eat Pink Lady (ladies?) too, db. I find myself buying the plastic-wrapper 4 pack from Tesco most of the time as the standalone fruit has been poor lately. Perhaps not the freshest to begin with...

ETA: tks for the tip on using the slicer as a wedger....

rubadub

If you wrap it in clingfilm it will probably help. I think the metal in the knife matters, I saw some chef saying it about cutting lettuce. I think stainless is OK, ceramic is best and mild steel will cause more browning.

The lemon juice could just be a drop from a bottle.

Photo-Sniper

When cut just add to bowl of water. No browning no oxygen