Normally the instructions call for all the cooking juice to be incorporated, to be jarred with the applesauce to prevent the sauce from being too thick for proper heat penetration. It is supposed to be sloshy in the jars.

Can't say I have ever had any left over juice when making applesauce. So are you sure your applesauce isn't way too thick?

Dave

I added too much water. I didn't read the part of the instructions very carefully where it said to just add enough water to prevent sticking. I added water to cover. I probably wasn't very careful because I never planned to process the applesauce. Only had enough apples for a pint. I stuck it in the fridge. It didn't end up too thick.

Iced tea made with the liquid might be tasty. I think fruits in general fit well with tea.

So, why do people like really loose apple sauce? I just heat mine with maybe an 1" of water on the bottom of a large pot then when they are soft I use an emmersion blender to mash some. I LOVE chunky applesauce, we eat it with meals on plats so that way it does not move around... Not to mention bits of apples are great.

I guess what I was getting at is - do you have to use juice? I never add anything other then a bit of lemon juice to each jar (we are a no sugar family, other then fruit!).