what cherries are best for baking

What are the different types of cherries and their uses?

Here’s Every Type of Cherry and How to Use It 1 Bing Cherries. When you picture a cherry in your mind, it’s probably a Bing cherry. ... 2 Black Cherries. As the name indicates, these cherries have a darker skin than most cherry varieties. ... 3 Montmorency Cherries. ... 4 Morello Cherries. ... 5 Rainier Cherries. ... 6 Maraschino Cherries

What kind of cherries are best for a cherry pie?

Don't get us wrong, you can bake with any cherries you wish, but if you're looking for that characteristic cherry pie recipe, there's only one type of cherry you should be using -- and that's sour (or tart) cherries. Sour cherries are actually pretty sour on their own.

What are the best cherries to use for cherry cobbler?

Fresh sour cherries may be the best option for baking but they are available only for a few weeks during the summer and regionally at that. What’s the best option at other times of the year when making cherry cobbler? Should you just use fresh sweet cherries? What about processed sour cherries?

Are canned cherries good for baking?

Plus, they are nutritious and great to cook and bake with, whether they are fresh, canned or dried. Even though the fresh cherry season is relatively short, the intense flavor and color of Lambert, Rainier and Bing cherries make for a strong showing in summer recipes, from desserts and appetizers, to salads and main dishes.

What kind of cherries do you use for pie?

Best Cherries to Use for Cherry Pie If you're making cherry pie from scratch, it's helpful to know which cherry variety works best. I usually choose a mix of rainier cherries and dark sweet cherries, but opted for all dark sweet cherries in the pictured pie. You can use all Rainier or all dark sweet.

Which cherry is best for cooking?

Sweet cherries are fine for baking, too (you wouldn't need as much sugar or starch), but they're really meant to be eaten out of hand. Sweet cherries are large, firm and heart-shaped. You'll typically find two varieties sold in the supermarket: the dark red Bing and the blushing pink and white Rainier.

Do you bake with sweet or tart cherries?

Too tart to be eaten out of hand, they're traditionally used in pies, tarts, cakes, cordials, confections, and jams, as well as slighly sweetened sauces for poultry. Look for them in late June and July, a few weeks after sweet cherries have reached the market.

Can you use sweet cherries for baking?

What kind of Cherries? For this cherry pie filling recipe, you can use either sweet cherries for a sweet cherry pie or tart cherries for a sour cherry pie. As you'll see in the recipe, the only difference between them is the amount of sugar and lemon juice.

Which cherry is used in cake?

Golden Crown red cherries are widely used by professional bakers to garnish cakes and desserts, top fruit salads, ice-creams and sundaes. They can also be used as a drop garnish for cocktails and mock tails.

What is the difference between tart cherries and regular cherries?

Tart cherries are bright red in color while sweet cherries tend to be darker red and sometimes even purple. Sweet cherries are also larger than tart cherries. Now, you probably already guessed another difference, the taste! Sweet cherries are obviously sweeter, as they contain more naturally occurring sugars.

Are sour cherries good baking?

I still call them sour cherries. These are our JAM around the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen because these are the cherries you want to bake with. They have less sugar than sweet cherries and that's a good thing because their high acidity brings a bright, vivid flavor while their sugars will concentrate as you cook them.

Are tart cherries and sour cherries the same thing?

Montmorency tart cherries, also known as sour cherries, are bright red when harvested, and they retain that bold color when dried, frozen or juiced. While there are several varieties of sweet cherries, the most common is Bing. These fresh cherries are quite dark – sometimes almost purple or black.

Which is better black cherry or tart cherry?

Tart cherry juice is sour to taste and provides a higher amount of anthocyanins compared to black cherry juice, which is sweeter in taste and has less anthocyanins. Anthocyanins promote anti-inflammatory processes in the body. Both are great, nutritious options.

What are sweet cherries best for?

Cherries are low in calories and chock full of fiber, vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and other good-for-you ingredients. You'll get vitamins C, A, and K. Each long-stemmed fruit delivers potassium, magnesium, and calcium too. They also bring antioxidants, like beta-carotene, and the essential nutrient choline.

What kind of cherry is the best?

Bing cherries are probably the most well-known variety of sweet cherry. With their deep mahogany skin and their large, plump shape, Bing cherries are a natural choice for fresh snacking. Other common varieties of dark sweet cherries include Tulare, Lambert, Chelan, and Lapin.

What is the difference between sweet and sour cherries?

Usually eaten out of hand, sweet cherries are larger than sour cherries. They are heart-shaped and have sweet firm flesh. They range in color from golden red-blushed Royal Ann to dark red to purplish-black. Bing, Lambert, and Tartarian are other popular dark cherries.

