An apple a day keeps the doctor away. This old adage has some truth behind it as apples contain a slew of vitamins and minerals that are good for us.

On their own, apples produce a layer of natural protective wax. However, in Singapore, they are treated with a layer of edible food-grade wax to prolong its shelf life and to help with moisture loss.While this layer of wax is safe for consumption according to local food safety experts, for me, knowing that I'm eating a layer of wax on is a huge turn off.

Before I pop it in my mouth, I usually scrape the apple with a knife under a running tap to remove the wax. This is not only a hassle but a waste of water too. Other times, I would just peel off the skin completely. 

Hence when I saw the simple hack circulating on Facebook to remove wax on apples by US-based Rick Lax, I knew I had to try it to see it really works. 

What you'll need:

• Boiling water
• Lemon juice
• A cup and dish to catch the water (optional)
• A stick (or chopstick) to pierce the apple  

Step 1: Pour hot water over apple

I first pierced the apple with a chopstick right through the core. This will allow me to rotate the apple without being scalded when washing it with hot water.

If you want to see how much wax you manage to remove from the apple, prop it on top of a cup with a dish at the bottom to catch the water. Otherwise, you can just do it over the sink.

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I then poured boiled water on the apple. This step alone caused some of the wax to be stripped off from the apple, but not all of the wax is completely removed through this step alone.

Step 2: Pour lemon juice into the top of the apple  

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Lax suggested using a quarter cup of lemon juice, but since I'm using an apple that is smaller in size, I tweaked the amount needed accordingly to cover the crevice of the apple, creating a small pool at the top. 

If you're wondering how I squeezed the juice directly from the lemon, it's another hack on its own — simply pierce the bottom of the lemon and you'll be able to easily squeeze out the juice. 

Step 3: Pour hot water over the apple again  

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Pour hot water over the apple again from the top, allowing the lemon juice and water to flow down the sides of the apple.

Rotate the apple as you pour to ensure the entire apple is completely covered by the lemon juice and water.

Verdict

When I was done, all the water collected in the cup had turned cloudy and bits of wax could be seen along the sides of the cup and floating inside the water.

To ensure that there wasn't any wax left, I took a knife and scraped the surface of the apple. I barely found any trace of wax left, and anything that I managed to scrape off was too tiny for my phone's camera to capture properly.

The apple did look less shiny and a tad duller than before I had removed the wax was but it wasn't half as bad as I imagined it would be. Hence, I do wonder if having a layer of edible wax is really necessary in the first place for a shinier effect.

Despite pouring hot water over the apple twice, the apple wasn't "cooked", and remained crunchy.

Although the hack requires a fair bit of time, I'd use it again to remove the wax on my apples from now on after seeing how effective it is.

Try it and let us know what you think about this hack!

ALSO READ: We recommend clever fruit hacks so you'll never peel or cut them the same way again

melissagoh@asiaone.com

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