Baked Apples

Doneness

Apple skin has tightened and developed a few small splits along the bottom; flesh visible through the cored hole has gone golden-amber and translucent; the brown-sugar filling has melted into a syrup that coats the top and pooled slightly in the basket; a fork slides into the side flesh with no resistance.

Oil & seasoning

A pat of butter (about ½ tsp) on top of each filled apple plus a light pan-release spray on the basket so the syrup doesn't weld the apples to the basket bars.

Season with: brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, rolled oats (optional), chopped walnuts or pecans (optional), raisins (optional), vanilla.

Watch out for

• !Pick firm, dense apples — Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Braeburn or Gala hold their shape. McIntosh, Red Delicious and most cooking apples collapse into puree at this temperature.
• !Leave the bottom of the apple intact when coring. If the core hole goes all the way through, the brown-sugar syrup drips into the drip tray and burns onto the heating element — clean-up is a chore and the apple ends up dry.
• !If the apples won't sit flat in the basket, shave a thin slice off the bottom to make a stable base. Apples that tip over spill the molten syrup filling.
• !Don't crowd the basket — leave at least 1 inch between apples for the convection air to circulate. Four medium apples is the upper limit for a 5-quart basket.