Options for preparing apple compote - how to cook apple compote at home
Every year, especially in harvest years, gardeners are faced with the problem of processing apples. The fastest and easiest way is to prepare compote. But compote can not only be canned, it can also be prepared as needed in a saucepan or slow cooker. In today's material you will find useful information on how to preserve apples for the winter and how to use them to make homemade compote.
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What apples to use for compote
After harvesting, of course, you need to try to make preparations from fresh apples. The variety is not particularly important, but you need to keep in mind that summer varieties are more crumbly and such fruits should be subjected to heat treatment for a minimum amount of time.
When preparing the drink, you need to use only one type of apple. Over-grading can lead to some of the fruits being overcooked and turning into mush. For the same reason, large-fruited varieties are cut into approximately equal slices.
In addition to fresh fruits, you can use dried fruits.Dried apples retain all the beneficial substances, and the drink made from them has a unique taste. If you don’t know how to dry apples for the winter, then they will come to your aid notes from our site.
Another way to preserve apples is freezing. Compote made from such fruits has the taste of fresh apples. Various freezing methods are described in the material about storing apples for the winter in the freezer.
Methods for cooking apple compote
From fresh apples in a saucepan
Apples of any variety are thoroughly washed. The skin of the fruit is not peeled off; it gives the compote a unique aroma and enriches it with vitamins. If the apples are large, then they are cut into 2 or 4 parts and freed from seeds. Small fruits are boiled whole.
Amount of products per three-liter pan:
- apples – 800 grams;
- granulated sugar – 250 grams;
- water – 3 liters.
The cooking procedure is simple. First, a sweet base is prepared from water and sugar. As soon as the syrup boils, the prepared apples are placed in it. Cooking time depends on the type of fruit. Tender, crumbly apples should be cooked for no more than 5 minutes. Dense apples of autumn and winter varieties are heat treated a little longer, but not more than 15 minutes.
During cooking, you should open the lid of the pan a minimum number of times so that water-soluble vitamins do not evaporate, and it is best not to touch it at all.
After the fire is turned off, the saucepan should be wrapped in a warm blanket or terry towel and placed in a warm place to infuse. The drink should be consumed no earlier than 6 hours later.
From dried fruits in a slow cooker
A five-liter multicooker bowl will require 250 grams of dried apples, 250 grams of sugar and water.All ingredients are placed in the pan of the device and filled with cold water so that 4 centimeters remain to the top edge of the bowl. Next, close the lid of the multicooker assistant tightly and turn on the “Soup” mode for 1 hour. Don't let the long cooking time bother you. The water is poured into the bowl cold, so part of the time will be spent boiling it, and part of the time will be spent allowing the dried fruits to swell.
After the signal, the multicooker is turned off, and the compote is left to stand under the lid for another 5-6 hours.
Advice: For a richer taste of the compote, in addition to apples, you can add raisins or dried apricots to the drink.
From frozen apples
Compote from frozen fruits is prepared using the same technology as from fresh fruits. A distinctive feature here is that the apples are not defrosted before cooking.
If the drink is prepared in a slow cooker, then take about a kilogram of frozen fruit. The five-liter multicooker bowl should be 1/3 full. The amount of sugar depends on the taste of the apples themselves. Sour varieties require 300-350 grams of sugar, and sweet and sour varieties require 150 to 250 grams.
Apple compote for the winter in jars
From whole fruits with sterilization
The sterilization method is more suitable for compotes that are planned to be sealed in containers with a volume of no more than 1 liter. This is due to the fact that a three-liter jar is very difficult to thoroughly sterilize due to its height. Therefore, in this recipe we provide the calculation of products per liter jar.
300 grams of small or medium-sized fruits are washed under running water and the stalk is removed. Place fruit in clean jars washed with soda so that they occupy 2/3 of the volume.
In a separate bowl, boil water (700 grams) and sugar (200 grams).Pour hot liquid into jars of apples and cover them with clean lids, but do not screw them on. Then the workpiece is placed in a pan of water. The water should cover the jars of apples up to their shoulders. Over high heat, bring the water in the pan to a boil and reduce the heat. From this moment the countdown begins. Liter jars of compote must be sterilized for 30 minutes.
From apple slices without sterilization
Without peeling the apples, cut them into large slices and place them in three-liter jars scalded with boiling water. For 1 jar you will need approximately 700 - 800 grams of apples. The products are poured with boiling water and, covered tightly with clean lids, set aside for 10 minutes.
Next, using a special mesh or lid with holes, the apple infusion is poured back into the pan and sugar is added to it. For a three-liter jar take 2.5 cups of sand. After the syrup has boiled for a couple of minutes, it is poured into a jar of apples to the very top. The workpiece is screwed on with sterile lids and insulated with towels for a day.
A lot of sugar is harmful for children, so we bring to your attention apple compote recipe without sugar.
How to diversify apple compote
When brewing the drink, spice lovers add ground cinnamon, vanilla, lemon balm or mint sprigs to the apples. Apple compote has an interesting taste, to which spices such as crushed nutmeg, cardamom and clove buds were added during cooking.
Apples go well with any other fruits and berries. An example of preparing compote from apples and plums is presented by the channel “Daughters-Mothers-Girlfriends”