Golden Delicious Apple Review
"The West Virginia Has-Been"
The official state fruit of West Virginia, this green-yellow beauty saw its heyday in the Progressive Era when marketed by the Stark Bros as a companion apple to the, then blockbuster smash hit, Red Delicious. One hundred years later, with our collective distaste for the Red Delicious fully realized, this ill-fated adopted brother may as well be called the “Golden Bin Laden.” Fortunately, for consumers who have rightfully shied away from this fading memory of an apple, the mushy, bland, juiceless, Golden Delicious doesn’t bring much to the table aside from fathering better apples and having a nice looking exterior fit for a 2013 U.S. Postal Stamp.
🏅 #2 RANKED PIE APPLE | 🏅 #8 RANKED CIDER APPLE
BONUS POINTS: +1 Baking, +1 Historical Significance, +1 Pie
- FLAVOR PROFILE -
SWEETNESS
1/5
TARTNESS
0.5/5
INTENSITY
0.5/5
Eat These Apples Instead
- Aurora Golden Gala Apples
- GoldRush Apples
- Opal Apples
In the winter of 2006, a Golden Bin Laden apple was drunk driving and hit my wife. She was killed instantly. I mourn her every day. My kids were not so lucky as to die – they all lost every limb and are now unable to ever speak again. If you like Golden Bin Laden apples, you are a fake and a fraud.
I understand the mixed reviews of Stark Bros Golden Delicious (different than a not true to stock yellow delicious). In my opinion a fresh Golden Delicious is the best flavored apple I have ever tasted. Unfortunately shelf life is short and they do get mealy faster than more modern varieties; once that happens they fall down near the bottom in ratings. If timing is right and you happen to be at an orchard with fresh Golden Delicious, do yourself a favor and give them a try. My wife and I visit the Sevierville TN area a lot in the Fall and one of the highlights at a local orchard is getting that taste-of-the-past that can’t be purchased at most grocery stores. I take a bite and go YUM! 🙂
I am no apples expert but I know what I like. I have tasted 25 or so apple varieties and to be honest, I dont understand the GD hate. This is one of my favorite apples. Its a versatile apple in my opinion. I grew up loving this apple while hating the plentiful Red Delicious, dont know if I have ever finished a single RD in my life. I used to see it in all of the stores where I live but i rarely see it anymore and have to go to an orchard or a farmers market to get it. Im in my 60s now and have gotten into cooking and i often grab the GD, depending on the dish I am fixing. I dont grow it because its not disease resistant like the ones I grow, Liberty, Winecrisp and GoldRush but the GD is still a delicous apple to me.
One of the apple trees present on my farm when I bought it – which has unfortunately since succumbed to my goats – was one I suspected to be a golden delicious, and it aligned with other comments regarding their quality fresh off the tree. They wouldn’t make my list of favorites, but they in no way resembled the sad sacks of mush sold in stores – they were perfectly serviceable eating apples with decent texture and flavor. Some produce just isn’t meant for commercial marketing. Not everyone can go straight to the source, but if they’d limit stores to varieties that DO hold up and only sell ones like these locally through farm stands or farmers markets they wouldn’t get such a bad rap. (Unlike Transparents, which are literally just applesauce inside an organic garbage bag and at no point fit for human consumption.)
Tangentially, some of my random windfalls I snagged this year (I don’t recall where) appeared to possibly be Red Delicious – likely the original version, not the modern monstrosities. They were smaller and not quite as uniformly red but had the unique tapered shape, and were again quite serviceable as far as the early/mid century varieties tend to go.
I am going to have to ask you to re-taste this one. Your description does not sound at all like the apple I’m eating right now (you’ve inspired me to replicate your study). The one I’m eating right now doesn’t pack a huge punch by any means, but almost seems like a slightly softer-textured Granny Smith that does have a pretty mild flavor, but not unpleasant. Agree on the skin, though, but I don’t mind that. Overall mold, but I wouldn’t call it offensive like I would a red delicious.
Yes, you are correct. I am going to raise the score soon.
This is my all time favorite apple and I seek it out every season. It is deliciously sweet, thin skinned, pleasant flavor and beautiful to look at. I’m so sad that this review is so scathing as this apple is amazingly delicious.
