USA TODAY spoke with apple breeders, growers and researchers to find the secrets of one of America's most popular fruits.

Apple varieties number into the thousands with different types preferred for eating, making juice and cider, baking and processing. Growers are constantly experimenting with new varieties.

The right type of apple makes all the difference for your dessert. Taste, texture, acidity, pectin-levels (more on that later), and firmness are all important factors when it comes to choosing the ...

“The eating apples you find in the stores don’t make the best pies. Part of that is driven by consumer tastes – we just don’t bake as much so there isn’t the demand of the good baking apple.