Bananas 101

Okay, bananas and I were never good friends. Up until recently, I hated them. Couldn’t be near them unless they were in cake, a loaf or covered in whipped cream and ice cream in a banana split. Over the past few years, I have come to actually like them. Unless they are bruised or mushy, then I'm out!

Most baking recipes call for ripe bananas that have been mashed or mushed up. Let me tell you my secret to mashing them up. Mash them right in the peel. Saves a dish from having to be washed if you were mashing in one bowl and then transferring to another. Easy hack for your next baking day!

Now, let’s talk about those bananas sitting on your counter that are so ripe they need to be used up asap or frozen. I used to just take the banana (peel on) and just throw them into the freezer to bake with at a later date, or to use in smoothies. Well, have you ever tried to peel a frozen banana??? Welp, I sure smartened up (finally!) and realized the best way to freeze a banana is without the peel. Kudos if you already do this! It took me way longer to figure that out then I would like to admit.

So, to sum up, peel the bananas before freezing them in large zipper top bags. You can slice them, cut them in 1/2 or just freeze them whole. It is up to you. When you need them, just take them out and use. No fiddling with a hard frozen peel.

Search my recipes page for some desserts using bananas! My personal favorites are my frozen banana bites and banana brûlée.