Which is the best cherry fruit?

Bing Cherries These are the most popular type grown in the U.S. They are large and a bit heart-shaped with a firm, crisp texture. They're pleasantly sweet with a hint of acidity. The darker their red color, the riper and more flavorful.

What kind of cherries are sold in the grocery store?

You'll find two major types of fresh cherries: sweet and sour. Sweet cherries make up the majority of the cherry market. They're the cherries you see at the grocery store. As the name implies, they are juicy and sweet and perfect for eating out of hand.

Are Bing cherries and black cherries the same thing?

Also known as black cherries, Chelan cherries resemble Bing cherries in appearance but have a milder (though still sweet!) taste. A hardy variety, these cherries ripen early in the growing season and are resistant to cracks and splits.

What is the difference between Queen Anne cherries and Rainier cherries?

When you bite into them, the difference could not be more clear. Queen Anne cherries are on the very tart side while Rainier are very sweet. Your taste buds will have no problem distinguishing the two.

Wondering which types of cherries are best for pie and which are better for salads and salsas? We've got the answers

Wondering which types of cherries are best for pie and which are better for salads and salsas? We've got the answers.

Bing Cherries

When you picture a cherry in your mind, it’s probably a Bing cherry. These red, heart-shaped fruits are juicy and sweet with a touch of acidity, giving them a light tartness that makes them perfectly balanced.

Black Cherries

As the name indicates, these cherries have a darker skin than most cherry varieties. Black cherry trees are related to the chokecherry, but they’re significantly taller and the fruit is much sweeter.

Montmorency Cherries

These light red, sour cherries are almost exclusively grown in Michigan, making them a popular choice in the Midwest. Their extremely tart flavor makes them less-than-ideal for snacking but perfect for baking. Combine them with sugar for a stellar cherry pie or use them to make a well-balanced jam.

Morello Cherries

Morello cherries refer to a family of sour cherries that have become popular for their use in pies and other baked goods. Like Montmorency cherries, Morello cherries are very tart and are far too sour for most to enjoy raw. Use them in your favorite sweet-tart recipe (here are a few cherry recipes to get started).

Rainier Cherries

These cherries were developed in Washington state in 1952 and named after the state’s largest mountain, Mt. Rainier. They’re pink with a lovely golden-yellow hue and a sweet, almost candied flavor. Cooking these cherries destroys their gorgeous color, so it’s best to enjoy them fresh in salads or on oatmeal.

Maraschino Cherries

Maraschino cherries aren’t technically a type of cherry but describe a method of preservation. They were originally made by soaking sour mascara cherries in maraschino liqueur (distilled from the same cherries). Today, they’re made with several different varieties of sweet and sour cherries and are usually preserved in syrup instead of alcohol.

Tart Cherries

Tart cherries, also known as "sour" cherries, have a naturally low sugar content and can be quite juicy, but are not very enjoyable when eaten fresh due to their high acidity. Tart cherries are most often used to desserts, jams, jellies, and sauces where they will be paired with large amounts of sugar or rich, creamy ingredients.

Sweet Cherries

Sweet cherries have a high natural sugar content and low acids, making them perfect for eating fresh. Varieties of sweet cherries range in color from light yellow to a dark mahogany color, which is often referred to as black. Sweet cherries have a soft flesh that doesn't hold up well to cooking.

Choose

Select cherries that are plump, shiny and firm with green stems. Avoid ones with soft or bruised spots, cracks or cuts. Cherries without stems deteriorate faster because of the broken skin.

Store

Cherries are completely ripe when shipped, so they are very perishable. Refrigerate the unwashed fruit immediately. They’ll keep for up to a week.

Prepare

Wash cherries thoroughly. Many people’s favorite way to enjoy the fresh fruit is au naturel—straight off the tree. But adding them to salads, desserts, ice cream, yogurt and cereal is a terrific way to use this summer fruit. If you’re not eating them off the stem, you’ll need to pit them.

Freeze

Frozen whole cherries are a terrific frozen treat on a hot summer day.

Cook

If you choose to cook cherries to use in a sauce or topping, be sure to cook for just a few minutes so the fruit retains its texture and color. Cook about 3 minutes or until cherries are softened and thoroughly heated.

Types of Summer Cherries

Bing —One of the most popular varieties, Bing cherries have a deep red-purple to almost black color and firm, juicy fruit. They have a sweet, intense flavor that makes them so popular. Look for them in May and June.

Cherry Nutrition Highlights

Phytonutrients: Phytonutrients are the healthful plant pigments that give cherries and other fruits and vegetables their brilliant color. They can provide health benefits above and beyond the vitamins and minerals naturally found in produce.