The best apple for making a pie, or any sort of baked apple dish, is not necessarily the type that is best for eating out of hand for several reasons. When you choose an eating apple, the primary consideration is flavor, but even though flavor is reasonably important to the apple destined to go into a pie, the most important thing is texture. A pie apple must keep its shape during baking so that you have something to bite into and don't end up with apple sauce pie. The best apples for pies include Jonathan, Jonagold, Winesap, Pippin, and the classic Granny Smith. All, excluding the fairly tart Granny Smith, have a moderate level of tartness, which will be tempered by the sugar in your pie. If you want sweeter apples, Fuji, Pink Lady, Suncrisp, Rome Beauty, and Empire will work well, too. You will probably want to avoid Red Delicious apples, which are popular for eating, but won't hold their shape in the oven, turning watery and mealy instead.
If all else fails, it is a good idea to go for a mixture of apples, not only because you won't have to remember to look for one particular type, but to give the pie a well-rounded flavor.
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