Seasonal Produce: Cooking with Bananas

Boost your banana IQ! Check out the banana tips below to find out how to shop for, use, and freeze bananas—then use your knowledge for cooking with bananas. Enjoy everything from smoothies to baked goods. (Banana bread, anyone?) Just out of the "wrapper," the banana is a sensible food—one of our top 20 Snacks for 150 Calories or Less. You’ll also find ways to enjoy bananas at breakfast and brunch, including pancake and waffle recipes, and in desserts like easy cream pies and banana pudding.

That’s why they are picked and shipped while still green. Although there are hundreds of banana varieties, the yellow Cavendish is the most common. Bananas are harvested every day of the year so it’s no surprise that they are never out of season. In mid-winter when it seems unnatural to be eating summery types of imported fruits, bananas are a timeless addition to breakfast dishes, salads, breads and desserts.

Purchasing Bananas

• Select bananas with plump, evenly colored light green to yellow skins. Avoid any with brown splotches or split skins. Bananas with green tips or ridges need further ripening at home.
• To ripen bananas, store them at room temperature. Placing several in an open paper bag ripens them more quickly.
• Refrigerate ripe bananas for several days. Although the peels turn brown, the fruit remains unchanged.
• Freeze mashed bananas for up to 6 months, stirring in 1 teaspoon lemon juice for each banana to prevent browning.

Preparing Bananas

• Use firm, ripe bananas for slicing, cooking and mixing with other fruit.
• Soft, overripe bananas are best for mashing and using in baked breads and muffins.
• Once peeled, use bananas immediately as they darken when exposed to air. To prevent discoloration, dip in a mixture of lemon juice and water.

Banana Nutrition

• Good source of fiber, potassium and vitamin C