Food Cooking apples and caster sugar: what are these?!

[IntlSet]

Ignorant kitche notice here...

I bought a baking cook book and several of the recipes specify "cooking apples" versus "eating apples" and "caster sugar."

What are cooking apples? Where can I get them, any grocery store? And what is caster sugar?

Many thanks!!!

 

[berryblondeboys]

Cooking apples are just apples that hold up better to baking/cooking. Like, Granny Smiths cook up well whereas Gala apples are GREAT for eating, but not the best for baking. THOUGH you can use any apple, they just be watery or less firm.

Caster sugar is powdered sugar.

 

[IntlSet]

berry, thank you! So is powdered sugar different than "icing sugar?"

 

[berryblondeboys]

Hmm... I stand corrected Caster/castor sugar is super fine sugar (not powdered sugar). You can fine superfine sugar at the super market too a lot of the time.

Here's a link about baking with apples:

http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Baking-with-Apples/Detail.aspx

 

[IntlSet]

^^
Thank you again!

 

[elizat]

berry, thank you! So is powdered sugar different than "icing sugar?"

I've never heard of icing sugar and I have baked for years. However, if it is to making frosting/glaze/icing, that would be powdered or confectioners sugar.

 

[berryblondeboys]

I looked up icing sugar and it said that in the UK icing sugar is what they say for confectioner's sugar/powdered sugar.

 

[IntlSet]

Thank you very much for your help, ladies. I appreciate it!

 

[claireZk]

Intlset-- this is the stuff you need. They sell it at the supermarket in the baking aisle.

I looked it up and the best apples for cooking are: Cameo, Cortland, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Jonagold, Jonathan, Rome.

Are you making apple sauce?

 

[IntlSet]

^^^
Claire, thank you so much, that was so nice of you to look it up online. I should have just done that myself.

No, I'm making apple bread pudding!

 

[claireZk]

^^^
Claire, thank you so much, that was so nice of you to look it up online. I should have just done that myself.

No, I'm making apple bread pudding!

You're welcome!

And apple bread pudding sounds soooooooooo good!!!

 

[lolitakali]

Macintosh are great baking apples....
My DH's parents owns like 27 apples trees, Granny Smith, Macintosh, Galas, a cross bred I cannot remember and Asian Pears (looks like apples)... and my MIL makes great apple pies and she is well-known in her church for her apple pies.

 

[Night Jasmine]

Caster sugar = superfine sugar

Icing sugar = confectioners' sugar/ powdered sugar.

 

[ragamuffin]

It's called icing sugar in Canada too.
It is always good when baking with apples to mix them use a granny smith which is a little more tart and a golden delicious which is more sweet. It gives a nice "depth" to your pies or in your case pudding.

 

[Minimouse]

It's funny, I'm British and growing up we always used Bramleys apples for cooking. They are tart and absolutely wonderful for cooking, but unfortunately they're not available in the US, which is a shame. You guys are missing out, although I'm sure you have some fab cooking apples that we've never heard of.