GASP! HOW DARE!? golden delicious are my favourite apple they are WONDERFUL!!!
theyre sweet and juicy and crunchy and well. delicious
now i may be biased on account of being french? i wonder how much of a difference that makes
but anyways this review makes me very sad because these apples deserve so so much better
golden delicious <33333
Neither fool nor fiend, more of a “find”. Love your stuff and even when wrong, you are funny indeed. I suggest a listen to George Harrison’s Apple Scruffs to put you in the mood for future apple writing. Anyway, back to the above mentioned person, who has a point when it comes to Golden Delicious. When my wife and I heard the piece on you on NPR we gave our off-top-o’ rankings of our own faves (we lived 21 years in orchard heaven Hood River, Ore. — HAVE you visited? –) and definitely have our preferences. Hers was CosmicCrisp and I had a harder time with a fave but said in my top three would have to be — get this! — Golden Delicious! Yes, crazy, huh? Because the writer was right about a craft orchard-grown Golden Delicious. Bewitching. But, like good beer, it is best consumed At The Source, or close to it. Sad thing about most apples and pears, like Americans, they don’t travel well. So if you ever want to get a truly fine GD, and a whole lot of other great varieties (daresay you might be farther off than you think on your claim of trying every variety on earth) let me know and I can guide you to an amazing Trove of GDs and others, in Oregon.
All of you a deceptious liars and frauds. If you cannot understand the greatness that is the Golden Delicious Apple then you don’t even deserve to call yourself an apple connoisseur. Nay! You are not even a fan of apples. The Golden Delicious is the best and only good thing that West Virginia has ever given this country and world. You say it isn’t sweet? Then you misunderstand how apples are made. To survive the long commute to your grocery store many fruits are picked when they are still not yet at their ripest. The apple will tell you when it is done. When you feel it’s skin start to feel like rubber, that is the key. You say that the apple has gone past it’s prime? Nonsense! When do wine makers pick their grapes? When they are ripe? Of course not! The overripe apple is the best apple because the apple has broken down and offers its most; in juiciness and in sweetness! The Golden Delicious is allowed to shine when you allow it to put its best foot forward. The Golden Delicious stands above them all, in affordability and in taste. Now you say that it is mushy and the skin is not crisp? Then go get a Cosmic Crisp if you so desperately prefer the crispness of an apple over what the apple actually tastes like. Crispness is a scam created by the Apple Industry to sell you terrible mediocre “crisp” apples.
Raising another fist in support of the golden delicious, empirically one of the best apples out there, but one — as others have noted — that doesn’t ship or store well and thus does not arrive in grocery stores in its actual form. A proper golden delicious should have no hint of green to it whatsoever. Properly tree ripened, they’re warm gold with coral-pink blushes, and boast a texture that’s crisp-but-not-too-crisp and light-but-not-boring, and simply the loveliest flavor — delicate and balanced, subtly floral and honeyed, the kind of acidity that keeps things bright and cheerful without starting to grate on the palate. I’m fortunate to live in an apple-producing region and have tried more dozens of apple varieties than I could tally up, and golden delicious is the queen.
A Golden Delicious is peak taste. Speaking from personal experience, this wonderful apple will turn your frown upside down! Recommend to anyone who isn’t retarded, like the people who run this website clearly are. Not angry, just disappointed in the blatant disrespect for this masterpiece of a fruit.
grainy. one note in flavor. gritty skin. cute color though!
Golden Delicious apples are disgusting if bought from a store, but if you get the legit, heirloom ones from a farmers market or an orchard yourself, they are devine. Bad website
I think the issue with golden delicious apples is that they don’t keep as well as some other varieties and show bruises easily, so they end up getting picked before they’re ripe. Usually in the store you see them as a green-yellow color, but the ones I’ve had that were great were very pale yellow, going towards white.
I am an apple enthusiast and eat a lot of apples of different kinds, but my favorite is the golden delicious. I eat one every morning like medicine. There’s something about the pH. I credit golden delicious apples for helping me get off acid reflux drugs.
A good golden delicious has a delicate taste and texture, more subtle than some of the crispy sweet newer varieties.. Unfortunately it has become more and more difficult to find good golden delicious apples in the stores. Fortunately I live near Michigan and can buy large quantities in the fall. When stored properly in my basement these apples will keep for a while.
