2 min read
While fall means pumpkin spice lattes for some, I’m here for the apple cider. Seeing jugs of it on supermarket shelves in September and October brings me such joy. Even better: afternoons spent sipping on cider at an actual orchard or farm stand.
Recently, in the Good Housekeeping Kitchen & Cooking Lab, we got to wondering: Could store-bought apple cider taste even better at home? It turns it can—and it’s easy.
How to upgrade store-bought apple cider
Most of the time, I pour apple cider straight from the fridge and enjoy it cold. But warming it first made it more aromatic and rounded out its flavor. Simmering the cider with fresh apple slices can add another layer of apple flavor. Here’s how:
Ingredients
2 cups apple cider 1 apple, cored and thinly sliced (I used Gala, but any variety works)Flaky sea salt, for serving
Directions
In small saucepan, heat apple cider and apple slices on low just until warmed through (do not let it boil), 10 minutes. Ladle into mugs and finish each with a small pinch of flaky sea salt. Why you should simmer apple cider with apples
Simmering cider with fresh apple slices doubles down on the apple flavor. “At a restaurant I worked in, we used to make something called ‘super bird’—chicken bones simmered with stock so it was extra potent. That’s how I think about this: doubling down on the product to get the most flavorful apple cider,” explains Good Housekeeping food producer Tina Martinez.
A quick note on timing: I tasted the cider after the apples had steeped for 5, 10 and 30 minutes. The apple flavor was most concentrated at 30 minutes, but the slices had started to break down, leaving little bits in the liquid. I didn’t mind them, but 10 minutes felt like the sweet spot: flavorful cider, with apples that were still sturdy enough to pick out. (P.S. The cooked apple slices make a delicious snack, too.)
Why you should add a pinch of salt to your apple cider
The most surprising addition—with the biggest payoff—was a pinch of flaky sea salt. I swirled a little into my mug and took a sip. So much better. The cider tasted more balanced, and each sip felt smoother.
“Salt has a way of making ingredients taste more like themselves. Here, it doesn’t make the cider taste salty—it amps up apple flavor,” explains Good Housekeeping senior food editor Susan Choung. Just be sure to stir in only a little at a time, so you don’t accidentally make your cider too salty.
After decades of drinking apple cider straight from the fridge, I’m convinced it’s worth the extra effort to warm it up with apple slices. And I’ll keep the salt nearby from now on.
