The Rubber Band Hack That Will Keep Your Apples From Turning Brown

Among the many healthy desk snacks to get you through the workday, pre-cut fruit is often considered a no-go due to its high moisture content and perishability. Even when it comes to packing a lunch, sliced fruit is usually off the table unless it stays refrigerated at all times. According to the USDA in 2021, apples, bananas, oranges, and grapes ranked as the most popular fruit varieties in the U.S. While bringing a whole banana or apple to work is quite convenient, what if you prefer apple slices over a whole intact fruit?

Most of us know that when we cut an apple, its flesh often browns or changes color due to oxygen exposure and the chemical reaction of certain enzymes within the fruit itself. If you're looking to maintain the portability of whole apples but continue to wish you had a better way of eating this popular fruit, a simple rubber band may be the answer to all your problems. By cutting an apple before you head out for the day and holding its pieces together with a rubber band, you're upholding an apple's convenience factor and preventing those fresh-cut slices from turning brown by reducing outside air exposure. Before we get into other convenient ways to keep apple slices from browning, let's uncover the step-by-step process of this brilliant rubber band hack.

Biting into a brown apple slice may taste fine, but it's certainly not the most visually appealing snack available. Apart from consulting the ultimate guide to apples to choose the best variety for your weekly mid-day snacks, you need a simple, convenient method of transporting your fruit without the flesh turning brown in the process. Luckily, social media user, Grant Thompson, shared his brilliant rubber band hack on YouTube in 2015.

In the video, Thompson places a whole apple stem side down on a cutting board and makes four strategic cuts down the fruit and around the core in a tic-tac-toe style pattern. In the extended version of his video on YouTube, Thompson recommends holding the apple together as you make these specific cuts so adding the rubber band around its entirety doesn't prove to be too difficult when you're ready to pack this readily prepared snack. This method is not only handy for easy snacking, but by keeping your apple slices together in one central form, it delays the browning process. Thompson makes a point in noting that the apple featured in his video was cut three hours before filming, and the flesh still appeared to be bright and fresh. If you want to level up this already clever hack, you can take a few extra steps to ensure your rubber-banded apple stays extra bright and crisp.

If you're turning to this clever rubber band hack to take your next apple on the go, there's already a good chance you've used many other means of keeping your pre-cut slices fresh and free from discoloration. While cutting your next apple and reducing air exposure with a rubber band has proven to work, there are a few extra things to protect your apple's flesh from browning. Once you've made those four necessary cuts, mist the inside of your apple slices with a bit of lemon juice before securing them with a rubber band. By using a citrus juice high in citric acid, such as lemon, lime, or orange, your precut apple is bound to stay fresh, even if that pesky rubber band moves and exposes a portion or two. Alternatively, you can use the simple trick to keep pre-cut apple slices fresh all week by soaking your apple slices in a saltwater solution before reassembling your fruit.

If you want to be extra careful, you can prep your apple ahead of time and store your banded fruit in the refrigerator in a plastic bag for up to one day before you hit the road. Keeping your pre-cut fruit in cold storage will help maintain its crisp structure. However, to keep your next apple snack from browning on the go, a rubber band goes a long way.