Not every apple is cut out for the oven. The best apples for baking—whether you’re making BA’s Best Apple Pie , a Buttery German Apple Cake , or Suspiciously Cheesy Apple Crumb Bars —have firm flesh that softens when cooked without turning to mush. A good balance of sweetness and acidity helps too. Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Braeburn, Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Mutsu, and Winesap are among our favorites.

But say you’re at the farmers market and none of those varieties is in sight. Don’t panic. Cookbook author and former BA food editor Claire Saffitz has a simple trick for finding a worthy substitute: Press your thumb against the apple. If it’s firm enough that you don’t leave an indent, you’re probably in good shape.

Softer apples—those that yield to the pressure of your thumb—are higher in water content and more likely to lose their shape or get soft and mushy when cooked. Save them for applesauce or apple butter , where a little breakdown is exactly the point.…