I'm amazed that the author would even include Red Delicious in the comparison. It's known as the worst apple in the world. Thick skin, mealy interior, either bitter or no flavor. I don't know why anyone would buy these for any purpose, and I don't know why anyone grows these. It's like putting North Korea at the bottom of a list of 10 best places to live - any other item on the list would improve the list.
Maybe I'm crazy, but I remember when I was little red delicious were crisp and sweet and juicy and perfect in every way. Then over the years, they became more and more hit-or-miss, until they became the mealy, flavorless kind you're describing. I've always been curious what the truth is there.
Reminds me of the first time I had the opportunity to travel abroad. Until that point, I had always thought I hated bananas. All the stores I'd ever been to in the US only sold Cavendishes. They're stiff and stringy and have very little flavor. But the ones at the produce stand weren't like that at all; they were vibrant, sweet, custardlike, and melted in my mouth. My second thought after the initial shock of how delicious the first bite tasted was the realization that I'd been lied to the agricultural industry for decades and the hollow sting of betrayal from being sold-out by my countrymen.
My understanding is that Red Delicious are a casualty of their own success and were cloned and bred with themselves so many times you now had a very pretty apple that tastes horrible. At least that is what I think remember reading from an article about how Honey Crisp came about.
Take a look at Small Red Delicious v. Large Red Delicious. Nowadays you can only find large's, and larges used to be "mealy and icky", while the small red delicious were wonderful. Everybody dunks on Red Delicious apples, but I've tended to like them when they're firm and crisp. There's lots of other varieties around and I haven't found a new consistent favorite yet, but glad to see such an systematic overview of apples! :-)
I was a produce manager at Safeway in the 1980's. Both Red delicious AND Golden delicious were great eating apples. Not sure much anymore and I'm not sure why.
It's known by many, but still sells incredibly well. Until 2018, it was the best-selling apple in the US! I believe it is still the most-produced apple, since it's used for items that are sold, and is still a top seller.
It needs to be included so that more people come to understand how horrible it is for anything!
Many horrible fruits and veg explode with flavor when cooked. Rhubarb and Quince for example are unbearably tart when raw, and yummy when cooked up with some sugar
I don't know how I've managed it, but across the half a dozen grocery stores I've regularly used, I only rarely gotten a bad red delicious. Sure I have gotten some bad ones, but on average they're perfectly fine. Then again, I'm not the biggest fan of honeycrisp, so maybe it's just me
I know this is the minority opinion but I buy them sometimes for a change of pace. I like the slightly bitter flavor and the ones I buy are always firm and crisp.
Golden Delicious and Red Delicious are not related to one another except in name (and in the sense that all apples are related). They do not have a known common lineage.
