4 Ways To Use Apple Cider In Your Kitchen You Probably Didn’t Think Of

We’re now officially in apple cider season (“officially” is obviously a loose term there, given that no one actually sanctions these things, but just go with me on this one). And in a couple of weeks, everyone will probably be sick of the stuff. Maybe that doesn’t apply to you – maybe you spend all year waiting for the apple cider to be in full flow – but everyone else may soon feel like they’ve had too much of a good thing, and sure enough, its tart, floral, sugary notes will eventually not have the punch they did at the start of September. 

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The good news, though, especially if you’re staring at a few jugs of apple cider that you bought on a whim and now don’t want to drink, is that it’s a very versatile ingredient. Apple cider can be used to augment certain foods and create others – and these are our favorite uses for it, besides drinking it. 

Use It To Make A Pan Sauce

Apple cider can add a fruity complexity to pan sauce, which offsets the savoriness of both the thing you’re serving it with and the other ingredients involved. Once you’ve finished frying up chicken thighs or breasts, pork or lamb chops, or whatever protein you’re going for, add a chopped shallot (or onion) to the pan, followed by a splash each of apple cider and white wine. Allow it to bubble away and for the fond at the bottom of the pan to loosen and lift, before finishing things off with some butter, garlic, herbs, and maybe even some cream. Glorious. You can omit the white wine, too, but you’ll lose some of the intensity that it creates. 

Add It To Stuffing

Boxed stuffing goes for savory and salty flavors as its cornerstones, and sweetness can often take a backseat. Using apple cider can introduce a sugary taste, which elevates the other flavor notes, as well as a tartness – and it also makes everything feel just that bit more autumnal, which is what it’s all about, right? Just sub out your regular liquid with an equal amount of apple cider, and follow the package instructions as you normally would. 

Mix It Into Fondue

Throwing it back to the ‘70s with your fondue set? Give everything a bit more of a fall vibe with apple cider. Rather than using wine as your primary fondue liquid, opt for apple cider instead. Apples and cheese are natural bedfellows, and the cider will give your cheese mixture an undertone of sweetness – and its tartness means you don’t have to add any lemon juice. 

Steam It, Baby

Apple cider is a surprisingly good steaming liquid and can be used to imbue flavor into all manner of dishes. Pork ribs, sausages, and chicken can all benefit from its fruit-forward, sweet notes – but where it shines most of all is with shellfish, where its sugary undertones enhance the natural sweetness of the seafood. It’s best to mix it in 50:50 quantities with stock or broth, though, so that you have a balance of sweetness and savoriness going on in your steaming liquid. A splash of wine won’t go amiss, either.