September 24, 2025, 3:27 am | Read time: 3 minutes
When you harvest many apples in the garden in the fall, you naturally want to enjoy and preserve them for as long as possible. One method that is supposed to help is the so-called hot water method. But is this method suitable for all apples? And how exactly does it work? myHOMEBOOK asked an expert.
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How the Trick Is Supposed to Work
If you want to make apples last longer, you should dip them in hot water. This is supposed to kill fungal spores that cause storage rot. That’s the theory.
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What the Expert Says About the Hot Water Trick
What does a professional say about this trick? “It sounds to me like a method used for storing organic fruit so that you don’t have to treat them with a fungicide,” speculates Sebastian Mühlemann from Baumschule Bauer. The trick lies in the hot water’s ability to kill certain fungal spores.
However, the expert cannot specify an exact temperature and soaking time. He advises against using water that is too hot. “Physically speaking, you only want to achieve a temperature on the apple’s surface where the spores cannot survive and die off.”
Certain temperatures can harm some apple varieties. “Not every variety can tolerate it equally, because the thinner the skin, the more likely the temperature will attack the underlying cells. If they get too warm, the cell walls burst, and the cell sap leaks out. That ruins the shelf life,” warns the expert. Mühlemann primarily recommends thick-skinned apple varieties, such as Boskoop or leather apples.
Important Tips for Storing Apples
Apart from the soaking temperature and duration, Mühlemann explains that other factors are also important when storing apples. He mentions three key points:
- Avoid creating pressure marks.
- Only use flawless fruits without damage.
- Choose the right storage temperature.
“Damaged fruits or fruits with small feeding spots don’t need to be placed in the water bath either. We have good experiences with canning apples that aren’t suitable for storage as applesauce,” adds the professional.