# Don't throw away your over-ripe bananas



## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

In the heat of summer bananas seem to go from green to freckled in the blink of an eye. But don't throw them out when they start going black. Peel them and wrap them individually in cling (Saran?) wrap and place them in the freezer. They are great for making milkshakes as the flavour is enhanced. They also make excellent, no mess banana popsicles (ice lollies/lollys).  

You can also use them for banana bread, but that takes more work


----------



## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

*I love frozen bananas.* Don't need to go to the bother of wrapping in plastic wrap. You do have to peel them. I then lay them in a shallow covered food container. Put that in the freezer. After they're frozen, just put them in some kind of a zip-lock bag. That's all you need to do.


----------



## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Sandpiper said:


> *I love frozen bananas.* Don't need to go to the bother of wrapping in plastic wrap. You do have to peel them. I then lay them in a shallow covered food container. Put that in the freezer. After they're frozen, just put them in some kind of a zip-lock bag. That's all you need to do.


Thanks. I wrap them individually as they are easier to separate, or to eat as a popsicle.


----------



## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

T.L. Haddix said:


> You can also make banana soft-serve ice cream with them. Flavor it however you want. You basically just put the frozen bananas (broken into manageable chunks) in a food processor or blender, and puree. Add vanilla, chocolate, strawberries, mango, etc. Dress it with honey, chocolate sauce, etc.


Maybe we can start a "Frozen Banana Cookbook"


----------



## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> Thanks. I wrap them individually as they are easier to separate, or to eat as a popsicle.


It's ridiculous what I used to do when I froze bananas. Again, just put them in a shallow covered food container and put in freezer. They can touch some. After they're frozen, just separate them and pop them off container with a table knife. Then put 'em in a zip-lock bag. At that point after they're already frozen, they won't freeze together. A whole lot easier.


----------



## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

T.L. Haddix said:


> You can also make banana soft-serve ice cream with them. Flavor it however you want. You basically just put the frozen bananas (broken into manageable chunks) in a food processor or blender, and puree. Add vanilla, chocolate, strawberries, mango, etc. Dress it with honey, chocolate sauce, etc.


I put just a little milk, few frozen strawberries, half large frozen banana, and an ice cube in my Vitamix this morning. It did come out kinda like soft serve ice cream / sorbet.


----------



## Christopher Bunn (Oct 26, 2010)

Also, if you put a little lemon juice on your peeled bananas before you freeze them, they won't go all dark when left in the freezer for extreme lengths of time.

Another also, you can also use the skins in banana bread. Just put the unpeeled bananas in a blender and whip 'em into frothy puree before incorporating into the overall mixture. I have relatives from Brazil who do that and it doesn't seem to detract from the final product or their overall health.


----------



## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Christopher Bunn said:


> Also, if you put a little lemon juice on your peeled bananas before you freeze them, they won't go all dark when left in the freezer for extreme lengths of time.
> 
> Another also, you can also use the skins in banana bread. Just put the unpeeled bananas in a blender and whip 'em into frothy puree before incorporating into the overall mixture. I have relatives from Brazil who do that and it doesn't seem to detract from the final product or their overall health.


I wonder if the peel makes the flavour more pronounced?


----------



## Lee44 (Sep 9, 2012)

I am so surprised to see this thread after thinking about how I would love to have some fried plantains earlier today, and was wondering if bananas would quench my desire.  Now after thinking about this, here is this thread.  Amazing!

I am going to try some of the recommendations.  Good to know.


----------



## cork_dork_mom (Mar 24, 2011)

If anyone cooks with Bisquick they have a super easy & super delicious simple one dish recipe for banana bread.

When bananas get to the over ripe stage I just peel them & put in a zip lock and toss in the freezer. Anything I use them in they'll be mushed up anyway so it doesn't matter what they look like.

Also use them in smoothies... 1 cup each of plain yogurt, milk, ice, frozen fruit and a couple of bananas. YUMMMM.

What other recipes do you use bananas in?


----------



## JDHallowell (Dec 31, 2012)

Don't forget homemade banana pudding with vanilla wafers...