A good golden delicious can’t be beat for juice and sauce. Because of their scarcity nowadays, however, I just eat them whole.
GD apples from santa cruz county ca are incredible. nothing like the garbage available in the big grocery chains.
IM INSULTED….. GOLDEN DELICIOUS LIVES UP TO ITS NAME BEAUTIFULLY.
IT IS CRISPY, IT IS SWEET, AND IT IS DELICIOUS. They may be small, but that is part of what makes them perfect. They are a beautiful little snack.
I have a feeling that people who think this apple is bad must live in food deserts– which is not their fault at all– but it means that they have to get their fresh fruits and vegetables shipped from miles and miles away. This means that they have mediocre experiences with a crappy Golden Delicious shipped for days or weeks before it hits their shelves.
A fresh Golden Delicious may be a bit inaccessible, which may detract from the overall ranking, but it is still tasty as all heck. It destroys me that Golden Delicious is ranked so low when it is ONE OF MY FAVORITE APPLES. Justice for Golden Delicious, and Justice to the people: May they get a ripe and fresh Golden Delicious on their shelves some day.
Absolutely incredulous ranking, Golden Delicious can be delicious and sweet, as the name suggests. Frankly, they’ve been quite bland in the UK (where I opt for a pink lady), but in Poland? Even the supermarket ones are usually amazing. So honestly, to do them justice, a better sourced version should be included in the review.
Golden Delicious were my favorite for years. I’d have them for breakfast with some sharp white cheddar. Sometimes I’d get lucky and get some that had a pear-like taste that were the best! The yellower they are, the better they seem to be. Lately they have been very flat tasting and disappointing. I started trying others after all the disappointments. Cosmic Crisp is great!
i like these just for the nostalgia factor, had so many as a kid
(Store-bought) golden delicious is definitely by far the worst apple I’ve ever tried and it definitely deserves horse food status
What about Ginger Gold apples? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger_Gold
Golden Delicious are damn good.
An apple of mild taste, and a firm, rather hard exterior. Really crisp but perhaps overly so?
Not something I would seek out again, unless I wanted to plonk someone on the head from a distance.
My parents would take us to an apple orchard in either eastern Nebraska or western Iowa in the late 60s to early 70s. That was my first intro to Golden Delicious and I thought these were the best apples I’d ever had. If offered, I’d always take a Golden Delicious over a Red. Over the years, ever, they seem to have become mealy, bland, lacking in punch and I don’t think it’s my taste buds getting older. I like Fuji, Pink Lady and Honey Crisp apples but they all have their minuses. Enter the Snapdragon. Wow! Had my first one yesterday and went back and got a dozen more from the grocers today. This is very reminiscent of what the Golden Delicious apples my siblings and I had between 1968 and 1974 in Omaha. I hope these aren’t a fluke. I’ve tried all kinds of apples and will continue to eat the ones I’ve mentioned (save for Red Delicious – it isn’t) but I absolutely am sold on the Snapdragon replacing the Golden Delicious as the apple I remember from my childhood.
Good golden delicious apples are my ideal apple. Unfortunately, bad ones are terrible, mealy, nasty things that are only better than red delicious by virtue of a less bitter peel, and I haven’t found a consistent way of telling which kind I’m getting until I bite into it.
Here in Massachusetts, many of the local orchards grow Golden Delicious and they are just fabulous. Sweet, with a great crunchy texture and an edible skin. They are picked very late in the season, so we wait and take a drive out to the orchard when they become available. I don’t disagree with your assessment of the Goldens that show up in supermarkets, which apparently come from the Northwest. They are awful, per your review, but the locally grown ones, at least in NE, are a treasure and my favorite. Please be fair to the Golden (and the orchards that grow them) and consider a separate review for the non-industrial version.
I’m in the NW and often buy the ripe ones in stores or eat them fresh off trees. Both are great and the apple has always gives me good feelings when I see them.
Yes they’re soft but that combos with their sweetness and lack of tart to make a pleasant apple to snack on. Like the local replacement for ripe bananas.
I absolutely love the golden delicious apple it’s on the top of my list. And I see people saying Honeycrisp apple is the best but to me that tastes like garbage. I don’t know what it wrong with these people the golden delicious is all out best.
