Apples

There are thousands of varieties of apples in every shade of yellow, gold, red, and green, ranging from sweet to tart and mealy to crisp.

Preparing: Rinse and take a bite. Or peel and cut. To peel, start at the stem or flower end and work in strips up and down or around; a U-shaped peeler works best. Some people find it’s easier to peel apples after cutting them into wedges.

To core, you have several options (see below): You can remove the core and leave the apple whole by dig- ging into one end with a sturdy melon baller. You can either leave the stem intact for a nice presentation or work from that side if you want a flatter, more stable bottom. Or you can buy a slicer-corer, which will cut the apple into six or eight slices around the core in one swift motion. Or you can quarter the apple and dig out each piece of the core with a paring knife. There are even contraptions that hold the apple and spiral off the peel. Finally, you can just cut chunks of apple from around the core with a paring knife.

Apples brown quickly once peeled or cut. To prevent this, drop them into acidulated water (1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar per cup water) or white wine, or toss with lemon or lime juice.

Other fruits you can use: pears