----------



## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

JDHallowell said:


> Don't forget homemade banana pudding with vanilla wafers...


I think we are going to have to start giving the recipes out


----------



## Christopher Bunn (Oct 26, 2010)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> I wonder if the peel makes the flavour more pronounced?


I'm not sure. That's a good question. I'll try to find out.


----------



## readingril (Oct 29, 2010)

I make Chocolate Chip Banana bread!

(My golden retriever loves bananas!)


----------



## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

_The best_ flavor / food combination -- banana, peanut butter, and chocolate.


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Sandpiper said:


> _The best_ flavor / food combination -- banana, peanut butter, and chocolate.


Well, maybe if you leave out the peanut butter! 

Betsy


----------



## bonnerauthor (Jan 18, 2013)

Frozen bananas are a staple of summer treats in southern CA. Frozen, dipped in chocolate (the kind that cones are dipped in) and rolled in peanuts usually. Speared on a stick.


----------



## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Well, maybe if you leave out the peanut butter!
> 
> Betsy


 

*?*


----------



## Hadou (Jun 1, 2011)

We make yonanas with out extra-ripe ones.  Fools the kids into thinking they're eating ice cream, but they're getting nanners.  Tee hee.


----------



## Not Here (May 23, 2011)

Sandpiper said:


> _The best_ flavor / food combination -- banana, peanut butter, and chocolate.


I just did this combo at my brother-in-laws house for our meal freezer party. Didn't even last a week and had several request this for the next party.


----------



## Lee44 (Sep 9, 2012)

bonnerauthor said:


> Frozen bananas are a staple of summer treats in southern CA. Frozen, dipped in chocolate (the kind that cones are dipped in) and rolled in peanuts usually. Speared on a stick.


Looks delish!


----------



## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> I wonder if the peel makes the flavour more pronounced?


I think I've read that the peels make them very bitter.

I've put just frozen bananas in my food processor, and have processed them until they have become unbelievably creamy. Suddenly, they change from kind of creamy grayish to beautifully white and ice cream-like. I'm going to try this in my Vitamix soon.


----------



## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

Cindy416 said:


> I've put just frozen bananas in my food processor, and have processed them until they have become unbelievably creamy. Suddenly, they change from kind of creamy grayish to beautifully white and ice cream-like. I'm going to try this in my Vitamix soon.


And put a little chocolate and peanut butter in with it. Oooh Aaah!  Yum!


----------



## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

readingril said:


> I make Chocolate Chip Banana bread!


Me too -- I make that as mini-muffins, and freeze them. Great for school snacks or for weekend breakfasts or for midnight snack attacks.

What I'd really like (and hope to find in a thread full of banana fans ) is a recipe for banana cream pie that does NOT involve banana slices. Just pureed banana, I guess, and whatever else it takes to make a smooth pie filling. All the recipes I've found involve some variation of arranging banana slices on the crust and then just pouring vanilla cream filling over them. Once I tried making a vanilla cream pie and adding a mashed banana, but that made the proportions all wrong and it didn't set.


----------



## ak rain (Nov 15, 2008)

just loose fit in ziplock freeze flat and spread out. once all frozen they can touch and not a problem to pull out a piece at a time.  lemon I must try that. my kids ate out of freezer as a treat.
sylvia


----------



## mom2karen (Aug 15, 2009)

Do you not like the bananas sliced in the pie because they turn brown and yucky? Cooks Illustrated solved that by putting 1/2 the custard down, topping with banana and then covering with the rest of the custard. If it's the bother of arranging them nicely, you could try mixing them into the custard. http://laurassweetspot.blogspot.com/2011/07/banana-cream-pie.html

If you have the the pasta extruder on your juicer/blender/processor try using it to make banana spaghetti. Just toss in frozen banana chunks and extrude. It comes out smooth and yummy, and looks cool.


