Overripe Bananas

Whenever I buy a bunch of bananas, I rarely get through half the bunch before they start turning brown.  If I’m not ready to make a loaf of banana bread or another banana concoction (smoothie, muffins, cupcakes, pancakes, pie), I pop the suckers in the freezer whole with the peel still on–no bagging, wrapping or sealing–and leave them there until I’m ready to use them. 

When you do this, the skin on the bananas will turn completely black and when you thaw them out, they will get extremely limp and will leak water so set them on a plate or in a bowl (I don’t use the water but you could stir it back into the bananas if you like).  You only have to peel a little and the insides will fall out like wet goop and you barely have to stir them to mash them.  It is quite unappetizing, but the flavor is wonderful!

 

To make a banana cake today, I just used three bananas I’ve had frozen (with no protection save their skins) for over six months and there was no freezer taste, just a very strong banana flavor due to me freezing them after letting their skins get super spotty.

Don’t be scared of over-ripe bananas!  Their powerful flavor might not appeal when eaten fresh, but once mixed into a smoothie or into some sort of baked good, it lends loads more banana taste than a fresh banana ever could.