If you have apples in your kitchen, you may be unaware that you are wasting time and effort when you chop up your tasty fruit snack. When cutting an apple into the traditional wedge pattern that we are all used to, you are actually being inefficient. Place your apple upside-down, so that the apple rests on its flatter top, then picture a tic-tac-toe grid with the core of the apple in the center square. Cut along this grid with a sharp knife and then marvel at your perfectly removed apple core as well as the evenly sliced sections of apple.
If you’re planning on taking your treat on the go, forget about the bag. Simply hold the apple in its original shape with the core left in the center. Now you need a single elastic band to hold the apple in its shape and you are ready to eat on the go.
Leaving the apple pressed together like this will actually keep it from browning for many hours. If you want even more apple longevity try misting lemon juice over the sliced sides of the apple before returning it to its shape. The acid in the juice stops the oxidation process which is what turns your delicious white apple flesh that unappetizing brown.
A quick trick to turn your plain-Jane apple into a cute and decorative fruit accent is to take a wedge shaped piece and cut three diagonal lines into the flesh, then reverse the apple and repeat the process, allowing the cuts to meet at the bottom. Now, slide the diamond shaped pieces of apple slightly askew on the wedge and viola, you have a cute decoration for any occasion.