Worthwhile Reviews: Honeycrisp apple | N/A | ~$2.50/lb. | New (and yuck at the very thought of used apples!)

I used to tell people that I'd never had a bad Honeycrisp, but in the interest of complete fairness, I stopped. Now I tell people I've never had a bad bite of a Honeycrisp.

A Honeycrisp is a sweet, tangy apple with a variegated red/yellow coloring. They are very appropriately named as they are without fail crisp and sweet. Whether you eat a Honeycrisp on the way back from the supermarket or weeks later, they're never mealy or unpleasant. Even bruises or blemishes on the skin seem to have no affect on the fruit underneath, whereas many other types of apple will quickly rot if the skin is damaged.

The Honeycrisp gives the impression of being some kind of Super-apple, perhaps originating in another solar system and given its remarkable abilities by the light of our yellow sun. In fact, the Honeycrisp was created in my own back yard (well, not actually MY back yard--that would be a conflict of interestin thisreview) at the University of Minnesota. Somehow, the U of M managed to provide not only superior taste, but exceptional shelf-life and robustness. They also managed to craft a flavor that (according to their own surveys) is preferred by 80% of respondants, whether they had previously expressed a preference for sweet or for sour apples.

There isn't a lot else to say about Honeycrisps... they're one of the few sure-wins in life. They keep well, taste great, and provide you with essential fiber and vitamins. They're satisfying enough to serve as a good snack or even a light meal, and healthier and better-tasting than anything you can get out of a vending machine... well, unless its a Honeycrisp apple machine. Honeycrisps eat great raw, and get along well with other foods. In fact, even I, just about the most inept person you'll ever find in a kitchen setting, have devised a tasty recipe using Honeycrisps.

I call it the Double-Take Sandwich, both because you'll want to take another one once you're done with the first and because it aims to make you actually do a double-take when you have your first bite, your mind reeling that it could be so tasty. Here's how to make a Double-Take:

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Lightly toast two slices of wheat or multi-grain bread

Spread a very thin layer of cream cheese on one slice

Add Romaine lettuce (use iceberg only if you must)

Add alfalfa sprouts

Add cheese, VERY thinly sliced. I generally use Swiss or another light cheese like Provolone. Use whatever you prefer, but remember, very thin slices are key.

Add thinly-sliced Honeycrisp slices as if they were pickles or cucumbers. They fill the role of cukes and pickles in a sandwich while sweetening the whole works and playing nicely off the cream cheese.

The cheese and cream cheese are the unhealthy parts of this sandwich, but you really only need a hint of their flavors to round out the rest. The cheese should be sliced so thin that its almost transparent, and the cream cheese should barely be filling in the pits on the toasted bread.

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I was moved to write this review last weekend, when I came home late from hanging out with friends. I hadn't eaten since the early afternoon, but I didn't want anything too heavy before bed, so I grabbed a Honeycrisp off the counter. Coincidentally watching more Voltron, I proceeded to have one of the most enjoyable late-night snacks I can remember. Since I had just reviewed Voltron, the idea of reviewing the apple seemed natural. Technically, to follow my review guidelines (I must have finished the experience--beat the game or decided it was not worth the money or any more of my time, etc.), this review is for that particular apple, but one of the great things about Honeycrips is how reliably excellent they are.

So are Honeycrisps worth buying? Unquestionably yes. Honeycrisps do tend to cost a bit more than other apples, but believe me, they're worth it.