----------



## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

mom2karen said:


> Do you not like the bananas sliced in the pie because they turn brown and yucky? Cooks Illustrated solved that by putting 1/2 the custard down, topping with banana and then covering with the rest of the custard. If it's the bother of arranging them nicely, you could try mixing them into the custard. http://laurassweetspot.blogspot.com/2011/07/banana-cream-pie.html
> 
> If you have the the pasta extruder on your juicer/blender/processor try using it to make banana spaghetti. Just toss in frozen banana chunks and extrude. It comes out smooth and yummy, and looks cool.


Mom2karen, don't you just love Cook's Illustrated (and America's Test Kitchen)? They have the most useful advice of any site that I've found. (I love Fine Cooking, as well, but ATK/CI is the best.)


----------



## mom2karen (Aug 15, 2009)

Yes!  CI/ATK is the best.  We joined their magazine subscription their first year and kept going for 16 years.  Well, we switched to the annual book after about 10 years.  I loved the science behind the recipes and felt like I learned WHY they did things the way they did.  We stopped getting the annual after 2008 or so.  There were too many things they were doing again and we didn't find the new version better.  We also started watching the tv show and printing the recipes off their website.


----------



## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

mom2karen said:


> Yes! CI/ATK is the best. We joined their magazine subscription their first year and kept going for 16 years. Well, we switched to the annual book after about 10 years. I loved the science behind the recipes and felt like I learned WHY they did things the way they did. We stopped getting the annual after 2008 or so. There were too many things they were doing again and we didn't find the new version better. We also started watching the tv show and printing the recipes off their website.


I have subscribed to everything they offer for years. If you love the science behind the recipes (as do I), you would love their cookbook, "The Science of Good Cooking." They also have a new "D.I.Y." (Do It Yourself) and a "Comfort Food Makeovers" book. All are top quality. I, too, watch their tv shows and often print out their recipes, but I love to read their cookbooks.


----------



## skyblue (Dec 23, 2009)

I love frozen bananas for smoothies.  If I have over ripe bananas on my counter I make banana bread.


----------



## skmaury (Apr 3, 2013)

I love the smoothie and pure banana "ice cream" ideas!  

You can throw your bananas with the peels on them into the freezer-it is its own container.  Take them out to thaw for 10 minutes before you need them, and the peel will come off very easily.  Another bonus is that the banana has already broken down, so no need to really mash.  I make banana muffins with them, great as breakfast and dessert using my favorite recipe from allrecipes.com.  I try not to waste and love to save money so much I write about it!


----------



## Alan Petersen (May 20, 2011)

I love tossing some strawberries, bananas and a little water in the blender for a delicious drink. Sometimes I put ice cubes, but I'm loving this idea of freezing the bananas! Banana ice cubes. And guilt free from throwing away over-ripened bananas.


----------



## mom2karen (Aug 15, 2009)

Karen eats frozen bananas for a snack. She grabs on, wraps a papertowal around the bottom half and gnaws away. Great low calorie snack that takes a while to eat so is fulfilling.

Alton Brown has a yummy ice cream recipe that is egg free using bananas. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/banana-ice-cream-recipe/index.html

Cindy, thanks for the book suggestions. I'll check them out.


----------



## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

readingril said:


> I make Chocolate Chip Banana bread!
> 
> (My golden retriever loves bananas!)


Last time I made banana bread I added Reese's peanut butter chips - so good!


----------



## CatherineM (Jan 9, 2013)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> In the heat of summer bananas seem to go from green to freckled in the blink of an eye. But don't throw them out when they start going black. Peel them and wrap them individually in cling (Saran?) wrap and place them in the freezer. They are great for making milkshakes as the flavour is enhanced. They also make excellent, no mess banana popsicles (ice lollies/lollys).
> 
> You can also use them for banana bread, but that takes more work


Hey, thanks for an awesome thread.

You have saved many bananas.


----------



## Natasha Holme (May 26, 2012)

I had some interesting times smoking the dried skins in my youth.


----------



## bonnerauthor (Jan 18, 2013)

When all is said and done I think I will just revert to eating bananas in the store then hiding the skins behind the Beefaroni display.  No worries about overripe ones then.


----------

