Apples are a healthy snack for kids school lunches and they always seem to eat more of the apple if it’s cut up for them. Then there’s the dreaded browning of the apple, which no kid likes. Here are some great tips to stop this from happening:
- Always use a sharp blade to cut an apple, an apple cut up with a sharp blade will brown less than an apple cut with a dull or serrated blade
- If you have the space to send a full apple, cut the apple up in the morning and put it back together with a rubber band holding it all in place
- Treating the food with an acidic fruit can help to stop browning, you can use lemon juice, lime juice, pineapple or orange juice
- If you’re kids don’t like the combination of another fruit flavour on the apple slices, try mixing lemon juice with water. The water dilutes the lemon juice and still works in the same way
- Adding the apple to a fruit salad that contains an acidic fruit like orange, will help to stop the browning
- Storing the fruit is a very good, airtight container will also help to prevent the apple slices from turning brown
19 comments
Place cut apple in a bowl and sprinkle salt over the top. Cover with water and let sit for 5 mins. Drain, pat dry and place in snack bags or a lunchbox container. Works every time!
My son likes his apple peeled and knives and peelers are a NO, NO at school. I peel the apple and put a tinybit of water in a zip lock back,( just enough to cover the bottom) squeeze all the air out as I close it and the apple stays amost like it has just been peeled. PS: My son is very fussy and usually wont eat fruit if it is discoloured, but always eats his apple when I send it. Teacher has confirmed this!
I just love the look & simplicity of these lunch boxes! I just got my eldest daughter a pink one but am finding it hard to get a purple one for my youngest! (would be world war 3 for it not to be purple!) I know they are discontinued, any ideas where to source one? Cheers!
Maybe you could get a lunch box that would go well if you added purple to it. You could let her decorate herself with the colors she wants. Kids love stickers also. Lots of purple stickers might help. 🙂
I like the rubber band tip. Thanks!
Oh, and BRAVO to you Kat for standing up against the crazy web-traffic stealing situation! XO
Amber | Adventures of a Rainbow Mama
I like the rubber band tip. Thanks!
Oh, and BRAVO to you Kat for standing up against the crazy web-traffic stealing situation! XO
Amber | Adventures of a Rainbow Mama
I find putting the apple slices in the lunchbox upside down (skin up) helps them not brown so much. Also the Tupperware lunchboxes help too.
Such a simple idea Kirsty, very clever!
This is genius! Mr Smaggle is such a little prince and likes his fruit cut up… preferably by me! I’ll have to do this for him when I leave in the mornings.
You look after him so well Carly!
Great tip! Know We will have fresh apples all the time.I always all lemon to it! Thanks for the tip!
Sprinkle with cinnamon, it hides the brown!
I use an apple slinky, leaving the peel on and popping the core back in before putting it in the lunch bag.
I sprinkle a little fruit pectin and put it back together skin side out
I cut mine and put it in a container or clip lock bag with a tablespoon or so of water.
I put my cut apple in a bowl of water (enough to cover fruit) with tsp of lemon or lime juice, pat dry with paper towel and put in lunch box. It even works with apple chips (very thin sliced apples) without changing the apple flavor
I have always used the lemon juice trick. Delighted to see so many alternates possible.
It seems to be a popular choice!
There are 2 new Australian variety’s of apples available “Kanzi” – a red apple and “Green Star” – a green apple both don’t go brown when cut. Great apples for lunch boxes of cheese platers. This seasons should be available in the next few weeks.