I use the slow cooker to make applesauce. There’s no peeling or coring the apples. I simply quarter them, throw them in the slow cooker, and when they are fork soft, turn them into applesauce using a manual food mill.
Here are the detailed instructions for very easy applesauce.
Use sweet apples like Gala, Fuji or Rome apples. Stay away from Red Delicious, and don’t buy ones that you would normally use for a pie.
You want apples that will mush up well. If you’re unsure, go to a farm stand or farmers market and ask which apples would be best for sauce. (Since the only ingredient in this recipe is apples, you can use as little or as many as you want.)
Wash the apples well — especially up by the stem.
Quarter the apples.
Put in a slow cooker with a half-inch of water at the bottom.
Cook on low or high — just until the apples are mushy. How long they need to cook will depend on the temperature you use and the amount of apples you have in the slow cooker. Remember, you should never fill a slow cooker more than 3/4 full. You need to leave room at the top for it to work properly.
Run the cooked apples and juices through a food mill — the seeds and peels will separate from the applesauce and you’ll be left with a sweet, creamy applesauce. No need to add anything else. Not even sugar.
You can, of course, add sugar to the applesauce if you’d like. It’s up to you.
