Red delicious apples are terrible. My previous employer used to have fruit delivered twice a week and everytime the banana runs out in an hour, the oranges by end of day. The red delicious apple never runs out. They did switch it for better apples later on.
This! I honestly don't understand why that some still exists. I'd wager that those apples have turned enough consumers off apples that the Apple industry as a whole might be better off if that apple variety had never existed.
I buy them by the bag for $3-4 and use them as a transport for peanut butter. The good apples are stupid pricey and $3+ / pound and seem to get mushy in just a couple days.
You could use better apples as PB transport. I never buy apples at full price and rarely spend more than $1.29 a lb. for Gala, Fuji or Honeycrisp (they do go on sale now and again)...
Most of the apples I eat are for Almond butter or PB transport... I live for that meal.
I grew up in the 80s in Washington eating them, and man, I remember the Red Delicious being my favorite apple of all time. Something has happened to the quality, or I just had no taste when I was younger, because I am mostly disappointed when I get them nowadays.
My current favorite is the Pacific Rose, which has a similar skin and is delightfully sweet. Call me a Philistine, but there is something about the Red Delicious that appeals to me still.
Pennsylvania here, same vintage. Agree 100%, red delicious used to be my jam. That stark contrast between the deep red skin and bright, clear flesh, those proud knuckles on the bottom, perfect crunch, sweet fresh taste, they used to be so good.