I remember Golden Delicious from when I was a kid begging my mom to get them instead of Red Delicious. I seem to remember saying that the Red Delicious apples tasted like wax. The trauma caused by having to choose between these had me swear off apples for years.
A lot of people commenting to “get it off the tree”, seem to forget that, for many people, that’s just not an option. If anything, it detracts further from the apple’s availability and accessibility by having to go directly to the source just to get a better taste of the apple. Very few are that committed. I have fond memories of the Golden Delicious, but I haven’t had one in a long time. Maybe one day, I’ll give it another go and see how it’s changed.
Simply untrue!!! Idk where you’re getting your Golden Delicious from but my local Giant Eagle sells some and they’re straight out of heaven. In all honesty, I like them better than honeycrisps (I’m not sure why, but the ones I buy always taste like cleaner.) Maybe I’m buying bizarro apples.
This “apple” is an insult to life itself.
I believe in golden delicious apples supremacy!!! They are charismatic, inoffensive, and a flat out delight <3 extra delicious when dusted with cinnamon sugar. If you want to talk abt lack of taste and juiciness, I think we can all agree that the real enemy is the Granny Smith!
Like the golden delicious, the granny smith apple can be so much better than the average grocery store examples you’ll find. Granny smiths are my favorite apple, but you have to know how to pick the delicious ones that don’t taste like cardboard. I’ve had a lot more success with organic grannies than conventionally-grown ones, so the slight upcharge is well worth it to me. Of course, if you can get one right off the tree, that’s even better.
Wretched lump of sand, I hate these things.
Your mom is a wretched lump of sand
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I agree with some commenters that fresh off a tree, these are much better than you’re led to believe. But now that I’m much further from apple trees and stuck with supermarket quality, they’re a strong pass.
aughhhhh. but i love golden delicious apple………………
I had a couple of these bad boys off the tree, once, from a local-ish fruit farm. Dinky in size, but worlds better than what gets sold in the produce isle. Saddens me that most people cant experience a golden delicious in its ideal state, but if you ever get the chance I reccomend trying one fresh picked, if you haven’t already.
You are a fool and a fiend. Whatever golden delicious apples you’ve been eating must be tasteless imposters. If you get them from an orchard they are juicy, sweet and as the name implies, delicious. Eating one right off the tree was a transcendent experience for me. Also if you make applesauce with them it tastes like caramel 10/10 would recommend. Source your apples better.
I can imagine Golden Delicious applesauce is pretty good. I plan on adding a new section of apple categories with top 5 per category such as “tart apples” “applesauce” etc… perhaps then Golden Delicious will receive an accolade
I, too, am drawn to these so-called “mushy, bland, juiceless” apple, and find myself shuddering to think what imposters the writer of this article must have sampled! I suppose everyone prefers their own sort of cheese.
I believe you would love the “Yellow Quonzar Apple” I had once on the “Big Island” of Samoa. It was late summer, 2021 and I was staying with my aunt in her run down shack she called a home. It was painfully hot, I was laying on the searing sand, attempting to forget the life choices that had brought me to this place. A neighbor, known as “Bip” for the way he walked with a long limp settled down next to me. He held out his hand without a word. I had expected it to contain a local alcoholic drink known as Kava but instead it was a shinnying yellow apple. I searched his eyes for meaning. I didnt need to say a word, I understood what he wanted from me. I took the apple and immediately noticed it’s similarities to a Golden Delicious. However, there was one stark distinction, the apple had a very thin skin that seemed almost bursting with juice. I took a bite and my face was splashed with clear, sweet, and sticky fluid. My mouth was filled with rich soft pulp that reminded me of honey, of caramel, and with a hint of lavender. It took me less than a minute to consume the whole thing.
After, Bip told me the apple is only grown in a private orchard located within the jungle on the eastern part of the island. The apples are only grown for the family that owns the plantation, except the workers tend to steal some for home (like Bip). I have never had the opportunity to taste once and will probably never get a chance again.
IMPOSTER APPLES??? AMONG US??? SUS?????
Golden Delicious travel badly and bruise VERY easily. If you’re getting your apples in a grocery store, this review is accurate. If you’re getting your Golden Delicious freshly picked from a farm stand, or picking yourself they are: lightly crisp, balanced sweet and tart, mild but complex with a lightly floral taste.
I agree