It’s a classic tale. You chop, dice, slice or shave a raw apple or pear for your child or to use in a recipe only to have it turn brown and unappealing minutes later. Why does this happen? And more importantly, how can you prevent it?

Browning is the result of freshly cut apple or pear flesh coming into contact with oxygen, a natural process called oxidization or enzymatic browning. Speed of browning can vary depending on the variety of apple or pear, and can also be impacted by the age of the fruit.   

Fruit that has browned is perfectly safe to eat but it doesn’t look pleasing (just ask kids what they think of brown apple slices in their lunch boxes!). The good news is that preventing browning in apples and pears is easy peasy. Here’s our super simple kitchen hack that will help you enjoy beautiful pears and apples. 

Here’s what you’ll need: 

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice 
  • 1 cup of water 

Mix the lemon juice and the water and submerge your sliced fruit in the liquid. Let soak for a few minutes and you’re good to go.

Browning Fruit

Double or triple the recipe if you’re cutting a lot of pears or apples, just keep the same lemon to water ratio.

Look at the difference below. On the left: apples that were sliced and left to oxidize. On the right: lovely bright-fleshed slices. 

Browning Fruit

There you go, lunchbox-worthy apple slices every time!

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